Despite having won two out of their last three games
and having a .500 record overall, the Grizzlies recorded two
of the smallest crowds (11,453 and 12,159) in team history
last week, according to Brad Ziemer of the VANCOUVER SUN.
Grizzlies GM Stu Jackson said that he's not "greatly
surprised" by the small attendance figures, which are down
from last season's average of 16,719, because the team has
"severely curtailed" the number of comps it is distributing.
Jackson: "You do get concerned around the 12,000 level. I'd
like to see that a little bit higher and the support a
little stronger than it is going to be during this stretch
(of home games)" (VANCOUVER SUN, 11/12). In Vancouver,
Howard Tsumura wrote that "any kind of rush [by Grizzlies
fans] to show NBA Commissioner David Stern that the
franchise should stay put has not materialized." But
Tsumura noted that the small attendance figures "may have
more to do with a new club policy that has drastically cut
down on the number of free tickets" rather than a "sudden
downturn in interest" (Vancouver PROVINCE, 11/12).
