Class in Session with Chris Wallace

Every now and then you get lucky in life. Sometimes it is not answering the phone in time only to have it be a sales call. Sometimes you find a quarter on the ground. Friday it was playing a long shot and winning big.

Some friends of mine from the Memphis Grizzlies message board and I decided to get together and talk about the Grizzlies summer and what our expectations were for the coming season. On a whim I sent an email to new Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace and invited him to join us. I didn't really expect a reply. If I got a reply it would probably be from his secretary saying he couldn't make it. I didn't expect a reply saying "thanks for the invitation. I will meet you there."

And he actually showed up!

So there I was with (real names withheld to protect identities) Memphis Slim, Spartacus, Grizzman, Stubbylegs, MoneyShot and Mr. Toad when in walked Chris Wallace talking on his cell phone. Now I don't know what he was saying on the phone (I imagined he was telling Phoenix why Shawn Marion wasn't a good fit on the Grizzlies but I have a vivid imagination) but he hung up the phone and walked up to our table and introduced himself. No shyness. No pretense. No air of superiority. Chris Wallace is definitely not Jerry West.

For the next 2 hours Chris Wallace educated us on his vision of the world of basketball. He answered all of our questions. No holds barred education from someone who really knows what he is talking about. To say it was enlightening would be an understatement. It was like that favorite teacher in college who kept you enthralled during the entire class. I only wish I had thought to bring paper to take notes.

Here is what I remember from the conversation.

The first question was straightforward. I asked Chris this question: The Grizzlies have assembled a lot of pieces this year almost like a jigsaw puzzle but what do you see the picture looking like Mr. Wallace? His answer was a simple "I don't know." He then explained that his job is to raise the overall talent level of the team without destroying the chemistry that already exists. He is excited about the potential of our point guards. He believes we will be a better three point shooting team. He thinks our big men will improve the defense. Most importantly he said this team wants to be faster but not at the expense of defense.

He said the only players likely to be guaranteed starting spots are Pau Gasol (without hesistation) and Mike Miller (a slight hesitation there but I may be reading too much into that). He talked about why he went after Darko and how much he expects from him (a lot by the way). He explained why he went to Argentina but didn't make a serious attempt to sign Nocioni or Varejao (way too expensive for any increase in talent over Darko). Most interesting he discussed how he values players. He explains what he looks for in draft picks and free agents and how he views value. He reference the 6 to 5 difference compared to a 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 difference. Basically he saw the differences between Darko and Nocioni and Varejao as maybe a small difference in player skill but a large difference in the cost to acquire them. He can be satisfied if he doesn't get the better player if the cost is right. I am explaining it poorly but he made a lot of sense when he talked about it.

He talked about how Rudy Gay and Tarence Kinsey were promising rookies but he needs to see more from them this year. He believes they will show it as well. He talked about his concern about rookie playing the point and his concern about Damon not being physically able to play but he also said he was impressed with Damon's professionalism. He has been to see Stro and expects him in Memphis next week to start working out with the other players in town (and he said a lot of players are already in town). He talked about Pau, Juan Carlos Navarro and Darko playing in Europe (and mentioned he is still holding his breath until the last two games are played). He discussed Darko's outburst against the ref and how the Serbian culture and the timing of the question played into this. He wasn't pleased with what Darko said, but related that Serbia was at war recently, these international games mean so much more outside of America and the players are very emotional. The press fired questions at him immediately after the game and he would have said something very different if he had been given 10-15 minutes to cool off. Basically he said that you have to understand things are different over there.

He then broadened the conversation to the NBA in general. He talked about how the NBA is attempting to build a league where teams and players are associated together. Garnett was in Minnesota for 12 or so years, Paul Pierce in Boston, Kobe in LA, Patrick Ewing in NY, etc. Sure there will be trades made but the idea is to build a league where teams and stars are associated with each other. It does make it harder to become a champion but it builds fan loyalty. He talked about the importance of chemistry from the team. He gave the example of Boston when they went to the Conference Finals and how their team had basically been together for three years and how that knowledge played as important a part as the talent of the individual players.

I am leaving lots out and I am sure that the people that were there will fill in many of the blanks but the most interesting thing for me was that Chris Wallace was there. I told him it would be 3 or 4 people plus myself. I didn't imply that the people were interested in buying season tickets or upgrading their seats. He came because we wanted to meet him and he wanted to get us as enthused about the team and future as he is. If anyone is concerned that Chris Wallace isn't the right man for the job let me clearly state that in my opinion he is the right man. He understands that Memphis is a large small town, rather than a small city, and that we appreciate a more personal connection with the team.

The Grizzlies most likely won't win the NBA Championship this season. The team may not even make the playoffs but in Chris Wallace we have a man in charge who wants the Grizzlies to be an integral part of the city. That is more important right now after 5 years of disconnect.

Thank you Mr. Wallace.

Update: Welcome TrueHoop readers!