2017-18 Memphis basketball turnstile count
16,519 seasons.
There have been two coaching changes. A segment of the fanbase has also grown disenchanted with general manager Chris Wallace and the Grizzlies’ front office during that span.
This season, injuries to key players such as Mike Conley (heel surgery) and Chandler Parsons (chronic knee soreness), and a failed attempt to move Tyreke Evans at the trade deadline have led to the Grizzlies using an unusual number of different starting lineups.
Breaking up the core four (Conley, Tony Allen, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol) likely didn’t help, either. The Grizzlies didn’t offer Allen or Randolph a contract during free agency last summer, effectively moving on from two players largely responsible for a sevenyear playoff run.
The Grizzlies’ lineups Friday night resembled one that arguably belonged in the NBA G League, though the franchise enjoyed an announced crowd of 16,527 for the visiting Sacramento Kings.
Overall, the negative trend with attendance might not change unless the tanking Grizzlies select a highly rated player in the June draft.
Memphis is on pace to finish with the NBA’s second-worst record and the chance to grab one of the top three picks. There also is the matter of deciding whether to remove the interim tag from coach J.B. Bickerstaff or hire a new coach.
Ownership still could change hands this off-season if controlling owner Robert Pera decides to concede to limited partners in a buy/sell agreement. Limited partners Steve Kaplan and Daniel Straus triggered a clause in their ownership agreement with Pera that allows them to bid on the team.
Pera has final say on whether he buys out a limited partner or sells his controlling shares.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies were partying in FedExForum on Saturday afternoon. A festival that included player autograph sessions, food, inflatable games, free parking and more for their elite customers.
The franchise, however, won’t have contributed to the celebration of a league-wide trend. The NBA’s average attendance is on pace for another record, trending slightly ahead of last season.
The league likely will set the all-time regular-season attendance record for a fourth consecutive season with more than 22 million fans attending games.
Avg. fans per game Nov. 14 vs. Little Rock: 4,720 Nov. 21 vs. New Orleans: 5,823 Dec. 2 vs. Mercer: 2,771 Dec. 5 vs. Samford: 3,143 Dec. 9 vs. Bryant: 3,015 Dec. 12 vs. Albany: 2,999 Dec. 20 vs. Siena: 4,697 Dec. 23 vs. Loyola (Md.): 3,975 Dec. 28 vs. LSU: 6,992 Jan. 6 vs. Tulsa: 4,335 Jan. 9 vs. Tulane: 3,505 Jan. 16 vs. UConn: 2,130 Jan. 27 vs. Cincinnati: 9,536 Feb. 6 vs. Wichita State: 5,414 Feb. 11 vs. UCF: 5,429 Feb. 22 vs. Houston: 4,691 March 1 vs. USF: 4,386 March 4 vs. ECU: 5,310 15,945 Nov. 2 vs. LeMoyne-Owen: 3,381* Nov. 25 vs. Northern Kentucky: 4,208