Links: New Logo, Radio Goodness, In Good Hands, MVP/ROY, Changing of the Guard, Holiday Packs

As you may have noticed, we have a new banner and logo for 3 Shades of Blue. That is thanks to Timothy D., who was the winner of our Ticket Contest Giveaway. He won two lower level Plaza tickets to tonight's game against the Golden State Warriors for his efforts. Congrats Timothy!


I'm sure most of you already know about The Marc Iavaroni Show on Sports 56 WHBQ. Well, if you happen to miss it, they have made it even easier to catch up by installing a flash-based application right on the home page that will allow you to listen to the show without having to download it. Good job guys.

Mike Moreau of Hoopsworld.com posted a column yesterday titled The Grizzlies Are In Good Hands, which details why he feels that Marc Iavaroni is the right coach for this young, talented team.

Anyone who has any concern about Marc Iavaroni's ability to turn the Memphis Grizzlies into winners need only arrive at game 90 minutes prior to tip off. Upon entering the arena, they will see the Grizzlies head coach right in the thick of pre-game drills and shooting, working with players on their individual games.
This is a task normally reserved for assistant coaches, who run the players through offensive move progressions and put them through a series of individual drills or position-oriented drill sequences. But here was the Memphis Grizzlies head coach working with his players - after a loss the previous night and in the midst of a six game losing streak.
That extra work and attention paid off Saturday night, as the Grizzlies beat the Magic in Orlando.

Looks like some of the knee-jerk reactionaries who have been recently suggesting that we try and see if Larry Brown is available should just cool their jets for the time being.

The 2nd Edition of our Blogger MVP/ROY Rankings is up now on Clips Nation, so be sure to check that out as we submit them every two weeks throughout the season. There is at least one Memphis player represented in the rankings.

Marlon Morgan (Commercial Appeal) had an interesting post over on The Memphis Edge this weekend titled Changing of the guard. It seems that Morgan feels the same way that many Grizzlies fans do in regard to the emergence of Rudy Gay as the new face of the franchise.

Through the first two months of the season, Gay not only has made dramatic strides over last season with his on the court play, but he continues to become more of a leader. By the end of the season, look for him to be the unquestioned leader of this team. That’s not to de-emphasize Gasol’s importance to the Grizzlies. But Gay is not far off from being the superstar former team president Jerry West envisioned when he traded Shane Battier for his draft rights.

Perhaps fans can look at what Rudy is becoming, rather than focusing on what other players will never be.

What a deal! Over on Grizzlies.com, you can see the latest ticket promotion, which is 5 Days, 5 Deals on 5-Game Holiday Packs. You can meet Michael Conley (12/17), get a free hat (12/18), receive $10 in Grizz Bucks (12/19), take 50% off Club Level Holiday Packs (12/20) and receive a free pair of tickets (12/21). The Memphis Grizzlies are doing everything in their power to draw more fans out through the busy holiday season, so go over there to the site, check out the details, buy some tickets and support the home team.