Thursday, June 28, 2007

The Grizzlies Draft Tonight

I honestly am completely confused about the team's moves tonight.

I think that is what makes it so exciting!

The good news is that I don't believe we will make a mistake no matter which of the players we take. Horford is a strong PF that reminds me of Karl Malone. Mike Conley is an ultrafast PG ala Tony Parker. Brandon Wright is an exciting uptempo PF in the mold of Boris Diaw but with greater potential. Joakim Noah is a high energy player that could be a Tyson Chandler type of player. His combination of defense and speed would seem to fit in perfectly with the style of play we have been told to expect from Iavaroni.

How can we go wrong?

Of course there is still danger in picking a player who doesn't turn out to be as good as someone else as a rookie. Horford could be another undersized PF who can't get to the ball without that size. Conley hasn't got a reliable outside shot and with teams packing the lane against him it could make it more difficult to get the ball to Pau. Brandon Wright is weak compared to most NBA players and is the farthest player from being NBA ready. Will he continue to develop while fighting the grind of the NBA season? Joakim Noah has no range on his shot and would clog the lane making it more difficult for Pau to operate.

I see the pros and cons of all the rookies. I don't believe in the long run anyone will question our pick but Memphis is funny that way. People still criticize the Drew Gooden selection despite him starting in the NBA finals this season and nearly averaging a double double and his trade brought us the 2nd best player on the team currently.

One thing for sure is that the rumors about tonight has helped break down the disconnect with the fans. For that I am grateful.