Grizzlies Keep Revamping by Hiring Lowe as Coach

The Vancouver Grizzlies hired Sidney Lowe as head coach and Andy Dolich as president of business operations Thursday, two moves the franchise hope will turn around losing ways on the court and at the box office.

Lowe, 40, was a former head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dolich was vice-president of Tickets.com, North America’s second-largest ticketing organization.

Both were given multiyear contracts as the franchise’s revamping continues under Chicago businessman Michael Heisley, who bought the team earlier this year for $160 million. He hired Dick Versace as team president and Billy Knight as general manager.

The Grizzlies were 22-60 last season, losing $25 million as average attendance slid to 13,000 from 16,000.

Lowe called the Grizzlies a younger version of the Timberwolves, saying, “We’ve got a couple of pieces, some excellent pieces that we can match up against any players in the league. It’s my job to maximize those guys’ talents.”

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Rod Thorn, the NBA’s head of basketball operations and the man who drafted Michael Jordan as general manager of the Chicago Bulls, is close to joining the New Jersey Nets as president and chief of basketball operations, sources told the Associated Press.