Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies play in the Southwest Division of the National Basketball Association's Western Conference. Originally the Vancouver Grizzlies were founded in 1995 during the NBA's expansion into Canada. The other team to be created the same year was the Toronto Raptors.

After the NBA lockout in 1998-99, home attendance in Vancouver began to slide and the team owners were losing money. The team was purchased by Michael Heisley in 2000 and moved to Memphis prior to the 2001-02 NBA season. The Grizzlies have made the playoffs three times in franchise history (2004, 2005, 2006), but have not won a single playoff game. This makes them 0-12 in playoff games.

After the Grizzlies began the 2009-10 season with an 11-30 record, the team fired head coach Marc Iavaroni on January 23, 2009.ESPN.com: Grizzlies Fire Iavaroni After 11-30 Start News agencies also reported that former head coach Avery Johnson turned down an offer to coach the Grizzlies. Johnson was the former head coach of the Dallas Mavericks and is currently a basketball analyst for ESPN network. ESPN.com: Sources: Johnson turns down Grizzlies (January 23, 2009)

On January 24, 2009, news agencies reported that former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins will take over head coaching duties for the team. It is Hollins third time as head coach for the Grizzlies.NBA.com: Bucks assistant to take Grizzlies' job (January 24, 2009)

The 2009 story of the year for the Memphis Grizzlies revolves completely around award winning All Star guard Allen Iverson. He has been a star in the NBA basically since the start of his 14 year career which started with the being the top pick in the first round going to the Philidelphia Sixers. It took only a few short games playing for the Memphis Grizzlies for Iverson to become disillusioned with his one year 3 million dollar contract with the Grizzlies that he signed on September 10, 2009. Iverson a former league MVP and 10 time All star NBA guard was not accustomed to being played from the bench but that is exactly what happened when he joined the Grizzlies. Iverson left the team on November 7, 2009 with permission from the team to deal with undisclosed personal issues. A short time later the Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace announced that Iverson would be permanently leaving the team to deal with what ever personal issue had taken him away from the team November 7th. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4661327

Shortly after his separation from the Grizzlies Iverson signed and rejoined the first of four teams he has played for, the Philidelphia Sixers. Few thought that this would ever happen after the manner in which he was separated from the Philidelphia Sixer’s in 2006, when the team ripped his name plate from his locker and amazingly enough edited him out of team video. This may be a lesson learned to, “never say never”. After Iverson left the Sixer’s in 2006 he was sent to the Denver Nuggets, following his stent in Denver he continued on to the Detroit Pistons, before finding his way to the Memphis Grizzlies. In Denver and Memphis Iverson was not treated with the respect he thought he deserved, being relegated to basically nothing more then a bench player. Things seem to have continued to go downhill for Iverson, being offered nothing more then a minimum salary as part of a non-guaranteed one year contract with the Sixers. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4705901