CANADIAN BEGINNINGS FROM PRIVATE CRAFT TO BARGES THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TEEMS WITH TRAFFIC IN MEMPHIS CANADIAN BEGINNINGS 8
Perched upon a wooded bluff overlooking the mighty Mississippi River Memphis Tennessee was both beautiful and productive when it was founded in the early 1800s The humid subtropical climate was ideal for growing cotton and the river provided a means of transportation and distribution A century later the city reinvented itself as a musical mecca where artists such as Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash launched their careers For decades the musical culture of Memphis provided entertainment for locals and tourists alike and the University of Memphis Tigers athletic programs were a source of pride in the city But it was not until 2001 that a major professional sports franchise would call Memphis home The new arrivals were the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association NBA The name Grizzlies was not especially appropriate for a BRYANT REEVES 9
VETERAN SWINGMAN OTIS THORPE BROUGHT EXPERIENCE TO THE YOUNG GRIZZLIES SQUAD Tennessee-based club but these bears had been born in Vancouver British Columbia Lumber ing into the NBA in 1995 the new franchise was owned by local businessman Arthur Griffiths He hired Stu Jackson as the Grizzlies first president and general manager and then brought in former Atlanta Hawks assistant coach Brian Winters as the team’s first head coach With the bigwigs in place Vancouver set about filling in the roster It selected 13 players from existing NBA teams via an expansion draft having to split the spoils with fellow Canadian expansion team the Toronto Raptors The most notable additions were fiery point guard Greg Anthony and athletic swingman Theodore Blue Edwards Vancouver came away with some perimeter talent but it lacked interior bruisers befitting the title Grizzlies The team addressed that issue in the 1995 NBA Draft selecting Bryant Big Country Reeves a 7-foot and 275-pound country boy from Oklahoma State University Reeves had a strong inside game and a willingness to learn that earned praise from coaches and scouts around the league I’ve always liked his game said Bill Walton a former All-Star center and television analyst He’s learned the physical part of the game All the raw material all the potential is there Although Reeves and his teammates shocked the NBA by winning their first two games of the 1995 96 season reality soon set in The Grizzlies lost their next 19 and would later suffer an NBA record 23 straight losses en route to a 15 67 10
The Birth of a Bear When businessman Arthur Griffiths started the process of bringing a professional basketball team to Vancouver British Columbia in 1995 he intended to call the new club the Mounties after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who wear striking red uniforms wide-brimmed hats and tall leather boots But the real Mounties objected to the use of their name for the team So Griffiths and Stu Jackson the team’s president and general manager had to go back to the drawing board where they came up with the name Grizzlies The name seemed apt because grizzly bears roam parts of the rugged landscape of British Columbia The big animals also reflected a powerful nature which is always desired in sports as well as the heritage of western Canada When the Grizzlies moved from Vancouver to Memphis Tennessee in 2001 many people thought the name would have to go Polls taken in Memphis however indicated that fans did not want the name changed Only the color of the logo and the uniform was modified from Naismith neon blue to Memphis Beale Street blue COURTSIDE STORIES The Birth of a Bear 11
