Grizzlies majority owner Michael Heisley sat in his downtown Chicago office pondering what could have been.

Not even 24 hours had passed since the NBA draft lottery dealt the Grizzlies another crippling blow. The Griz won the No. 2 overall pick last Thursday, and then they were required to promptly hand it over to the Detroit Pistons.

The Grizzlies owed Detroit. And big time - all because of an ill-advised 1997 trade for then-35-year-old Otis Thorpe.

The heartache still fresh, Heisley didn't hesitate to use a sharp tongue in describing his first three years as an NBA owner.