Following up on her passion project on former Grizzly Bryant "Big Country" Reeves, documentary maker and obsessive Grizzlies supporter Kathleen Jayme takes a fan's look back at why her favorite team was shifted from Vancouver to Memphis.
Jayme certainly shows some moxie and determination, tracking down "villains" like beleaguered ex-exec Stu Jackson and star Steve Francis - the high draft pick who didn't want to play in Canada. One of the best parts of the film is having Francis try to explain exactly why he rejected the city as a younger man - it's a little vague but the word "taxes" does creep into his explanation
Her film also looks at issues such as the horrific exchange rates on the Canadian dollar, Toronto's deeper pockets (on why the Raptors survived) and dwindling fan support after the team struggled year after year.
However one vital part of the story was not touched on. Late in his tenure as NBA Commissioner, David Stern admitted that one of his few regrets on the job was allowing the franchise to move from Vancouver to Tennessee. And while Jayme devotes plenty of time to the passion of manic fans in both cities (including her own), she fails to probe the meatier story of the league's corporate decision to allow moving the franchise - something that's much more difficult in the modern era. Without covering those backroom decisions, the full story is yet to be told.
Jayme certainly shows some moxie and determination, tracking down "villains" like beleaguered ex-exec Stu Jackson and star Steve Francis - the high draft pick who didn't want to play in Canada. One of the best parts of the film is having Francis try to explain exactly why he rejected the city as a younger man - it's a little vague but the word "taxes" does creep into his explanation
Her film also looks at issues such as the horrific exchange rates on the Canadian dollar, Toronto's deeper pockets (on why the Raptors survived) and dwindling fan support after the team struggled year after year.
However one vital part of the story was not touched on. Late in his tenure as NBA Commissioner, David Stern admitted that one of his few regrets on the job was allowing the franchise to move from Vancouver to Tennessee. And while Jayme devotes plenty of time to the passion of manic fans in both cities (including her own), she fails to probe the meatier story of the league's corporate decision to allow moving the franchise - something that's much more difficult in the modern era. Without covering those backroom decisions, the full story is yet to be told.