CHICAGO – Five times, Grizzlies’ general manager Chris Wallace leaned forward in anticipation from his spot on the front row between Phoenix and Dallas executives, and watched ping pong balls dance through the lottery machine just a few feet away.
And five times, he ultimately rocked back into that seat while masking anguish through a nervous smile as those darn balls spat out sequences that equally teased and tortured the Grizzlies.
Memphis entered the lottery with 199 four-number combinations, second-most among the 14 lottery teams behind only the 250 sequenced set of numbers possessed by the Phoenix Suns.