THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 11, 1996 TAG: 9602110047
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
Bob Walsh, who brought the Final Four to Seattle three times and an NBA franchise to Vancouver, British Columbia, thinks it could be Hampton Roads' turn for an NBA franchise.
The Seattle-based sports consultant says Hampton Roads - with 1.6 million residents, the nation's largest metro area without a major league sports franchise - would be an attractive site for the NBA if the region were to build an arena.
``I think the NBA would be a slam dunk there,'' he said last week during a telephone interview from Seattle. ``I think once the NBA got to know the area, they'd fall in love with the market. The indication from what we saw is that the area would support an NBA or an NHL franchise.
``Most people don't realize how large that market is. There's huge potential there. It's a large market with no major sports team, a market that is ready to explode.''
If the region's localities come together to build a 20,000-seat arena, Norfolk officials have indicated they would hire Walsh to try to find an ownership group and to lobby the NBA for an expansion franchise.
Former Virginia basketball star Wally Walker, general manager and president of the Seattle SuperSonics, said Norfolk has picked the right man in Walsh.
``He has a lot of contacts throughout the NBA and the league office,'' Walker said.
``If you hire Bob Walsh, it shows you're serious about getting it done.''
Walsh's contacts include Jerry Colengelo, owner of the NBA's Phoenix Suns and baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, and Larry Welts, the NBA's executive vice president and chief marketing officer and considered the righthand man of commissioner David Stern.
Walsh said he has been told the NBA likely will expand by two teams in the next few years.
``For a long time, I didn't think the NBA would expand anywhere else in the states,'' Walsh said. ``Now there's a lot of talk about them expanding by two franchises by the year 2000, with perhaps one going to Mexico City.
``If Norfolk and Virginia Beach are interested, they should do something. There are no guarantees, but there's a tremendous opportunity for that area.''
The region would be viewed favorably by the NBA if it had an adequate arena, according to two 1995 reports, by HOK Sports and Brailsford Associates, for the Sports Authority of Hampton Roads.
There are five arenas in Hampton Roads seating 10,500 or less for basketball. All are too small for the NBA.
Nashville, New Orleans and Oklahoma City are the main competitors in the race for an NBA franchise, said HOK and Brailsford officials. All are smaller than Hampton Roads, but they have constructed or are constructing arenas and have business groups actively courting the NBA.
Cursory contacts with the NBA have been made by HOK, Brailsford and Walsh, but Hampton Roads does not yet have a coordinated effort to land a franchise.
The consultants said the Los Angeles Clippers and the New Jersey Nets NBA franchises, which are struggling financially, might be persuaded to move to Hampton Roads. Yet Norfolk city officials deny persistent rumors and local radio reports that the city has already contacted the Nets.
``The Nets certainly would be a good team to get here,'' said Paul R. Riddick, Norfolk's vice mayor. ``But we haven't been in touch with them.''
HOK and Brailsford said the area could contend for an NHL franchise, though the chances are not as good as with the NBA because the competition is stronger: Large markets such as Atlanta, Cleveland, Minneapolis and Houston also are seeking pro hockey teams. by CNB