If the NBA is able to end its lockout before the scheduled start of the 2011-12 season, the Grizzlies will open up with a two-game trip out west, beginning Nov. 2 at the Los Angeles Clippers.

Following a game the next night in Utah, the Grizzlies return to FedExForum and what figures to be an enthusiastic home crowd where they will play their home opener Nov. 5 against Charlotte.

The Grizzlies are coming off a dramatic playoff run that saw them reach the Western Conference semifinals where they lost in seven games to Oklahoma City. That miraculous run has the Grizzlies featured on national television a franchise-record 13 times.

The Grizzlies will appear on ESPN four times and TNT once, while the rest are on NBATV.

The ESPN games are Dec. 13 against Denver, Jan. 6 at Portland, Jan. 16 against Derrick Rose and Chicago in their annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Game, and April 4 at the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. They will appear on TNT Jan. 12 against Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks.

The Los Angeles Lakers come to FedExForum Nov. 22 and March 13 and the Miami Heat are in town Dec. 30, while they only home game against Oklahoma City is set for Jan. 10.

The regular season will conclude with a home-and-home series with the New Orleans Hornets on April 15 at New Orleans Arena and April 18 at FedExForum.

Overall, the Grizzlies will play 17 of their 41 home games on the weekend – including 10 on Saturday, five on Friday and two on Sunday – and have 19 back-to-back sets, down two from last season.

With one coaching search complete, the Rockets will open another this week.

Seeking a lead assistant to Kevin McHale to run the defense and help with day-to-day preparations, the Rockets will interview Memphis Grizzlies assistant Dave Joerger this week, a person familiar with the process said. The interview is not yet scheduled.

The Rockets will also consider New Orleans Hornets assistant Michael Malone and Milwaukee Bucks assistant Kelvin Sampson, the individual familiar with the process said. Malone is considered a top candidate to join Mike Brown with the Los Angeles Lakers as a lead assistant. He had been on Brown’s staff in Cleveland before joining Monty Williams in New Orleans this season.

Joerger and Malone were on the initial list of candidates to interview for the Rockets’ head coaching position but were not interviewed before the club chose to consider only candidates with NBA head coaching experience. Sampson was among the first coaching candidates interviewed.

Joerger had led five minor league teams to championships, most recently taking the Dakota Wizards to the 2006-07 NBA Development League championship before moving to the Grizzlies as part of Marc Iavaroni’s staff.

He has been with the Grizzlies for four seasons and was credited for much of the improvement of the Memphis defense this season.

“I think one day he will be a head coach,” said Rockets guard Kyle Lowry, who was with Joeger with the Grizzlies. “I’d love to have him on the Rockets bench.”

Golden State Warriors assistant Jerry Sichting could be a logical choice. A teammate of McHale’s on the Boston Celtics’ 1986 championship team, he was part of the staff during McHale’s coaching stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

jonathan.feigen@chron.com