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The Vancouver Grizzlies relocation to Memphis was a successful effort by the ownership group of the Vancouver Grizzlies to move the basketball team from the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia, to the U.S. city of Memphis, Tennessee. The team began play as the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2001–02 season. It was the first of three National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise moves between 2001 and 2008, and the third of four major league teams to relocate from Canada to the United States between 1995 and 2005. The Grizzlies had been created as an expansion team along with the Toronto Raptors in 1995. For the six seasons in Vancouver, the Grizzlies performed poorly; they only once finished better than last in the Midwest Division and never reached the playoffs. The Grizzlies were owned by Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment, who also owned the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). In 1999, Bill Laurie, owner of the NHL team St. Louis Blues, attempted to buy the Grizzlies, with the intent to move it to St. Louis. After interference by the NBA, the Grizzlies were sold to Michael Heisley. He immediately started the process to relocate the team, and seven U.S. cities were candidates for the team—Anaheim, Buffalo, Memphis, New Orleans, Louisville, Las Vegas, Nevada and San Diego—before settling on the move to Memphis at the end of the season. The first four Grizzlies seasons had given average attendance in the middle third of the league. However, the last two seasons saw a reduction to among the league's lowest attendances; participating reasons were the team's poor performance and the 1998–99 NBA lockout. Contributing to the conditions for relocation were a weak Canadian dollar, unwillingness of some U.S. players to live in Canada, and lack of local ownership. ==Background== Memphis has previously hosted a different major professional basketball team in the American Basketball Association (ABA). Founded as the New Orleans Buccaneers in 1967, the franchise moved to Memphis in 1970, becoming known as the Pros. The team changed its name to the Tams and then the Sounds, before folding in 1975 prior to the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Memphis Sounds Franchise Index )〕 The Grizzlies were created as an expansion team for the 1995–96 season which, along with the creation of the Toronto Raptors, saw the NBA expand into Canada. The Grizzlies were owned by Vancouver Canucks owner Arthur Griffiths. His company was in the process of building General Motors Place (GM Place) for the Canucks, and saw the Grizzlies as an additional tenant. Both Canadian teams (the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors) were hampered by the NBA's decision to deny them one of the top five picks in the first draft, and the teams would not be allowed a top draft pick in the following three seasons, even if they should win the lottery. The teams were also hindered from using their full salary cap the first two seasons. For all six seasons in Vancouver, the Grizzlies had a terrible record. They finished seventh of seven in five seasons, and claimed one sixth place in the Midwest Division, never close to reaching the playoffs. The team won 101 games and lost 359, giving a winning percentage of .220. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Vancouver Grizzlies relocation to Memphis」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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