[mage lang=”en|sp|en” source=”flickr”]franchise show toronto 2010 february[/mage]
Memphis Grizzlies Team
The Memphis Grizzlies is a professional basketball team that is located in Memphis in Tennessee. They are a member of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the NBA. The Grizzlies were founded in 1995 in Vancouver alongside the Toronto Raptors. In 2001 their relocation to Memphis took place. Its ownership rights are shared by several owners the main one being Michael Heisley, who has a 95% share in the franchise. The other 5% is jointly owned by many local owners.
The relocation rights were applied for by both the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Charlotte Hornets in 2001. The Grizzlies were granted the relocation rights. But by the time the relocation to Memphis came into effect, it was expected by FedEx that the team will rename itself to Memphis Express. But the concept was rejected by NBA on grounds that the teams could not be allowed to be renamed after corporations. Formerly it was known as the Vancouver Grizzlies when it joined NBA in the mid of nineties. They bagged their first victory ever against opponents the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was a spirit lifter after straight losses. They posted a finishing record of 23-59 in which they won the last 4 games. Their player Shane Battier bagged the title NBA Assist Award for his remarkable community services, whereas Pau Gasol was awarded the Rookie of the year award.
The present head coach for the team is Mike Fratello whereas the present owners are Michael Heisley and Jerry West; the later is also the President of the Basketball Operations for the team. Jerry West is also a former player who played for the Lakers. He was initially hired as the general manager in 2002 after the teams’ relocation. The coach for the team in that tme period was Hubie Brown. Brown was awarded as the NBA Coach of the Year in the second year of his appointment by the Grizzlies. It was the year when the Grizzlies made their first ever NBA playoff appearance in history after they qualified as the sixth seed in the Western Conference. It was a drastic improvement for the team which had been doing badly.
Post the 2005 season during the 2006 NBA Draft, Jerry West was traded in exchange of Shane Battier, Rudy Gay and Stromile Swift. But unfortunately for the team they suffered a huge blow when their star player Gasol was injured and ended up with a broken foot. In June 2007, the Grizzlies appointed Chris Wallace as the General Manager and the Vice President of the Basketball Operations. After a while the appointment of Johnny Davis was made official as the head coach for the team. The responsibility of the assistant coaches fell on Gordon Chiesa and David Joerger.
In February 2008 trade of player Gasol was made in return for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie along with the rights to the first round draft picks in 2010.
For more information you can visit: <a href=”http://www.sportsticketsguide.com/sports/Memphis-Grizzlies.php“> Memphis Grizzlies Tickets</a>
About the Author
Pamela is the lover of sports and all sports games. She loves to write about sports. She works for SportsTicketsGuide and OnlineTicketSpot (http://www.onlineticketspot.com).
CFAFebTVCommercial.mp4