HoopsHype.com Rumors

The Rockets will offer the maximum contract they can to Gasol, worth $55 million over four years, but the pursuit of Gasol is a longshot because he is a restricted free agent. If he signs a Rockets offer sheet, the Grizzlies would have three days to match the offer to keep him and Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley told NBA.com on Sunday that his team would match the offer. "I don't know what the offer is, but you got to try," said Rockets guard Kyle Lowry, who was in Memphis in Marc Gasol's rookie season. "We need a center. I love Marc. He's my guy." Houston Chronicle

Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Free Agency, Kyle Lowry, Michael Heisley, Marc Gasol 

Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley told TNT’s David Aldridge on Sunday afternoon that the Grizzlies would match the four-year, $55 million offer sheet the Houston Rockets have reportedly prepared for restricted free agent center Marc Gasol, considered the top big man in free agency this offseason. Under the new rules in the new collective bargaining agreement, the Grizzlies would have three days from the time they officially receive the offer sheet to either match it or decline to match. NBA.com

Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Free Agency, Michael Heisley, Marc Gasol 

Q. Do you have a limit on what you'll pay Gasol? Michael Heisley: I can't take a gun to Marc's head and make him sign. He's got his own options. The press makes it sound like it's the owner who makes the decision. All I can say is nobody has a higher appreciation for Marc than the management of the Grizzlies. We showed that interest early and he's now one of the better centers in the NBA. I understand that he's looking to be paid. And I think he should be paid. We're going to match what anybody offers. ... He's going to get double figures (at least $10 million) starting out. It's just a matter of where he wants to be. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Memphis Grizzlies, Free Agency, Michael Heisley, Marc Gasol 

Q. Have you dropped the idea of selling the Grizzlies? Michael Heisley: I don't have a broker out selling the Grizzlies. The situation has never changed. I'm 75 years old and I live in Chicago. The right, and by that I mean a local owner -- and it could be somebody willing to move there -- would be a better owner than Mike Heisley. I have never changed that position. But we don't have anybody interested in seriously buying the Grizzlies. And I'm not shopping the Grizzlies. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Memphis Grizzlies, Michael Heisley 

Among the most intractable owners, according to sources -- Paul Allen, Dan Gilbert, Robert Sarver, Michael Heisley, Ted Leonsis, Mikhail Prokhorov (yes, him), and now we learn, Michael Jordan -- only Heisley has faced any kind of public backlash. The Grizzlies owner, who admitted last week he doesn't even know what's going on in the negotiations, has been the only one to face a potential challenge in the form of a possible lawsuit by the city of Memphis to recoup losses sustained by a prolonged lockout. CBSSports.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Memphis Grizzlies, New Jersey Nets, Portland Trail Blazers, Michael Jordan, Paul Allen, Dan Gilbert, Mikhail Prokhorov, Michael Heisley, Lockout, Robert Sarver, Ted Leonsis 

Ken Berger: Also, who couldn't love the irony that of the five sign-and-trades by tax-payers during previous CBA, two were done by Sarver and Heisley? Twitter

Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, CBA, Michael Heisley, Lockout, Robert Sarver, NBPA 

Except for his speech on business principles during the Fogelman College of Business and Economics alumni awards program, Heisley used an economy of words Wednesday --- especially regarding the NBA and a labor impasse that has wiped out the first month of the regular season. "I know very little. I'm not on the negotiating committee so I can only tell you that I think on both sides -- all of us -- hope we have a season," Heisley, the event's keynote speaker, told a crowd in the Holiday Inn at the University of Memphis. "The players want to play. The owners want to play. It's a difficult negotiation. But they are all working very hard." Memphis Commercial Appeal

Memphis Grizzlies, Michael Heisley, Lockout 

Heisley said he not only agrees with the league's edict but understands why it is in place. "I've been through a number of negotiations (in business)," Heisley said. "It's a tough process." Even more difficult for Heisley these days is dealing with the news that Memphis basketball coaching legend Gene Bartow has been considerably weakened by his battle with cancer. Heisley rushed from the luncheon to a private airplane that flew him to Birmingham to visit Bartow. And even before Heisley began his spiel Wednesday he asked the audience to pray for Bartow. "He," Heisley said, his voice cracking, "means a lot to this city." Memphis Commercial Appeal

Memphis Grizzlies, Michael Heisley, Lockout 

As of now, Neumann remains in Europe, where his most recent stint as a head coach came for the Romanian national team. But that organization is 31/2 months behind in paying him and won't respond to his e-mails, he said. "This has really financially, you know, almost busted me," he said. Tiberiu Rist, a spokesman for the Romanian national team, said Neumann's future with that organization will be decided in a board meeting in the coming weeks. But before Neumann can commit to returning to Memphis, he needs to find employment. For one, he said he's reached out to Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley, who, for obvious reasons, isn't hiring. He knows he could coach. He thinks he could broadcast. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Memphis Grizzlies, Michael Heisley, Johnny Neumann 

Had Neumann's career stayed on a typical path from there, maybe he wouldn't have felt how he does. Instead, Neumann left Ole Miss at the age of 19, signed a contract with Memphis' ABA team and embarked on a spotty seven-season career in the ABA and, after its merger, the NBA. But his career never fulfilled the promise that his one year at Ole Miss seemed to indicate would come. "I didn't reach the potential that I should have reached," Neumann said. "I don't want to sound arrogant or whatever, but God blessed me with more ability than all of them. I had it, but then I partied, I didn't train, and I was still good enough to play." Memphis Commercial Appeal

Memphis Grizzlies, Michael Heisley, Johnny Neumann 

The authors of the letter were Paul Allen of Portland, Herb Simon on Indiana, Bob Johnson of Charlotte, George Shinn of New Orleans, Larry Miller of Utah, Michael Heisley of Memphis, Glen Taylor of Minnesota and Herb Kohl of Milwaukee. Johnson and Shinn have since sold their teams and Miller has passed away, giving way to his son, Greg. But the situations in those markets haven’t changed. In essence, that letter is the root of the current lockout. And, it is turning out, perhaps a core reason the owners can’t make a deal with the players after more than two years of negotiations. ESPN.com

Paul Allen, Larry Miller, CBA, Michael Heisley, David Stern, Lockout, George Shinn, NBPA, Owners, Glen Taylor, Herb Kohl, Herb Simon 

He has never expressed regret about moving to Memphis, even lauding owner Michael Heisley's commitment to winning but saying that he left because capturing a title appeared too lofty. "My years in Memphis were not as successful as I hoped they would be," West wrote. "Mike (Heisley) and I certainly had our share of 'spirited discussions' about what needed to happen for the team to go much further than just getting into the playoffs but at no time did I ever feel he wasn't behind me." Memphis Commercial Appeal

Memphis Grizzlies, Jerry West, Michael Heisley 

HAWK: The Grizzlies have one of the toughest business challenges in sports. Heisley is eager for big changes, including a team-by-team hard cap to keep costs down. ESPN.com

Memphis Grizzlies, CBA, Michael Heisley, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA 

Heisley said he went to church today and thanked the big man for all this. No, not Z-Bo. Twitter

Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph, Michael Heisley 

Instead, Cuban offered praise for much maligned Memphis owner Michael Heisley, whose franchise had never won a playoff game -- much less series -- before this postseason. “I’m glad for Michael Heisley,” Cuban wrote in a reply to an email asking for his thoughts on the series. “He is the most underappreciated owner in the NBA.” ESPN.com

Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Mark Cuban, Michael Heisley 

Guess who walked into Staples Center last night side-by-side with Griz forward Zach Randolph? Answer: The team's owner, Michael Heisley. When asked if that was a sure sign that his contract extension was all but a done deal, Randolph smiled and said: "They're saying its close." Raymond Brothers is Randolph's agent and he's been locked in nonstop negotiations with Griz general manager Chris Wallace for the past week. After poking around a little bit today, I'm told that the issues left on the table are so minor that a deal could be finalized and announced as soon as today. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph, Michael Heisley, Chris Wallace 

It's true the 7-3 Thabeet wasn't playing much for the Grizzlies and already was being regarded by many as a bust. But Memphis owner Michael Heisley admitted in an extensive interview with FanHouse he has reservations about dispatching Thabeet. "I don't know whether it's a mistake (having drafted Thabeet),'' Heisley said. "I look at (giving up Thabeet) with great concern. ... I think Houston needs a good center and I think that Thabeet could come back to haunt us. ... Absolutely, it's hard for us (to trade Thabeet). It's extremely hard. ... If he develops, he's going to be a big factor in this league and we might be eating our words.'' FanHouse.com

Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Trade, Michael Heisley, Hasheem Thabeet 

"The problem is we were fortunate to have a very, very great center in Marc Gasol,'' said Heisley, pictured at right. "That didn't give us a lot of time to put Thabeet on the floor. When you play in the Western Conference, lots of times you play against teams that use four-fives rather than 7-footers (at center). They're very difficult sometimes for 7-footers to guard. So you have to counter with your own power forward like (Darrell) Arthur (who at 6-7 often plays center with Memphis' second unit). So it was very tough for us to give him playing time. "When we drafted (Thabeet), Tony Barone, who's head of our player personnel thing, said, 'If you draft him, then you've got to play him. He needs to get minutes to develop.' ... We basically never really could find the time for him to get him in the lineup to really develop him as much.'' FanHouse.com

Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Trade, Michael Heisley, Hasheem Thabeet, Marc Gasol 

Chris Tomasson: Griz owner Michael Heisley: "(Shane is) extremely popular in Memphis. I'm sure the people in Memphis will be ecstatic to have Shane back.'' Twitter

Memphis Grizzlies, Michael Heisley, Shane Battier 

Chris Tomasson: Michael Heisley said the Grizzlies didn't look to trade Zach Randolph at trade deadline and only would deal him for a megastar. Twitter

Memphis Grizzlies, Trade, Zach Randolph, Michael Heisley