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SALT LAKE CITY -- If the labor dispute in the NBA doesn't end in a way that benefits the Utah Jazz, would the Miller family sell? A new report raises that possibility.
The Deseret News cites a source as saying, "If I was a betting man, my guess is that the Millers will sell the team within the next five years ... unless this CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) changes the formula so that the team can make some money."
The source is identified only as "one source with intimate knowledge of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies' inner workings." That person told the paper the Jazz are expected to report losses in the $17 million range for the past season. The source also said the team has lost money almost every year since moving to Utah from New Orleans in 1979.
Publically, the Miller family has made statements completely contrary about its commitment to the team. At the season opener two years ago, Jazz CEO Greg Miller told the crowd the family's intent was to keep the franchise in Utah as long as there is fan support.
Miller sounded upbeat about the team's prospects following last season, in an interview with SportsBeat Sunday.
"I had an chance to kind of gather my thoughts," Miller said in May. "I'm actually very optimistic and very encouraged. The players we currently have under contract and the resources we have to just make the Utah Jazz better and stronger and more competitive."
A spokesman "respectfully declined" an interview with Greg Miller for this story. A league-wide gag order is currently in place because of the lockout.
Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts told KSL Monday morning he "can't disagree more" with the source. He said he can't see the Millers selling the team, which has a tremendous fan following. Checketts declined to say whether he'd ever buy the Jazz, saying the team is not for sale.
Forbes considers the Jazz the 16th most valuable franchise in the NBA, worth an estimated $343 million. Larry H. Miller bought the team in 1986 for $24 million.
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
