3 Shades of Blue - A Memphis Grizzlies Blog

3shadesofblue.com

2008-11-02T11:41:00.004-06:00

Apparently my last post wasn't clear enough for everyone. There will be no further posts here on 3shadesofblue.blogspot.com. Instead we have moved our entire operation over to 3sob.com, so update your favorites, bookmarks and subscription links to that site. That is where you will get all the latest Grizzlies news, commentary and analysis from now on.

Go Grizzlies!

Pack Up the Truck -- We're Moving

2008-10-29T14:23:00.006-05:00

No, this isn't another poorly informed piece about the Grizzlies leaving the Bluff City for Seattle, Las Vegas, Kansas City or Piedmont, North Dakota.

3 Shades of Blue is moving from our suburban home on Blogspot to our new palatial estate on the ESPN's TrueHoop Network.

Now you can get all your updates on the Memphis Grizzlies at http://3sob.com/. We'll be making some adjustments as we familiarize ourself with the new website, but we promise to keep up our tradition of providing you with all the latest news, commentary, analysis and poorly crafted jokes.

We look forward to seeing all of you over at the new location!

3 Shades of Blue

Opening Night of the Season

2008-10-29T04:39:00.005-05:00

Memphis at Houston - 10.29.08

Memphis enters Year 2 of the Iavaroni years with a far different perspective than the previous year. Gone are Pau Gasol, Mike Miller, Stromile Swift, Damon Stoudamire, Andre Brown, Tarence Kinsey, Juan Carlos Navarro and Brian Cardinal. In are O J Mayo, Marc Gasol, Darrell Arthur, Quinton Ross, Marco Jaric, Hamed Haddadi, Javaris Crittenton, Greg Buckner and Antoine Walker. Turnover on this scale rarely leads to quick starts for a team. The Grizzlies are also expected to start two rookies (Mayo and Gasol) to partner with Conley (one year), Rudy Gay (2 years) and Darko Milici (5 years). Experience isn't a strong point of this Grizzlies team but the team is building for three years down the road and if the bulk of this youth movement remains together the future is very bright.

Houston is going in the opposite direction and their fans couldn't be more pleased. The Rockets are considered serious challengers for the Division crown and possibly the Western Conference. Veteran teammates Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are joined by Ron Artest to give the Rockets an experienced core of players that rival the best in the league on paper. Combined with an experienced bench the Rockets are back in the mix of elite NBA teams assuming their stars can remain healthy and co-exist. However, there are questions about both of those issues. Tracy McGrady is questionable for this game with a sore knee that has hampered him all pre-season and Artest's issue with conforming to team needs is legendary.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Rafer Alston
Alston has struggled in the pre-season but that should be expected a bit from the veteran. His shooting percentage can't be expected however. Just above 30% from the field and the arc has to be distressing a bit to Adelman but that is an improvement from where these numbers were just a few weeks ago. Looks like Alston is roundng into shape. Conley has won the starting PG role despite a strong late challenge from Kyle Lowry. After seeing each other play twice already this season Alston will be prepared for Conley.
Advantage: Houston

Shooting Guards: O J Mayo vs Tracy McGrady
Tracy McGrady may not play tonight as his gimpy knee may force him out. I hear it is more mental than physical with the knee. T-Mac has never been one to push himself when the need isn't present. O J Mayo had an impressive pre-season and seems to be gaining confidence in his shot as well as his role on the team. If McGrady can't go then possibly Von Wafer will start. That is quite a change from expectations he wouldn't even make the team. Wafer had a great game in Memphis during the pre-season.
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Ron Artest
With Shane Battier sidelined for at least the first few weeks of the season, Artest has been getting the lions minutes at SF. His shooting was off in the pre-season but who really thinks he was trying hard in pre-season. Artest is truly a two way player excelling offensively and defensively. Rudy Gay seems capable of turning it on at any moment to lead the Grizzlies. The staff infection that bothered him at the end of pre-season shouldn't be a problem now. Being able to turn it on is nice but what he needs to do is leave it on for the Grizzlies. Rudy is learning to do that but it doesn't come naturally for him.
Advantage: Houston

Power Forwards: Darko Milicic vs Luis Scola
Darko won the starting PF position in training camp by showing a bit more muscle at the PF position than Warrick was able to muster. Darko's shooting started to come around at the end and his rebounding was solid all pre-season. Most frequently noted this year has been the dramatic improvement in Darko's conditioning this summer. Scola will be a tough test. Luis is older, more experienced and more grounded mentally than Darko. However Darko can give Scola difficulty matching his size. Should be an interesting test but Scola's tougher mental attitude should make the difference.
Advantage: Houston

Centers: Marc Gasol vs Yao Ming
Gasol has looked a step slow against quicker centers...like Rasho Nesterovic! No one is saying Yao Ming is fast but he is starting to round into form and should give Marc Gasol all he wants. The amazing thing so far is that Gasol, despite his bruising style, hasn't gotten into much foul trouble. That is very promising since most rookies struggle to get respect from refs. If Gasol can stay on the court for 30+ minutes and contribute then the prospects for the Grizzlies is looking much brighter.
Advantage: Houston

Benches: Memphis vs Houston
Houston had to make some tough decisions to just get down to 15 players including 'retiring' Dikembe Mutambo which leaves Joey Dorsey as the primary backup to Yao at center. Somehow Steve Francis made the roster despite not playing at all in the pre-season. The question off the bench in Houston has to be who is going to sit and who is going to play. Luther Head for one seems buried behind Brent Barry. Von Wafer was a star in pre-season but is he an answer? What about Aaron Brooks? So many bodies and so little clarity. Memphis' problem are different but still problematic. Will Warrick handle coming off the bench and still be a reliable point scorer? Can Arthur continue to build on his positive pre-season performance? Will Ross, Jaric or Crittenton emerge as a reliable backup player? Can Lowry raise his level of play after a lackluster pre-season? Memphis' bench was terrible in pre-season but a shorter rotation may iron out those problems somewhat.
Advantage: Houston

Northwest and Southeast Division Previews

2008-10-28T15:11:00.000-05:00

Denver Nuggets
Jeremy: Pickaxe and Roll
Nick Sclafani: The Nugg Doctor

Minnesota Timberwolves
Derek Hanson & Staff: TWolves Blog
Andrew Thell: Empty the Bench
wyn: Canis Hoopus

Oklahoma City
xphoenix87: BallerBlogger
Zorgon: Blue Blitz
Royce: The Thunderworld

Portland Trail Blazers
Mookie: ...a stern warning
Benjamin Golliver: Blazers Edge
Coup and SJ: Rip City Project

Utah Jazz
UtesFan89: The Utah Jazz
Basketball John: SLC Dunk

Atlanta Hawks
Matt McHale: Basketbawful
Hoopinion: Peachtree Hoops

Charlotte Bobcats
BrettL: Queen City Hoops
Ziggy: BobcatsPlanet

Miami Heat
Darren Heitner: SportsAgentBlog.com
Gregory Broome: The Peninsula is Mightier

Orlando Magic
Ben: Third Quarter Collapse

Washington Wizards
Rashad: Hoops Addict
HoopsAvenue: HoopsAvenue
Mike Prada: Bullets Forever
Truth: Truth About It Dot Net

Also see links to all the previews at CelticsBlog.com

Grizzlies Roundtable Discussion

2008-10-27T09:00:00.010-05:00

On Friday October 24th two of the writers at 3 Shades of Blue met with local media personalities Chris Herrington (the Memphis Flyer and writer of Beyond the Arc), Eli Savoie (radio personality at WHBQ Sports Talk radio), Chris Vernon (730am Fox Sports radio personality) and Geoff Calkins (Memphis Commercial Appeal Sports Columnist). The discussion covered current topics about the Grizzlies, expectations for this season and the future. It was a fascinating hour long conversation and I hope everyone enjoys listening to it.

Memphis Grizzlies Media Roundtable

As this is 3 Shades of Blue's first attempt at Podcasting is has not been without some difficulty to get this to work. Usually we just transpose the conversations into print but the length of this makes that impractical at this time. I apologize to our foreign readers for any difficulty you have in understanding what was said.

Pre-Season ReCap

2008-10-27T08:10:00.001-05:00

By Chip Crain

Well we are just two days away from the start of the regular season and I hope lots of people are having troubles with butterflies like I am. At times are start thinking about how exciting this season can become if the team gels together quickly. At other times I am faced with the reality of the team having a starting lineup with no one over 23 years of age, with 8 players new to the roster this season and with three rookies and I cringe.

Still the pre-season should give some people optomism about the talent on the roster, even if they aren't very experienced. As has been my custom I review the pre-season performances of each player on the final roster. So without further ado here we go:

Rudy Gay:
46.8 FG%, 75.0 FT%, 3.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.83 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 16.8 PPG
Commentary - Rudy showed everyone he is nearly unstoppable on offense. His points were only contained by his lack of playing time (27.8 mpg). Rudy also showed he isn't really a very good passer or dribbler (2.67 TOPG). Rudy's defensive intensity has improved however. If he continues on this path Rudy will be an ESPN highlight show on a very bad team. Rudy needs to become an on-court leader by improving his ball control and his passing to become a superstar. In the meantime I suppose people will at least be entertained by his athleticism.

O J Mayo:
45.8 FG%, 62.5 FT%, 3.3 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.75 SPG, .25 BPG, 15.4 PPG
Commentary - O J Mayo showed everyone just how ready he is for the NBA compared to most rookies. O J had two big scoring nights, shot a far higher percentage than anyone should expect from a rookie perimeter player and proved his defensive reputation was well earned. He also showed he settles for too many outside shots, has poor ball-control and doesn't seem to have the outragious athleticism expected of top NBA picks these days. One thing is certain, O J is going to be an emotional on-court leader on this team.

Mike Conley:
45.8 FG%, 89.5 FT%, 4.10 RPG, 3.1 APG, .38 SPG, .13 BPG, 9.8 PPG
Commentary - Conley has shown flashes of what he is capable of doing on the court once he matures. He has also shown he hasn't matured yet. Conley too often remains passive when he should be forcing the issue. His shooting has improved since last summer and his physical shape is greatly improved but he needs to be more insistent on forcing the issue ala Tony Parker at San Antonio. Once Mike gains the confidence to force his game on the opponents his assists and points will improve. Until then he will suffer from up and down nights.

Marc Gasol:
46.5 FG%, 81.8 FT%, 5.90 ROG, 2.3 APG, .88 SPG, .88 BPG, 7.3 PPG
Commentary - Marc has been a very physical presence in the middle during the pre-season and surprisingly hasn't been the target of the officials whistle like most big men are their first season in the league. Gasol has struggled scoring the ball which is probably attributable to his slow first step. One thing is for certain, Gasol is not the same player who left Memphis years ago as an over-weight perimeter shooting big man. This Gasol is strong and big and not afraid to use his size.

Darko Milicic:
44.7 FG%, 60.9 FT%, 6.00 RPG, .8 APG, .50 SPG, 1.67 BPG, 8.0 PPG
Commentary - Darko has returned to his natural position of PF in the pre-season and seems much more at ease there. Unfortunately he still hasn't learned how to use his right hand, has struggled scoring the ball and seemed lost on the court at times. What Darko has done is lead the team in rebounding and blocked shots. Darko will need to focus on those two strengths to keep the Grizzlies interior tough defensively.

Hakim Warrick:
42.9 FG%, 71.1 FT%, 5.10 RPG, .6 APG, .50 SPG, 1.13 BPG, 11.0 PPG
Commentary - That's not a misprint. Hakim Warrick averaged over a block a game during pre-season. The 10 blocks is compared to a career high in the regular season of only 30. Has Hak made the turn on defense? Possibly but he hasn't learned how to pass the ball yet and at 26 it is doubtful he ever will. That was expected however. The surprising thing about Hak's pre-season was his poor aim shooting the ball. Hak has always been a high percentage shooter averaging over 50% in his career. As the player expected to lead in scoring off the bench Hak needs to find his range quickly to keep the bench from being a major weakness this season.

Kyle Lowry:
22.7 FG%, 56.7 FT%, 2.40 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.38 SPG, 4.6 PPG
Commentary - There was no more disappointing player in the pre-season than Kyle Lowry. This may be a good time to remind people that this is only pre-season. The games don't count yet. Still everyone would have been a lot happier if he had shown he worked on his game over the summer. Kyle still pushes the pace, creates mayhem on the court and won't be playing with the odd collection of players he had to work with in pre-season. All of these things should improve his play once the season gets serious. The only question appears to be will his attitude accept being a backup PG.

Darrell Arthur:
55.6 FG%, 4.50 RPG, 0.0 APG, .17 SPG, .33 BPG, 9.8 PPG
No player improved thier standing on the team during pre-season more than Darrell Arthur. The late first round pick came into town under some question marks that weren't exactly answered with his summer league play and being tossed out of the Rookie Camp. Apparently those unfortunate experiences changed the rookies attitude as he has been more aggressive and effective. Arthur averaged more rebounds than he did in the summer league (4.5 to 3.8) despite playing significantly fewer minutes per game (17.8 to 27.4). He nearly averaged double figures (9.8). In college Arthur was known as a player who played great one game and disappeared in the next. Only time will tell if that describes his rookie year or not.

Quinton Ross:
41.5 FG%, 57.9 FT%, 2.30 RPG, .8 APG, .63 SPG, .63 BPG, 7.8 PPG
Ross overcame long odds with his excellent defense to become the last 14th player on the team. A natural SG, Ross is expected to see his primary minutes at SF backing up Rudy Gay. Ross has never been a great offensive player but he can hit the occasional 3 pt shot which should help spread the court for others to operate. Ross' offensive production in the pre-season resulted from the lack of a scoring options not improved play. It is anticipated that Ross' scoring will drop off when the rotation gets shorter in the real games.

Javaris Crittenton:
36.7 FG%, 50.0 FT%, 3.00 RPG, 1.6 APG, .80 SPG, .00 BPG, 5.4 PPG
No player was hurt more from the draft night trade for O J Mayo than Javaris Crittenton. JCritt was supposed to be the tweener guard of the future. Suddenly he was a 20 yr old without a position. JCritt hasn't helped himself this pre-season either with his poor shooting and low assist numbers. Barring injury it is highly unlikely that JCritt will see much court time and that will just hurt him that much more in attracting interest for a trade.

Greg Buckner:
37.9 FG%, 75.0 FT%, 3.00 RPG, .8 APG, .40 SPG, .40 BPG, 5.2 PPG
If JCritt may have a diminished outlook on the team but at least he is young and has potential. Buckner is far older and isn't likely to improve. The one thing that could see him on the court is a Rudy Gay injury. Buckner does have a slight advantage over JCritt playing Small Forward.

Marco Jaric:
00.0 FG%, 50.0 FT%, 1.00 RPG, .3 APG, .33 SPG, .00 BPG, .3 PPG
Jaric's pre-season was broken up by a broken nose. Unable or unwilling to play with the protective mask, Jaric's minutes were limited and he was obviously bothered by the mask to the point that he finally shut it down until able to play without the mask. That shouldn't be much longer. It is not exactly clear where Jaric will fit into the rotation right now with the three guard rotation seemingly set with Conley, Mayo and Lowry and Ross backing up Gay.

Hamed Haddadi:
17.6 FG%, 66.7 FT%, 3.30 RPG, .8 APG, .00 SPG, .67 BPG, 1.7 PPG
Iran joined the NBA national registry when the Grizzlies signed Haddadi to a contract. The 7-2 center has struggled adjusting to life in the USA since his english is broken at best. Communication issues aside Haddadi showed some promise as a back up center. His shooting was poor but grabbing 3.3 rpg in less than 10 minutes a night will catch people's attention.

Antoine Walker:
20.0 FG%, 25.0 FT%, 3.50 RPG, .5 APG, .50 SPG, 1.00 BPG, 3.0 PPG
If you want to see Antoine Walker play basketball you better come early to games. Walker has been told by the Grizzlies that he is not in their plans and it would take some form of disaster for Walker to see the court. His conditioning is being questioned but anyone seeing Walker can tell he isn't that out of shape. His shot however is a shadow of what it used to be.

I Will Now Pontificate Upon...

2008-10-26T07:00:00.004-05:00

By HPTMatt

I will now pontificate on the players I unabashedly deem most likely to achieve higher status than they've previously attained in the NBA this season (insert hackneyed Josh Howard joke here). These guys will not necessarily be MIP candidates, although some certainly could be included in that discussion as well. Most will not be for various reasons....young team, turdalicious team that gets no press (sorry, Mike Conley....but I'll put you on there anyway out of pure, unadulterated homerism), etc. I'll also not mention any rookies, 'cuz, y'know, how can you improve in large increments in the NBA year-over-year if you've just entered the fray??

Let the pontification begin!

1) Andray Blatche
Yep, I've mentioned him previously, and I'm doing it again. The difference with him will, like many things in life, start with his motivation and level of brain usage. He seems to have righted his off-court ship, allowing him to focus on the basketball aspect of things. Great size, great length, improving hands, decent (getting better) shot, some shotblocking, good activity without the ball and on defense. Perhaps the paramount reason that his name will be mentioned more this season, however, is one that I wish I did not have to mention...the injury bug that has bitten and will continue to feed upon the Wizards. I think that Blatche will get his burn even if (and believe me, I hope this is the case, but I'm not optimistic) the Wizards suffer no further major injuries (although Haywood's absence will almost certainly lead to more minutes for Blatche).

2) Mike Conley
HOMER TIME! Ah, hometown subjectivity. Sure, he's on what almost certainly promises to be a sub-30-win team, but his high draft location and great skill level will get him noticed, and his ability to locate and direct teammates will certainly show substantial improvement over last season. He has done his due diligence in the weight room, and his perimeter shot looks worlds better, mechanics-wise and, in a more tangible sense, in the % column as well (yeah, I know it's only preseason). His body control in the lane is very good, but his ability to finish while suffering contact must improve.

3) Gerald Green
yep, I said it. Watched Mark Cuban cheering for him at the end of a game that the Mavs actually choked away. Sure, I am well aware that no amount of Sprite can make this guy a regular contributor just yet, but I do predict that he'll see minutes in Dallas this season. I ain't sayin' this guy is gonna go for 16 ppg in like 24 mpg, but I do believe that he'll get the "more minutes makes me better, and not just 'cuz I'm getting more minutes" thing happening. Now just you wait for this next one..wait for it....

4) Patrick O'Bryant
Hah. Had you for a minute there. Just kiddin'.

...well, actually, he's seen a few minutes this preseason, and maybe...

...naaahh....move along. I'm rootin' for the guy, but we'll have to see.

5) Julian Wright
ok, back on track here. When I heard that Byron wanted to try to make this guy a PG, I knew something weird was gonna go on. Whether this guy gets enough minutes to really make in impact, well, we'll see. But his size is an asset, and the ability he showed at the end of last season to make halfway brainy decisions with the ball has almost certainly endeared him to Coach Scott. If he can work more on his perimeter game on both sides of the ball, his versatility could make it tough to keep him off the floor.

6) Ryan Gomes
I think the Wolves will like this guy very much this season. It won't (shouldn't be) hard for him to get plenty of time to mature on-court, and he's shown good versatility at the 3 spot...but it would well behoove him to get some time in the gym with his new teammate Mike Miller and learn to better flush it from outside. He must use his length to better advantage on defense, which I'm sure he can do (Mr. Brewer, you need to pay attention here as well). Good rebounder, athletic...I think he'll surprise the ten people who pay attention to the T'Wolves this season.

Well, six seems enough for now (well, 5.5 if you give POB half credit),and I'm sure you all think that I'm completely bananas (and, in my defense, there is a three-week-old child in my life :)). Feel free, readers, to comment on any player you think will up his game this season-I'm sure I've missed your favorite up-and-comer :).

Also feel free to completely bust me at the end of the season when a bunch of these cats go for like 1.5 points and 4 fouls in like 4 mpg.....

Weekend Update: Links to all Things Grizz

2008-10-25T07:49:00.000-05:00

For those that may have missed these articles/blogs on the Grizzlies.

REALGM.com ran an interesting article about the potential new stars in each division. Rudy Gay was promoted as the new up and coming star in the Southwest Division. Standing in his way are Dirk Nowitski and David West. Can't really argue with that.

Seems like everyone has a Season Preview out this week. Here is a rundown of the one's we have seen:
- Slam Dunk Central
- Hardwood Paroxysm
- CNN/SI
- Hoopsworld
- ESPN.com - And no that isn't Pau in the picture!
- BettingExpress.com - Don't ask me how I found this!
- KansasCity.com
- IblogBulls -Hint: Warrick isn't starting. You should know that if you are going to write a preview of the team.
- LA Times - Why are we the enemy? Didn't we trade them Pau Gasol for JCritt, Gasol, Arthur and another pick? Oh yeah. Never mind.

For those who are out of touch with recent events, here is an article discussing Rudy's staff infection that caused him to miss the last two pre-season games.

For those that don't have a reason to dislike Seattle yet here is an article that may sway your opinion away from the Emerald City. Obviously the person writing this has no comprehension of the contracts involved in moving the Grizzlies.

Anyone remember Will Solomon? Well he apparently remembers Memphis and in a favorable light no less in this interview he gave. You have to sign up to read this and it is a pay service but they give you 7 days free. Just remember to cancel it before the 7 days expire.

Diary of a Happy Grizz Fan: Part Deux

2008-10-25T05:00:00.002-05:00

First off, big ups to Chip and Josh for arranging the wonderful tables at the Tip-Off Luncheon yesterday. It was a good time had by all, as well as a notable day for charitable organizations. It is always fun to rub elbows with the players, as well as the coaches and staff. Thanks again, Chip.

To begin, this is the 2nd part of a series that proves to be the anti-thesis of Zac's ever-so-popular blog series. Zac is doing a GREAT job so far, and the feedback I am receiving further cements this claim.

Anyhow, after the Grizzlies luncheon yesterday, I met up with a few friends at the local TGI Friday's in Southaven to have a few adult beverages, and talk about Grizzlies basketball.

After a few cocktails and mind-elevating concoctions I began to peruse the surrounding tables for a viable target to test my theories upon.

Bingo. At a corner table diagonal from the bar, I found two gentleman around the same age as me, both wearing none other than Ole Miss hats/shirts, my alma mater. Target acquired, time to proceed.

I left my friends alone for the time being, and casually made my way to said gentleman's table, drink in hand. After the initial casual greeting, and awkward comment about the misfortunes of the Ole Miss football team, I finally found my opening.

I said "Did you guys happen to go to the Tip-Off Luncheon today?". Of course, I knew the answer was no, but it was my avenue to begin discussion.

The two guys, named Brett and David (thanks guys), asked how the luncheon was, and if I managed to get any valuable autographs (which I did).

Both guys are native Southavenians (is that a word?), but attend the University of Mississippi, Oxford. This of course, limits the amount of time they are able to attend Grizzlies games.

I asked them both what they thought about the Grizzlies past draft, and their answers surprised me. I will quote the gentleman verbatim, from the best of my knowledge.

Brett: I was happy overall with the draft, and the direction of the team as well, but I feel as if we gave up on Mike Miller, and marooned him into a far worse situation in the process.

David: I was ecstatic when we traded "Color me Bad" frontman Kevin Love for O.J. Mayo, and I was more than willing to part with Mike to do so, because you always have to give in order to receive.

Brett: I agree, David, but this team could definitely use Mike Miller's leadership, not to mention his hefty statline and outside shooting this year to help weather the growing pains this team will undoubtedly face.

David: True points on all fronts, but irregardless, you sometimes have to part with fan favorties, lockerroom favorites, and good talent to help build the core of your team. In all honesty, I would love Mike to still be here, but by the time we get where we are going, he will be of little or no use, and past his prime contribution stage.

Me: Great, great points on all fronts. I have to admit I was torn on the issue of trading Mike in the big draft night swap, but I do feel as if it was the best decision long term for this team. It was the right decision, in the same mold ala the Rudy Gay-Battier swap. In my humble opinion, one is paying off now, but both will pay off ten-fold in the future.

Brett and David: Yea man, one thing is for sure..... The Grizz definitely have hope for the future. As long as we make sound financial decisions, and hopefully a draft or two falls in our favor, we will be sitting pretty long term. Then we can quit hearing about the team leaving.

Me: Amen brothers. How 'bout a round on me?

So there ya have it folks. They are sneaky ones, but there are die-hard Grizz fans in and around the surrounding areas in the same mold as you and I.

Until next time, check out my homeboy Zac's upcoming installments, and hopefully I can bring some more good news as well.

Until then, Grizzly Growl my friends.

Our Grizz is Back!

2008-10-24T07:15:00.010-05:00

The writers at 3 Shades of Blue have had the great fortune to interview many of the main figures at the Memphis Grizzlies. From Chris Wallace and Michael Heisley to Coach Iavaroni and some of the players we have been informed and educated in the many aspects of the team from an insider's point of view.

Today, we have probably the most moving interview we have had the pleasure to be involved in.

Last season the team's mascot Grizz went absent for most of the season. Eric McMahon, the man inside the bear suit, was struck down with Hodgkin's Lymphoma a very dangerous disease. In an unprecedented move the team refused to replace him with another person and instead became involved with other mascots across the country in an incredible gesture of support by others teams mascots coming and rooting for Grizz and the Grizzlies in his place. Today we bring you the first in depth interview Eric has given on what it has been like for him.

photos by Joe Murphy, NBAE Photos

3SOB: Eric, you are being promoted as returning on Opening Night. How long has it actually been since you worked a game for the Grizzlies?
EM: Yes I am planning on returning opening night! The last game I performed in was on Dec. 17th vs the Golden State Warriors. I had a biopsy on my neck on Dec. 13th performed at a home game the next day then again on the 17th. I then received my results that I had cancer the morning of Dec. 18th and was immediately put on medical leave because there were some very necessary procedures that I had to get taken care of before I could start Chemotherapy which I immediately started a few days later.

3SOB: Can you tell us what that last year of your life has been like?
EM: The last year of my life has been a roller coaster to say the least. My first reaction when I was diagnosed was pure devastation. My doctors did a great job of putting my mind at ease and letting me know that I had a great chance at beating this. When I first started chemo it was tough but I was getting by. That was until I got a bacterial infection in my stomach that put me in the Intensive Care Unit for a month. The infection had gotten so bad that I got blood poisoning, my liver and kidneys shut down and my lungs collapsed.

My family and closest friends immediately flew out to Memphis to be with me because it was a real touch - and- go situation. Luckily for me I don’t remember much of that time but I eventually got over the infection, out of the danger zone and was released and moved to Arizona to continue treatment at the Mayo Clinic. Once I was moved out there I started getting some strength back, started walking again and my body started to respond to the chemo!

3SOB: So you are totally in remission now?
EM: Yeah, I have been in remission for 4 maybe 4 and a half months now. Of course you are never 'cured' with cancer but I am cancer-free right now. I went back to the Mayo Clinic a little while ago and was given a clean bill of health.

Photos by Joe Murphy, NBAE Photos

Who arranged for the mascots of other teams to come and replace you at the Forum? Did you ever get to see these guys?
EM: Once I was diagnosed I consulted with a few other mascots in the league, they expressed their thoughts and prayers and wanted to find a way to help out the Grizzlies because they felt that the organization was doing something unprecedented by not replacing me. A few of the mascots contacted our Senior Director of Marketing John Pugliese and pitched the idea. From there more mascots from around the league wanted to help in any way and rearranged their schedule to be able to make a trip to Memphis at a shared expense with the Grizzlies!

I was only able to see two of the mascots while they were in town. I was still in the hospital at the time and Rufus Lynx from the Bobcats and his wife stopped by to check on me, and a couple nights later the Coyote from the Spurs dropped in. It was such a nice surprise because I was still a bit out of it and it really helped lift my spirits to have some of my buddies stop by. True to form the Coyote, before entering my room took a doctors coat and mask, put some gloves on and busted through the door asking if I was ready for my sponge bath!

Once I was released from the hospital I was immediately moved to Arizona so I wasn’t able to visit with the other mascots while they were in town.

3SOB: What does being a mascot mean to you?
EM: Being an NBA Mascot is a dream come true, I love being able to put smiles on faces, lift spirits of sick kids and cause havoc around the city. I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and I though the Phoenix Suns Gorilla was the coolest thing in the world. I remember going to games when I was younger and watching him fly through the air with no regard for his body. Years later after I graduated from college I was able to perform with him on the Suns dunk team. He taught me everything I know, and saw some potential in me. I am very lucky to have the best mascot in the world as my mentor and teacher. Now I just hope to do for the city of Memphis and the Grizzlies as he did for Phoenix.

Photos by Joe Murphy, NBAE Photos

3SOB: Do you see your return as Grizz as an important part of your life returning to normal?
EM: When I started to get sick, going through all the treatment with all the rigors that go along with it, I would just lay there and think about the day that I would just feel normal again. I took my body and health for granted. Now that I’m in remission I finally feel that my life has some normality again but something has been missing. I have been pushing myself hard in the weight room and doing a lot of cardio to get back in shape. I can’t wait to get in front of fans and perform again on Opening Night. That’s when I really feel that all the pain and horrible times were worth it and my life will be back to normal.

3SOB: How much support have you received from the Grizzlies organization?
EM: The Grizzlies have exceeded every expectation that I ever had! It started with Andy Dolich and picked right back up with Greg Campbell. One of the most devastating parts of being diagnosed with cancer was I thought I was going to lose my job. I called John Pugliese and Andy the day I found out, right away I was assured that I was part of the family and they would do everything in their power to make sure the only thing I had to be focused on was winning this battle. Talking with other mascots around the league they all said that they would have been replaced. For the Grizzlies not to do that and let the city know about my battle was remarkable. I have received hundreds upon hundreds of letters and cards from all over the city and world for that matter with their well wishes and prayers. The city of Memphis embraced me as one of their own and for that I am truly grateful.

3 Shades of Blue has always encouraged fans to come to the games and cheer for their hometown major league franchise. Talking with Eric puts a different perspective on things. I hope everyone who reads this interview will come out for the Opening Night game if not to cheer for the Grizzlies on the court at least for the man behind the Grizz Mask. His turnaround this season is worthy of a huge response from the community.

HDTV is here: The Grizzlies are broadcasting 10 home games in HDTV this season. The games are Friday, Oct. 31 vs Orlando Magic, Monday, Nov. 24 vs San Antonio Spurs, Tuesday, Dec. 16 vs New Orleans Hornets, Friday, Dec. 19 vs Charlotte Bobcats, Friday, Jan. 2 vs San Antonio Spurs, Tuesday, Jan. 27 vs Denver Nuggets, Wednesday, Feb. 4 vs Houston Rockets, Saturday, Feb. 7 vs Toronto Raptors, Monday, Feb. 9 vs
New Orleans Hornets and Saturday, Mar. 21 vs Boston Celtics.

Learning from the Experience of Others

2008-10-23T06:09:00.007-05:00

A guest post from Blazer's Edge

Earlier this week I sent out a question to Dave at Blazer's Edge asking him what the Grizzlies have in store since Portland had recently undergone a youth movement of their own which turned out pretty well. I intended to quote him in a blog of my own on what to expect this season. However his response was so perfect by itself that I decided to run the reply as a blog in itself. So without further ado here is Dave's response.

Memphis is going to experience the joys and trials of youth, that’s for sure. Speaking from some experience with the Blazers, it’s a roller coaster.

The joys are great. There’s nothing quite like seeing a guy develop young and knowing he’s yours. Some of these guys could become your next franchise players. Swiping someone else’s free agent just doesn’t inspire passion in the same way. Also young athletes like Gay and Mayo are exciting to watch. There will be plenty of gaffes, but on the nights when everything comes together Grizzlies fans will be buzzing and out of their seats.

The trials of youth are long, however. The first truth Grizzlies fans need to come to grips with is that not all of these players are going to make it. Some will play elsewhere, some won’t play well at all. There are few heartaches like having the guy you pinned your future hopes on not pan out. Every young player is a crap shoot no matter how talented he is. Every night, every season, is like rolling the dice. Teams that roll the dice in the NBA don’t win consistently either. Opposing teams aren’t interested in rolling against you. They just take your dice, pop you in the nose, and tell you to come back when you’re better. Young teams, even young talented teams, lose. Memphis’ veterans right now are Warrick, Milicic, Ross, and Jaric. Are these guys going to be your team leaders? Are they going to impart winning wisdom to the youngsters? Somehow I doubt it. That’s a problem.

Portland has been through all of this. We’ve had our prospective stars who didn’t work out (Sebastian Telfair, for instance). We’ve had our stars who did work out but weren’t winners or right for our team (Zach Randolph). We’ve had veterans who weren’t interested in making the team better (Ruben Patterson). We’ve had youngsters with talent who still haven’t learned how to play winning basketball (Travis Outlaw). We’ve had a lot of losses and a lot of failed dreams. It’s been a long road.

The end of that road back to respectability only came when we made a few commitments:

1. Every draft pick counts. Use them wisely.

2. “Wisely” means on players who are smart and team-oriented as well as talented. Sacrifice a few headlines, maybe even a few extra wins, now in order to build the right way.

3. Acquire veterans who know how to play and are willing to guide the team either from in front or in the locker room. Do not overspend for quick fixes!

4. Getting fortunate with a Greg Oden-like pick in the lottery doesn’t hurt, but honestly the Blazers would probably still be a playoff team in 2-3 more years without him with the likes of Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, and Rudy Fernandez.

5. Don’t hesitate to get rid of players who don’t fit even if they rack up stats.

Also here are some helpful lessons I’ve learned as a fan of a young team:

1. Anybody can score 20 on a given night. Consistency is the only thing that really matters. 25 on Wednesday and 3 on Thursday is losing basketball. Until it’s 18.5 every night don’t think you have a player.

2. Wins are not always the best barometer of success when you’re young. The team better not be going for anything but wins, mind you, but fans can judge teams incrementally instead of taking a “win or nothing” attitude. Look for improvement in players month to month and year to year.

3. Summer League and Pre-Season are interesting, but ultimately mean little. Even with young guys it only counts when it counts. If you’re going to judge off-season play, you have to compare apples to apples (last Summer League to this, or last Pre-Season to this, for instance) in order to accurately gauge progress.

4. Offense without defense from a player or two can be an effective situational dagger. Offense without defense from a team is losing basketball.

5. Non-scoring aspects of a player’s game are more valuable than you think. Young players who already know what to do when they don’t have the ball or the camera on them are gold.

6. You are not getting better as soon as you think, so chill out with the highs and lows. Over-hyping a player or your team will only lead people to complain about them more when they can’t live up to expectations.

7. It’s not the coach’s fault as much as you think.

Here are some signs that your team might be getting good again:

1. You have a set rotation that nobody is arguing about…you just take it for granted.

2. You’re talking about what players have brought and definitely will bring again, not what they might or could bring.

3. You’re not depending on your latest draft pick or 10th player to come through and set the world on fire. You start thinking about your 10th man like San Antonio thinks about theirs.

4. The off-season starts getting boring to you instead of being your greatest hope.

5. The national media remembers your name every once in a while. They don’t know your team nearly as well as you do but they do tend to notice broad trends and are more objective about them.

6. You have a star who is the first “him” instead of the “Next Somebody Else”.

7. Your team ranks in the middle of the league or higher in most, if not all statistical categories instead of having a couple highs and a couple disasters. A positive PPG Differential is the best single statistical indicator of winning basketball. After that Field Goal Percentage Allowed, Defensive Rebounding, and Turnover Differential are usually good indicators. If you stink in one or more of these four big categories, be careful.

As far as Memphis goes, I think a lot depends on Gay and Mayo right now. Are they the “first thems” that will form the heart of your team? Are their games complete enough? Can they take games over and wring the life out of them, bending them to their will? Can they do all this while playing as a part of a cohesive whole, making their teammates better as well?

Those are the first questions to ask. Assuming an affirmative, then you have to ask who else on the team fits with them. I’m not convinced all of those supporting players do. In fact I’m not sure anybody knows yet what the supporting cast will turn out like…a pitfall of having an all-youngster team. Once the team has talent established and direction, acquiring a couple key veterans will be important. After that, it’s acquiring more talent to fill in the cracks and developing an identity. It’s a multi-season, multi-step process and the Grizzlies are still only halfway through Step 1.

Portland is transitioning through the final, identity step after five years of struggling and we still haven’t made it through. In short, prepare for the long haul, appreciate the small victories while you wait for the large ones, and hope your team commits to doing things the right way instead of just selling more tickets or making headlines.

hype it up!

Diary Of A Mad Grizz Fan Part Four.

2008-10-22T16:47:00.001-05:00

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

I pick back up with you, at The Grove Grill.

The young gentleman, close to my age and I were talking about the Grizzlies. Yes, that guy. The ONE I have found so far who could hopefully be coaxed into the Grizz fold.

I asked this guy why exactly he was having to be coaxed...Why cant you just get a 5 dollar seat and see what happens. If you want a better view to enhance your time spent, then take the plunge, spend a bit more, yell until your hearts content (just don't do the Soulja Boy dance) and see what happens then.

**Due to the fact that upon hearing the length of his answer, I immediately said I would like to quote him verbatim. I needed his number since I was sans tape recorder, so now that I am over the shock and disgust of actually recieving a man's number at a bar, I will relay his answer to you via a telephone call.**

"See Zac, the reason is simple. I've never been introduced to them. You might think that its stupid, or ******* lame, but I can't get behind something I know nothing about other than tickets are on sale now. Who are these guys? I know who Mayo is because I love college hoops, and I hear Rudy is pretty good. Why should I care? Before I take the plunge, I need to know whats going to be there before I go plunging off, ya know?

Another thing, since Im just getting **** off my chest to ya, is I like what youre trying to do with these blogs. It's like some public awareness type of **** and I can dig it. But Im sure a lot of people feel this way. They have no connection because yeah, maybe they havent tried, but some of these people who are fans of basketball didnt ask the team to come here. They were fine without one. We kind of fans like that dont have to do anything. The team has to make us feel like they want to be here and have us be a part of it, because people like that are indifferent one way or another. I guess apathetic would be a good word.

Let me see some marketing. Let me see them try. Then I'll try. Then I'll market the team by being a fan, and buying up tickets and shirts and all types of ****."

I know this entry is a bit shorter than the rest, but I want his answer to be the last thing that you really read and remember out of this. I'd like to know what the readers think, of this whole blog or if you just catch this series. Im hoping for a flood of comments, perhaps even a friendly-spirited debate between the fans that read this. What can we do to win these people over? What is right or wrong with his statements? I spoke about the listless marketing that I believe this team and city as a whole has in another blog but I think he raises some new and good discussion points. Dig in, Grizz fans.

In the coming weeks, there will be new (thanks to demand) installments of Diary of A Mad Grizz Fan. Bartlett, Raleigh, Collierville, Southaven and South Memphis are up next. Who knows...maybe I will be talking to you. As for Oxford, L.E.S., hey...I say let's do it. Why not.

Until then, spread the word and fill the Forum.

Memphis at Orlando - 10.22.08

2008-10-22T10:00:00.003-05:00

Memphis wraps up their pre-season schedule with this game and honestly the pre-season couldn't end soon enough. 8 games is a lot of practicing for a team that needs to see how they stack up against real competition in real game situations. The team only wants 13 players on the roster and currently has 14 in camp so there is a sort of battle going on for the last spot. Unfortunately it is a battle with the budget not between players. Quinton Ross, from SMU, is obviously better than some players on the team but doesn't have a guaranteed contract. It will be interesting to see if basketball decisions outweigh fiscal decisions in this regard.

Orlando is gearing up for a championship run this season. With Dwight Howard being the Beast of the East, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu raining in bombs from the perimeter, Jameer Nelson growing into the role of leader at the point and Mickael Pietrus as the big free agent signee to man the wing. It's an eclectic group that will create matchup problems all over the court. Bench play is another issue but more on that later. Honestly I am happy for Stan Van Gundy who was royally screwed in Miami. He had the team dumped on him when Pat Riley felt they were terrible and he took them to the playoffs instead. A couple of years later he had them headed toward a possible title run whem Riley makes up some lame excuse to take the team back. Thanks for nothing Pat. Now up the road from Miami Van Gundy is among the Eastern Conference elite while Pat Riley rebuilds again in Miami.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Jameer Nelson
Jameer Nelson is never going to be a high percentage shooter, never be an elite passer but he is a true leader of this team. Nelson has that certain something that makes him a great leader. What do I mean by that. Consider that Nelson led St. Joseph's to the top ranking in the NCAA. Can you tell me where St. Joseph is located? What conference they are in? See my point. Conley has been up and down as you would expect from a 20 yr old 2nd year point guard but he still has been the best in camp.
Advantage: Orlando

Shooting Guards: O J Mayo vs Mickael Pietrus
Golden St is supposed to be a player's paradise but somehow Pietrus never fit in. Now he is in a fantasy paradise in Orlando and seems to be much happier. Pietrus brings long range shooting and great slashing ability but it isn't his offense that Orlando wanted. He is considered an excellent defender and that stopper mentality was needed. O J Mayo won't be able to out physical Mayo. It is an extremely tough matchup for O J. Mayo has looked like the real deal lately but this will be a major test for the young man.
Advantage: Orlando

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Rashard Lewis
Here is another one of those matchups you don't see in any other sport but basketball. Rashard Lewis has a super sweet jump shot and a suprisingly strong rebounding game that makes him a nightmare to defend. Rudy Gay has explosive leaping ability, gazelle-like court speed and a soft long ball that hits with surprising regularity. It is a matchup of elite athletes going head to head. Lewis has one advantage that Rudy lacks however. Rashard doesn't have to care his team offensively. That freedom enables him to pick his shots to carry the team and to relax at others while Rudy must always be ready on defense and prepared to carry the team on offense.
Advantage: Orlando

Power Forwards: Darko Milicic vs Hedo Turkoglu
Hedo broke out last year to become a big time star. That happens a lot when you are 6-10 and can hit the three with alarming frquency and you are partnered with possibly the best Center in the game and one of the most feared small forwards as well. Darko was supposed to be a star in the league but has struggled with confidence and injuries but he will be back home in Orlando where he finally started to make his mark in the league. It's a difficult matchup for Darko as Hedo lives on the perimeter and loves to dash to the hoop when slower forwards guard him. Darko isn't fast.
Advantage: Orlando

Centers: Marc Gasol vs Dwight Howard
Now why did you want to leave Spain again Marc Gasol? I bet it wasn't for this matchup. The former ACB League MVP will have his hands full trying to stop Dwight Howard from getting to the glass. Howard averaged 14 rebounds a game last season. That's equivalent to Darko and Gasol combined this pre-season plus two more every night. Howard had 31 points and 20 rebounds against the Grizzlies last season. It would be nice if the Grizzlies could contain him to half that number in this game.
Advantage: Orlando

Benches: Memphis vs Orlando
Here is where Memphis has failed the most in pre-season. The bench play has been subpar on good nights. Kyle Lowry has been horrible shooting the ball and with no one else picking up the slack his assists are down as well. Hakim Warrick has not really adapted well to coming off the bench. His numbers were far better when he started. Ross, Jaric, Crittenton have all left much to be desired. The one bright spot has been the improvement of Darrell Arthur. The last few games Arthur has really shined. Orlando's bench is led by JJ Reddock with 9.6 ppg. Courtney Lee looks promising but as a 23 yr old rookie and trapped behind Reddock and Pietrus his biological clock is already ticking. Tony Battie has returned from injuries but is nothing more than a stop gap at PF these days and the same goes for Adonal Foyle at backup C. Tough call but Memphis might actually have an edge here.
Advantage: Memphis

Opposing Viewpoints:
3rd Quarter Collapse
Believing in Magic

Diary Of A Mad Grizz Fan Part Three.

2008-10-21T16:30:00.000-05:00

By Zac

AUTHORS NOTE: Kirk, I find it encouraging that you were able to have that experience at a sports bar. I think you along with my readers will definitely be encouraged by my findings this go-around.

For those catching up here are Part One and Part Two of this blog.

I continued my off day-slash-experiment by trekking into East Memphis to do some shopping. I couldn't wait to discuss the Grizzlies with people here. These were the people who would go to the games just for the social aspect and to see and be seen...The people who have the season tickets and whos companies have the season tickets and skyboxes. Surely there are the most passionate of passionate Grizz fans to be found here!

Errr....Not really. I found one. The other 3 people I talked to weren't that big on the team. One even wished we had a football team instead.

The first person I met was in Macys at Oak Court. I needed some shoes, so I wanted to find a pair of Lacoste tennis shoes. Dude hooked me up with an all-white pair...nice. He started askin me if I played a sport and I said "Nah, these are just for jogging and s*** like that." You're welcome for the censoring, kids.

I told him I couldnt play basketball worth a lick but I enjoy watching it, and that I was a big Grizz fan. This apparently makes people stop in their tracks and ask you why.

"They suck bro...I wouldnt go if they paid me."

I go...and I pay them.

"Well why not man? Basketball is basketball...ya know?"

"Yea, but I like good basketball."

"Mayo and Rudy are pretty good man...you oughta give em a chance."

"Eh, they just gonna leave in a few years cuz noone goes to see em."

Well, with that attitude, yeah. But that someone who doesnt go to see them is you! Cmon man...

I thanked him for the shoes and went about my business. I headed over to Laurelwood and did "Good Man Duty" for the Mrs. and found her christmas present at Joseph. Ladies, respect my prowess. I love my woman AND I can put up with stuck-up snobbery to get my lady what she wants.

Oddly enough, the salesperson ASKED me if I was going to the game against Houston because Joey Dorsey was coming back to town. Since when was Dorsey a marquee player?

I told her that no, I wasn't going to the game but that I was a huge fan of the Grizz so I'd be seeing Dorsey during the regular season when I had tix and time.

She goes on to say that she's not a Grizz fan per say, but she couldn't wait to see Dorsey tonight.

:(

Great. Another "fan" not wearing blue and yellow and white in the Forum. Oh well.

I leave, wondering if I was going to ever meet a professional sports fan in this city....and I did.

Trouble was, he was a Titans fan, lamenting the fact that Nashville got them and we didn't get to keep them. I guess he was one of the hundreds sitting in the Liberty Bowl watching the Tennessee Oilers. What was the reason for them not going to those games? Oh yeah, they're just going to leave anyway. That's right.

He launches into why professional basketball would never work in this city, and why Nashville should have gotten the NBA franchise and we should have the NFL. It's more expensive per game, he said, but there are less games.

Less games for people to go to when they werent winning, or when the team had one commercial per year perhaps.

Basketball wouldnt work in this city? Tell that to the Tigers.

This experiment wasn't working out as I had hoped, but it was going all according to what I thought it would be. This city just doesn't seem to care.

Alas, a glimmer of hope....

A guy about my age comes up to me at The Grove and sits down and has a beer. ESPN is on. Gotta love bars and bar areas. Always a good sports crowd. They were talking about Elton Brand's potential impact on the 76ers and I said "Let me guess, youre not a basketball fan either."

"Nah, not really."

I knew it.

"I do like the Grizz though. I think they could get me into this stuff."

Hooray! I found one. This guy lamented the fact that noone seemed to care, and was going to be at the preseason game not to watch Dorsey, but the GRIZZ! I told the guy what I had done today and I said "I know its a bit strange, but I just wanted to see if anyone cared that there was a team here."

His answer was great. Just brilliant. Later this week, I'll tell you his answer, why he must be a 3SoB reader ;) and upon demand from readers that I keep this up, update my Diary of a Mad Grizz Fan series with trips into Bartlett, Collierville, Southaven (hopefully I'll run into the couple that my Grizzlamic brother Kirk ran into) and South Memphis.

Until then, spread the word and fill that Forum.

Grizzlies at Miami - 10/21/08

2008-10-21T14:59:00.000-05:00

Memphis struggled in their first road game in a while. Indiana basically crushed the young Grizzlies behind the return of Mike Dunleavy. OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay played well offensively but were the only players who contributed. Defensively the team looked out of sync the entire night. Games like this are going to happen to the Grizzlies as they learn to adapt to each other and the NBA. What should be interesting to watch will be how do they respond to the thrashing. If they pick themselves back up and play better in the next game that will go a long way toward building confidence in the system and each other. Back to back blowouts could spell the end.

Miami seemed to be taking a page from the Grizzlies marketing notebook by opening a practice session up to the public. Instead of doing it on a Saturday morning when a lot of people could attend they decided to do it on a Thursday night instead. Interesting call for a team that won 15 games last year and is 0-3 so far in the pre-season. DWade, Beasely and surprisingly Marcus Banks have looked good so far. Shawn Marion is not pushing himself too hard right now averaging only 9 ppg and 6 rpg but it is only pre-season. Mark Blount has been terrible so far and that leaves a big whole in the middle for Miami and Udonis Haslem isn't enough to fill it by himself. Expect Miami to run small ball a lot this season.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Marcus Banks
Mike Conley had his first bad game of the pre-season in his hometown of Indiana going 0-5 from the field and only 1 assist. Quite a drop from his performance earlier in the week against T J Ford. Marcus Banks has been a pleasant surprise so far this season but rumors of Miami wanting Jamaal Tinsley, one of the Grizzlies PG's and anyone else who can play the point should tell you how much faith Pat Riley has in his point guard.
Advantage: Memphis

Shooting Guards: O J Mayo vs Dwayne Wade
Dwayn Wade was one of the most impressive players on the Olympic team. O J Mayo was one of the most impressive members of the US Select team that trained the Olympic team. O J is going to want to build on the good reputation he got from the pre-Olympics workout and show DWayne what he's got and where he's improved. Dwayne knows how long an NBA season is and won't exert too much effort in this game unless Mayo tries to show him up early. Then he's likely to slap down the rookie and show him what a Superstar can do in this league.
Advantage: Miami

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Shawn Marion
Marion wants a big contract this summer. His negotiation stance isn't that great however with Michael Beasley seemingly catching him off the bench. Marion is from West Memphis and can play PF as well as SF so this may be an audition for Marion. A deal where he gets traded for Darko and a PG could be discused. Rudy has looked great in the pre-season despite not rebounding well. Expectations are for him to continue to coast by on talent until the real games begin trying to integrate his teammates into the offense while focusing on defense.
Advantage: Miami

Power Forwards: Darko Milicic vs Udonis Haslem
Udonis Haslem is not looking over his shoulder worried about Michael Beasley's strong play in the pre-season because even if Beasley moves into the starting lineup it won't be at his expense. He'll just play an undersized C instead. Matching up against Darko is a good prequel to what his season could be like in that respect. Darko was terrible offensively against Indiana and won't find the going any easier against Haslem but in 20 minutes he did grab 7 boards. If Darko can contain himself to rebounding, defense and putback shots he should be effective. If he continues to try and force himself into the offense things may get ugly.
Advantage: Miami

Centers: Marc Gasol vs Mark Blount
If there is a weaker team at the center position than Memphis than Miami just might be it. Memphis has two rookies and a bust former second pick in the draft. And that makes them much stronger in the middle than Miami. Mark Blount is softer than Pau Gasol and won't enjoy Marc's tougher style of play. Gasol had an off-night shooting against Indiana but his 4 assists and 7 boards show the potential he has in being a team player. Despite his physical play Marc is not getting into early foul trouble which reflects his experience.
Advantage: Memphis

Benches: Memphis vs Miami
Neither team can boast a strong bench but Memphis doesn't have Michael Beasley coming off of their bench so first thought is Miami has the advantage? But is that really the case? Kyle Lowry, Marco Jaric and Javaris Crittenton should all want to put on a good show to impress Riley to trade for them. Hakim Warrick will want to show Iavaroni he can play defense and still score and frankly Miami's bench is extremely bare after Beasley. Chris Quinn looks sharp at times but is nothing more than a career backup PG. Mario Chambers just may be the best PG on the team despite being a rookie and not highly regarded. DeQuan Cook is deadly when hot but suffers from thinking he's hot more often than he really is. Diawara and Anthony are the only other players contributing and they aren't doing much.
Advantage: Memphis

Diary of a happy Grizz fan

2008-10-21T10:02:00.005-05:00

By Kirk Holland

Zac; my homie, my brother. Your blogs the past week have been GREAT, and I am looking forward to further posts, but I decided to post on the opposite aspect of the situation.

Yes, it was MUCH harder than your journey, but I managed to actually run across a few fans who actually cared more about the Grizz than I do, which is hard to do.

Cut to scenario......

So last night,,,,,,, hungry, thirsty, needing a beer, I headed to the local Fox and the Hound in Southaven to satiate both needs.

Whilst waiting on my waitress to fill my order, I stumbled upon a couple in the booth next to me wearing none other than Grizzlies Blue, with matching hats!

Interests peaked, I had no choice but to inquire upon the outfit choice of said couple (thanks to Jeff and Sarah btw). I asked the male of the couple about what he thinks of the Grizz this season, and what he sees for the future. This was a mistake on my part, because I quickly found this guy knew more about the Grizz than I could ever dream about.

First off, he hit me with a question to my question. He says "How do you see the Grizz faring this year?" Wait, whaaa? Of course, I answered though. "As much as it pains me, I see the Grizz going through a tough time this year, with the lack of experience and the glaring deficit at the PF spot", I said. Fair enough.

Well, the fellow asked me, "How can you see a deficit in something you haven't seen(other than preseason of course)?" Hmmmm, well I thought and thought.

In response, I said "It's just an observation, which I would GLADLY love to be proven wrong."

The genius of the conversation is the forthcoming statement my friends.

Jeff(haha man, see), said "The Grizzlies team this year is like a well formed whiskey; all the parts are there, but it takes time to come together and make the finished product."

WOW, a man after my own heart. This simple analogy rings true, and has bearing for the future as well.

Thanks again to anonymous couple :) for your keen observations, and look forward to meeting such avid Grizzlies fans in the future.

So Zac, my brother, whilst you continue your quest; hopefully I will be fortunate enough to run into such fans as this again.

Diary Of A Mad Grizz Fan Part Two.

2008-10-19T13:55:00.008-05:00

By Zac

For those catching up: Part One

I head to Midtown to do some shopping in Cooper-Young and have a cup of coffee. You've gotta love Cooper-Young. Skaters wearing socks on their arms, and all the counterculture you could ask for. George Carlin would be proud. Talking sports here would surely be fun. I hadn't had any real lunch yet, just a few brews so I stop at Celtic Crossing to have this gouda cheeseburger. Try it, you'll love it.

That was my George Lapides shameless promotion moment.

The servers at Celtic are the friendliest around, so it is easy to get a conversation started up with them. I turned the conversation to sports and we began talking about how my Cowboys picked up Roy Williams and what that would do for our offense. I then said "Well I'm actually a basketball man myself, and I can't wait for the season to start. I love my Mavs, but Im a Grizz fan first."

Dude laughed. LAUGHED.

Then silence.

Like I had just told a big Jesus joke in Bethlehem.

He thought he had hurt my feelings so he was like "Uh, I don't really think theyre going to be that good this year, but man good for you if you can support a team that doesnt win a lot."

Thanks.

I just smiled and said "Well thats what being a fan is all about...Hell, I was a Mavs fan back in the days of Ced Ceballos and Reunion Arena, so I can tolerate grisly Grizzlies."

I asked him if he had ever been to a game and he said he had not. "They'd just lose," he said. "It'd be a waste of money."

Yikes. Why do so many in the city feel this way? A sporting event is a sporting event! It's fun to cheer and get into the game, and if you lose, so what?? You screamed, you drank some beer, you high-fived when they tried to make a comeback, you had fun! A waste of money, no sir.

We alternated the conversation back and forth from basketball to football, to music. Now there is something I can talk about for hours.

I inhaled my cheeseburger and decided to head to East Memphis. Ah, the "elite" of Memphis. The people who buy the season tickets and would at least go to the game for the social aspect, right? We shall see...in a few days time.

Central Division Previews

2008-10-18T12:04:00.001-05:00

Chicago Bulls
Nels: Give Me The Rock
Matt: Blog-a-Bull

Cleveland Cavaliers
Rock: Waiting For Next Year
FTS: Fear The Sword
David Friedman: 20 Second Timeout
Amar Panchmatia: Cavalier Attitude

Detroit Pistons
Brian Spencer: Empty the Bench
Natalie Sitto: Need4Sheed.com
Matt Watson: Detroit Bad Boys

Indiana Pacers
Tom: Indy Cornrows

Milwaukee Bucks
Jeramey Jannene: The Bratwurst
Frank Madden: BrewHoop

Also see links to all the previews at CelticsBlog.com.

Rudy: Jack of all Trades

2008-10-18T00:21:00.005-05:00

By Kirk Holland

For those of you who don't know, Rudy will be blogging this upcoming season on the Grizzlies website.

I, for one, am ecstatic if for no other reason than that I no longer have to read Casey Jacobsen blog entries, which were the equivalent of a written colonoscopy.

Should be an interesting year, and hopefully Rudy has not only added blogging to his list of talents, but an improved overall game as well.

Glad to hear that Rudy spent time watching the Summer leaguers this year, that in itself shows me he is passionate about this team, and wants to succeed. Also, I found it interesting about his mentioning Michael Phelps (Lord of the Olympiads), and how he is now the third favorite son of Baltimore behind Phelps and Melo. I truly believe he will soon supplant Carmelo as the 2nd favorite, gold medal or not. And hopefully, when we win our eighth NBA championship (i know, i know) he can take that coveted first spot. Heck, he's already one of Memphis's favorite adopted sons, and continually rising.

Anyways, good luck this year Rudy both on the court and in your blogging endeavors; may you find success in all areas.

Oh, I can still beat you in bowling Rudy.

Diary Of A Mad Grizz Fan Part One.

2008-10-17T13:36:00.005-05:00

By Zac

I became so intrigued by my own writings about the subject on noone caring that the Grizzlies were here, I decided to conduct an experiment.

I'm a pretty sociable guy, I talk to everyone I come into contact with without crossing the line into invasion of privacy, so I decided that on my lunch break and shopping excursion out in Memphis I was going to eek the Grizzlies into my conversations with people, just to see what they thought about the subject.

Jesus H, what a long sentence.

I knew that my experiment could not be biased, so I planned my day to be in several parts of town. I would have lunch downtown, since I like being downtown on my off days/no class days, I would shop Cooper-Young and East Memphis (two very different demographics) and then I would head out and pick up the fiance for dinner that night, picking over what I had learned.

With the plan set in motion, I was off to lunch. I parked in the garage and set off to South Philly. (Quick pet peeve though: Why in the hell do we use tokens to pay for parking now? Seriously, can't I just give you my money?) I stop in there and decide I don't want a sandwich, so I just had a beer instead. ESPN was on the plasma screen and there was a man probably in his 30s craning his neck to watch the screen. I sit at the table next to him so I could see the television. A few minutes and a new beer later, I said "I wish they'd talk about some preseason, I want to see what they are saying about Mayo." His response: "Yeah, that Mayo kid's something good. Who's he playin for?"

Wha??

I said "Memphis, man! He plays for us! We traded Miller, drafted Love and traded em both with Cardinal to get him, and Jaric...and Walker..." I trailed off. He legitimately didnt know. To the right of this man in South Philly is a Hello Mayo poster. I told him how Mayo fired off 26 points the other night in preseason, and how Rudy looks good this year, and by the end of the conversation he said he might try to make it to a game. I felt good. I drank the last of my second beer and headed off to Midtown.

My attempt to convert lost Midtowners to the way of the Grizz will be posted in a few days. Until then, spread the good word. Fill the Forum.

Grizzlies at Indiana - 10/17/08

2008-10-17T07:16:00.007-05:00

Memphis is basically playing their seasonal rotation right now trying to build something among the team. With three starters in unfamiliar places and none over 24 years old or with more than 2 years experience with the team chemistry is a commodity the Grizzlies are very short on. O J Mayo has started erratic but that is expected of rookies, especially when they are thrust into starting roles. Rudy Gay is taking his time getting going but still is leading the team in scoring. Rebounding is another issue for Rudy but starting the twin towers of Gasol and Milicic may relieve him of some rebounding concerns. This is the beginning of one of the longest road trips of the season for the Grizzlies with their next 5 games on the road.

Indiana needs to find a new medicine man because the team is wracked with injuries right now. Where is Dunleavy (knee)? Where is Troy Murphy (? Where is Marquis Daniels, Travis Deiner and Jamal Tinsley? Oh wait, forget about Tinsley. That is a totally different issue with him. Indiana is getting their starters and key reserves back but until then no one is going to fully appreciate what this team is capable of doing. Coach Jim O'Brian has said that he intends on shortening the lineup in advance of the season opener. This is Indiana's last home game of the pre-season as well so expect the Pacers to put on a show for the increasingly disinterested fans.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs T J Ford
This is no place for slow play. T J Ford and Mike Conley have been compared many times because of the speed they bring to the game and their lack of perimeter shooting. Conley may be putting an end to that rep however. In only his 2nd season Conley has been shredding 3 pt shots to the tune of 50% behind the line. Ford has been leading the Pacers in scoring by beating people to the lane. Should be an interesting match.
Advantage: Indiana

Shooting Guards: O J Mayo vs Mike Dunleavy
When people thought that O J Mayo would be too short to play SG this is what people were thinking about. Mike Dunleavy is 6-10 and that is tall for any SG but he also has a complete game. Mayo will struggle to prevent Dunleavy from getting off his long shot but he should be able to create matchup problems as well on the offensive end. A coach's son Dunleavy won't be caught unprepared but you have to wonder how game ready he will be in his first game of the pre-season. Mayo is in game shape and wants to prove he has an NBA game so he should test the knee early to see how Dunleavy reacts.
Advantage: Indiana

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Danny Granger
Granger came back to the lineup for the first time on Wednesday and didn't show too much rust. A solid all-around player Granger is looking to take a major step forward this season like Rudy Gay did last year. Rudy has been coasting for much of the pre-season looking to find a groove with the new starters but has still led the team in scoring and highlight real plays. Granger and Rudy are going to be major players at the SF position for years to come and this will always be a great matchup. Rudy has the edge right now but Granger has motivation to improve.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: Darko Milicic vs Jeff Foster
This is a guess at PF for Indiana. Until Troy Murphy comes back there really isn't a quality player for the Pacers at this position. Foster is a solid rebounder who understands his role on the team. With the promise of Roy Hibbert Foster needs to prove he can back up at the PF position to find playing time however. Darko Milicic has been an enigma since entering the league but has looked sharper in the pre-season back in his natural PF position. Drafted as an offensive PF he developed into a decent defensive C but his confidence issues and repeated injuries held him back in that role. If he can avoid the injury bug Darko may finally make his mark this season and at only 23 he still has time to resurrect his career.
Advantage: Memphis

Centers: Marc Gasol vs Rasho Nesterovic
Gasol has been impressive at the center position during the pre-season but he is still a rookie and gets fooled by more experienced players. Rasho showed the rookie a few veteran moves in their last matchup exploiting Gasol repeatedly in the first quarter of the game. Gasol responded well however and ended up with a double double. Rasho is being pushed by the strong play of Roy Hibbert so he should look to be aggressive again so Gasol will have to pay attention to Rasho and show he won't fall for the same fakes. Rasho now needs to show if he has any more veteran plays up his sleeve.
Advantage: Indiana

Benches: Memphis vs Indiana
Memphis' starters matchup well with Indiana's but the bench has been a problem for the Grizzlies all pre-season. Kyle Lowry has struggled meshing as the lead PG. Hakim Warrick is supposed to provide offense off the bench but seems unhappy about not starting and hasn't performed well yet in that role. The return of Marco Jaric may help ease the playmaking headaches Lowry has faced. Darrell Arthur is coming on strong right now but it is difficult for rookies to put together consistent performances. Javaris Crittenton needs to find his role off the bench Quinton Ross, from SMU, has been one of the brighter spots off the bench with solid play as the SF. Indiana's bench has been bolstered by the return of Dunleavy, Foster and Granger. Hibbert and Brandon Rush have been two of the best rookies during pre-season. Jarrett Jack should provide quality play at the point.
Advantage: Indiana

Outside Commentary:
Indy Cornrows: Simply the best coverage of the Pacers on the internet and one of the best NBA sites. I highly recommend you check this site out.
Pacers Insider - This is the blog for the IndyStar. Imagine Ron Tillery with a bit more of a cheerleading attitude.
Pacers Pulse - The MVN's Pacers coverage. Not bad but the layout isn't as interesting to read as Indy Cornrows in my opinion.

One Must Wonder....

2008-10-16T06:47:00.002-05:00

By HPTMatt

Yes, I'm aware that I may be knee jerking, and I'm not afraid to admit such.

But I found myself ruminating (and trust me, that always gets me in trouble...) on the way home from the Grizz/Pacers preseason game on 10/13 about chemistry, the Grizzlies back court, and the coaching and management staff of the Grizzlies.

Sorry Dr. Zack, you know what's coming here...

Kyle Lowry seems not-so-enthralled with his current role on the Grizzlies, which is hard to believe, since he's one of only two cats currently seeing time at PG. It's buried somewhere on the Internet, but I recall with fair distinction an interview with Kyle just after Conley was drafted where the "I just got mildly slapped" connotation was not so hard to perceive through the normal "well, competition will make us all better" platitudes he was spouting....and I think that the drafting of Conley has engendered some negativity in Kyle's attitude. This aspect of his attitude has certainly not been pervasive, but it has been present from time to time, usually manifesting itself in hands-raised-palms-up at the bench after a blown play or a (sometimes not-so-)discreet look over his shoulder at the bench. The "playing favorites" among teammates is not so much rooted in malicious intent by Kyle, IMO, however-Hak and Rudy are almost certainly the two most likely scorers usually playing with Kyle..I'd pass them the ball too.

Another issue that this "coachability" discussion raises is particularly salient in terms of this preseason-where's Javarence Kinseyton? Another way to ask the question....how much must have Critt have unimpressed the staff in summer league and the beginning of camp for him to be seeing so precious little court time, especially if there is a question regarding (HUGE gulp before I utter this term) potential insubordination by your #2 PG? Isn't preseason about working out kinks and trying out options? Wasn't Critt one of the "coveted" pieces in the Pau trade? I'm not a Critt homer, but I do think he deserves a fair shake (and I subjectively think he hasn't gotten such thus far in this preseason despite what Chip wrote yesterday). Right-the question is begged....has JCritt dug himself a hole underneath Iavaroni's doghouse so deep that possible uncoachability (yeah, I just made up that word) by Lowry isn't enough to dig him out?? One must wonder....

UPDATE after the Houston game: Critt plays 27 minutes and leads the team in assists. Sure, he made several TOTAL bonehead maneuvers with the ball, but it was nice to see him get some run and be allowed to make the same mistakes Lowry has been making in rather ubiquitous fashion throughout the preseason. Good thing that OJ got in early foul trouble (a frighteningly familiar occurrence) and that Marko Jaric IS COMPLETELY USELESS and that Buckner got zero mins tonight. Come on Critt, keep workin' on it.

Postgame: Grizzlies 97, Rockets 101

2008-10-15T23:15:00.000-05:00

by Joshua Coleman

Due to some other things happening in my life over the last couple of weeks, I was unable to attend the other home preseason games, making this the first time that I had seen the home team live since the Open Practice. And what a sight it was!

Waiting outside prior to the Forum opening up, Chip and I chatted with some of the other fans. Then Chip turns and says, "Is that Artest?" Sure enough, there was Crazy Pills himself walking up to us, NY Mets hat atop his head and gametime sneakers in hand. After some small talk, he admitted that he just didn't feel like walking to the other side of the building where the players usually entered, so he decided to go through the main entrance. He was very polite and even a little shy.

We were selected to be MVP's for the night, which meant that we got some free t-shirts, watched warmups from the baseline and then stood in the line when starting lineups were announced, so we were able to slap hands and exchange fist bumps with the starters. (Relevant side note: Marc Gasol has ridiculously large hands.) Talk about a warm welcome to the season beginning. Prior to all of that, we got to watch shootaround, which was much more organized than we had previously realized. Antoine Walker was going through shooting drills with two assistant coaches until he was drenched in sweat. It was fairly impressive. On to the game!

The Good
Marc Gasol - The big Spaniard impressed me at Open Practice, has made believers out of his teammates through training camp and preseason, and did enough to raise quite a few eyebrows tonight. He was active and aggressive in his 19 minutes of play, including a sequence where he exchanged elbows with Joey Dorsey and Carl Landry on successive possessions, which failed to draw a whistle from the officials. The more I see him, the more comfortable I feel about him manning the pivot for this squad.

O.J. Mayo - The much-heralded rookie was the epitome of confidence. He never tried to do too much or force the issue, but had no problem whatsoever taking a few difficult shots with defenders in his face, including one fadeaway from the baseline that appeared to defy gravity as he hung in the air for what seemed like forever. On the occasions that he got the ball out front on the break, he either outran his opponents to the basket or found the open man for the easy bucket. He hasn't played like a rookie in the past two contests, which is very encouraging.

Darrell Arthur - I must admit that my expectations were fairly low for D.A., but he really had a quality performance tonight. He displayed a silky smooth touch on his jumper that just seemed too soft to belong to a PF. He also made several hustle plays, sticking his long arms into passing lanes and making deflections all night long. If he keeps this up, Hakim Warrick might be even more expendable than I had previously thought.

Darko Milicic - The Dark One played sparingly, registering just over 20 minutes, but was very effective while he was in the game. He was a solid defensive presence, but also showed some offensive abilities that hadn't been witnessed since early last season, registering 12 points on 4/5 shooting. He also had the game's highest +/- rating at +14.

The Bad
Kyle Lowry - I don't know if it was the teammates he had on the floor with him, since he played with the bench players most of his 20 minutes, but Lowry was unable to set up anyone for an easy shot all night. His offense was simply off, as his shot wouldn't fall, leading to a 1 for 8 effort from the floor. He just didn't look good at all tonight.

Hakim Warrick - Hak tallied 10 points tonight, but 8 of those came from the free throw line, mostly when he barreled into his defender and got the bailout call from the refs. He also allowed Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry to get easy offensive rebounds on multiple occasions by refusing to fight for position. It was a disappointing effort to witness.

Javaris Crittenton - After seeing Chip's post today, I was hoping that Critt would read it and become inspired. Ok, maybe not really, but I was hoping to see something noteworthy from the young guard tonight. Instead, he was largely invisible, other than one play where he juked two Rockets defenders with a ball fake before banking in the easy layup. That's not a good sign for a young player who needs playing time to improve upon his deficiencies.

The Ugly
Perimeter Defense - The Grizzlies allowed the Rockets to make 18 of their 29 three-point attempts tonight. That's 62.1%, which is simply inexcusable.

Whoever was supposed to be guarding Von Wafer - To piggyback onto the last point, the player responsible for allowing Wafer's 23 point explosion (8/13 FG, 7/9 3PT) needs to be put in Kevin O'Neill's secret dungeon beneath the Forum for the next week. As Chip said tonight, "I thought that Von Wafer was a type of cookie".

Brent Barry's facial hair - Seriously, that growth on his face needs to be surgically removed. It is just hideous.

Luis Scola/Ron Artest - They were pathetic tonight. Now that I survived meeting Artest, I can say that in print.

Overall Thoughts
I saw enough from the probable starters to be excited about what the future holds, although I still believe that they will be maddeningly inconsistent this year as they experience their share of growing pains. Conley and Mayo are both mature beyond their years, Rudy has enough swagger and confidence for two guys, and the Gasol/Milicic frontcourt pairing looks like it could work this season. I have lots of questions about the bench, but I'm not going to base everything on just one very entertaining preseason game.

What Has Happened to the Promise Of Javaris?

2008-10-15T08:59:00.001-05:00

By Chip Crain

Memphis played a pre-season game against Indiana's depleted rosted Monday night at the FedEx Forum and for the most part of the 2nd half (and parts of the 1st half) had a comfortable lead. Marc Gasol, one of the key players acquired in the Pau Gasol trade had his first double-double in a Grizz uniform with 14 pts, 10 boards and 4 nice assists. Darrell Arthur, another piece of the trade had 5 pts and 4 rebounds in only 11 minutes and looks very promising as a 20 yr rookie.

Javaris Crittenton, the only remaining piece from that trade and the only player left with actual NBA experience, did not play. That was a coaching decision by the way. He hasn't hardly played at all this pre-season. So far he has logged 21:04 total playing time in 4 pre-season games.

This is the guy Chris Wallace insisted be included in the trade?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not criticizing Wallace for making the move. After all Crittenton is still only 19 yrs old and had a lot of potential as a 6-5 swing guard. He plays tough defense. He can get into the lane. He just needs to develop a more consistent outside shot and most importantly start making better decisions with the ball especially when he gets to the lane. This comes with experience. Javaris was the youngest player in the league last season and had to adjust from high school ball to college to Phil Jackson to Marc Iavaroni. Right now he is working with his 4th head coach and his 5th defensive strategy in the last 5 years. That would mess with anyone's development.

Maybe Crittenton is being held out right now to showcase other players for potential trades. Greg Buckner, Marco Jaric and Quinton Ross all would be attractive in the right situation for a possible move. It is possible that the Grizzlies are trying to showcase one of these players while hiding Javaris in the shadows. Who knows what is happening behind the closed doors of the Grizzlies front office? It just doesn't seem likely that Crittenton would be sitting if Iavaroni wanted him in the game. After all, Iavaroni needs to show improvement now even if the owner/GM are thinking about a three year plan. I know I would want to be playing the best I had if I was a coach on the hot seat.

So one has to wonder why Javaris hasn't been getting his minutes. He looked decent in the summer league games in Las Vegas. He turned heads in the pro-am league in Atlanta and got good reviews from the people at the Mark Price Shooting Clinic who said he has dramatically improved his footwork. Still he sits on the bench waiting for an opportunity.

We heard his defense isn't supposed to be an issue, he worked hard on his shooting and he worked hard on his footwork and conditioning this summer. So what did he miss? Why isn't he playing?

It has to be his passing. Last year Javaris proved he was capable of getting into the lane but not capable of dishing out of the lane once he got there. His decision making seemed very immature and without a decent enough outside shot to force anyone to worry about that created problems when he was on the floor. Basically once Javaris got the ball he would either throw up a bad shot from the outside, drive inside where he put up a forced shot or threw the ball away. Not exactly a great reputation to develop as a young PG.

It would appear that despite his hard work this summer, and from all indications he did work hard, he still hasn't overcome the basic problem that he brought to Memphis last season. He is a great talent but he still has a lot to learn about how to play the game. He can't simply out-talent guys at this level. He has to learn how to be a player on a team not in spite of the team.

And with the competition in the backcourt that means he isn't going to get a lot of PT to learn that lesson in game situations.

Grizzlies vs Rockets - 10/15/2008

2008-10-15T05:37:00.004-05:00

There will be a pre-game get together at Jack Daniels Old #7 restaurant for those who want to get together.

Memphis is on a pre-season winning streak after beating Charlotte and Indiana consecutively. There were more than a few people suggesting the Grizzlies wouldn't win back to back games all season so the accomplishment shouldn't be understated. Neither should it be over-stated as Charlotte and Indiana are both struggling with new coaches and new systems and experimenting with different lineups. This is the pre-season after all. Teams realizes victories aren't as important as finding the correct 13-15 players to start the season. O J Mayo had a huge game against Indiana hitting 6 three point shots and scoring 26 points with 5 steals, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. More importantly, he started being the leader on the court the team needs. Rudy Gay, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol helped chip in as the youth movement started to show the potential that Memphis fans have waited to see.

Houston Is attempting to round the team into form for a deep playoff run and that means not wasting a lot of effort on the pre-season. Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, Ron Artest and the rest of the Rockets main contributors are not playing serious minutes yet as they are veterans who know what is expected of them. What has been interesting is to see how the bench battles have been shaping up. Carl Landry, with a fresh contract in hand, has been the 2nd leading scorer on the Rockets during the pre-season. Of course that is just 13 ppg and in only 21 mpg a night. No one on the Rockets team is averaging over 25 mpg in fact. Houston played in Oklahoma City on Monday night so jet lag won't be an excuse. Despite not playing much of their regulars expect Houston to be competitive. Their bench is that good.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Rafer Alston
Alston has struggled in the pre-season but that should be expected a bit from the veteran. His shooting percentage can't be expected however. Below 30% from the field and the arc has to be distressing a bit to Adelman but that doesn't mean people should expect backup Aaron Brooks to challenge for minutes yet. Conley has been red hot shooting the ball and seems to have won the starting PG role despite a strong challenge from Kyle Lowry. With Alston struggling and Conley still competing it should be a surprise outcome tonight.
Advantage: Memphis

Shooting Guards: O J Mayo vs Tracy McGrady
Tracy McGrady may not play tonight as Adelman rests his main players a lot during pre-season. Technically it is a knee issue keeping T-Mac down but I hear it is more mental than physical with the knee. T-Mac has never been one to push himself when the need isn't present. O J Mayo had a red-hot shooting night Monday against Indiana and seems to be gaining confidence in his shot as well as his role on the team. If McGrady can't go then expect Von Wafer to start and Mayo to continue to build his confidence.
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Ron Artest
With Shane Battier sidelined for at least the pre-season, Artest has been getting the lions minutes at SF and responded well. His shooting is off but he still leads the team in scoring and steals. Artest is truly a two way player excelling offensively and defensively. What is a bit surprising is his lack of rebounding but again it is only pre-season. Rudy Gay seems capable of turning it on at any moment to lead the Grizzlies. What he needs to do is leave it on. Rudy is starting to do that but when you average 28 mpg that should tell you that the team is going to be counting on you a lot in the regular season.
Advantage: Houston

Power Forwards: Darko Milicic vs Luis Scola
Darko started for the 2nd consecutive game and is starting to show a bit more muscle at the PF position than Warrick was able to muster. His 10 pt and 7 boards against Indiana was nice until you consider that he did it against a team without a true PF at the moment. Scola will be a tougher test. Scola is older, more experienced and more grounded mentally than Darko. However Darko can give Scola difficulty matching his size. Should be an interesting test.
Advantage: Houston

Centers: Marc Gasol vs Yao Ming
Gasol has looked a step slow against quicker centers...like Rasho Nesterovic! No one is saying Yao Ming is fast but he is starting to round into form (15 pts and 16 boards in the last game) and should give Marc Gasol all he wants. The amazing thing so far is that Gasol, despite his bruising style, hasn't gotten into much foul trouble yet. That is very promising since most rookies struggle to get respect from refs. If Gasol can stay on the court for 30+ minutes and contribute then the prospects for the Grizzlies is looking much brighter.
Advantage: Houston

Benches: Memphis vs Houston
Hakim Warrick is apparently on the bench for a while. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Warrick's always seemed to be a better instant offense type of player than a grind it out big man. Lowry has been struggling but that may have more to do with Quinton Ross and Greg Buckner being on the court than Lowry not playing well. Jaric's return to the lineup should take some of that pressure off of Lowry. Houston's bench has been playing very well lately. Landry, Brooks, Von Wafer, Brent Barry and Luther Head all have looked good at times and softened the blow of not having T-Mac and Shane in the pre-season. Former Tiger Joey Dorsey has been erratic at best but is starting to get some regular minutes.
Advantage: Houston

Grizz back in effect

2008-10-14T21:29:00.003-05:00

For those of you who still don't know, Grizz is back in full effect this year after a courageous battle with cancer.

We here at 3SOB are ecstatic that he will be back prowling the sidelines and providing entertainment to the masses at Grizzlies games again this year.

We, by far, have the best mascot in the league, hands down.

Welcome back old friend.

There's A Tear in My Bear...

2008-10-14T20:19:00.004-05:00

Our older readers will appreciate the Hank Williams Sr. reference.

I was going to call this "Tears of a Clown," but Geoff Calkins is no clown. He is a good sports writer, an enthusiastic writer with a wry sense of humor in some of his articles, and a friend to the 3 Shades of Blue blog.

That being said...I take issue with this article.

I know, I know. It's from Oct 9. Get with the program, Zac.

The truth is, I am slowly getting back into Grizz news. After taking a vacation with the fiance down to Miami where I *looks around for the government* partook in an illegal cigar despite Cuban embargos, and had too many drinks at Trader Vic's, this was the story that caught my attention.

Meet New Grizz, Same as Old Grizz.

Really? We wear putrid uniforms, start a revolving door of WTF cares players like Batiste, Archibald, Chris Owens and Ike Austin, and our coach has a shinier dome than the Hubert H. Humphrey in Minny?

Nah...They aren't the same old Grizz players. The same old Grizz marketing mentality and the same old Memphis is more like it.

For an article that claims its optimism by saying that the way to look at FedEx Forum on that night as 1/16th filled, this article is not very optimistic. However, he goes on to basically give statements that show why the arena was not very full on that night. The caliber of players, it was a middle of the work week game, etc. The article closes with the statement "All they (fans) need is the team."

Geoff, my friend, we have a team. A much improved one. You're exactly right that noone seems to notice or care. You are also right when you say the city feels alienated from the team. However the tone of your article makes it seem like its the players' problem. It is not. We have more talent, and I will tell you why they are not noticing.

Marketing.

Marketing has been the achilles heel for the Grizzlies ever since they got here. They didn't feel the need to market because it was new and fresh. When that wore off, we had the new arena smell to market the team. Then, it was 3 playoff appearances and 3 straight sweeps in the first round with no wins. There has never been a long standing effort to connect the team to the city other than the great, and I mean great work they do with St. Jude Children's Hospital. When are the talking heads going to realize that 2 panels on MATA buses and a couple of billboards just don't cut it?

Advertising has been a long-standing problem in this city, as long as I have lived here. Unless you see the one billboard (which seems to be the solution in this city, one billboard will do it) for Mednikow or Laurelwood, you will not know where it is, or what is there unless you are a longtime resident. Another fun fact about that: The billboards are located in the part of town Laurelwood is in, the area where yes most of their customers come from, but already know it is there. How about one in Germantown, or Collierville, or downtown? Settling for the status quo will surely win you that area, but how about expansion? The only thing bigger than the usual base is a bigger one. Local real estate experts in the city talk up the South Main district as a burgeoning retail and residential option to be in the city. How many people know that its there due to advertisements? Not everyone reads RSVP magazine, or the Downtowner. They shouldn't have to. It should be advertised. Seemingly, they are happy with the slow growth they get from word of mouth. Speeding up the process by advertising doesn't seem to register. When I was in Miami this week, there was a billboard on every building that they had condominiums for rent or for lease or even sale. True enough, this is most likely due to desperation of moving units in the midst of a home crisis, but the advertising worked. Without fail, people would see the signs on the building, and stop in the sales office. Even I did, because if my condo in Destin doesn't work out, Miami is always a viable option, sans the nose candy trafficking. There were also billboards for the Heat. The Heat, who went 15-67 and had an empty arena on most nights with a legitimate NBA champion star Dwayne Wade. Billboards. Commercials on the television channels. The news media talked them up, talked up Beasley. There were advertisements for public appearances by the players on the daily! This is how you connect with a city. You do all of these things and you do them with frequency.

The block parties are a good start. However, when something has low attendance, the consensus of the marketing department seems to be "Well that didnt work so we shouldnt do it anymore." FALSE. It's working. What doesnt work is for it to be so erratic. You do it once, you dont do it again...thats what creates discord and a sense of ineptitude and not caring about the city and fans. You keep it up, and the numbers will go up eventually.

I'll give you another example.

One Beale is a now-defunct condominium/luxury hotel project that was to be situated on a great piece of real estate on Beale St right by the trolley tracks and pedestrian bridge. If the visual isnt working for you, right across from Waterford Plaza. If you dont know what that is, well, it probably isnt properly advertised. Ba-zing. I digress.

One Beale was the most ambitious residential proposal that came to fruition since I have lived here in Memphis. The sales office operated out of the old Landry's right there on...I believe it is Wagner Place. This was to be a beautiful sight. Expensive luxury condominiums with river and city views, a Hyatt hotel, a spa, and a chef-driven restaurant. No advertisement except for a billboard right above where said property was to be located, a website with renderings, and the occasional one to two page spread in RSVP magazine which was nothing more than what you could see on the website. This was Memphis' legitimacy in the condo market. This was big. Why was this not pushed as a possible destination for retirees in the entire Mid-South market, or America as a whole? To Elvis fanatics and music lovers alike, Memphis IS a viable tourist market, and a place you could plunk down cash for a second home. The project was said to fail due to "a slowing and shrinking market and decreasing demand." The fact is, the project would be in construction today if they had sold enough units to justify starting construction so the building wouldnt be sitting empty. Proper advertising would have made that happen.

Notice the correlation.

Bringing the Grizzlies to Memphis was the most ambitious proposal Ive ever heard of since I have been in Memphis. It was going to be a beautiful sight. Luxury suite boxes, hotels around the corner of the arena, and a private restaurant for game-goers. There is no advertisement sans a few transit buses and a few billboards, but nothing to generate much excitement and especially foster a closeness with the town. Oh, but there was a website with information and the occasional one to two page spread telling you things you already could find on the website. This was Memphis' legitimacy in the sports market. This was big. Why was this, and is this not pushed as a big night out, a great night out on the town, the only professional sports franchise in Memphis? Why is this not the focal point of this city along with college athletics? People say the two cannot co-exist but thats only because one is marketed and the other is not, and yes, winning speaks for itself, I understand that. This project is being said to be failing due to decreasing demand and a dwindling market. The fact is, if they had marketed this thing right from the get-go they wouldnt be saying "Well it doesnt work now if we try" because if done correctly, the whole building wouldn't be sitting empty.

Proper advertising is what will make that happen.

It's not the team, Geoff. It isn't even the fans to a certain degree. The fans have nothing to pull them back in because the team's management wont throw them a line.

Grizzlies/Pacers Postgame Thoughts

2008-10-13T23:15:00.001-05:00

Well, tonight was my first in-person experience with the Grizzlies so far this season.

Parking garage, enter the game, see the same ticket check attendant (a super nice and very cool lady, by the way) from last season at the entrance to my section.

Ahhhhhh....basketball season.

The Grizz started with Darko/Marc G./RU-DEE/OJ/Conley. Pretty good lineup to start. Shot 67% for about the first seven or so minutes....the Grizz ended Q1 shooting around 38%. Thanks, bench. I'm going to preemptively apologize to Dr. Zack...but Lowry just stunk up the joint running the offense for several stretches tonight. It wasn't just what he did or didn't do, it was that no one seemed to anticipate teammates' positions or be able to get HQ shots while Kyle was running the offense. He was much better in the second half (when, by the way, he played with many of the same guys with whom he played in the first half), but Conley does seem to have a better cohesive effect on the offense. When Lowry came in, IIRC, it was 18-10 Grizz; at the end of Q1, it was 23-21 Pacers. On the plus side, all five Grizz starters scored in the first five minutes, with Rudy actually being the last of them to score. Three turns in the first 2.5 minutes, but only six the rest of the first half, and only four in the second half.

Now, on to the important part. This Mayo character. Saw him put his arm on Kyle's shoulder when Ivy said something Kyle didn't like (which seems to happen quite a bit.......), saw him do the same to Marc G. when he fumbled one. He's very, very unafraid to lead, and as much as Rudy and Conley are expected to lead the team...Mayo is going to move into that role as much as a rookie can.

AND SOMEONE NEEDED TO POUR SOME WATER ON OJ! HE WAS ON FIRE!!!!!!!

Nothing we won't see again, but goodness gracious, he was sure of himself. He had the green light and knew it, and it was awesome to watch. 10-17, 6-8 for three. Couple dumb mistakes with the ball, but overall his assets tonight FAR outweighed any liabilities.

Darko seemed to have his head in the game mostly, which was nice to see, but he and Gasol still made some concrete-handed messes on the inside tonight.

THE UNSTOPPABLE RASHO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One should NEVER use that phrase, but it was that way tonight. He abused Marc Gasol in the first half, and had ten of the Pacers' first twelve points. That does NOT bode well for when the Grizzlies play against quick athletic centers (and oh, yes, there are a few of those, now aren't there).

And TJ Ford had his way with the Grizzlies' PG's in the first half as well, to the tune of 14 points in the half. Sure, he's quick, but not on an elite level. Again, that tells me that Tony Parker and the like can go ahead and pencil in about 30 against the Grizz.

I was surprised by how bad Hibbert wasn't-he has fair hands and is quick for a guy who is just huge.

Ok, enough about the enemy. Back to the Grizz. Hak had his first off game, but he had a HUGE three with the shot clock WAY down when the Pacers had begun to make inroads into the Grizzlies' lead. Quentin "I went 0-3 on a 3pt attempt freethrow trip" Ross made two really big buckets in Q4 also...nice that he made a couple when they really counted.

Rudy made several really nice shots, but I, like some others (right X??), am somewhat concerned that he seems to be able to "turn it on and off" at will. A player with his ability and talent should be unconsciously "on" ALL THE TIME. He had the highlight of the night on a one-armed drawback THROWDOWN on a putback. Amazing stuff.

One thought for the coaching staff:

DO NOT PLAY BUCKNER AND ROSS AT THE SAME TIME. PLEASE. It's as ugly as ugly can be on offense, and the Grizz can be ugly enough even with our offensive principals on the floor.

Oh, by the way, the Pacers didn't play Granger, Murphy, Daniels, or Dunleavy. Nice of them to give us this one.

Still a nice win, and a crowd that seemed much more into it than I thought they'd be. A nice surprise.

The above is the most sense I could make out of my completely scrambled chickenscratch of notes I took during the game..thanks Grizzlies for giving us a W tonight, preseason or not.

For the other side of things, check out the postgame comments from Indy Cornrows.

Indiana vs Memphis - 10/13/08

2008-10-13T12:30:00.000-05:00

Memphis finally secured their first victory of the pre-season with a big win against the Charlotte Bobcats but now face a more veteran team in the Pacers. The biggest surprise of the pre-season has been the production from PF Hakim Warrick. The 4th year player is averaging 15 ppg (2nd on the team) and 9 boards a night. Team defense has been greatly improved holding teams to a mere 41.9% from the field and only 88 points per game. Rudy Gay is leading the team in scoring at 17 ppg and rookie O J Mayo is third despite shooting only 34.1% from the field.

Indiana enters the game with a little momentum led by T J Ford at the point. The veteran acquired from Toronto over the summer for Jermaine O'Neal is averaging 16.5 ppg and has the speed to stay in front of either point guard the Grizzlies have on the court. Former Tiger Shawne Williams was traded last week and is now in Dallas despite the 3rd yr player averaging 9 ppg and 5 rpg. This leaves Indiana thin at the PF position. with only Jeff Foster, Austin Croshere and Josh McRoberts as legitimate PF's on the team. Newly acquired Jarrett Jack has also proved a spark combining with TJ Ford for a speedy small guard backcourt.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs T J Ford-
Mike Conley has taken a stranglehold on the starting PG position this pre-season with some solid play. He is averaging over 10 ppg, 4 apg and 6.7 rpg while shooting over 50% from the field and an amazing 62% from the arc while only getting 27 mpg. T J Ford is attempting to do the same thing in Indiana with 16.5 ppg, 3.5 apg and 4.0 rpg in only 23.5 mpg. Both players are fast and yet both players are lithe and susceptible to injury. Conley has beefed up somewhat in the off-season to try and contain the injury bug that bothered him last season. Ford hasn't done the same but when healthy he can get past almost anyone. Conley will need to use his speed to keep Ford out of the lane because T J never has developed an outside shot.
Advantage: Indiana

Shooting Guards: O J Mayo vs Marquis Daniels -
Neither player is a pure SG but Daniels has size which Mayo may struggle against. Marquis had better improve his play however since rookie Brandon Rush is breathing down his neck to get into the starting lineup. Daniels was an up and coming star in Dallas before running into trouble and has never fully reached the potential people saw early in his career. Mayo is struggling with his shot like most rookies do but he isn't getting intimidated and still looking to make his mark on the game. That mental toughness should pay rewards as he gets more comfortable with the pace of the NBA game. FT shooting has been a problem so far but he hasn't had trouble in that regard in the past. If he continues to get to the line that should help all aspects of his game.
Advantage: Indiana

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Danny Granger -
This matchup is worth the price of admission all by itself. Granger and Gay are two of the most exciting young SF's in the league and should have great battles for years to come. Neither player is in peak form yet however. Rudy has struggled a bit with his shot (39.1 FG% and 23.1 3 pt%) and hasn't been able to make much of an impact on the boards or in the passing game. He also has more turnovers than blocks or steals. That is great when compared to Granger who is shooting a measley 11.8% from the field so far! Granger is too talented to stay cold for long and adjusting to a new coach and a new system is obviously throwing him off right now but this is only pre-season and both players will catch on soon. This could be the game in fact.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: Hakim Warrick vs Austin Croshere -
Yes. I know Darko started over Hakim in the last game but I think that was more an attempt to get Darko some playing time than a permanent switch. Hakim has earned the starting role so far and besides, Croshere is a perimeter big man and Hak matches up better defensively against him than Darko. The fact that Croshere is starting should tell you all you need to know about Indiana's weakness at PF. Croshere is a hustle guy ala Brian Cardinal with an even larger contract but he isn't someone a coach feels good about starting. If Hakim can prove he can stay with Croshere on the perimeter he could lock down his starting role for the season.
Advantage: Memphis

Center: Darko Milicic vs Rasho Nesterovic -
Marc Gasol will probably get the becnh seat this time to allow Darko more time to condition himself. Darko is going to have to be in tip top shape this season to earn his large paycheck so there is no reason to not start him at Center against Nesterovic. Darko had a nice game on the boards against Charlotte grabbing 7 in just 31 minutes. Memphis needs more efforts like that from the center position. Rasho came over with T J Ford in the Jermaine O'Neal trade but isn't considered anything more than a caretaker for the Center position as Roy Hibbert gets experience. Hibbert has actually been more impressive than Rasho in the box scores so he may get a surprise start in this game.
Advantage: Memphis

Benches: Indiana vs Memphis
BOth teams are rebuilding this season but Indiana is doing it with a lot of older players than the Grizzlies. Who knows which strategy will be the best in the long run. Right now with Marc Gasol, Quinton Ross, Antoine Walker, Marco Jaric (who could be back for this game) and Kyle Lowry coming off the bench Memphis is a deep and talented team. Indiana has Brandon Rush, Jarrett Jack, Greg Foster, Josh McRoberts, Maceo Baston, Roy Hibbert and Stephen Graham which makes for a disjointed group of has beens or never will be types. Larry Bird is definately facing a rebuilding job. The question is how long will it take?
Advantage: Memphis

Southwest Division Previews

2008-10-13T09:49:00.001-05:00

Dallas Mavericks
Jake Kerr: Mavs Moneyball

Houston Rockets
grungedave and UofTOrange: The Dream Shake

Memphis Grizzlies
Joshua Coleman: 3 Shades of Blue

New Orleans Hornets
Rohan: At the Hive

ticktock6 & mW: Hornets Hype

Ryan Schwan & Ron Hitley: Hornets247.com

San Antonio Spurs
Graydon Gordian: 48 Minutes of Hell

Also see links to all the previews at CelticsBlog.com

Interview with the Enemy: The Lakers Nation

2008-10-09T13:51:00.000-05:00

Last week, we exchanged questions and answer with The Lakers Nation, a great blog that follows the Los Angeles Lakers. Our answers are up on their site right here. Here are the queries that we had for their lead writer, Jonathan Somers-Harris.

3 Shades of Blue: If Kobe, Lamar, Pau and Bynum all expect to participate in the offense, how do you think the attitudes/egos will mesh?

The Lakers Nation: Well, I think it will be easier than most people think. Kobe is the undisputed top dog, there's no question about who's taking that final shot. Pau is a very good 2nd option, and in fact you could probably argue that he's more comfortable in that 2nd option role than as a first option. That just leaves Lamar and Bynum. Lamar would be happy averaging 10/10/8, scoring or not scoring isn't going to hurt his ego. The only problem i can see would be Bynum. Right before he got injured, he was showing great promise as an offensive option (not just put-backs and alley-oops). He was regularly scoring in the 17-25 point range while picking up 13-16 rebounds leading up to the injury. (No center, no matter how good, scores 17-25 points a game on put-backs and alley-oops alone)

He may turn out to be a pretty selfless guy, and he shoots such a high percentage that he may not need a whole lot of touches, but he's the one guy that i can see having a problem being the 3rd option in his contract year. (I wouldn't be happy either if a 5year/80M contract was on the line)

3SoB: If Kobe's finger forces him out during the season, will the Laker faithful be kind to him or not?

TLN: Lakers faithful: we're faithfully fickle. The same people who are praising him now for his "competitive spirit" or whatever they want to call it will be cursing his poor judgment. I don't think it will stop us from loving him though. I will liken the situation to that of Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United. before he came back from Injury, people were saying how they wouldn't cheer for him anymore. However, as soon as he was ready to start warming up for his first game back from injury. (even before he was introduced as a substitute) the crowd went crazy for him.

In the same way, we might grumble a bit about the surgery, but in the end, we need him to much to not be kind to him.

3SoB: Last year the Lakers bench was critical to the team's success, but disappeared in the Finals. Is there any concern that the bench won't live up to that level with so many big name players in the starting lineup now?

TLN: This all depends if Lamar comes off the Bench or not. if he doesn't come off the bench, our projected "bench mob" will be

PG: Farmar
SG: Sasha
SF: Ariza
PF: Powell
C: Mihm

The only real difference between this year and last would be Powell replacing Turiaf (I will miss that man) and Mihm replacing Mbenga. Either way, Gasol is still expected to see some time at C and Lamar is expected to see some time at PF too, so there's not a whole lot of drop off from this year as there was last year. A bigger concern for the Lakers is that if both Lamar and Ariza are playing the SF position, then Kobe won't be able to slide over the the SF slot, and the three guard lineup that was so effective last year (Farmar/Fisher, Sasha, and Kobe) won't get a lot of court time.

3SoB: When do you expect Jordan Farmar to claim the starting PG role? Is it Derek Fisher's spot for the foreseeable future?

TLN: It's up to Farmar to claim the starting PG role. Fisher performed far beyond expectations the last year, but the Lakers cannot continue to expect that from him, as age will have to affect his performance at some point. That being said,Farmar needs to make the next big jump in his game in order to take the starting gig from Fisher outright. Farmar had a great first 60 or so games last season, and during that time he was getting about 24MPG. For whatever reason though, his production tailed off dramatically after that, and Fisher was forced to play upwards of 30MPG for the rest of the season/playoffs.

I think we'll see Fisher average 20MPG this season as a starter, and the probably the transition will happen in the 2009-2010 season

3SoB: Should Lamar Odom start at SF or come off the bench as a 6th man this season?

TLN: He should definitely start, if only so that the Lakers can see how a big, yet fast, line up works. If the "Lamar as a starting SF" experiment fails, then we can move him to the back up PF roll. there won't be a huge learning curve there because Odom has played the PF position for the Lakers for the best part of 3 years now, plus he's usually the only starter playing the the bench players during line-shifts, so he's already used to having to run the show/being a first option.

Speaking of big line ups, if you will indulge me for a second, I've been really excited about the possibility of Sun Yue (6'9") winning the starting PG spot at training camp this year. Imagine a starting line up where your shortest player was Kobe Bryant at 6'6"?

PG: Sun Yue. . . . . . . 6'9"
SG: Kobe Bryant. . . . 6'6"
SF: Lamar Odom. . . 6'10"
PF: Pau Gasol . . . . . 7'0"
C: Andrew Bynum . . 7'1"

It probably wouldn't work, but its exciting to think about.

3SoB: Which team in the Western Conference concerns you most as a potential playoff opponent next spring?

TLN: New Orleans, without a doubt. Fisher does a good job staying in front of bigger guards like Deron Williams and Jason Kidd, but Chris Paul is an absolute nightmare. I'd like to think that Gasol and Bynum gives us too much size for them to cover, but that won't matter if we can't stop Chris Paul.

A lot of people are surpised that I don't say the Rockets, but in truth, they don't worry me as much, and here's why. Unless they're going to effectively slap Shane Battier in the face and make him Ron Artest's back up, the Rockets are going to lack some defensive size. If they play all of T-Mac, Artest, aand Battier at the same time that limits the minutes that Luis Scola gets, and by extension valuable players like Carl Landry won't get time either.

3SoB: Your thoughts on Coby Karl, who looked like a future Hall of Famer in his Summer League game against the Grizzlies?

TLN: How did you know that Coby Karl was my favourite Lakers player? Honestly, If Sasha had left the Lakers I would have been fine with it, because I felt Coby Karl could replicate most of his production. I think he has a great career as a solid back-up in this league. Personally, I'm hoping he has the balls to ask for the No. 8 shirt coming into camp this season, because that would be the most amazing thing since. . man. . that would just be awesome.

3SoB: What were your expectations for Pau Gasol last year and how much have they changed for the upcoming season?

TLN: I expected him to be a lighter, more versitile Andrew Bynum on the S/R's with Kobe, everything beyond that was a bonus. this year, I'm expecting to see more of his short/mid-range game obviously. I think we underutilized him last year, hopefully this year we can incorperate more of his offensive skill set into the game plan.

3SoB: True or False: Jerry West is the best SG in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers.

TLN: In finished History, true. by the time Kobe is done, we might have to revisit this question. (see how i dodged that bullet? haha)

3SoB: If the Grizzlies and Lakers were to switch divisions, how much would that affect each of their records for the upcoming season?

TLN: Oh man. well, between not having to play Spurs, Hornets, Mavs, and Rockets that extra 1-2 times each (4-8 games) as well as being able to play the Clippers and Warriors that extra 1-2 times (2-4 games) or vice versa. I'd expect the Grizzlies to win about 5-8 more games, and the Lakers to win about 2-3 less (The Lakers had a great record against playoff teams in the West last year). It would definitely lower the winning percentages of all the teams in the Southwest division, and they would probably all still qualify for the playoffs. . that's just crazy to think about.

We want to thank Jonathan and The Lakers Nation for doing this interview and would love to be able to wish them the best for the upcoming season....except that it is the Lakers, so we'd rather die a slow painful death than to wish them anything but misery and doom. We can't help it -- it is ingrained in us to hate them with every fiber of our being.

Guest Post: Don't Call DeShawn Stevenson "Soulja Boy"

2008-10-09T09:46:00.004-05:00

When Heckling Opponents Goes Wrong

by Mario Latilleon

I am a Memphis Grizzlies fan. I grew up a Memphis Tigers fan, and I take pride in the fact Bob Huggins once called us the most obnoxious fans in America. Last night at the game against the Wizards, I guess my rambunctious antics went too far. I got under DeShawn Stevenson's skin. When I got under DeShawn Stevenson's skin, I got on the wrong side of the law as far as Washington Wizards security saw me. I did not plan to heckle DeShawn Stevenson, it just happened. As I pondered the things I would yell at the opposing team for fun, right before the game, I remembered Lebron James' slam of the decade on a loquacious DeShawn Stevenson like Dave Chappelle recalling Negrodomus during his ride with Wayne Brady:

"That would be like Jay Z saying something back to Soulja Boy...there's no point."

So along with my warnings to Etan Thomas of calling Brendan Haywood after fouling Grizzlies players, tons of fun with Darius Songalia of the Reggie Cleveland All-Stars, and one comment to Antawn Jamison about looking like Midget from "New Jersey Drive"; I spent most of the first quarter calling DeShawn Stevenson "Soulja Boy" everytime he was within earshot. When Stevenson got a rebound or played defense, I kept at it with the Soulja Boy chants. When the Grizzlies shot free throws, I really got at it: not only would I scream Soulja Boy, I would stand and hop back doing the superman move from the song/dance. With three or four minutes left in the 1st quarter, it finally seemed like I got DeShawn Stevenson's attention. On the bench, Deshawn Stevenson started yelling something at me; unfortunately I could not hear what he was saying. Etan Thomas, sitting next to Stevenson was yelling at me too, but I really could not make out what they were saying. Within a minute of them yelling at me, a Damon Stoudamire look-a-like doing security for the Wizards came over with an police officer and asked me to stop heckling Stevenson. Since I was wearing a Damon Stoudamire jersey at the time, I thought he would give me a little more love. When I asked the security guy what I said that was wrong, he told me that he didn't want a back and forth between Stevenson and me to escalate into anything. My response was I didn't say anything vulgar or offensive so I was within the NBA fan code of conduct, but he told me I was ruining the experience of everyone around me by yelling the whole game and he would stitch to NBA security and have me removed. I asked him to provide the NBA Code of Conduct and the rule I was breaking, he promised he would bring it to me. I got adamant that I was not saying anything offensive; the guy got more threatening and said, "Okay... You keep it up... you'll be outta here." One couple next to me cheered the security guy because I guess I was ruining their peaceful, reflective experience at a sporting event, but the people behind me, whose view I would have actually obstructed doing the superman part of the Soulja Boy told me I was okay when I apologized if I was ruining their experience.

Now the security and FedExForum staff I spoke to about everything told me they didn't see anything wrong with what I did as long as I wasn't cursing or threatening the players. A little later in the game, a Wizards player heckled me when the Wizards were shooting a free throw and I was still silently soothing from my encounter. I had one final discussion with the Wizards security guy during halftime when he saw me asking the original escorting officer for clarification of how my behavior was excessive enough to be removed from the game. As far as I was concerned, this security guy was so agitated with me that anything I yelled could have been crossing the line. The security came over and argued with me like he was a Damon Stoudamire looking Mike Fratello. Since I didn't appreciate the threats, I calmly told him that I was going to be a fan whether he liked it or not. I wasn't going after Stevenson or any other Wizards player for that matter. I stopped the heckling, but became sarcastically supportive of the Wizards for much of the 3rd quarter. Oddly, I think yelling "Go Wiz" is more offensive than "Soulja boy Tell'em!"

I spent the 4th quarter doing more yelling at the Grizz than the Wizards. When the game was over, the Wizards left the bench and were walking across the court fifteen feet away from me. While I was looking at my cell phone responding to a text, I saw a hand towel flying towards me out of the side of eye. The towel was soaked in ice cold water. I did not see which Wizard was the thrower, but I originally thought it was Caron Butler because I noticed he was grinning at me. There he was, sneaking around Butler with Roger McDowell like stealth was Soulja Boy himself, Deshawn Stevenson. The most telling fact of the wet towel was the hit was below my calf on my leg. With a shot like that, Stevenson had to be the thrower. Soulja Boy is not only no Lebron James, he's no Big Shot Bob either.

I don't think I crossed the line calling him Soulja Boy. Though I know NBA team personnel is sensitive after the Detroit event, maybe instead of going after me, the team needs to teach these players to grow up and overlook it. I wasn't calling Stevenson anything dirty or personal. I referred to him as something from a well publicized feud.

I will continue doing what I do, which is heckling opposing players. I try to be sensitive to other fans, but I yell most of the game, and participate. I am energetic and can be obnoxious, and I make no apologies about it. If yelling at an opposing player takes them out of their game, I'm down for doing it. I would not say anything I would not want children to hear.

And I note something from the NBA fan code of conduct...

Guests will enjoy the basketball experience free from disruptive behavior, including foul or abusive language or obscene gestures.

So at what point are you disruptive at a sporting event? I guess if the people around you cannot enjoy themselves, but you could be bothersome to someone near you for yelling "DE-FENSE" everytime the home team played defense chant music. In addition, what does Deshawn Stevenson do if he's got 15,000 fans chanting "Soulja Boy" every time he touches the basketball? Does he get angry with each of them? Will Damon Securamire have the Wizards play before an empty hostile arena?

I feel like Kramer.

Wizards @ Grizzlies, 10/8/08

2008-10-08T14:20:00.000-05:00

Memphis Grizzlies v. Washington Wizards, 10/8/08, Memphis, TN.

This will be the second night of a back-to-back for both teams. It will be a gracious-as-a-back-to-back-can-be introduction to the rigors of an NBA season for the rookies, with both teams having flown from Texas the previous night. Same timezone, at least. Sure, there will be a ho-hum factor to this game, as there is with any preseason game, but the overnight travel will give both sets of coaches an early (some might say nearly meaningless) glimpse at how the players for each team will respond to two nights in a row. I'll be missing this one in person....for the best reason ever...Hudson Graham Noe, 9lbs3oz, 7:34 PM on Oct. 1st :). Yes, he's doing fine, and thanks for asking :).

Ok. Enough proud papa stuff.

On to the game.

Point guards: Mike Conley v. Antonio Daniels

Sadly, it looks like AD might be doing a bit more than keeping Gil's spot warm, as the "arthroscopic washing" that Arenas just received is gonna keep him out for a while. "Injury history" is becoming a very important phrase when discussing Gilbert Arenas, and it's a shame, because he's one of the truly exciting players to watch in the NBA. Sure, he's not afraid to let you know that he knows just how exciting he can be, but that doesn't diminish his status. Daniels, however, is not exactly chopped liver. He is very physically strong with the ball and without it and is a good defender. He's not gonna shoot the lights out, but he can score at a reasonable level and can use his strength to get close to the hoop. It should be a good (preseason-style) test for Conley to see if he can blow by AD a time or two. Conley's much-heralded increase in physical strength over this offseason will be key in this matchup, and if he has trouble blowing by AD, we'll also get a chance to check out whether Conley's shooting work this summer will help him out. Should be quite fun to watch, but Daniels is very physically strong, and Conley is still learning to use his tools.
Advantage: Washington

Shooting guards: OJ Mayo v. DeShawn Stevenson

Ah, OJ. Save us, OJ. Ah, the ballyhoo, the hype, the seventh grader playing for the varsity team. Time to show us where it's at, OJ. I personally think that he's going to come out of the gate firing. He'll be looking forward to being the second option on offense and has already looked to assert himself as a leader. Will he try to do too much? Or will he try to play within himself and the team? Finding out the answers to those questions will be fun for Grizzlies fans. DeShawn Stevenson is an undersized two who can intermittently play the one and can hit the three, although Ray Allen he ain't. Decent ballhandler but not a worldbeater. If Mayo can keep himself moving, he could take this matchup on talent and drive.
Advantage: Memphis

Small forwards: RU-DEE Gay v. Caron Butler

In the regular season, this matchup would be a primo fix for an NBA junkie such as myself. In the preseason, it should still be good, but probably limited in terms of minutes, since both of these players is well-cemented in his respective starting lineup. Caron Butler has a nice-sized arsenal of offensive weapons,and is not a putrid defender either. He is strong, and can play and bang inside well for a 3. Can he stop Rudy? We'll have to see about that. If Rudy makes a leap this season similar to the one he made last year, the NBA at large could be in trouble. Let's not forget, however, that Rudy has a ways to go defense-wise, and playing against Caron, even in preseason, will surely test his D to its current limit. If these guys match up for any decent number of minutes in this game, it will be reason to watch (as if it were going to be televised, dangit). Rudy will have more to prove in this game, and will play as such.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: It doesn't matter v. Antawn Jamison

The Grizzlies are in all sorts of trouble with this matchup, depending on how much Jamison plays in this game. Sure, Jamison is not exactly a lockdown defender, but offensively, he can explode at will (but his twilight time is coming). Darko Milicic, Hakim Warrick, Antoine Walker, Derrell Arthur...none of these four guys is going to stop Antawn. He has the height to spot up on them, and can blow by them if needed. Could work out ok if a Grizz PF gets hot from the perimeter, but still doesn't look good for the Grizzlies.

UPDATE: Jamison left the game at Dallas 10/7/08 with a sprained knee. Any basketball fan hates to see any player injured any time of the season, but especially now. Looks like my man Blatche may get more playing time in this game than Eddie Jordan might have originally intended.
Advantage: Washington

Centers: Marc Gasol v. Etan Thomas

Enemy or not, I'm rooting hard for Etan Thomas. It will be great to see him come back from a major heart ailment and long rehab. Marc Gasol, while a rightfully recognized international talent, is a completely unproven quantity NBA-wise. Good size,and as much as some Grizz fans might not want to acknowledge it, there's basketball talent in that DNA. We'll see if he can keep his hands on the ball and not fumblerooski around the paint. Etan Thomas is staring straight at a ton of minutes with wrist surgery unfortunately seeming a part of Brendan Haywood's all-too-near future. Pretty good interior defender, can block some shots, but does not particularly excel at any facet of the center's game. No real threat offensively. Gasol, however, will certainly still be nowhere near finding his footing in the NBA by only his second preseason game.
Advantage: Washington

Benches:
Andray Blatche is one of my very favorite up-and-coming NBA players-he should see fair time in this game. He must learn to use his size while maintaining control of himself physically and mentally, and he'll become a well-rooted regular in the NBA. Dominic McGuire has received accolades for his offseason work and should see minutes, at least in the preseason, to see if he can garner a rotation spot. If Darius Songalia can keep healthy, he knows how to play hard and can hit the open shot. Memphis' bench does not suffer from the precipitous dropoff in talent that one might think-Antoine seems to really want to play, Kyle Lowry could scare off a pack of starving Staffordshire terriers, and Quentin Ross is a very good wing defender, as is Greg Buckner. Haddadi is certainly a project, but thankfully knows a lot more about rebounding position than he does about the English language. Jaric, perhaps Arthur, perhaps Milicic will be out for this game, which does make the Grizzlies bench shorter than a Paris Hilton trip to a buffet line.
Advantage: Washington

If this game can be as close as the MEM/HOU game was on the previous night, those who make the trip to the FEF should see some pretty darn decent NBA ball.

Preseason style, of course.

Quick Hit Links

2008-10-08T11:45:00.002-05:00

Matt Moore (Hardwood Paroxysm, NBA Fanhouse, Ridiculous Upside) interviews Mike Conley about entering into his sophomore campaign with raised expectations. He follows that up with an interview with Javaris Crittenton. Quality reading.

The Grizzlies did not pick up the option on Hakim Warrick's contract, effectively making this a contract year for the former Syracuse forward.

Hoopsworld projects O.J. Mayo as the top rookie this year. Who am I to disagree with that?

Wizards Insider (Washington Post) profiles the Grizzlies before tonight's preseason game.

2008/09 Memphis Grizzlies Preview

2008-10-08T10:15:00.001-05:00

Memphis Grizzlies
Last Years Record: 22-60
Key Losses: Mike Miller, Juan Carlos Navarro, Jason Collins (Minor Losses: Brian Cardinal, Andre Brown)
Key Additions: O.J. Mayo, Marc Gasol, Darrell Arthur (Minor additions: Antoine Walker, Hamed Haddadi, Quinton Ross)

1. What significant moves were made during the offseason?
The Grizzlies revamped their roster in the offseason, completing what had been started with the trade of Pau Gasol during the season. On draft night, they traded away the last of the contributors from the squad that made 3 straight trips to the postseason when they sent Mike Miller and Brian Cardinal to Minnesota along with Jason Collins and the rights to Kevin Love in exchange for the rights to O.J. Mayo and the contracts of Antoine Walker, Marko Jaric and Greg Buckner. They also acquired Darrell Arthur in exchange for Donte Greene and a 2nd round pick.

Then they signed highly touted draft pick Marc Gasol to a contract to compete for the starting center position. They followed that up by signing Hamed Haddadi and Quinton Ross as well, to shore up the roster depth at some areas of need.

The biggest move that was made this offseason was the choice to allow Marc Iavaroni to remain as head coach of the team after rumors swirled about his possible departure. Ivy will get a second chance (as he should, IMO) to show that he can coach this young team to success.

2. What are the team's biggest strengths?
Youthful exuberance and determination. This team could achieve quite a bit more than is expected of them simply because they don't know any better. Top draft pick O.J. Mayo has been lauded for his drive to succeed and that attitude has visibly spread throughout the entire team. This collection of players doesn't intend to lay down for anyone, no matter what the odds against them might appear to be. In that way, they remind me a lot of the youthful team that arrived in Memphis a mere 7 years ago. I think that they will win more games than they probably should, just because they don't know any better.

3. What are the team's biggest weaknesses?
This team lacks experience. In all likelihood, only one starter will be older than 23 at the beginning of the season and the depth behind those starters isn't entirely tested either. The players with real experience (Antoine Walker, Greg Buckner) are on the downslope of their careers and are mostly viewed as contracts moreso than players to the majority of the fanbase. Fortunately, these young guys will get plenty of playing time to remedy that weakness, which everyone hopes will lead to some much-needed maturation. This franchise is on a 3-year plan to return to playoff levels, so talent and experience are the two key ingredients. They are working diligently on the first one, but the second will take some time.

4. What are the goals for this team?
Survival? If not that, then the goal is to display that they know what it takes to win games, even if they aren't quite good enough to do so consistently. They need to play much better defense than last year and to remain in games mentally for all 4 quarters. They have to show heart, since that has been missing from the team the last two miserable seasons. Mostly they need to show that they "get it" and are legitimate NBA talent capable of playing at the highest of levels.

5. Is there a real starting power forward on the roster?
They have 4 players capable of playing the position (Hakim Warrick, Antoine Walker, Darrell Arthur, Darko Milicic), but are any of them a legitimate answer? Warrick is a solid scorer/rebounder, but has limitations everywhere else. Walker spends too much time on the perimeter and not enough in the low post, not to mention that he is not the long-term answer for the team. Darrell Arthur is a rookie who shouldn't be expected to shoulder a tremendous role this year. Darko Milicic is a solid defender, but has issues with his offensive game and his confidence/mental approach is always a big question mark. I believe that the Grizzlies will look to trade either Warrick or Walker (or both), along with one of the young guards (likely Lowry or Crittenton) to acquire a legit PF at some point this season, perhaps a rental like Shawn Marion.

Predicted Record: 28-54

Check out previews for the rest of the NBA at CelticsBlog.com.

From Behind Enemy Lines: Griz Let Preseason Debut Slip Away

2008-10-07T22:35:00.008-05:00

By Zack

(Note - The ever expanding crew here at 3SoB are going the extra yard this year and have installed a road blogger. Ok, ok, so I actually moved to Houston, but for the Houston (and possibly San Antonio) road games, I will be providing a view From Behind Enemy Lines.)

For 3 quarters, the new look Grizzlies reminded me alot of the Grizzlies from last year. Helter skelter half court offense. Defensive breakdowns. Less fast break opportunities than promised. Below average free throw percentage. Poor decisions with the ball.

Then a series of highlight-reel dunks by Rudy and Hak behind a swarming defense energized the Griz and deflated the enthusiastic Houston crowd. The defense started creating and getting loose balls they weren't previously. The fast break opportunity flood gates finally opened up. And the game looked like it was going to be a satisfying Grizzly win.

This energizing sequence was punctuated not by one of Rudy's electrifying dunks and post-dunk shimmy's, but by the originator of the shimmy itself, Antonie Walker, when he dove to the floor for a loose ball and called a crucial timeout. That play, by the teams most experienced player, said alot about the mindset of the willey veteran. Walker, playing Power Forward and surprisingly Center for most of the game, looked focused and team oriented. He even took a charge at one point. I know it is only the first preseason game and the inevitable losses have yet to pile up, but Walker may turn out to be a valuable and versatile contributor off the bench this year. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Rudy Gay, the unquestioned team leader, was a barometer for the team energy level and apparent confidence. For 3 quarters Rudy Gay was in foul trouble, had trouble on offense, looked slow on defense, and all around had a bad game. But like leaders do, he didn't let that ruin his game. In the 4th quarter, it all came together, albeit without Artest in his grill, and Rudy lead the Griz in their most exciting offensive stretch of the game, one that needs to be shown to the team on the flight home tonight so they know what their identity should be. Here is the highlights of that impressive 4th quarter stretch.

--Tonie steals the ball, leading to a Kyle Lowry drive and shooting foul.
--Kyle Lowry steals the ball leading to a Rudy Gay and-1 dunk and shimmy.
--After a few more trips, Rudy aggressively forces the drive and gets a layup.
--Hak blocks a shot which leads to a spectacular Rudy alley-oop.
--Another Griz steal and long outlet pass leads to a clear path to the basket foul on a streaking Mayo.
--Rudy forces another aggressive drive to the basket, not letting himself settle for a jumpshot.
--Lowry goes backdoor on Brooks, getting him back for the previous backdoor cut by Brooks.
--OJ sinks a 3 pointer.
--Another steal and long outlet pass leads to a Hak dunk and another shimmy!
--Mayo steals the ball and on the ensuing trip down the court after a missed shot, Tonie dives on the floor for the loose ball and calls a timeout.
--Lowry follows that up with a hard drive and foul, sinking a free throw to put the Griz up 93-92.

I thought the Griz were going to win at this point. I should have known better. The momentum seemed to be in the Griz favor. They were causing timely turnovers on defense and turning them into fast break points on offense. Griz basketball as promised! But nothing really says Griz basketball at its finest than losing a close game on a last second shot. Unfortunately.

Following Lowry's game leading free throw, the Rockets called a timeout and dialed up the Griz kryptonite, aka the pick and roll. With Toine playing Center and Hak playing Power Forward, there was little help on the pick and Brooks made it past Lowry to the basket for a diving layup.

But the Griz can still score to win the game, right? Wrong. I'm not too excited about Iavaroni's play that he drew up with the game on the line. Lowry gets the inbound. Makes a difficult lateral pass to OJ Mayo who has to go 3 feet beyond the 3point line to get the ball. Mayo gets screened by Toine, who then rolls to the top of the key and gets the pass. He then turns around and hands the ball off to Rudy behind the 3 point line. Rudy launches a shot with the clock running down and misses.

That play makes me give Iavaroni an F for his game grade. Only a 1 point deficit and he dials up a play where the ball never goes below the 3 point line? What? A 1 point lead and nobody attacks the rim? No basket cut? No post up? No Lowry out of control drive? The ball doesn't get to Rudy until he has to jack up a 3? Seriously? A bunch of lateral, dangerous passes on the perimeter? That is what you do when you are running out the clock, not trying to score for the win. Iavaroni, you are not installing much confidence in this now Houston-based blogger. You might as well just told the guys to do whatever they wanted to do, it couldn't have been any worse than that junk.

But anways, here are some of my other impressions from the game:

More on Rudy

Watching warmups closely, Rudy has this sense about him. This is his team. He is the leader, the star player. Unlike before, where there was guys like Miller or Damon or Pau that played that role, Rudy is now the guy. Us Griz fans take that for granted I think. But just think back to him falling asleep on the bench during the NCAA tourney and it really is a remarkable transformation. Rudy is one of ~30 Franchise Players in the NBA. Even in warmups, he knows it and is embracing the role.

MIA Players

I haven't heard any word on Darko, but he wasn't at the game. JCritt was there, but didn't play. Is he hurt? Doghouse? I hope we find out something about that. Arthur didn't play either, but given his hurt hammy, that is not surprising. Arthur was the last guy off the court practicing prior to the last locker room chat before team warmups.

Buckner and Ross

The defensive duo got plenty of burn tonight, even playing next to each other. Talk about lack of offense. You can tell defense is a priority when minutes at the 2 and 3 that use to go to Miller and Navarro are now going to Buckner and Ross. Somewhere Frat is smiling. I'm not amused though, the duo stinks and makes our helter skelter offense even worse. At least they can play defense, which is something, I guess, but playing them together for extended minutes is a disaster.

Haddadi and Gasol

Walker played a lot of 2nd half minutes at Center. That should say a lot about our twin international center duo. Gasol looked decent. Slow, but got solid position rebounding and showed off a sweet 18 foot jumpshot. Haddadi on the other hand was bad. Not surprising though. Griz fans shouldn't expect much contribution from the Iranian rookie this year. Without Darko (maybe even with Darko), our front court was outmanned and overmatched, even against the Rockets 2nd string. Gasol will be our starting center at some point this year. Even if Darko is better, he will not be as steady as Gasol.

Conley

Conley looked solid. Quick. Got to the rim at will. Missed most of his layups and floaters though. Maybe dribbled a little too much. But overall, had a good game. Conley had a stretch in the 3rd when Rudy and OJ were on the bench in foul trouble where he was on fire. Impressive. But, just like last year, Kyle did enough in the 4th quarter to stay until the end during a close game. Will that be another trend this year or just a preseason quirk? My gut says the former, but most Griz fans are hoping for the latter.

Mayo

Looked mediocre. Wasn't involved in the offense much. Sweet stroke on his mid range jumper. Showed flashes, but Iavaroni and the Griz have to get the ball out of Conley and Lowry's hands and into Mayo's. Wasn't quite there on defense either and it got him into foul trouble.

Hak

Shot the freaking rock nearly every time he touched it. Jeez. I like the thought of Walker off the bench, so I'm looking at Hak improving his shot selection this year rather than being benched for it.

Defense, Blocked Shots, and Kick-out 3's

Yes, the Grizzlies showed some surprisingly stout shot blocking. Particularly Hak. Can that continue? I doubt it, but lets hope. As for the defense as a whole, I was disappointed. Our pick and roll defense was still bad. We didn't rotate that well and allowed the Rockets to penetrate and kick out for numerous 3's that kept them in the game. I guess that is better than layups, but open 3 pointers can be as easy for NBA players as layups, so I'd still prefer contested outside shots rather than wide open ones.

About the Rockets Fans

I was impressed with their enthusiastic fans. Their red rowdy section was cool. Even the small preseason crowd made tons of noise. Everyone wore red. For opening night they are trying to set the record for most painted (red) faces in one place. I'm attending that game and I'll be wearing blue....hahahaha

Oh wait, I can't forget to mention Dorsey's boneheaded technical. It was awesome. He was mad at Gasol (who by the way, has all the same mannerisms of his older brother) and aggressively slapped Gasol's hands away before an inbound. Idiot. I couldn't tell if the crowd was booing Dorsey or the Refs. Bad first impression on the coaches, I'm guessing. He didn't play in the 2nd half.

My guess for the season opener...we are going to get steam rolled by the Rockets when they play Yao more and decide to force feed him the ball in the post. He could have scored 50 tonight if he wanted to. We are too weak on the inside.

UPDATE: For a different view of the game read Ron Tillery's recap from the Commercial Appeal.

Grizzlies at Houston - 10/8/08

2008-10-07T14:35:00.002-05:00

Since this is the 1st pre-season game all assumptions on starting lineups are totally subjective.

Memphis enters their first pre-season game with more questions than answers with their lineup. The only completely solid starter appears to be Rudy Gay at Small Forward. Mike Conley, O J Mayo appear to have the inside position to man the other perimeter positions but both are being pushed by their backups. The PF position is a complete mess with returning starter Hakim Warrick appearing to be the winner simply because he fits the youth movement better than Antoine Walker. Center is a battle royal between two 7 foot big men in Darko Milicic and Marc Gasol. There aren't going to be a lot of questions answered in this game either.

Houston has questions as well but not on the level of the Grizzlies. Tracy McGrady, Ron Artest and Yao Ming should all start and likely Luis Scola and Rafer Alston but their positions are still in play. Shane Battier is best as a solid SF but has shown the ability to play PF and SG when needed. That versatility and professional attitude seems to make him an ideal 6th man. The rest of the lineup gets fuzzy for the Rockets. New Rockets Brent Barry, D J Strawberry and Joey Dorsey should find a way to get into the regular rotation along with Aaron Brooks, Mike James and the incredible Dikembe Mutambo.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Rafer Alston
Speed. That is the one common denominator in this matchup. Alston has been considered a fast point guard since his days on the playgrounds of NYC. Conley has the capacity to make Alston look slow however with his incredible burst of speed. The problem is that Alston seems to have a clue how to use his speed. Conley is still learning how to use his most effectively in the NBA. If he has learned that important lesson then his control with the ball could prove to be the difference. Alston has never really adjusted to leaving the playground and playing with any restraint at the point in he NBA despite 9 years of NBA experience. Mike just hasn't shown that he has learned how to use his jets yet.
Advantage: Houston

Shooting Guard: O J Mayo vs Tracy McGrady
Welcome to the NBA Mayo. You may have been on people's radar since 7th grade but nothing you have seen yet can prepare you for T-Mac. McGrady can score at will, is an excellent passer and at 6-8 can easily do either over the diminutive Mayo. T-Mac has the type of game Mayo wants but without the experience or the size it will be a learning experience for O J. Mayo's most reliable talent, defensive intensity, will be pushed to the limit but he should be able to get his shot off against the lackadaisical effort from T-Mac.
Advantage: Houston

Small Forward: Rudy Gay vs Ron Artest
Two of the most important players on thier respective teams. Rudy Gay must remain healthy and produce at even a higher level than his sophomore season to prevent the Grizzlies from being a joke in the NBA. He is that important right now. If there is one player who could destroy the Rockets dream of a playoff series win then this is the man. Sure T-Mac and Yao are vital but Artest has the mentality to make an entire team basket cases especially coaches. Artest used to be among the best defensive SF's in the league but his athleticism is on the decline now.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: Hakim Warrick vs Luis Scola
Hakim Warrick inherited the starting role after the Pau Gasol trade and was nearly as effective on offense as Pau was. He averaged 16.6 ppg and 6.9 rpg as a starter but amazingly he was worse than Pau on defense! That won't sit well with new Assistant Coach Kevin O'Neill and showing up to camp looking even lighter than last season won't help Hak improve on his interior game either. Scola was a big surprise among the rookie class last year and should be more comfortable this season. At 28 Scola is entering his prime and benefited a lot from Yao's injury last year. Scola does the dirty work on this team and excels in that role.
Advantage: Houston

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Yao Ming
Yao Ming was the Rockets last season before another season ending injury pushed him to the bench. When healthy there isn't a more complete center in the league. Yao averaged 22 ppg, nearly 11 boards and hit over 82% of his FT attempts last year. Throw in a couple of blocks a night as well as two assists and you can understand why people called Yao the best. Darko however matched up well against Yao when they played. Darko fought injuries all season last year but when healthy early was capable of keeping anyone in check. The problem was that Darko wasn't healthy very much.
Advantage: Houston

Benches: Memphis vs Houston
Memphis has a lot of talent off the bench. Antoine Walker has looked good in camp so far. Marco Jaric is capable of starting in this league and his size makes him capable of playing 3 different positions. Kyle Lowry was arguably the best PG on the team last season. The biggest question mark however is Marc Gasol. Pau's younger brother has been the biggest surprise of the camp so far and he has the type of size that could give people fits this year. Houston's bench is as scrambled as Memphis' but with a lot more experience. Shane Battier should become an immediate player in the league's Sixth Man of the Year contest but everyone else is a question mark. Carl LAndy had a tumultous summer dealing with a new contract. Dikembe Mutambo is probably closer to 50 than 30 although no one knows for sure. Aaron Brooks is a dimunitive PG who packs a big game. Throw in Brent Barry, Chucky Hayes, Mike James, Steve Francis and others and Houston has a lot of weapons.
Advantage: Houston

Jersey Love

2008-10-06T15:22:00.000-05:00

The new NBA uniforms have been unveiled for the 2008-09 season.

My reviews:

and...

The Oklahoma City Thunder: Sheesh. I'm going to try to be as unbiased as I can being from Texas and being classically conditioned to hate all things Okie...but wow. Seattle fans can at least smirk over this. The Seattle Sonics uniforms were classic looking, and a great color scheme. These things couldn't be more flamboyant if Richard Simmons and Clay Aiken were jumping on a trampoline together while listening to Donna Summer. They look like Golden State and the New York Knicks decided to come together, except the Thunder will play worse than either. The colors are so horrible, I cannot even bear to see the future alternate. Avert your eyes, these aren't even worth grading.

Next up...

and...

The New Orleans Hornets: Well I'm sure the die-hard Hornet fans (if there are any left) in Charlotte can appreciate this. When I first saw the uniforms, I expected to see Bobby Phills modeling one; of course, in my amazement at the resemblance between the two unis, I forgot that Bobby Phills was dead. You know what else is dead? The brain cells of the person/people who came up with this. The only thing different is the French-styled block lettering on the jerseys. A big F for unoriginality on this one.

Who's next?

and...

The Minnesota Timberwolves: Meh. I debated even covering this, because outside of the Twin Cities, who cares? The lettering looks cartoony, but their colors are a better fit than the Thunder. I'd give them a C.

Alright...

and...

Orlando Magic's 20th Anniversary Uniforms: They call it the "evolution" of their first uniforms, except less hideous with no starry basketball on the front of the jersey. I concur. It isn't my favorite of the crop, but at least they masked the retread of the past with a clever "Anniversary" title. Speaking of retreading the past, their retread looks alot like the retread of New Orleans/Former Charlotte's jersey design. So two present-days have to copy from the same team's past. Interesting. I give it a C. It would be lower, but I respect the BS card they pulled with calling it an "Anniversary" jersey.

Let's move to the Alternates...

Toronto Raptors Alternate: Now this one I like. I just like red and black together, and the majority black with the red/grey piping looks sweet. The maple leaf is a nice touch. I'd give it an A-.

Looks good. Don't dissapoint me...

Aww...You did.

Milwaukee Bucks Alternate: WTF. I love the old school style jerseys more than the newer style ones (I hate my beloved Mavs "alternate" designed by P Diddy, that man needs to stick with crappy music, selling hamburgers with trans-fat and creating crappy reality television shows) but this one just sucks. If they trade for Eddy Curry, misshapen as he is, the Bucks will look like they have a Heinz ketchup bottle manning the post. Which would be great advertising if the Bucks were ever to move to Pittsburgh.

I believe that is all of them.

Now what does this have to do with the Grizz, you ask??

It seems that every two years, teams change their uniforms. (Orlando comes to mind.) I guess we're due for a new uniform face-lift any day now. Several people I have spoken to love our away uniforms, but say our home uniforms are a bit plain. Be that as it may, I am fine with our regular uniforms. My question is this:

If every other team can change uniforms and have new alternates every year, where is ours?

Seriously. Where is ours? I think we deserve it. We have/had Spanish night when Pau and Navarro were here, as I am sure we will continue to have it for Marc. Why not throwback night(s)? Hell, I don't even think we should neccesarily create a new uniform for us. Our throwback should be something ABA-styled, or classic NBA styled. Enough with these new jerseys...more of them turn out horrible instead of classic looking. I for one wouldn't be caught dead in any of the re-do's this season. Let's bring back a piece of history.

Presenting your Memphis Grizzlies Throwback/Alternate Jersey:

Hak, this is for you.

I know we have "Pro's night" or "Throwback Night" or wait...that horrible "70's night" where we get to wear the cool jerseys but its masked behind horrible music and cheesy costumes. That's fun and all, but I say we use these as our throwback/alternates. They are cooler than the Golden State's "The City" jerseys, another alternate used that doesnt have their current team name plastered on the front. We should be able to use them, and we sure should.

I mean, this:

looks better to me then having the alternate come out urine yellow with blue and white trim, making Stevie Wonder need stronger sunglasses.

I think we should be able to have an alternate if every other team can have one and change their uniforms seemingly every season. However, let's not create a new one and risk it being Thunder-esque horrible. Let's go with what works.

Love the team or not, they ARE the only Pros in Memphis.

Atlantic Division Previews

2008-10-06T10:15:00.002-05:00

Boston Celtics

Jeff Clark: CelticsBlog.com

Jim Weeks: Green Bandwagon

FLCeltsFan: LOY's Place

John Karalis: Red's Army

Dustin Chapman: Celtics 24/7

New Jersey Nets

Dennis Velasco: About Basketball

New York Knicks

Joey: Straight Bangin'

Seth Rosenthal: Posting and Toasting

Philadelphia 76ers

Dannie & Pete: Recliner GM

Jon Burkett: Passion and Pride

Toronto Raptors

Franchise: RaptorsHQ.com

Ryan McNeill: Hoops Addict

Cuzzy: Cuzoogle

Also see links to all the previews at CelticsBlog.com

Previewing the Centers

2008-10-03T07:06:00.000-05:00

By Joshua Coleman

Year after year since they arrived in Memphis, the Grizzlies have run out a ragtag group to man the pivot. Other than Lorenzen Wright, who performed admirably the majority of his time in his hometown, the other players have either been undersized (Stromile Swift, Alexander Johnson, Lawrence Roberts, Andre Brown) or undertalented (Jake Tsakalidis, Ike Austin, Cezary Trybanski) or both (Mike Batiste). So the fact that they will be trotting out not one, not two, but three legitimate 7-footers is practically a miracle of epic proportions. The additional thought that at least two of them are worthy rotational players and the third is a worthwhile project makes me all tingly inside.

The primary job of the center in the modern NBA is that of a rebounder and defensive presence. Other than the players of Yao Ming and Al Jefferson's offensive skill or Amare Stoudemire and Dwight Howard's athletic prowess, centers just aren't looked to as scorers nowadays. The Sameuel Dalembert's, Tyson Chandler's and Andrew Bogut's are the norm for the position now. When looking at Darko Milicic, Marc Gasol and Hamed Haddadi, it seems apparent that they favor the latter grouping more than the former. All three are known for their hard-nosed defense, physicality in the paint and solid rebounding. Let's take a closer look at each of them.

The Players:

Darko Milicic - As I said previously when talking about the Power Forwards, Darko isn't likely to ever reach the expectations that certain people had for him when he was drafted #2 overall in 2003, but that doesn't mean that he cannot be a quality NBA starter. After all, he's only 23 years old and has limited mileage on him considering that he barely played while in Detroit for two and a half seasons. Darko's strengths are in his positional defense and shot-blocking, although he did exhibit a deft passing touch last year from the high and low post positions. With the thumb on his shooting hand finally healed, we might get to see more of the player that posted 6 games of double-digit scoring in his first 15 appearances as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. If he winds up splitting time between the PF and C positions, his offense will definitely need to be raised to a new level. The bigger question for The Dark One is where his confidence level is at, since that has been the biggest road block to greater success in his career. If he ever gets out of his own head, the rest of the league should be very worried.

Marc Gasol - Pau's little brother is no stranger to Memphis. After his performance in the Olympics, he's probably not a stranger to the rest of the NBA now either. If Grizzlies fans had any doubt, Marc proved that he wasn't his much maligned sibling by putting Chris Bosh squarely on his backside when Spain met Team USA. The reigning MVP of the ACB League in Spain comes across the pond with a chip on his shoulder after not garnering a scholarship offer from any big name schools after graduating high school here in Memphis. While he doesn't have the offensive skillset of Pau, he has already displayed that he is much tougher and more physical in the paint, along with growing far superior facial hair, which is important to me since I'm also bearded on occasion. If what he has shown in Spain translates well to the NBA, then Gasol could find himself with a substantial amount of playing time this year.

Hamed Haddadi - The final member of the international trio manning the pivot is the Iranian import who recently got clearance to enter the United States. Although there might be a few communication issues that have to be overcome (such as GM Chris Wallace accidentally giving Haddadi the equivalent of "the bird" by displaying a thumbs up in practice) and he should definitely be classified as a project, but as the saying goes, 7-footers don't grow on trees. He displayed plenty of raw ability in the Olympics, leading all players in rebounding and shot-blocking. His new teammates have been very complimentary of his skill level over the past week, giving hope that he might be able to contribute as soon as this season if the necessity should arise.

(And you thought that I couldn't do that without a camel joke.)

CONCLUSION: While the Grizzlies undoubtedly have more potential than ever before at the center position, it is anyone's guess how well the two newest additions will transition to the NBA and whether or not Darko will finally "get it". If the Grizzlies manage to get an average of 15-17 ppg, 13-15 rpg and 3-4 bpg each and every night from their centers, then it will take a lot of pressure off the rest of the team who will have the knowledge that they have a capable shot-blocker behind them on defense, as well as a solid rebounder and space eater. The Grizzlies will finally have some intimidators in the paint this season -- something that is long overdue.

Previewing the Power Forwards

2008-10-02T07:02:00.002-05:00

By Joshua Coleman

With the Point Guards, there appears to be a defined rotation. For the Small Forwards, there is The Man and everyone else. Even for the Shooting Guards, we have a good idea of who is going to play and how much. But for the Power Forwards...the phrase "total crapshoot" comes to mind.

Hakim Warrick is the presumed starter, Darrell Arthur is the rookie, Antoine Walker is the mercurial veteran in a contract year and Darko Milicic is the enigma. Marc Iavaroni included Rudy Gay in that group when we interviewed him, but after this comment that Chris Herrington posted, I'm not very confident that we'll see #22 manning the 4 anytime soon:

“We’ve got a lot of [power] forwards on this team, and I’ve told them: If I have to play your position, something is wrong.”

Really, the PF position is one of the glass being both half full and half empty. Guys are either good on offense (Warrick and Walker) or on defense (Darko) or talented, but completely unproven and inexperienced (Arthur). No one appears to be a complete package in the mold of presumed starters Mike Conley, O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay. That means that any of those four players could garner significant playing time this season. That is both intriguing and maddening at the same time.

The Players:

Hakim Warrick - The Syracuse product is well known by Grizzlies fans as he enters the 4th year of his career. He has proven to be a skilled scorer with his solid mid-range game and impressive dunking ability. He's an average rebounder for his size, nabbing 7 boards a game as a starter last year and has extended his range out to 18 feet on his jumper. The areas of his game that prevent Hak from being a surefire starter in the NBA are his complete lack of passing skills and his poor defense. I know that I get accused of picking on him from time to time, but Javaris Crittenton played 61% fewer minutes than Hak last year (678 total minutes to 1754 minutes) and Critt only fell two assists shy of matching Warrick's total for the year, which was 53. I understand that PF's aren't expected to pass the ball as much as guards, but most starters at least average a dime per game. Even Darko Milicic averaged a higher number than that while playing with an injured thumb the majority of the season. For Hakim to remain a starter under the new defensive-minded coaching staff, he's going to have to start doing more than just scoring and rebounding.

Darrell Arthur - In assessing Arthur's game, he actually reminds me quite a bit of the aforementioned Hakim Warrick. An athletic forward who excels from mid-range and might not be quite big enough to bang with the more physical post players in the league. The one thing that separates him from Warrick so far is his shot-blocking, as he has averaged better than one per game through two years at Kansas. Enough has already been written and said about his blunder at the Rookie Transition program, so I won't waste any more in this space. I don't see DA making a big impact this year, but he might show enough to make a case as the future starting PF, which could make Hak trade bait by January/February.

Antoine Walker - What is there left to say about 'Toine at this point? He's a good rebounder and he loves to shoot -- especially from the perimeter. Next!

Ok, just kidding. There are two things that make me think that Walker could actually be an asset this year: money and more money. That's right, the Master of the Shimmy will make $9 million this year and knows that there won't be any teams that will pick up his option for next season, so he's basically in a contract year. That means that he will give more than the 60% effort (since I'm being generous) he gave the T'Pups last year. If that's the case, then he could turn out to be a valuable trade piece at the deadline. His range and his rebounding ability will also be assets if he still has anything left in the tank. The question is still what does he have left in the tank.

Darko Milicic - Finally, a power forward with some power in his game. If there is one thing I know about Darko from last year, it is this: He is better than he exhibited after he injured his thumb. I know that he will never be the player that Joe Dumars (and Chad Ford, God bless him) envisioned when he was selected #2 overall, but I definitely think that he can be a solid rotational player for a playoff contender. Last year he displayed the ability to be an effective defender, especially against low post titans like Tim Duncan and Yao Ming. In fact, I haven't seen anyone frustrate Duncan so much since Rasheed Wallace got inside his head during the first part of the 2005 Finals. Fans of the Mad Serbian have told me repeatedly that Darko is best utilized as a PF. It appears that we will now see how true that is. The Dark One will need to find something other than the lefty hook shot in his arsenal if he plans on surviving the season without being mercilessly booed. Shaving off the sparse mustache he sported for much of last year wouldn't hurt either.

CONCLUSION: I don't know if Warrick or Walker will be the starter at the beginning of the season, or if Darko will be the closer. Darrell Arthur showed lottery level talent in college, but still fell all the way to #28 in the draft for unexplained reasons. This motley crew undoubtedly makes up the weakest position for the Grizzlies this year, but if all of them will commit to defense and rebounding, then two of them might survive until training camp next year. In any case, I don't believe that any of them will enter this season with preconceived notions about how much playing time they will be given, nor should they. This position is in need of serious help as the Grizzlies move forward.

Who The H is Brent Petway?

2008-10-01T14:15:00.002-05:00

Remember that big free agent splash we were hoping for?

Perhaps a signing of a "diamond in the rough?"

It is here, for grizzle my nizzle.

The one, the only Brent Petway.

Aside from his last name sounding like a third-rate store to buy dog food, Mr. Petway is 6''8 and 205 pounds. Loosely translated, that means Hakim Warrick looks like Bob Sapp compared to this guy.

Just kidding. Hakim is 6'9 and 219.

Petway will bring quickness and athleticism to the 4-spot for the Grizz in camp, and he brings with him a championship!

(I know, I know, its a D-League Slam Dunk Championship, but I'm trying to be positive. Sunshine Patrol has their claws in me but I'm not giving in quite yet.)

Petway is not a good rebounder upon glance of his stats.

He averaged 3.8 rebounds per contest with the Idaho Stampede. He did shoot 54.6 percent from the field, which is good for a 4-man.

But 3.8 rebounds?? Come on. Boozer is 6'8 and Ben Wallace has to be 6'6 and he grabs 11 a game! His game minutes are unknown at this point, but he started 27 contests for the Stampede.

In other camp fodder news, the Grizz have brought on Malick Badiane. Big Bad Badiane (I hope he stays on just so I can call him that) averaged 4.4 rebounds a contest starting all 5 summer league games and playing 19 minutes. He looked raw, but looked to be a decent rebounder and could spell Darko/Arthur or make a good IR player. He might get splinters in his posterior, but he could be a help when and if called upon.

This brings our camp roster to the maximum 16. Out of the two, I would go with Badiane. He played with our summer league team as did Petway, but Badiane made more of an impression, and got more minutes alongside Conley, Mayo etc. Familiarity, no matter how little is always a positive, along with his rebounding stats are decent for a raw talent who could develop into a backup and not just a pine-rider.

Regardless, the Grizz have some bodies to put Darko and Arthur up against in camp. I'm calling it now: The Grizz need frontcourt help, and they will look to Malick Badiane for the 15th roster spot.

Previewing the Shooting Guards

2008-10-01T11:25:00.000-05:00

by Joshua Coleman

So far this week, Chip has covered the Point Guards and Small Forwards. In terms of competition for playing time, those two are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Throughout this offseason, many people have thought that the Shooting Guard position would be closer to SF than PG regarding that area of expectations. As usual, I have a slightly different perspective on what is going to take place this season as everyone anticipates the introduction of Ovinton J'Anthony Mayo to the NBA.

Will O.J. Mayo start the most games at SG this year barring injury? Yes.
Will O.J. Mayo rival Rudy Gay's death grip on playing time for his position? No...and here's why. First, Mayo is a rookie and we all know what that means: transition and the dreaded "rookie wall". Second, he has another young guard by the name of Javaris Crittenton on the roster that will garner some playing time this year, too. Third, the team will probably give some token playing time to Marko Jaric at that position to keep his trade value at something above the "Cardinal Line" (the Mendoza Line for trade bait) this year. Finally, Mayo is a long-term investment for this team, so they want him to get enough PT to gain experience, but no too much, which leads to unnecessary wear-and-tear on young players and can contribute to nagging injuries.

So let's look at how they all break down.

The Players:

O.J. Mayo - There hasn't been a rookie arrive in Memphis with this level of expectations since.....well....ever, to be quite honest. Some people are expecting him to win Rookie of the Year and score 20 ppg. Others believe that he will be the Superstar that the team has been searching for. My expectations (as per usual) are a little milder than that. I expect that Mayo will be a solid, if erratic, contributor this season, providing good defense and perimeter shooting, along with some decent playmaking ability from the off-guard spot early on. If he continues to make shots as well as he has recently (reportedly he's making everything in sight in pickup games with his teammates), then he could post some very solid numbers in his rookie campaign. Even though I stated above that I don't expect him to have a stranglehold on playing time, I do expect Mayo to average 24-28 mpg this year. Mayo's determination and drive to succeed could be the turning point in this franchise as they look to climb the ladder back into the postseason in the future.

Javaris Crittenton - Critt was the subject of much scrutiny after the trade last year that sent Pau Gasol to Los Angeles. Mostly this was because he was the only player coming back in the deal that gave the home fans any hope, since everyone knew that Kwame Brown and Aaron McKie were just future cap space. Javaris didn't really disappoint anyone, but I don't think that he has truly impressed all that many either. As yet another young player who professes to be a point guard, he needs to improve his playmaking ability for his teammates period just to get onto the floor. Too often he plays faster than he should, which is an all-too-common problem for young players who need to learn how to let the game come to them. If his shooting has improved over the summer, he should definitely be the first guard off the bench and see plenty of time at the 2.

Marko Jaric - While Chip might insist on putting him at every position on the roster in order to post as many pictures of his lovely fiancée as possible, I'm placing him here because that's where I truly believe that he will get the majority of his playing time. Jaric isn't particularly spectacular at any one area (other than dating apparently), but he doesn't have a glaring weakness either, which makes him a suitable choice to get some minutes backing up Mayo and Critt if either of them are injured or have cold shooting nights.

Greg Buckner - The "forgotten" man in the draft night trade, Buckner is a solid defender who is rather non-descript in every other area of the game. Given the details of his contract, it is unlikely that Buckner will be on the team beyond this year, which means that he probably won't garner much playing time this year as he isn't part of the future of the team.

CONCLUSION: I think that fans should expect O.J. Mayo to get 50-65% of the available playing time this season, Crittenton to receive 30-35% and Jaric to get whatever happens to be left over. Mayo might not come out strong at the onset of his first NBA season, but I expect that by the end of the year he'll have people talking about him across the NBA landscape. Critt has an excellent shot at making an impact in his second season as well. What the Grizzlies truly need from the position this year is some solid defense and perimeter shooting, both of which can be provided by these two young players. If they can chip in 4-6 assists and 6-8 rebounds a night combined too, then things will definitely be looking up in the Bluff City.

Grizzlies Open Practice but Close the State of the Franchise

2008-10-01T08:38:00.001-05:00

GRIZZLIES TO HOLD FREE OPEN PRACTICE FOR FANS
2008-09 TIP-OFF PARTY TO BE HELD IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING AT FEDEXFORUM ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4

The Memphis Grizzlies are opening their doors again for their annual free Open Practice, and this year fans are invited to stick around after practice for a tip-off party to the 2008-09 season on Saturday, October 4 at FedExForum.

Fans attending the practice will get the chance to see O.J. Mayo, fellow 2008 draftee Darrell Arthur and Olympic hero Marc Gasol on the floor of FedExForum for the first time, along with Rudy Gay, Mike Conley and the rest of the 2008-09 Grizzlies squad. Grizzlies Head Coach Marc Iavaroni will run players through multiple drills and scrimmages that fans can watch as they prepare for the 2008-09 season.

After the official practice, the Grizzlies are inviting fans to a party to tip off the 2008-09 season, which will be held at FedExForum immediately following the Open Practice. Fans will be able to get autographs, take photos and ask questions of their favorite Grizzlies players, coaches and front office members. The fun doesn’t stop there though, as fans in attendance will also have the chance to shoot free-throws on FedExForum’s floor, meet the Grizz Girls, enjoy inflatable games, face painters, balloon artists and much more.

Doors for the Open Practice open at 10:30 a.m., with the practice beginning at 11:30 a.m. There will be free parking available in the Ford Parking Garage at FedExForum for the event.

This is the media release from the Grizzlies. What isn't mentioned is the decision to no longer have a State of the Franchise meeting for season ticket holders prior to the open practice. Originally I was only told "They're just not doing one this year." However last night Chris Wallace called me at home to talk about a different question and he explained that Michael Heisley was not expected to be available on October 4th. Honestly there really wouldn't be a reason to do a State of the Franchise if Michael Heisley wasn't there.

I love the open practice. I think it is great that the team is having a party after the practice so people can get caught up in the excitement of the team and the players and what is happening here. It is a bit upsetting however that the people who have paid a lot of money for the right to attend every one of the games aren't going to get the pep talk like they have in years past.

And yes the State of the Franchise meeting was simply a pep talk. They weren't going to open the books, discuss the mechanics of making the trades involving Pau Gasol and O J Mayo or even what enticements they used to get Haddadi or Marc Gasol to sign with the team. In other words, like the State of the Union, the State of the Franchise meeting was more of a way to rally the faithful to the cause as much as anything else but isn't that needed right now?

Previewing the Small Forwards

2008-09-30T10:02:00.000-05:00

by Chip Crain

Yesterday we tackled the position with the most competition and controversy swirling around it -- the Point Guards. Today we move to the one position where there is absolutely no argument about who will be starting and garnering the highest share of playing time -- Small Forward.

Why is this blog titled Previewing the Small Forwards? Shouldn't it be Previewing the Small Forward? Like in singular not plural? I mean does anyone feel the Grizzlies have a 2nd Small Forward on the team?

That question sums up the issue at small forward on the Grizzlies. When Mike Miller was sent to Minnesota for O.J. Mayo, not only did Memphis sacrifice their starting SG, but also their backup SF. Mayo can do a lot of things, but playing the 3 isn't likely to be one of them.

So Memphis has a player capable of being a star in this league but nothing behind him worth mentioning (although I will mention the candidates later anyway). The best case scenario for the Grizzlies is Rudy to average 38-40 mpg and make the next step forward along the path to becoming a major player in this league. The worst case scenario is an early season injury that prevents him from playing most of the year.

Please pretend I never even wrote that last sentence.

The Players:

Rudy Gay - What more needs to be said about the best player left on the Grizzlies team after the purge that began in January? Rudy can do it all. He can score 20 ppg, he can run, he can jump over any player in the league and still has legitimate three point range on his shot. What hasn't Rudy shown he can do? Well ball control has always been a problem for Rudy. He has freakishly long arms that make it difficult to prevent smaller players from harassing his dribble. He has been suspect on defense but that could easily be more the result of questionable coaching since he seems to have the fundamentals down. His rebounding is weak for a small forward. Finally passing is a weakness in Rudy's game. It has been argued that there weren't many other options for Rudy to pass to last year but he did have other options. At least compared to this season. Rudy has become the focal point for defenses to stop. His passing has to improve to really achieve the greatness predicted for him. Great players improve those around him. The easiest way to accomplish that is to share the rock with your open teammates.

Quinton Ross - Quinton Ross was signed to a last second contract with the Grizzlies apparently to provide Rudy Gay at least minimal minutes of rest this year. Quinton has the reputation of being a defensive specialist on the perimeter. He can and has guarded everyone from Manu Ginobili to Allen Iverson to Tony Parker and has had success against all of them. Ross could see minutes as shooting guard as well but that is unlikely with the logjam of players available for Iavaroni. If Ross plays well then possibly that would give the Grizzlies more options in playing Rudy Gay at PF however.

Greg Buckner - If there is a player on this team that will become best friends with Kevin O'Neill it should be Greg Buckner. He is the epitome of a team player. Buckner is the type of player other players don't enjoy facing up against. He's scrappy and tough and can play defense. The problem with Buckner has always been the other side of the court. The 9 year veteran out of Clemson has never cracked 7 ppg and in today's game that simply isn't good enough. The days of the one dimensional player are gone. In limited minutes Buckner may be able to get by as strictly a defensive specialist but at 6-4 he will struggle in that role against taller SF's in the league. Buckner's main contribution may come on the practice court as he shows the young players what it takes in effort to make it in this league. Veteran leadership is needed on this team and possibly Buckner could be the guy to provide it.

Marko Jaric - I know. I put Marko down as a possibility at every position but I swear I am stopping now. At least I hope I am stopping now because this is about as far as I can go with Jaric. At 6-7 Marko has the size to compete with backup SF's in the league and with his 3 pt shooting and passing ability he could really open up lanes for the slashers and big men on the team. He won't ever be a physical player however so you can forget banging underneath or grabbing rebounds as skills he brings to the position. His foot speed is a liability in the backcourt but is adequate for the SF position as well.

Antoine Walker - Okay. Stop laughing. I realize that the Shimmy Shaker is 31 and hasn't played the 3 spot adequately since his Celtic days and even then was questionable as a 3 but we are only talking about 10-12 minutes most nights and against backup players. Walker can give people fits in that time frame. He has 3 pt range and can rebound extremely well. Sure his foot speed is weak but are there many players coming off the bench in the NBA that won't have just as much trouble stopping Toine as Toine will have stopping them? Memphis won't be running with Walker at the 3 very often but that isn't all bad with the half-court scorers the team possesses. When motivated Walker has the type of personality that can motivate teammates to play better and Walker has millions of reasons to be motivated this season. Expiring contracts can have that type of effect on players.

CONCLUSION: It really isn't that difficult to see what the Grizzlies need this season from Rudy. He has to lead the team in scoring and he has to be one of two players to lead the team in minutes played for the season. It would be great for the team if Rudy also raised his rebounding number to 6+ a game and his assists went up to about 3 a game. Neither of these numbers is unreasonable by the way. If Rudy goes down to injury, even for a few weeks, there is nothing the Grizzlies could do to replace his production. Imagine if the Cavs lost LeBron. He's that important to this team. The big difference for the future is that unlike the Cavs the cupboard isn't empty behind Rudy for long. Mayo, Conley and the rest of the baby Grizzlies will come to Rudy's rescue very soon. I just don't believe it will be this year.

Helping the Public Understand the Grizzlies

2008-09-30T05:50:00.004-05:00

Recently our very own Joshua Coleman sat down with Jon Burkett of the MVN Network to discuss the Grizzlies. The interview is simply one of the best explanantions of why he started the blog, his perspective on the recent moves of the Grizzlies and what he believes is to be expected moving forward. I whole-heartedly recommend everyone read this.

Previewing the Point Guards:

2008-09-29T06:24:00.001-05:00

by Chip Crain

This is the official kick off 3 Shades of Blue's pre-season coverage of your Memphis Grizzlies (like you came here to read our views on any other team anyway!).

Each day this week the guys at the 3SOB will cover a new position in detail to give our readers the most comprehensive and informative information on this website. We hope to have the most comprehensive coverage over the Internet but don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves just yet.

To begin the pre-season review it seemed appropriate to start at the most debated position on the team: point guard.

Memphis returns three players who consider themselves point guards from last season's team and none of the players have two full years of experience nor have reached their 23rd birthday yet (Conley, Lowry and Crittenton). So what do the Grizzlies do on draft night? They trade away their best returning performer and their draft pick who filled a need for a player who considers himself a point guard (Mayo). Included in the trade for Mayo is the old man of the group in 29 yr old Marko Jaric but is expected to be low in the rotation for playing time at the point. That's five players capable of playing the point out of an expected 13 roster players for Opening Night.

And people wonder how we never run out of topics to discuss over here.

The Players:

Mike Conley - Mike returns as the starting point guard on the team despite missing all or parts of 30+ games his rookie season due various injuries. In the 52 games Mike played in as a rookie he put up respectable numbers when compared to other point guards around the league's rookie numbers (Steve Nash, Tony Parker, Deron Williams to name a few). That isn't to say that Conley will match those players in the future. Rather that he has shown the potential to do so. Especially when you consider that he was as young or younger than any of the aforementioned players his rookie season. One major difference between Conley and the others has been his durability but he has looked much stronger this off-season than he did last season. That strength will be important if Conley plans on putting the injury reputation behind him.

Kyle Lowry - The former Wildcat has become a bulldog on the Grizzlies roster. Kyle lit the city on fire on opening night of his rookie campaign when he announced his presence with authority posting 6 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in leading the Grizzlies 2nd half charge. Suddenly Kyle Lowry was the most exciting rookie in franchise history (which is pretty impressive considering Shane Battier, Shareef Abdur Rahim and Pau Gasol had preceded him). Just as suddenly he was gone for the year after breaking his wrist in the 10th game of the season. His sophomore season was a struggle as he fought for playing time behind veteran Damon Stoudamire and rookie Mike Conley. Kyle's wild play energizes the team on the defensive end but his lack of control hurts the team on the offensive side of the ball. Still Kyle produced at a rate similar to Conley in nearly the same amount of time on the court and usually with inferior players around him. While his game seems best suited for a backup role right now Lowry's grit and determination means that no one is going to take the starting spot without a fight.

O.J. Mayo - O.J. Mayo looks to supplant Kyle Lowry as the most exciting rookie acquisition in franchise history this year. O.J. Mayo has been preparing himself almost since birth to be an NBA star and anything short of brilliance will disappoint his legion of supporters around the city. Mayo looked impressive at times in summer league and practising against the US Olympic team but he has also looked sloppy with the ball and unable to really explode past defenders. Mayo lacks the blinding speed of Conley and other PG's but he compensates that with a good passing ability and nice size for a PG. Mayo is also a workaholic who is in excellent physical condition. While no rookie can prepare himself for life as an NBA player, Mayo should suffer less than most because of his excellent physical condition. Mayo is already considered the best defensive player in the Grizzlies backcourt and quite possibly the best defender on the team which is a trait not often associated with a score first PG. For now at least the plan appears to be to play Mayo at the shooting guard position this season where his clutch long range shooting and defense are needed more but one can't ignore the possibility with a trade of Mayo taking over the point during his career.

Javaris Crittenton - When JCrit arrived from LA after the Gasol trade he felt a wave of relief. He was now going to get the chance he was denied at the Lakers. It hasn't worked out exactly that way so far. Instead of being behind Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar, more typical PG's for Phil Jackson's triangle offense, JCritt found himself behind Conley and Lowry who were equally quick and young but had the inside tract with the coaches. JCritt has been working hard this summer on some perceived weaknesses in his game including the outside shot and better court vision. Javaris wants to play the point in the NBA but right now the minutes just don't seem to be there. JCritt will need to show he can play the SG position as well if he wants anything more than token minutes this season. One strong point for JCritt is his defense which should hold him in good standing with new coach Kevin O'Neill and his preferred pressure style of play.

Marko Jaric - Finally we reach the one PG on the team that has actual NBA experience in playoff games. Wait a minute. You mean Jaric has played 6 seasons in the NBA and never made the playoffs??? How can that be? Well first off he hasn't played on many good teams but he also hasn't made bad teams better by his presence. One thing Marco definitely does have is a smooth long distance shot and excellent height for a PG at 6-7. What he doesn't have is a scorer's mentality as he has never reached 10 ppg over a season. It is unknown right now if a team with OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay not to mention Hakim Warrick, Marc Gasol and Antoine Walker really needs another player looking for his shot. Defensively Jaric is considered decent but not excellent. His 6-7 frame does cause problems for opponents trying to get a shot off over him and his 1.4 spg over his career means he is smart enough to get into passing lanes despite a noticeable lack of foot speed for a point guard.

Conclusion: Memphis has a problem that most NBA teams dream about in having too many young, talented Point Guards but that doesn't mean it is not a serious problem. How the Grizzlies can manage to find playing time for all 5 players will be a nasty juggling act for Marc Iavaroni. Heading into camp it appears that Conley has the inside position as the starter with Lowry backing him up. Mayo and Jaric are expected to split time at the two guard while JCritt floats back and forth but nothing is written in stone. Memphis is willing to discuss a move for any of the potential PG's but isn't interested in helping another team out by giving one of their players away for nothing.

Right now JCritt and Lowry look to be in a dead heat to be the first player moved while Mayo is the only player among the group entrenched on the roster. Conley should be safe unless he can't separate himself from Lowry this year. Jaric may be here a while because of his bloated contract but could be moved to bring in someone with a larger contract (maybe Zach Randolph for example). JCritt needs to find a place to get some minutes either here after someone else is moved or somewhere else for himself.

The Grizzlies are okay at the point this season and should be heading toward strong by next season. They just need times to find their legs and learn the game. Making a clear decision on who is going to be the starter and who's going to be first off the bench should help the players understand their roles and what they need to improve on going forward.

I can't believe I wrote about the point guards and didn't mention Adriana Lima one single solitary time!

That didn't count there at the end did it?

Memphis' Weapon of Mass Destruction...At The Box Office...

2008-09-27T13:44:00.004-05:00

....Might just be Hamed Haddadi.

That's right. To the fiery depths with Josh Smith, Elton Brand, Amare Stoudamire or Carlos Boozer. No disrespect to Kevin Garnett intended, but the "Big Ticket" might be Hamed Haddadi, as far as Memphis is concerned.

A survey/census shown on City-Data.com reports that there are 245 Iranians in the city limits of Memphis. The category "Other Arabs" equates to 202. These numbers may or may not have to be adjusted for population growth/decrease, but let's just use for my lack of mathematical skills an even number of 400 possible new fans in Memphis alone, and 70.5 MILLION back home in Iran. We will need a clever name to call this possibility, so let us use "The Yao Ming Effect."

Let me begin by saying I am not comparing Memphis' market to Houston. Houston is a bigger, more cosmopolitan city in a bigger, more cosmopolitan state. Houston also has a more significant population, and a larger ethnic enclave as it relates to their foreign star. However, the size difference does not neccessarily mean that there will not be the same effect. When Houston drafted Yao Ming, as they were one of the teams Yao preferred to go to due to their sizeable ethnic population, Houston immediately felt the impact. Endorsements here and in China came flooding in, and people wanted to tune in to Rockets games to see this player. Houston games were being broadcast in China just as regularly as we get to see Kobe vs Shaq on Christmas Day. Yao has made the All-Star team by having hundreds of thousands upon more hundreds of thousands of votes, due to support in the US and his team's fans for sure, but it was the other side of the world making a difference. The NBA is big in China now because of this, and now we are seeing more Chinese/regional players trying to make it in the NBA. (Sun Yue, Ha-Seung Jin, etc.)

Wouldn't that be great for the Grizzlies? In no way am I saying that Haddadi will be Yao Ming's equal or better (although I hope noone crosses up Haddadi like this or Haddadi can at least get a shot off against a midget. ) However, what I am saying is we can expand our market, seeing as how right now we're having difficulties expanding our market out to Desoto, Crittenton, Tipton, Fayette, Madison County and the like. We will have an entire country, along with Spain for Marc Gasol, and Serbia for Darko Milicic joining the Grizzly market. It may very well be the Grizzlies turn to lead the NBA into global expansion, and Haddadi will lead the way for players in his home country to come to the NBA. I think it would be a feather in the Grizzlies cap.

Let's close by talking about the ticket sales. Let's be frank. I highly doubt people from Iran are going to fly to Memphis to go to a game. Buying merchandise on NBA.com, yes. Spreading the word, yes. Flying into Memphis? Not so much. We do not have a large Iranian population, but with ticket sales they way they are rumored to be, 400 new season ticket holders, or 400 more people as a television audience could go a long way into either filling up the Forum and getting more people to come to games because it looks more full and fun, or it could justify the televising of more games due to higher demand. Either or would be great, although I'd prefer the first. Finally, without getting sappy or too political, I think it would be great for the city to have such diversity at the games. Everyone of any race and age could be in the same place, even for just 2 and a half hours, and share something together, even for that one moment....they're all on the same team...which is how it should be.

Warning: Hamed Haddadi does not actually cure war and ensure world peace. He just dribbles a ball, and hopefully will be good. God, do we need help at the 5 spot. Help us Hamed Haddadi, you're our only hope.

**End transmission.

Grizzlies Sign Quinton Ross

2008-09-27T08:06:00.002-05:00

From Grizzlies.com:

Memphis, September 26, 2008 — The Memphis Grizzlies announced today that they have signed free-agent swingman Quinton Ross. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We are pleased to bring Quinton Ross to our team,” said Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace. “He has been one of the best and most versatile backcourt defenders in the NBA the past four seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. We are excited to bring him into training camp next week.”

The SMU product has spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Clippers, signing with them as an undrafted free agent in 2004. In all likelihood, Ross will get most of his minutes as the backup SF this season. This is just one more example of the new emphasis that the team is placing on defense after looking like a sieve most of last season.

The Iranian Invasion Begins

2008-09-26T14:32:00.003-05:00

According to My Eyewitness News' reporter Rob Petrone (ABC24/CW30), Hamed Haddadi arrived at Memphis International Airport this afternoon and will be ready to go when training camp begins on Tuesday.

It will be interesting to see how the Iranian big man matches up with Darko Milicic and Marc Gasol in practice after posting some impressive statistics in Olympic competition. With word coming down that Darko Milicic is expected to spend some time at PF, there could be ample opportunity for Haddadi to see playing time as the backup center.

How Are Y'all Doin' In The Back?

2008-09-26T10:15:00.000-05:00

By Zac

I was going to call this blog "Someone Should Tell Adriana Lima We Have Naked Gameday At The Forum." Now of course I'm not ABOUT to write about something like that...that was merely a suggestion to Ms. Lima.

What I would like to talk about, is this debilitating, dangerous disease that seems to spread more and more the more games we lose. It is so debilitating, it makes our chart at the office look bad. You know, the chart that shows attendance, our arena noise...basically, the chart that shows how good our fans are...

No, not the FOXNews-esque doomsday delight Commercial Appeal! It's the fans!

"Wait...Zac, the fans are the problem??"

YES! The fans are the problem. However, the problem is two-fold.

Problem A is the people who come to the games who root for the other team. Nothing burns me up than seeing a yellow Lakers jersey, or someone whooping it up for Detroit, or shouting out to Melo and AI at the Forum. I wouldn't have a problem with Laker fans at the Forum if the Forum was the Great Western Forum and this was Showtime, but it isn't. We might be a crumbling industy sector and a largely minority-majority city, but we aren't in Detroit either. Our arena announcer doesn't have a stuttering problem. Lastly, do you see any mountains? This is not Denver either.

One of these is Memphis....and the other is not.

Most of this is said in jest. As an avid sports fan, nothing and let me REPEAT nothing really builds up a good game atmosphere than trash talk from fans of one team to the other. Of course, that's always best for the postseason, when the emotions are heightened. It just is an annoyance that a lot of fans especially at certain games aren't even at the Forum for the HOME TEAM...but the reason they stand out so much is because of problem B.

Problem B is the fans of the Grizzlies that we do have. There simply is not enough. When your arena looks like 9500 people showed up in plainclothes and the rest came disguised as empty blue chairs, even the loudest, truest Chris Farley Chicago Superfan-esque fan performance is not going to drown out the cheers from the fans that are there to support the other side. Where are the people? When I was writing for Nation of Grizzlam, I wrote a blog detailing why Memphis fans felt like they didn't get respect from the media and it dealt with SMS, or "Small Market Syndrome." While doing the research for said blog, I delivered statistics (begrudgingly, because I hate crunching any sort of numbers) of populations for every NBA market city and metropolitan area. Memphis was not even the smallest market, at roughly 1.25 million metro, adjusting for another year in census, not counting what I believe to be part of the metro area, DeSoto County. You mean to tell me that a little over 1 percent of that can't fill up a basketball stadium? Really? I know we are a college town, but face it folks, so is every other NBA market. This is the first REAL professional team this city has ever had. Noone had better comment about the MadDogs or Pharoahs, and no disrespect but the Riverkings and Redbirds are not major league caliber either. That alone should get fans in the seats. Be grateful to even have a team. I'm sure Seattle would love to have theirs back, and they had more fan support than we have had in our best year.

"Basketball games are too expensive to have as many as we do in a season. Most Memphians would be better suited for an NFL season. Expensive, but less games to go to."

Right. The Oilers sure got a lot of support while they were here. Of course, the excuse was that we knew they were leaving anyway, so why support them. It seems with a lot of people that they feel the same way about the Grizzlies. They'll leave, so why support them? That way, when they leave due to lack of support from fans like you, you will be right. Ah, sweet vindication. An NFL team in Memphis? If basketball (Professional basketball, in a self-professed "Basketball Town") can't be supported with 18,000 people, how do you tell me that 65,000+ would be? Maybe I should ask the Tigers how they like playing in front of a packed stadium for football games. Wait...

It's because they don't win right? The Golden Rule of Fandom. If they win, they will be loved and admired and paid attention to. You've got me there. The Grizzlies don't win. However, even when they did, they didn't win enough. So the support...went down the drain. Fans have every right to be dissapointed. Dissapointment is great! It means you have pride in your team and you want them to do well. I'd be more worried if people were indifferent, but people are dissapointed! Hooray! It means you care!

So why don't you care that your team, win or lose, looks pathetic when they play in front of an arena full of...empty chairs? It's silent when the home team scores at home and louder when the away team makes a basket? You want to root for the stars? Show up to the games, and be loud for your home team. Homecourt advantage = proven advantage. Build up the young guys' confidence, build up the win column. Make it look like a fun place to play and a fun place to go to. Word among fans will spread. Make it look like a loud and tough place to play, and word will spread around the L. Your team will be feared, and in free agency, dare I say revered. Players will want to come here. You will have built up your players into stars, and attract stars for you to clap for, if thats what it takes. Clap for Rudy. Clap for Mayo. Clap for Conley. Soon, who knows who you will be on your feet for in the starting lineups. Just make sure to keep the energy going, and drown out those people cheering for the other team...

Donations to the DOUCHE (Drown Out Ugly Crowd Heckling Experiment) can be made in payments of 5, 18, 37, 38, 40, 47, 48, 49, 62, 82, 99, 107, 150, 227, 307, 387, 546 & 667 dollars. All donations to DOUCHE should be made at the FedEx Forum box office on Gamedays.

Gratuitous Self-Promotion: An Interview with Kornheiser's Cartel

2008-09-25T22:32:00.000-05:00

By Joshua Coleman

On Tuesday, Kornheiser's Cartel posted a column titled Memphis Grisly. As I'm sure you can ascertain from the title, it wasn't full of rainbows and marshmallow goodness for our fair team. But that didn't stop me from acquiesing to an interview when Billynho requested one. After all, I'm all about defending our franchise and setting the record straight whenever the opportunity arises. They asked and I answered, all of which can be found right here. I encourage you to head over there to see the great questions they asked, as well as the answers I gave. They really do run a fantastic blog that I recommend adding to your Favorites List.

Tillery: Grizzlies Set To Sign Quinton Ross, Haddadi Arrival Held Up

2008-09-25T13:06:00.006-05:00

Ron Tillery is reporting that the Grizzlies are close to finalizing a deal with free agent swingman Quinton Ross. The 27-year old former Clipper is expected to sign on the dotted line for a non-guaranteed contract tomorrow.

At 6'6" and 193 lbs., Ross is well suited to be the backup SF that the team obviously needs, given the unknown conditioning status of Antoine Walker or how well Greg Buckner will fit in with this Grizzlies team. He's a solid perimeter at both swingman positions, which is good in a division that includes Tracy McGrady, Peja Stojakovic, Manu Ginobili and Josh Howard. Also, it bears noting that at age 27, he could be a long-term fit for the Three Year Plan. Tillery notes many of the same things in a blog post on the Memphis Edge.

He also has information that Hamed Haddadi hasn't been officially cleared to travel to the United States yet. Apparently there are still some immigration issues to work out. Well, that's what they say, but we all know that he's really having difficulties in arranging transport for his pet camel, Bubbles.

Linksplosion

2008-09-25T12:13:00.002-05:00

We're overdue for a Links post, so let's dive right in with a couple of interviews!

Yahoo! (Sean Deveney - Sporting News) - Rudy Gay talked with Deveney at Chris Paul's charity event last weekend about a variety of topics. Deveney asked some rather provocative questions, many of which seemed to be designed to get a reaction from the young SF, but Rudy enhanced his calm and comported himself quite well. He answered questions about leadership and why the fans should show up this season, too.

The Sporting News (Stan McNeal) interviewed rookie Darrell Arthur yesterday via phone. Among the topics discussed was his involvement in the happenings at the Rookie Transistion Camp and how he had to face his mother afterwards. Solid interview for a player we hope is a solid presence in the post.

Ron Tillery checks in with two solid articles in the past couple of days. The first one, found on the Commercial Appeal, discusses the likelihood that the team is done making moves for the time being and will go into preseason with the 13 players already under contract. The second (and far more enlightening, IMO) is on the Memphis Edge, and gives fans something to be excited about: This Grizzlies team has fire and intensity! Reports of O.J. Mayo and Darko Milicic getting in each others' faces during practice makes me all tingly inside.

Speaking of Darko, over on FOXSports.com, my least favorite MSM NBA scribe, Mike Kahn, has a column about The Dark One and whether or not he'll ever live up to his hype and potential. Given what Marc Iavaroni told us in his interview posted earlier this week about Milicic moving over to the PF spot more this upcoming season, I think we could see some interesting things from him this year.

In an interesting interview that Chuck Klosterman did with Michael Rand (StarTribune.com), there was the following question and answer:

RB: Kevin Love or O.J. Mayo?

CK: This is actually pretty close. I think Love has the potential to be better, but only if he’s the third option on a very good team (and that will never happen in Minnesota). Mayo is more complex. He’ll either be awesome or useless. There is something strange about his attitude; he seems detached in a way I cannot define. He might end up being a version of Vernon Maxwell who passes well, or a [redacted] sociopath.

The Grizzlies are now short a shooting coach. Mark Price has joined the staff of the Atlanta Hawks.

Hoopsworld is reporting that even though the Zach Randolph trade is dead (can I get an Amen???), the Grizzlies are still more than willing to listen to trade proposals from around the league. Does that classify as breaking news given their imbalanced roster and overwhelming amount of young guards? No? Just checking. They also check in by listing Mike Conley as one of the Top Six Players in Need of a Trade. Ummm....yeah....right.

Kornheiser's Cartel seems to think that the Grizzlies' problems lie at the feet of GM Chris Wallace. I disagree and will explain why in an interview with the mastermind of this great new blog in the very near future.

Upside and Motor has a note for fans around the league that complain about ticket prices: Be glad you aren't a Laker fan.

For the stat geeks out there, check out this post from Bucks Diary that calculates the Win Profiles for each NBA team. This is some Dave Berri-level stuff, so it isn't for the faint of heart.

Think that all NBA referees suck and that you could do better? Henry Abbott (TrueHoop) says, "Not so fast". More often than not, these guys make the correct call.

Would you like to know more about defensive principles? Then read this excellent post by Dave on Blazer's Edge. Truly a great read.

Would you like to know more about basketball -- and sports in general? Then read Eric Musselman's blog every single day. What a great mind!

Former (Vancouver) Grizzlies forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim retired this week. Most fans in Memphis never got to see him suit up for the franchise, but I'm sure that many of the fans in the Great Northwest remember his remarkable consistency as a 20/10 player, night after night.

Finally, don't forget about the Tip-Off Luncheon. There are still a few seats available at the 2nd table that we here at 3 Shades of Blue will be sponsoring, so shoot us an email if you're interested.

Transcendent Meditation

2008-09-25T07:56:00.000-05:00

By Chip Crain

By now most people have read the back and forth comments between Ryan Schwan at Hornets24/7 and our own Josh Coleman about the Grizzlies. I also sent Ryan an email about his comments and he replied with this:

Yeah, I unloaded on your team. Sorry about that. :( I still love your blog!

I actually left out one of the main points I wanted to make about your team - which is that in order to make a quick turnaround from 15-20 wins you have to land that transcendant talent - O'Neal, Duncan, Paul.

I have been thinking about what he wrote and it suddenly dawned on me the problem with the argument about transcendent talent. No we don't appear to possess the transcendental talent yet but in the last three years Memphis has traded Shane Battier for Rudy Gay, acquired Mike Conley with the 4th pick in the draft after Greg Oden, Kevin Durant and Al Horford had already been taken (the Hornets got Chris Paul after Bogut, Marvin Williams and Devin Williams were drafted by the way) and traded Kevin Love and Mike Miller for O J Mayo.

They have been trying to get the transcendental talent he talks about!

Rudy is a near miss but a big step up from Shane Battier right now and is only 22 and starting his 3rd NBA season. Conley, only 20 yrs old, still is looking like the 4th best player taken in the lottery. Consider that after Conley you had Jeff Green, Yi Jianlian, Corey Brewer, Brandon Wright, Joakim Noah, Spencer Hawes, Acie Law, Thaddeus Young, Julian Wright and Al Thornton. Where was the transcendent talent in that list?

No one knows about O J Mayo but there have been some intelligent people who are very impressed with him so far. Memphis hasn't been lucky in the lottery/draft the last few years (unlike New Orleans). As long as the team continues to try and get that transcendent talent they will eventually get lucky.

That is why I am glad the team isn't selling out for players like Zach Randolph and the like. This would only hurt our chances of acquiring the type of talent Memphis won't get in free agency. Maybe Conley will develop to an elite PG. Maybe he will only be average. That still makes him one of the top 15 or so PG's in the world. Rudy Gay is one of the top 50 players in the world right now at any position according to Tom Ziller and he hasn't peaked yet. Mayo is a rookie but no one argued with him being the 3rd pick in last year's draft after Beasley and Rose.

Finally Josh Smith nearly fell into their laps this summer. Sure Atlanta matched immediately but that is what happens with players of that caliber in the NBA. They just aren't available very often and a small market like Memphis has to get lucky and keep shooting for the stars to get that talent. Where would New Orleans be today if Chris Paul had been drafted #1 in that draft and Chicago matched the Hornets offer on Chandler? What if that draft had gone Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut? Where would New Orleans be today?

The bottom line is that Memphis is trying hard to get the type of player you say they need. New Orleans got lucky and had one fall into their laps at #4. Memphis hasn't been so fortunate yet. Gasol, Hamed, Darko, Warrick and Arthur aren't supposed to be the big name players. Memphis still needs to acquire someone to be the Beast on the Bluff (you don't know how many years I have been waiting for the Grizzlies to get a player worthy of that moniker by the way). It isn't going to be Zach Randolph or anyone else in free agency most likely. Memphis will have to parlay the talent they have to acquire someone in a trade or get lucky in the lottery/draft. But they are only that piece away from being surprisingly good with a ton of cap space to fill in the needs off the bench it may have.

Then again, with guys on the bench like Arthur, Crittenton, Lowry, Haddadi and Gasol maybe there won't be that many more holes to fill either.

Shot in the Darko

2008-09-24T14:10:00.008-05:00

By Kirk

After a years performance in the Darko-Grizzlies era, many still believe that THIS is the year Darko will truly live up to the hype, and become the player that many experts predicted him to become.

After a paltry season as a Grizz "rookie", where he posted a stat line of 7.2 points/6.1 rebounds/0.8 assists/1.6 bpg in 24 mpg, is Darko poised to "breakout" this season?

There were rumors swirling over the past few weeks of a deal proposing a Darko/Marko for Zach Randolph swap. Now, thankfully, this deal appears to be as dead as Pauly Shore's acting career.

There has been talk of Darko possibly getting extensive minutes at the PF position this year, courtesy of our man Chip here at 3ShadesofBlue and his interview with head coach Mark Iavaroni.

On that note, would Darko be able to produce at the 4 spot? Many experts pegged him as a player who would never be a true NBA center, and that his natural NBA position was better suited at the 4, rather than the 5. Having played center for the Grizzlies last year, and having watched many excruciating performances at said position, I am beginning to believe these so called "experts".

The main knock on Darko in the past (other than being a bust) is that he has the confidence level of a pimple faced 9th grader asking the head cheerleader to prom. There were many games in which Darko would start early, hit some quick shots, get into a flow, and then seemingly disappear from the game. The disappearance usually coincided with either missing a few straight shots, or when getting a breather. Darko never seemed to close a game out on a positive note, rather he seemed to duck away when crunch time arrived. Sometimes he would disappear so quickly that you would have had an easier time finding the remains of Jimmy Hoffa.

With this being said, and the jury is still out, this IS Darko's year to prove his worthiness or unworthiness of being an NBA player. There is NO Pau this year, virtually noone standing in his own way. Darko controls his own destiny. He is the veteran big man this year, with 3 rookies in Marc Gasol, Hamed Haddadi, and Darrell Arthur looking to him as the "man". The only other big man veteran we have is a #2 pencil...........I mean Hakim Warrick.

Lets face it, Darko will most likely never "light it up", but will he finally break free from the stigma surrounding him? Can he prove the naysayers wrong? Can he finally string together performances to prove otherwise?

The judge shall reserve sentencing until all evidence is in, and I am able to weigh said evidence.

Until then, court dismissed.

Usually good travel deals include hotels as well as facility of car rental.

Aint No Party Like An M-Town Party

2008-09-24T04:07:00.001-05:00

....Cuz an M-Town party don't stop.

Grizzlies block parties are back!

I attended one last year, and if that was any indication, I will try to be in attendance for the one on Trinity Rd in Cordova. I encourage all of our readers to attend and get fired up for the season!

Details are on Grizzlies.com

-3SoB

Juice vs. Juice

2008-09-24T01:45:00.007-05:00

by Zac

First off, big ups to our friends at Hardwood Paroxysm for the "OJ Mayo's Swagger vs. Megan Fox's Sexiness" blog.

Also, I'd just like to say to Chip, what a fantastic interview with Coach I. I know all Grizz fans are pulling for Ivy this season.

Now let's get on to the business at hand.

Clay Aiken finally came out. FINALLY.

Just kidding. Who gives a funk-and-wagnalls about that?

Let's talk about OJ Mayo. Our rookie. Our newest face, our future star. One half of the Gay Mayo...er...Rudy and OJ duo. He just oozes style, and swagger. He's been called the next big thing...compared to Kobe...the swagger of LeBron...etc. Who could I, a measly blogger, compare OJ Mayo to that would even match the direct correlations of the former?

Simple.

O.J. Simpson.

Whatthe#@&! ????

That's right. Name for name, baby. OJ for OJ.

I'll give you a few minutes to settle down.

*Listens to some RATM via Ipod*

Good, you're back. I can begin now.

Round One: Slashing Abilities

As you can read here due to graphic violent language (You're welcome, kids) , Mr. Simpson was quite proficient in his slashing abilities. He (of course, this was in his prime, so I don't believe he could do this now) was able to slash through not one, but two defenders at once with ease. Mayo likewise is a very good slasher, able to get around one, two, perhaps three or any number of defenders you throw at him. As his NBADraft.com profile indicates, he "is very confident dribbling against pressure and trapping defenses, and knows how to use his body to get to the hoop....and has a variety of moves and jerky fakes that create enough seperation for him to get his shot off."

Winner: Tie

Round Two: Court Behavior

OJ Simpson is a known narcissist, and an egotistical man, but by all accounts was somber and quiet in court. He let his teammates do the talking. OJ Mayo is humble when he is away from the court, but is a beast on it, unleashing a typhoon of swagger and arrogance, knowing that he is one of if not the best player on the court at the time. Sounds like a draw doesn't it? Alas, it is not. Our dear Mayo goes down to Simpson in this round simply because Simpson's team let him get away with murder in the court, and Mayo couldn't even get past a flopping ref.

Winner: Simpson

Round Three: Bigger Entourage

Mayo's entourage got him into trouble when an associate leaked a story about Mayo accepting gifts. Not cool, Lil' OJ. Meanwhile, Simpson, along with an entourage of his own robbed sports memorabilia from a Las Vegas hotel room and were charged with kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon to boot. This one could go both ways. Simpson was taking things that were allegedly "his" sports memorabilia. Mayo wasn't stealing nor taking his items back, he was purchasing new items, but "illegally" according to for lack of a better word, "Collegiate Ethics." In that respect, it almost seems like yet another draw. However, Simpson's antics landed him in jail again. The edge goes to Mayo in this one.

Winner: Mayo

Overall: Mayo 1, Simpson 1, Draw

So there you have it. After research, it seems they are even. You never would have thought that, now would you? That's why we're here....to bring you the unexpected. Let's just hope Mayo is a "killer" on the court, not off the court.

***Disclaimer***

This was for entertainment purposes only. We here at 3ShadesofBlue do not necessarily believe OJ Simpson was a murderer and or guilty of any crime. We try to stay as bipartisan and impartial to any one side in particular.

Sitting in the Shade, Part Two

2008-09-23T07:50:00.002-05:00

This is Part Two of our interview with Coach Marc Iavaroni.

3SOB: You have Marc Gasol and also Darko at center, quite a few options at power forward but the interior is considered an area of weakness on the team. You have a lot of experience coaching with with big men. Are you going to be directly involved with coaching the big men this season and what improvements do you hope to see?

MI: Well I think one of the things I learned my first year is that you have to delegate and you have to trust them and not micro-manage them but I think you also have to know what your expertise is and that was one of them. I think this was very important in the recruitment of Marc Gasol - because he had options and we had to recruit him - was the question 'was I going to be on the floor for him?'

I learned that the first year. You have to have delegation, but at the same time if they think your really good at something why wouldn't you be supervising that? Why wouldn't you be overseeing that? Why wouldn't you be actually in the trench? And I am willing to do that.

You know before games head coaches usually walk around in coat and tie and get their mind set for the strategic things going on in an hour or two. I've decided I am going to break that mold a bit. I'm going to get a little more prepared earlier in the day. I am going to get out there in my sweats for half an hour or so and work with our bigs. I'll work with our bigs at the end of practices because they are all young. They are all 23 years old. I'd like them to be on the floor with me 45 minutes before practice. Now I know there will be others at practice 45 minutes or so that I will work with also but that is less so. I want these guys to know that I will be expecting this of them. They are going to be on the court with me. Last year when we did perimeter and big guys I took turns supervising them. This year I'll be in there every day.

3SOB: Last year you said you saw players as perimeter and interior players and you don't worry about specific positions. Is that going to continue this year?

MI: Yeah, I do think you need to have versatility. I think you do need perimeter skills and big man skills are different. Now perimeter players need to work on their post up defense because people are going to try and post them up but they need to work on their post up game offensively. I think with the bigs if you can play 4/5 you have an advantage. Guards if you can play the 1/2, or 2/3 or if you're good enough to play a 1/2/3 then you got an advantage.

The real tough position is the one we are asking Rudy to do and that is play the 3/4. Now you have to have perimeter skills and perimeter knowledge of our offense and you also need interior skills and interior knowledge of what we're trying to do. That's going to be the challenge that we're going to put on him. We know Rudy led us in scoring last year. What other areas do you want to lead us in this year. That is going to be very important and defense is going to be one of those. This is an area where we are going to count on him. This is a team leadership need.

But getting back to your question, I think the key is that the guys have the skills we need on the perimeter and on the inside. They need to know what we want and they need to do it on a more consistent basis. They have to be more successful.

3SOB: You traveled this summer to Europe to see Darko. What did you talk about and what do you want him to improve on this season and how is his Achilles?

MI: Well we wanted to see how he was doing and make sure he was going to come into camp in shape. He didn't finish last season with a splash because of injuries. He was having problems with his heal so we wanted to make sure he was doing things that were obviously going to make him stronger and in better shape but we're not going to do things that exacerbate that. We wanted him to think more like a 4 in terms of his training. You know we had a sort of informal date of May 12th as in terms of when we wanted him to get back in there and start getting into condition where ever they were with the supervision of Mike Curtis.

So that said when I went to see him in Italy for their training camp in Costa, Italy I saw him for two workouts out of five and unfortunately after the second workout of 2 a days - and they had been there since July 4th and I got there on July 15th I believe so they had been there quite a long time and they go pretty hard in national team workouts - that's when it started flaring up. So we did a lot of talking but unfortunately not a lot of working on the court. Their coach is sensational. He welcomed me with open arms. Let me know what was going on with the team and Darko and what his expectations were.

So it finally got to the point where it was not getting better. So they decided it was best to let him go back to Belgrade and get that taken care of. So unfortunately he was inactive for about 20 days before he got back into light training. We wanted to make sure that that thing had toned down. So it's going to be very interesting how he shows up. He's do in any day. He's got somewhat of a visa issue. Hopefully we are getting him in this weekend. It's going to be very important to see what shape he is in because we want him in the 4 spot because as you said we might be a little light there.

Hakim Warrick is known as an NBA player but he isn't known for his bulk and size. We want to Present different looks.

3SOB: Well my next question was going to be if you see Marc and Darko working together...

MI: Well sure. I mean that is a definite possibility.

3SOB: That's very interesting. How do you see Marc Gasol fitting into this system? What adjustment issues do you see with him?

MI: (laughing) Well I think normal for any guy who lived a couple of years in Memphis watching his brother play and then went overseas and to become an MVP despite not being able to get a major Division 1 scholarship.

Other than that I think its a continuation of him asserting 'I'm not Pau Gasol and I'm not going to try and be him. I really like myself and I like what I've done so far but I'm no where near satisfied.' Those are the vibes I've gotten from him. I've gotten a real good spirit from him. He's a 23 yr old who's kind of on a mission. What he did in the ACB last year I think reflected that. He's now asserted himself after helping a team win a world championship two years ago in 2006. He's asserted himself on that team as a player with real value. He's a player that has gotten the attention of other people outside his country. People like Kobe Bryant who said we got Pau and he is great but we gave up a player that could be great.

Of course I'm paraphrasing but I think he's going to understand that he needs to stay in great shape in this league. There has to be a toughness not only in your mind, which I think he has, which is the place to start but he's going to have to translate that quickly into physical toughness and develop his mind even more maybe up another two or three levels to get to the higher level. Certainly before his career is over.

He's a player who's demonstrated that he's got skills with both hands and he has good footwork and moves. He's a very unselfish passer sometimes to a fault and he's got an almost deceptive quickness to him. He will make a jump shot on a pick and pop or stepping off the low block, but at the same time he has a quick first step which I really like. Foot speed is important at this level. He's got to be challenged athletically. Only because we have great athletes not good athletes at this level. So there's going to be people like Dwight Howard, Shaquille and Yao Ming who are going to go after him. I think it is going to be very important that we support him and stay with him through thick and thin because that is what a rookie year is all about. He's going to be challenged early. In the first pre-season game he's going to be right there in the hunt with Yao Ming. I don't know how much Yao will play in that pre-season game but we've got them on opening night as well. So it will be trial by fire because he's going to play.

3SOB: After your first year with head coaching experience has your coaching philosophy changed significantly and if so in what ways?

MI: I think number one you need to know who you are. I don't think you can't be a chameleon. I think there was a real interesting dialogue about me. People said Iavaroni was a defensive player. He played with Billy Cunningham and Cotton Fitzsimmons. He came into the league with Mike Fratello who's a defensive coach. He then goes to Miami with Pat Riley after the Lakers showtime when everyone was starting to realize this guy was a defensive coach. Then he went to more of an offensive system in Phoenix. So people wondered what I was going to be like.

I look at the personnel. My philosophy has always been you have to look at your personnel to get the most you can but know what you're about. I think last year rightly so we got attacked for not being defensive enough. I committed to looking at our defense a little too late. That's not a problem admitting that. I can learn from that. I just felt if we didn't run with the personnel we had, we had gazelles, if we didn't run we were really going to have some troubles. With players like Juan Carlos Navarro we're not going to walk it up. We're going to let him go. Rudy Gay is a tremendous runner. I didn't want people to lock in on him. Mike Conley we drafted for a reason and that is speed. Kyle Lowry can probably get up the court from one pass around the free throw line and have it in the other lane in about 3 seconds or less so I wasn't going to take that away from him. So I've learned that you have to be who you are while knowing the talents you have on your team.

3SOB: Last year you mentioned you didn't want the team committing fouls. Do you think that philosophy accounted for the defensive problems and are you more willing to tolerate fouls especially if it doesn't affect what you are doing on offense?

MI: Well again I think we want to emphasize the defense more. For many reasons it was not very good. I think I am less concerned about fouls affecting the flow of the game as I was last season.

Now I don't want to see fouls because people got beat all the time. That's not defense. That's a bailout. We want to make sure we are so into stopping our guy and being physical and yeah we may pick up some more fouls. I wouldn't have a problem with that. I don't want silly fouls but I think you have to establish in the referees minds that we are going to be aggressive. That you are not going to back down. I think our guys are going to have a chip on their shoulder. They really are. We are trying to change the culture here. We are perceived as a soft team last year and the only ones who can change that is us.

3SOB: What is Kevin O'Neill's role as assistant coach, how is your relationship working with him and how involved were you in his hiring?

MI: I was very involved. I mean we are talking about someone who is going to be on my staff. He's got a reputation for defense. I have a very good close relationship with Rick Carlisle. He's probably my most trusted confident in the league. I don't have a lot of guys I talk to but Rick is right there and he also spoke very highly of Kevin. So I am excited we were able to do this and get him in here. This is a perfect opportunity for him. I feel very comfortable introducing his defense. We are going to change some principles. We are going to be doing some things differently. More forcing the ball to the side. We're going to be tougher on the ball tougher on pick and rolls and we're going to simplify things. These are all things that let me to just relax, coach and see the game. Kevin can do his job as well. I don't want to micro manage.

3SOB: Hubie Brown coached the rookies during the summer league. Last season you coached the rookies in the summer league. This season you didn't. Was there any particular reason for that?

MI: Oh well I am happy for Hubie Brown but I'm not Hubie also. I coached two games the first year so there really wasn't much of a change. Last year we spread it around amongst the assistant coaches. It's all about having development. Like player development I like to have coaches develop. I think I did that more for my staff as opposed to me not wanting to do it. After all they are going to hear me all season.

Last season was my first year and I wanted to establish myself with the team. That wasn't the case this year.

3SOB: Last question, how many starting positions are set in your mind?

MI: I think it is best that I don't go in with mind focused on who should start.

I think it would be a shock if Rudy doesn't start but beyond that I think people realize that it's wide open. I trust Rudy enough to know he's done his work this summer not anticipating anything. Everyone still has to go out and earn their spot.

At this point the practice was really starting to get going and Coach Iavaroni excused himself to get back to work. I thank Coach Iavaroni for fitting us in for the interview and for the honesty and bluntness he responded to our questions. I haven't seen any other coaches willing to do that for their fans. I was impressed in how many of the Grizzlies were at the 'voluntary' workout. Sure Darrell Arthur, Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo were there but so were more established veterans like Hakim Warrick and Kyle Lowry. With the anticipated arrival of Marc Gasol, Darko Milicic and other veterans over the weekend Coach Iavaroni should have nearly all his players in town and working out way before the official start of training camp.

Sitting in the Shade: An Exclusive Interview with Marc Iavaroni

2008-09-22T07:43:00.001-05:00

We at 3 Shades of Blue have been very blessed. First, as simple fans we are very fortunate to have an NBA team in town. Second, after 5 years of Jerry West's secrecy and silence we have a front office willing to talk to fans about anything they want to know. People who read our site may not realize just how fortunate the fans of the Grizzlies are to have a team so willing to sit down and talk so openly about the franchise.

Because of this, the boys at 3 Shades of Blue were lucky enough to be given a few minutes the other day with Head Coach Marc Iavaroni. As has been our tradition we are including the entire interview without any editing. Coach Iavaroni has been very busy this summer and he is only getting busier as the season progresses. Coach Iavaroni was kind of enough to cut short his own personal workout to squeeze us in before a voluntary workout with 7 players so there wasn't any time for follow up questions.

Catching the end of the coach's personal workout I did get to notice that Coach is still in excellent shape and is not someone I would want to play against in a game of H-O-R-S-E. Here is Part One of our interview with Coach Marc Iavaroni.

3SOB: You have probably been asked this 100 times this summer but you were the topic of a lot of rumors at the end of last season about you not being brought back. Now that you are back what do you believe is required of you by Mr. Heisley to be a success this season?

MI: Well first of all I think what Mr. Heisley did at the end of last season was really good because he wanted to have an opportunity to share his thoughts on the season. We had a season of upheaval, of major personnel changes and he wanted to make sure we were on the same page going into my second season. Now of course there was speculation because of the record. That's the way it is in this league. When you have a record that people look at in black and white and don't go into the intricacies of why the record then they start speculating and that was fine. So I thought we had a really good discussion on what he assessed the season to be.

What he wanted to make sure was foremost on our minds going into year two and that was obviously an improvement on defense, it was making sure the young players were going to continue to develop because we have a lot of young players that we are relying on and he wanted to make sure there were improvements in areas in end of the game situations. He wanted to know about defensive aspects and what we were going to do in the off-season. He wanted to make sure we learned those lessons and then there were also a lot about personnel changes.

3SOB: It was reported that you played the devil's advocate on the O.J. Mayo trade. What were the reasons against the trade and what arguments were being made in favor of it?

MI: I think again another healthy situation. Here we are in what used to be called the war room but here we are in the draft night and frankly I think it was positive. We said let's look at everything. Now if someone wants to brand me the devil's advocate as several people were saying that is fine. I've never been a sheep. Mr. Heisley has never been a sheep. Heisley has always led by leading and I am the same way. Obviously, foremost on my mind is that we were a young team and we were going to get younger. Like it or not I tend to develop affinities for players in my corner and one of those players was Mike Miller.

The number one reason for being a devil's advocate was Mike Miller's a pretty good player. I really like him as a person. I thought he embodied what we are trying to do here. It was not I don't like O.J. Mayo. I think that's what happens when you start getting into this. People say that you liked Miller more than Mayo. No, I questioned it because I wanted to make sure what we were giving up makes sense in the future. And like everyone else talking through it you realize it is enough. Mike Miller's deal is coming up in a few years. He's going to be eligible for an extension. We had a player who could be as good and maybe better in O.J. Mayo. We also felt that we felt we had it in our power get more bigs so maybe weren't going to need Kevin Love. Kevin Love also had some knee issues. That was frankly more frightening to people down the road management and ownership-wise than for me who is trying to win next year.

3SOB: You mentioned Mike who is obviously a great player. Who do you see replacing Mike both on and off the court and does the team have enough 3 pt shooting for you right now?

MI: It doesn't frankly and we are going to have to change our philosophy unless we add some late three point shooters. We have to be more space, drive the ball and draw fouls. I don't think we can come down and just launch threes. We don't have the proven personnel to do that. I think that O.J. Mayo is going to be a guy who down the road that could be as good as Mike if not better an outside shooter than Mike is.

Now remember last year Mike shot over 40% so that is quite a task for him in his rookie year. You can't judge him as a rookie just like we didn't judge Conley on his first year, we didn't judge Kyle Lowry as a rookie although his first year even though I wasn't there. We didn't judge anyone. Rudy Gay. After his first year we didn't say this is all he is going to be. He proved last year that his first year was a distant memory.

So I guess my point is yes we are going to have to alter our philosophy. Yes to help our defense in transition - which was the worst in the league last year - we are going to have to look at our offensive strategy and our balance to allow us to get back and play good defense. These are things we are willing to do. Again Mike's not here so we are going to have to adjust. You can't count on him to be as much of a play maker but we can look at O.J. to be one.

3SOB: Well what about off the court? Who are going to be the guys in the locker room? Who on the team right now can take that role?

MI: Well I think you look around and say what have they been doing in the off-season? who's led by example? Who has led himself and then tried to lead others? I think they've all taken turns at that. I think Kyle Lowry jumps out as a guy has admitted I want to be a leader. Sometimes I wasn't a good one but I want to be a good one. I think Mike Conley led by example more than being on the phone and such. I mean he went back to school. He's going to get his degree eventually. He's been working very hard at the Ohio State facility with Mike Curtis who is no longer with us unfortunately. He took a job at rival Michigan ironically.

Rudy Gay. He's a guy who does more than just try to become a better player. He tries to make people better. He does a lot of charitable things, does a lot of things with kids. He's a little bit of a pied piper this summer. He's spread the word on Rudy Gay and the Memphis Grizzlies. Javaris Crittenton has been working very hard on his game in Atlanta. Not just with Mark Price as a shooter, but also on his overall game. Hakim Warrick's been working in New Jersey.

So when you say leadership, you say okay, what have they done in the off-season and what are they bringing to the table when they are back? That remains to be seen. We need to see how they are on the court. How are they going to approach that role. And then we also need to decide who will be our team captain. We don't have that position right now. We need to see.

(laughing) That's the short answer...

We'll post the remainder of the interview with Coach Marc Iavaroni tomorrow morning.

The Hum-Drum about the Hubbub

2008-09-21T15:18:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't blogged in a while.

Daddy's sorry. He never meant to hurt you. Besides, he's just been too busy looking at Sarah Palin's head photoshopped on an American flag bikini.

Just kidding.

The fact is, there hasn't been much to talk about, other than occasional rumors about us trading for Eddie Winslow's body double Zach Randolph. Perhaps I was one of the few who were not vehemently against it. But that deal is dead now, so it is on to other things.

I see my fellow bloggers discussed the Josh Smith signing and how it fit into the 3 year plan. I'd add my 5 cents, but they already put their 15 in and got their mint.

So what is there? What is there to discuss during these dog days, this mundane existence called the basketball offseason...at least if you're a Grizz fan. We're more starved for attention than a red-headed stepchild.

I'm still thinking...

Oh yes. We apparently wanted Sun Yue in the Pau Gasol deal. Why exactly? I'll admit, I don't know much about Sun Yue other than hes...well, you know...one of those people that end in "ese." I think Marc Gasol will work out better for us, and not only because it will ease the transition of losing Pau and Mike because he looks like a combination of both.

I'm an opinion piece writer. I don't do stats. I don't do analysis really. My well is dried up in the offseason. How am I supposed to have an opinion about something when there is nothing new and newsworthy to have an opinion about? I'll count that among my many reasons that I am ready for the season to start. Here's to hoping the Grizzlies give me a lot of reasons to write...about how great theyre doing...in my opinion, of course.

Barring anything newsworthy, I will be back when the season begins and the fun starts. I'm going to spend the dog-days of basketball summer the way I spend the dog days of my summer. At my pool or on vacation with drinks in hand.

Who knows, if the weather gets too cold, maybe I can go back to photoshopping Sarah Palin's head on American flag bikinis.

The Grizzlies Are Still Afloat

2008-09-21T06:09:00.004-05:00

by Chip Crain

The guy is a billionaire and still profits from his other businesses. Spending $100 million and only recouping $70 million of it back, resulting in a $30 million loss, shouldn't be THAT big of a deal.

These guys own sports teams like someone else might own a boat or something. It's not a necessity that they have to have. It's a status thing.
a post on the Grizzlies Message Board

That has to be one of the least informed opinions I have ever seen. Do people seriously believe that the owners in the NBA can swallow $30 million losses every year because they see the team like a boat?

No one is going to lose tens of millions of dollars every year and not want to do something to stop that trend. Michael Heisley is no different and he took moves this year to stop it from continuing along that path. Sure it will magnify pain in the short run but these moves had to be made to put the team in position to move forward in the future.

Owners in the NBA are extremely competitive personalities for the most part and they want to win. Michael Heisley wants to win too. The team he had at the end of Jerry West's tenure was not the team he wanted and so he decided to remake the team from the ground up. A lot of people, including some who write on this blog, were screaming for him to do this for years. The attitude was that Pau Gasol, Mike Miller and the others were never going to compete in the playoffs. Not because they couldn't be role players on championship teams but they could never lead a team there by themselves and having them in that role of leader was preventing the Grizzlies from getting the type of player who could.

Well Heisley saw the same thing. He decided, along with Chris Wallace and Marc Iavaroni, that the team needed to be rebuilt from the ground up. They decided to go with a youth movement which has its risks not the least of which is some years of struggling at the front end. Do people prefer he try to rebuild by spending up to the salary cap with players who will only make the team average at best?

Heisley understands that the fans have to be won back and that will take wins on the court. He said as much at the press conference welcoming Mayo and Arthur to the team. He wants to win in the worst way and when the time is right he will spend the money needed to get the right player to help put the team in a position to win it all. He's not interested in acquiring a player who will make us marginally better this season but not be in position to spend money on the right player at the right time.

No one knows how well the team will perform this season. Most likely they will struggle with so much youth on the team. However, if Antoine Walker takes hold of the PF position and plays like he wants to be in the NBA in 2010 then who knows?

Grading the Josh Smith Signing

2008-09-20T06:34:00.000-05:00

By Chip, Josh and Kirk

Or how does this move by the Grizzlies help the team in the 3 Year Plan?

Michael Heisley said after the big trade to acquire O.J. Mayo back in late June that all moves by the Grizzlies from this point forward should be viewed in regards to the Grizzlies established Three Year Plan (TYP). Since then the team has signed Marc Gasol to a 3 year contract for a relatively small amount of money. That move clearly sits well in regards to a 3 year plan. They have been rumored to be involved in trade discussions with Orlando, New York, Atlanta, New Jersey and a host of other teams but nothing has come of those rumors as of yet.

Then there was the one definitive move of signing Josh Smith, an unrestricted free agent of the Altanta Hawks to a 5 year deal for a reported $58 million. Once the Hawks received the offer they immediately matched the offer and therefore locked up Josh Smith with the team for at least one year. How should fans judge this move in regards to the TYP?

3 Shades of Blue asked this question to each of our writers. Only three responded which should give you an idea of how much editorial clout people have on this site. So in opposite order of seniority here are thier opinions.

Kirk:
Well, in my honest and humble opinion, losing Josh Smith hurt, but we were all aware from the first moment that Atlanta would match the offer sheet we signed him to. Signing Josh Smith would have been fantastic for both the team and the franchise in general, but with the low ball offer we gave him, we all knew it was nothing but a pipedream at best. Josh Smith would have given us the athletic 4 we have been so desperately needing, as well as given Rudy an upcoming star to be paired with. If Conley and Mayo develop the way they should, and according to plan, then you would have an extremely formidable 1-4 that could compete with any other in the league. Then you could plug any stiff you deem appropriate at the 5 spot, and his assignment should be nothing more than shot blocking, setting picks, and clogging the lane.

Honestly, not signing Josh Smith really has no effect on the "3 year plan", because according to it, we are trying to build a team that can compete by that time. We still have 3 years left.... I will reserve judgement till after the offseaon following this basketball season, and see if the team has improved both on the court, and on paper as well. Who knows, with another strong draft and sound decisions in free agency, we truly could have the type of team Mr. Heisley is hoping for.

All I can say is the kool-aid sure is delicious, so we should all start drinking it.

Chip Crain:
I think the signing of Josh Smith was a great public relations move but little else. As Kirk already stated, there was little chance that Atlanta wouldn't match the offer. Josh Smith is an up and coming star in this league along the lines of Andre Iguodala, Luol Deng and Monta Ellis. Each of those players resigned with their teams for far more money than the Grizzlies offered Smith. It was a pipe dream to assume Atlanta would allow Smith to leave with no compensation. It did however get people around the country in general and Memphis in particular to start thinking that Heisley wasn't solely interested in running the cheapest operation in the league.

Since public relations are not a component of making a team competitive for the playoffs that bit of emotional lift does nothing in regards to the team's 3 year plan. What it did do is take off the market a player who the Grizzlies could have tried to sign next summer with their free cap space. By offering him the contract and having it matched by Atlanta, Josh Smith won't be a free agent for 5 more years. 5 years is outside of the 3 year time frame Heisley established. Even if the Grizzlies couldn't sign Smith next summer that is one fewer player for other teams to use their cap space.

So if we are only judging the signing in a three year window it would seem that this hurt the team.

Joshua Coleman:
Before the signing took place, I made my feelings about Josh Smith quite clear. In the time since then, we've learned that Smith showed up in Atlanta more muscular and physically imposing, appearing ready to play the position of PF. And you know what? Doesn't change my opinion a great deal, even though I rate him more highly as on the "Big Change Capability Potential Meter" as a result of those physical improvements. (Yeah, I just made that up, by the way.)

So, how does his signing affect the much ballyhooed TYP? Well, as has already been noted, it received some good publicity on many fronts, although there were plenty of people who viewed it as nothing more than an obvious PR move in which the Grizzlies had no intention of having Josh Smith in Beale Street Blue. With the tumultuous nature of things in the ATL, I don't know how anyone could think that there wasn't at least a chance that the Hawks might let Smith go. But ultimately, that didn't have any effect on the TYP. I believe that Smith's presence in Memphis would have resulted in more wins this year, as well as the next two after that, but not enough to justify his salary. Just my opinion, of course, but Smith seems like another Shawn Marion or Andrei Kirilenko to me -- great team players who provide eye-popping stats on a nightly basis, but aren't #1 options, or even guys that you really concentrate on running plays for. I think that signing Smith would have been a detriment to the goal of the TYP, as it would have placed the Grizzlies further back in the lottery next season, which is where they are most likely to find the top talent needed to help them return to the postseason at the conclusion of the TYP. In this respect, cheaper talent (Hak, D.Arthur, new draftees) would be better than higher priced free agent talent.

Open Practice Date Set

2008-09-19T12:36:00.003-05:00

The Grizzlies famous Open Practice will be held on October 4th at 11:30 am on the main court at the FedEx Forum. Details of the event will be released very soon.

3 Shades of Blue was fortunate today to also watch a few (very few actually) moments of an informal workout today as well. Present were O.J. Mayo, Darrell Arthur, Hakim Warrick, Mike Conley, Javaris Crittenton, Kyle Lowry and a surprise. Brent Pettway, last seen on this summer's rookie league roster, hasn't been announced as being invited to training camp but his presence would seem to imply that he will be invited. Marc Gasol is scheduled to arrive in town later tonight.

They Like Us! They REALLY Like US!

2008-09-19T10:50:00.003-05:00

Quick hit:

In a Yahoo Sports countdown of the best Grizz blogs out there by Kelly Dwyer, guess which blog came in FIRST -- ahead of Tillery at The Memphis Edge and Herrington at the Flyer?

1. 3 Shades of Blue — One of the best team blogs in the game, this is such a good daily read that it leaves you wondering just why some of more prominent teams in the league don’t have blogs that are nearly this good.
The crew behind this gem of a website offer daily analysis, news, polls, links (maybe the best blogroll out there); and if "daily analysis, news, polls, links" sounds like just about every other NBA site on the 'net … yeah, this isn’t like every other site. Give it a read, and compare and contrast.

Nice to be noticed, and nice to be part of the blog team. And the Grizz aren't even a winning team (yet)! What's gonna happen when Iavaroni and the Baby Bears roll?

Being Brandon Roy

2008-09-19T06:35:00.003-05:00

by MemphisX
Training camp opens for 30 NBA teams in various parts of the United States in a little over a week. Some teams have already assembled informally and began their preparations for the 2008-09 season. For a select few, this will mark their first foray into the world of NBA basketball. No more school books on the road trips, it is time to grow up on and off the court.

From this point forward, draft position means nothing. All that matters is what you do or don't do when the ball is tossed up. The 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year race looks to be a highly competitive affair. Unlike last season when Kevin Durant's only challenger was the Atlanta Hawks Al Horford. This season there seems to be five players which a very good chance at making a run for the rookie of the year trophy (The Brandon Roy Trophy from this point forward).

To be a serious threat to win the rookie of the year award depends as much on opportunity as talent. It is hard to put up the numbers riding the bench and their are no points awarded for being on a good team. So some players, like Eric Gordon and Jerryd Bayless, are going to have a hard time even getting in the mix due to the minute crunch they will face on their teams.

So here are my top five candidates for the 2009 Brandon Roy Trophy:

The Favorite - Greg Oden

Most of the preseason prognosticators will tell you to be patient with Oden because he is coming off the dreaded microfracture surgery. However, microfracture is about to go the way of the ACL injury. As medical information catches up with the proper way to rehab from the injury, the recovery process is quicker and nearly 100%. Also, all microfractures are not equal. I am big on Oden. He was considered a generational big man coming into the league. He is in the mold of Shaq, Duncan, David Robinson, and Patrick Ewing. He is simply going to be dominant and most likely it will start to surface before the calander hits 2009. Oden is big, quick, long and has great hands. He is physical around the rim like Shaq and strong enough to get position even on NBA veterans. Him and Roy should be deadly running the pick and roll, especially with the amount of shooters/scorers Portland can put around them. Although Oden's post moves are not refined, his ability to establish position should allow him to get to spots in which he is comfortable. With that said, Oden will shine the brightest on defense. His presence alone is going to change the way opponents are ABLE to attack the Trailblazers. His athleticism and shot blocking ability will be unmatched. Only foul trouble and a cautious Nate McMillan will keep him under 3 blocks per game. His numbers and the fact that Portland will most likely exceed the modest expectations of the NBA media minds will put him at the front of the race. He will also get plenty of national TV time to make his case.

The Producer - Micheal Beasley
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After dominating college basketball, it seemed a forgone conclusion the Beasley would be the #1 pick until Derrick Rose put on a show in the NCAA tournament. Rose was also helped by the fact that his hometown team got the #1 pick. However, it must be said that Beasley's reputation might of cost him the #1 pick in the mind of quite a few NBA executives. Known as more of a prankster than a gangster, Beasley's NBA career is already off to a dubious start. However, the negatives do not overshadow the positives Beasley will bring to Miami. Beasley is a flat out scoring machine. Beasley gets buckets in bunches. His offense is diverse. He can finish well with either hand. As an undersized power forward, he has shown an ability to post up bigger players. He has the skill to also take bigger power forwards off the dribble and enough of a handle and athleticism to get away with spot minutes at small forward where he would be able to punish most in the paint. Beasley has a set of vacuums for hands and catches everything around him. This also works for him when rebounding. He should be long, strong and athletic enough to make an impact on the boards even as a rookie. The best thing about being in Miami for Beasley is the presence of a rejuvenated and healthy Dwyane Wade. This allows Beasley to play off of a superior scorer and relieves him of any leadership duties he would have found on most lottery teams. This means that Beasley will rarely face the double teams he would have in another city.

The Phenom - O. J. Mayo

Mayo has been in the spotlight for what seems like a decade to those that follow college hoops recruiting. Billed as the next LeBron James, his lack of over the top athleticism will probably keep him from reach those heights. However, it can't be said that Mayo lacks the skill. Perhaps one of the deadliest shooting strokes of a top notch prospect in quite some time, Mayo should open up the lane for Pau...err Marc Gasol. Most of Mayo's previous billing was due to him being projected as a big point guard. However, at USC he excelled as a shooting guard and in Memphis he will be asked to step into the role vacated by Mike Miller. In summer league, Mayo was allowed to run the point and that was met with disappointing results. He seemed to turn the ball over and lack the understanding on how to run an offense. However, the Memphis summer league (back to back to back to back to back) was not a proper venue to judge his future ability to transition to the point. With the glut of point guards in Memphis at this time, I think most of Mayo's time will be spent at shooting guard where there is a big hole for playing time and shot attempts. The departure of Miller and Juan Carlos Navarro, leave 20 shot attempts and about 51 minutes available at shooting guard. You do the math. Mayo will have the opportunity to produce big time numbers if he is capable and history has shown him to be an elite player on every level he has played. His lack of national exposure will hurt against the top 2 guys but his cult like Internet following will drum up some buzz if he is producing.

The Homeboy - Derrick Rose
It might seem that Rose will be facing a minute crunch and with Ben Gordon's situation unresolved, he might. However, Rose was the #1 pick for a reason...his athletic tools. Rose is probably the most breath taking fast break engineer since a young Jason Kidd hit the NBA. His speed with the ball is unmatched, even by players much smaller than him. His off the charts jumping and finishing ability allow him to play the role of the one man fast break. I expect that once Gordon is signed that Chicago will make moves to clear up the logjam in the backcourt to allow Rose to get his feet wet. Keeping Kirk Hinrich should ease Rose's transition into the NBA, as he will be allowed to play off the ball some and learn something from Hinrich on defensive intensity. Rose should be a triple double threat if given 30 minutes a night because he is a very good rebounder for a guard. If his shot comes around like it started to in college and he avoids injury, by virtue of being the #1 pick, Rose has a shot.

The Underdog - Kevin Love

Just looking at Kevin Love,you would think he was an end of the 1st round type of guy...that is until the game begins. Once on the floor in a team setting, Love starts to shine. His feel for the game is uncanny. He has become an outlet passing and halfcourt shot making legend. However, don't confuse Love with being a hustle player. He is a highly skilled offensive machine. Capable of taking college players in the post, he has to show that will translate to the NBA. His jump shot will easily translate, as will his rebounding ability. Although, Love and Al Jefferson seem an odd fit, I think there will be some games that their relentlessness on the glass will simply overwhelm opponents. Randy Foy's return to health and the addition of Mike Miller to the Timberwolves should give Love and Jefferson plenty of room to operate on the inside. The attention Jefferson will get via double teams should allow Love to wreak havoc on the weakside boards. The new NBA trend of "going small" will get punished by these two on the glass. It simply won't be a viable option if the Timberwolves can devise a defensive scheme to protect Love from small forwards masking as power forwards. Seeing how Al Horford was able to produce at center last year for the Hawks makes me optimistic that Loves game will translate just fine to the NBA. Look for him to make a run at averaging a double double as a rookie with good assist numbers.

Just Missed the Cut:

Russell Westbrook - Will have to navigate his way though Earl Watson for playing time. If allowed to play, he would have an outside chance.

Danilo Gallinari - Experienced pro. Will he be healthy enough to get acclimated in training camp?

Jerryd Bayless/Rudy Fernandez - Portland's depth and lack of shots will hurt them, not talent.

Marc Gasol - If Darko is traded to New York then he moves into the top 5.

Eric Gordon - Will Baron Davis groom him to be another Montae Ellis? He definitely has the ability to put up numbers.

Declaration of War

2008-09-18T06:30:00.001-05:00

A couple of days ago, my (former) good buddy at Hornets 24/7, Ryan Schwan, wrote a post decrying the horrific predictions that were foisted upon his team last year by the big media outlets and their sudden about-face this year. He then spent his final 340 words absolutely demoralizing the Grizzlies, while acting apologetic about it the entire time. Of course, this means that I must retaliate. But I like the way this Hornets team is put together and realize that they are definitely one of the top 2 teams in the West, so I cannot reciprocate in the same manner. That means I must tear apart his post -- word by word. Let's do it!

Flat out, the Grizzlies will be pushing to have one of the worst records of all time. Their veterans are the worst sort of dregs: Greg Buckner, Antoine Walker, and Marko Jaric. Useless, Cancer, Slacker.

The worst record of all time for an 82 game season is the 1972/73 Philadelphia 76ers who went an absolutely atrocious 9-73. The worst team last year, the tanking Miami Heat, went 15-67. I think the Grizz will be bad, but not historically bad. Definitely not, drink yourself into a stupor by halftime and drive your car off the New Bridge bad.

As for our lovely collection of veterans....Ryan does know that Marko "Slacker" Jaric can't be slacking that much if he's engaged to Adriana Lima. Right? I mean, c'mon! If he's a slacker, then I must be doing everything wrong.

Their frontcourt is horribly weak. Marc Gasol - if he makes a successful transition to the U.S. - is a good Oberto-like backup big, but other than Marc, there's no one to rebound or play in the paint. Darko has finally developed . . . into a foul- and injury-prone stiff. Hakim Warrick and Darrell Arthur provide no post presence and combined weigh as much as Marc Gasol, and the new Iranian import Haddadi is both raw and twenty-three, a bad combination.

I make no guarantees about how Marc Gasol will transition to the NBA. I can say that he will be 5 times as tough as his older brother, which is an excellent start. His decision to put Chris Bosh on his backside in the Olympics made me all warm and tingly inside last month.

Let's take a look at some stats. Player A averaged 7.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.8 bpg in 22.5 mpg over 180 games. Player B averaged 7.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.3 bpg in 22.1 ppg over 181 games. Look strikingly similar? Player A is Darko Milicic since he got traded to Orlando and actually got playing time. Player B is Tyson Chandler's first 3 years in the league -- the 3rd year was shortened by injury. If Darko's thumb injury that plagued him for most of last season makes him an injury-prone stiff, then I guess I'll take that with a grain of salt.

Hak is still Hak, so I can't dispute that he's a rail-thin Zach Randolph level black hole. What? Ryan didn't say that about him? My bad.

I have no idea what either Darrell Arthur or Hamed Haddadi will do at the NBA level, so I'll have to bow before Ryan's superior prognostications.

The Memphis guards aren't going to be tremendously better. OJ Mayo was simply not that good in college, and I already have doubts he'll ever be a top tier shooting guard in the league, much less be one in his rookie season. Mike Conley showed last year he was injury prone and merely okay when he wasn't hurt, Kyle Lowry showed he was fierce but limited, and Javaris Crittenton showed . . . well not a lot because he played so little - which is its own indictment.

You know, I thought the same thing about O.J. Mayo prior to the draft. But then I did a little research and came up with these numbers: 20.7 ppg, 3.3 apg, 4.5 rpg, 1.5 spg, .442 FG%, .409 3PT%. For a comparison, here's some stats: 20.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.5 apg, 3.0 spg, .390 FG%, 23.2 3PT%. Those are Allen Iverson's after his freshman season at Georgetown. I think we can upgrade him from "simply not that good" to "much better than perceived".

One season makes for an injury prone player? Does Ryan know what I know -- which is that Conley played most of last season with a bum shoulder, which is what contributed heavily to him being "merely okay"? He's no CP3, but he's not Sebastian Telfair either. I expect a marked improvement from Conley this season -- as long as he doesn't let my impending destruction of him on the bowling lanes affect him all year.

I agree about Lowry and Critt to this point.

That leaves Rudy Gay. He's a good scorer, but he's not all-around good, and he's probably not even a franchise player. Put him on the Hornets, and I'd rank him as only the fourth best player behind Paul, West and Chandler.

Wow. Just simply wow. 20 ppg, 6 rpg, a steal and a block per game aren't good enough to warrant an "all-around" tag nowadays? I understand that he's not a passer and should probably have slightly better numbers in the rebounds and blocks categories, but for a 2nd year player, I think we've placed expectations unreasonably high if those stats are to be an indictment, rather than a reason for praise.

As for where he would rank on the Hornets, if you put him with CP3 as his point guard, rather than a couple of rookies, he would be the 2nd best player as he would become Paul's new favorite target on the fastbreak. I like David West and Tyson Chandler, even as I watched them destroy the Grizzlies last season, but without Paul, they aren't nearly as good. It's like players who leave the company of Jason Kidd (coughKenyonMartincough) and suddenly prove just how dependent upon him they were. Rudy Gay was a 20 ppg scorer with little to no help from his teammates -- imagine what he would do with a premier setup man like Chris Paul feeding him.

And that's my entire problem with these Grizzlies. They have one player who could start for most of the teams of the league(Gay), four players that would be in a nine-man rotation because they are young and show promise(Conley, Lowry, Mayo, Gasol) and that's it. If they break 15 wins this season, I'll be impressed.

Yes, they are a young team. Just like the Hornets were 3 years ago and the Blazers were 2 years ago. Where are those two teams now? Oh, that's right, one is among the elite of the league and the other is expected to crash the postseason this year.

Bold (aka Foolish) Challenge: If the Grizzlies fail to win 15 games, I will end all of my posts next season with a link to Hornets 24/7 in the following sentence "Ryan Schwan is the greatest blogger in the history of mankind."

Now what do you have to offer in return? Consider the gauntlet to have been thrown down.

The opinions of this blog are not shared by the entire 3 Shades of Blue blogger staff. Some of us won't call Ryan the greatest blogger of all time even if the Grizzlies don't win 9 games this season!

Dining with the Grizzlies

2008-09-17T12:00:00.003-05:00

GRIZZLIES TO HOST EIGHTH ANNUAL TIP-OFF LUNCHEON OCTOBER 24

The Memphis Grizzlies are inviting fans across the Mid-South over for lunch, as the team is set to hold their Eighth Annual Tip-Off Luncheon on October 24 at FedExForum.

The boys at 3 Shades of Blue have always been big supporters of this event and this year is no different. We have already reserved a table and are now taking names for people who want to meet the team (and your favorite bloggers). Tickets are $50 for individual seats but because 3 Shades of Blue is so nice we will only charge you $40 a head to sit at one of our tables.

Fans in attendance will get the first chance to rub shoulders with Grizzlies rookies O.J. Mayo and Darrell Arthur, hang out with Rudy Gay and Mike Conley, get to meet the guys from 3 Shades of Blue, get coaching strategy from Marc Iavaroni and learn more about the business of basketball from general manager Chris Wallace. Take part in the silent and live auctions held throughout the event featuring unique memorabilia and one-of-a-kind fan experiences, or simply spend your time getting to know the members of the 2008-09 Memphis Grizzlies team. Doors open at 11 a.m., followed by the event and program from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The event benefits the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis. Feel free to ask anyone who has attended in the past, this is a great event for a great cause! If you want to reserve a spot send us an email to three_shades_ofblue[at]hotmail.com. Payment will be expected in cash at the event.

Ad: The american airline as well the spirit airline both offer such cheap flights, making everyone go airlines again and again.

The 2001 Ridiculous Upside Redraft

2008-09-17T06:44:00.000-05:00

By Joshua Coleman

Ridiculous Upside is helping all of us hoops fanatics to pass the remainder of the offseason with a redrafting of the Class of 2001.

Washington Wizards (Bullets Forever) - Gilbert Arenas
Los Angeles Clippers (Clips Nation) - Pau Gasol

So, with the #3 pick, the Memphis Grizzlies select Joe Johnson from the University of Arkansas.

Knowing what we do about the health of Michael Dickerson, the team needs a solid backcourt player. Who better than local Little Rock, Arkansas product Joe Johnson to fit the bill with his great shooting and playmaking ability? Capable of playing and defending 3 positions, Johnson might not be a true franchise player, but he's certainly better than anyone on the Grizzlies' roster at that time. Adding him to the recently signed Jason Williams makes for an exciting backcourt with lots of fan appeal -- something that is very important in the Grizzlies inaugural season in Memphis.

Be sure to keep checking Ridiculous Upside for the rest of the 2001 Redraft.

The Only Reason We Should Look Up To Them Is Because They Are Taller Than Us.

2008-09-16T16:43:00.000-05:00

By Kirk Holland

Now that the dust seems to have settled over "Mary Jane pulled the fire alarm 2008", I have had time to reflect on the situation from a fan's perspective. First off, Darrell Arthur is a young man coming off a rollercoaster of highs spanning from the national championship win over our beloved Memphis Tigers to becoming a first round draft pick (although picked later than he thought). His life has changed tremendously over the past months, and will continue to do so. He has money now, and what do young men with money do? They spend it, have fun, make questionable choices. It's a fact of life.

I know we will most likely never truly know what "really" happened that fateful night in the hotel room, but worst case scenario is that he indulged in some of the Devil's lettuce, and had a lady friend over. I in no way, shape, or form condone using drugs, but in the grand scheme of things, it was not the worst thing. He didn't pull an Eddie Griffin, God rest his soul. He didn't hurt anyone else period. Granted he severely pissed off the commissioner and I'm sure he embarrassed the Grizzlies organization, but this in time shall pass.

Arthur can squash all murmurs and remnants of this situation by simply producing on the court. A productive player makes happy fans who tend to forgive and forget easier. If he can be the type of talent he is projected by experts to become, then will we not only forget about his lapse of judgement, but he will also become the toast (or biscuit), of our beloved city.

Moral of the story folks: don't look down on a kid for making a simple mistake; look up to him, he's taller than you.