Friday Roundup: Links and such

Well it was not quite as quiet a week on the Grizzlies homefront as most people wanted with the news that Darrell Arthur was expelled from the Rookie Transition Camp. While it hasn't been released whether or not Darrell was actually involved in drug use, the women in the room was enough to ban him from the event. While mostly embarrassing it does cause on court issues to come into question such as his reputation for zoning out. Hopefully the financial penalty will be all that is neccessary to remedy this problem but the league can add on a suspension of indeterminate length and the team can impose their own penalties as well.

Chris Herrington is back from vacation and back being one of the best reporters of Grizzlies news in the business this week. Welcome back Chris and we hope you had a pleasant vacation with the family.

TrueHoop is kind enough to link to us from time to time so when Henry Abbott takes the time to write a full article on the Arthur situation I felt it appropriate to link back to him.

Ron Tillery has also been busy on the Edge Blog lately keeping fans informed on the recent trade rumors involving the team. Ron also wrote an insightful article on the Grizzlies in the paper. See Ron, we can write nice things about you too!

Our friend Tom Ziller over at Fanhouse puts his two cents worth in on the Arthur story as well. I really can't argue with his logic (mainly because it agrees with mine). TZ also ranked Rudy Gay at #39 in his ongoing listing of the Top 50 Players in the NBA.

Final word comes from David at David's Memphis Grizzlies Blog who says that players should only be punished for performance enhancing drugs and he would rather have Darrell high than skateboarding or motorcycling.

Lost in the smoke from the Arthur scandal was the fact that both O.J. Mayo and Marc Gasol were at the Rookie Camp too. It is unclear at this time if Hamed Haddadi was also at the camp. Since Haddidi signed right before the camp was scheduled to begin it is understandable if he didn't make it. There is also the question on his being able to understand anything being said there anyway.

Inside Hoops is confirming Ron Tillery's entry that the Grizzlies and Knicks are in discussions about Zack Randolph. This is interesting since Chris Wallace said on Chris Vernon's radio show that very few trades are done in September and October as most teams are focusing on the getting the team ready for the regular season and he fully expects the current roster to be in training camp on September 30th. I guess you can call him a liar if the deal gets done according to Dr. Zack.

The sad news here is that rumor involves Marko Jaric and Darko. Darko isn't a great loss but would leave us very thin at center. Losing Mr. Adriana Lima before the first pre-season game would be heart-breaking! Come on Grizzlies, at least let us have one game with Adriana in the stands before you ship him off!

Matt over at Hardwood Paroxysm must have seen our back to school series last week and has added his touch of Science to the world of Blogging. He rated us with some impressive blogs so I wanted to make sure everyone sees it.

Notes From Memphis has an interesting view of the Hamed Haddidi signing.

2008 Memphis Grizzlies Offseason

2008 NBA Offseason starts off with a bang!

The 2008 NBA free agency period has gotten this offseason off to a bang. It seems that Elton Brand and Baron Davis hatched a plot to make the Los Angeles Clippers more significant, while the two of them can work on their blossoming second careers as movie producers. The Clippers have vaulted themselves into the 10 team battle for the Western Conference playoffs. At this time: Golden State, Sacramento, Seattle, Minnesota and your Memphis Grizzlies seem to be on the outside with the Kings and Warriors probably making moves this summer to join the fight. Davis' defection from NoCal to SoCal leaves the Warriors with enough caproom to offer even a veteran a MAX contract. Accordingly, the rumor mill has Warrior GM Chris Mullin offering Gilbert Arenas $100 million dollars to return to the Bay area. At the time of this writing, Arenas was thought to be leaning toward turning down that ridiculous offer to accept a more retarded offer from the Washington Wizards of 6 years and $127 million dollars. I guess there is no recession in the NBA.

What does all this mean for the Memphis Grizzlies?

The Grizzlies are still one of the few teams remaining with enough caproom to make an NBA player drool. However, the landscape of the Western Conference makes it likely that unless they signed a true 1st team All NBA talent (none are available), they still could not get into the Western Conference playoff picture. That is the reality of our situation. So I expect Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace to keep his plan in motion: increase flexibility and collect assets for future use.

Now this does not mean the Grizzlies will be inactive this offseason. I think this is likely to be the most active offseason in Grizzlies history. I just do not expect them to rush out and make a splash with a headline grabbing free agent offer. The Grizzlies are in need of a veteran inside presence. They also need to thin the ranks of their guard rotation and maybe add a veteran backup for Rudy Gay.

A Deal to obtain a vet and thin the guards

The Grizzlies currently have an interior rotation of Hakim Warrick, Darko Milicic, Darrell Arthur, Antoine Walker and hopefully Marc Gasol. Unfortunately their is no real experience or proven toughness in this group. At this point Darko is virtually untradeable, so the most likely player moved is Hakim Warrick especially since he is due for a contract extension this summer and becomes a restricted free agent next summer if not extended. Warrick has proven himself to be a capable offensive player in the NBA but I do not think he fits into Chris Wallace's long term plan.

The veteran player we obtain must be on a reasonable contract and must not disrupt the Grizzlies plan of cap flexibility. Also, the guy has to be tough presence on the boards. My top 5 list of obtainable veterans are: Reggie Evans, Joe Smith, Jason Maxiell, Malik Rose, and Anderson Varejao. Of this group I think Reggie Evans is the most interesting. Today Atlanta power forward, Josh Smith, is in Philadelphia looking to sign an offer sheet. The 76ers need to clear enough caproom to offer Smith a contract that Atlanta will be unable to match.

Here is my proposal: Reggie Evans, Calvin Booth, and Phillies 2010 1st round draft pick for Hakim Warrick and Kyle Lowry.

This deal gives Philadelphia capable backups at power forward and point guard while giving them enough caproom to offer Josh Smith a maximum contract. The 76ers keep their 2009 pick and are owed a pick from Utah that will compensate them for the pick they are giving up. The Grizzlies get a banger in Reggie Evans who can come in and start this season to stabilize the young starting lineup. Calvin Booth is an expiring and could be waived immediately. This deal for the Grizzlies would be be cap neutral in 2009 as Reggie Evans+minimum cap hold for an empty roster spot is about equal to the 2009 salaries for Hakim and Kyle. This also gives the Grizzlies three draft picks in the next strong draft class of 2010.

The Grizz after the trade

PG: Micheal Conley, Javaris Crittenton
SG: O. J. Mayo, Marko Jaric
SF: Rudy Gay, Greg Buckner
PF: Reggie Evans, Darrell Arthur, Antoine Walker
C: Darko Milicic, Marc Gasol, Calvin Booth

This gives the Grizzlies 12 players on the roster and about $14 million in expiring contracts that can be used if an opportunity falls into their lap. All they would need to do is pick up a D-Leaguer at SG/SF to complete the 13 man roster and resign Andre Brown if they cut Booth. This gives the Grizzlies a fairly balanced roster with some toughness in the post to help the young guys bang on the inside without hurting the Grizzlies future cap flexibility.

I admit this isn't as sexy as offering Josh Smith $80 million dollars but it keeps this Grizzlies on track to their goal.

Grizz Draft Aftermath

Well, I must admit that this was the best draft night in Grizzlies history. Not just because we got my favorite player in the draft, O. J. Mayo, but because for once the GM of the Grizzlies was active and aggressive. My continued faith in GM Chris Wallace even in the face of the unwarranted criticism of the Gasol trade has been rewarded in spades baby. We freaking got a player with some national name recognition. There isn't a basketball fan in the country unaware of Ovinton J'Anthony Mayo. Heck, the Grizzlies fans watching the draft at the 730 ESPN Draft party at Jason's Deli at Poplar and Highland were more than satisfied with Kevin Love and Donte Green. Clarity to the late night wheeling and dealing was brought by the Memphis Flyer's Chris Herrington all night. If you don't know by now, I am extremely happy with adding O.J. Mayo and Darrell Athur to our young roster.

O. J. Mayo

At the start of this season, I had Mayo at the top of my draft board. In January he was still at the top. Unfortunately, Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley passed him by with their stellar play down the stretch of the college season. I watched every game he played on television and rode the roller coaster of him adjusting to his new role on offense (off the ball) and his teammates. The one thing you noticed is that he took pride in defending the opponents best perimeter offensive player each and every night. I can not stress to Memphis fans how much Mayo's attitude is going to change the culture of that roster. All that lolly gagging crap is over. Between Conley (if he is not traded) and Mayo, there will be no more BSing around on the court. Effort will not be a question this season. Now he is not the next Kobe or LeBron athletically but he is right there with them mentally. He is the ultimate alpha dog. Mayo has always been elite on every level and against all competition, including NBA players. It is not a coincidence that he gets glowing endorsements from Kobe, Wade, LeBron and even Jalen Rose.

Darrell Arthur

I had the chance to watch Arthur workout in Memphis and he was fairly impressive. At the time, I did not think that there was any way the Grizz would be able to select him. During that workout he was just to physical for Golden State Warrior draftee Anthony Randolph. He is not big but I think he will be a bruiser in the NBA. When he comes to play it is spectacular. He is one of the few players that Al Horford had difficulties with in college last season. He has hook shots with either hands, a good face up jumper and he finishes with power. He should be effective in the pick and roll. He also will be able to run the floor with our new perimeter trio. He is not the most instinctive rebounder and he is very foul prone. However, at his draft position he is an absolute steal. I think his long term future is as the first big off the bench on a contending team but the Grizzlies front court is nowhere at that level right now. Look for him to play early and often. He has had problems with consistent production in college, hopefully his draft day drop will inspire him to attack his NBA career with a sense of urgency.

All in all it was a good night, especially for the Grizz fans like me who really want and expect GM Chris Wallace to do great things in Memphis.

Next up...I think the summer leaguers will be reporting on July 7 for orientation and preparation for the Vegas Summer League. At this time, your first chance to see Mayo and Arthur (and hopefully Jamont Gordon) in a Grizz uniform will be on NBA TV.

Breaking News: O.J. Mayo to Memphis

Just came across ESPN.

Memphis gets:

O.J. Mayo
Marko Jaric
Antoine Walker
Greg Buckner

Minnesota gets:

Kevin Love
Mike Miller
Brian Cardinal
Jason Collins

Nothing confirmed, but we will keep you updated.

This could be a precursor to a second move that nets Michael Beasley. Perhaps Mayo/Warrick for Beasley/Banks?

Also, I would expect that if this deal goes through that Walker is bought out, as might Buckner, given that neither of their contracts are guaranteed beyond the 2008/09 season according to ESPN, although Buckner's perimeter defense could be very useful.

Update: According to the Commercial Appeal's Ron Tillery, the draft rights to Donte Greene have been sent to Portland for the draft rights to Darrell Arthur. This will help fill that hole at PF. According to Chris Vernon, Arthur was ranked at #11 on the Grizzlies' draft board.

As of right now, the Mayo trade is simply pending league approval, which means that it should be a done deal.

Update 2: Chris Herrington is reporting that a 2nd deal is being finalized that doesn't involve Michael Beasley. No other details at this point.

Update 3: Herrington now says that he misunderstood and that there isn't a 2nd deal. Good night everyone!

Chip's Take: Chad Ford said that Minnesota wins the trade in the short run but in a few years you may look back and say that it was a no-brainer for Memphis.

I have to agree with that if we can keep Mayo happy here. O.J. is the type of player Memphis has always desired. He is a big name player who won't choke under pressure. Combine that with Arthur and Gasol and you have dramatically increased the talent at three positions. If Antoine Walker decides to take advantage of his opportunity and play like he is capable of playing then he could be a real steal in this trade as well. Memphis may also be moving Mayo to go for Beasley which should be very interesting if true. Remember that Miami wanted Rudy Gay before plus the #5 pick so don't get your hopes up too high that Beasley will be here when you wake up in the morning.

Jaric is not a big help but he should be able to help mature the young guns in the backcourt. Bucker brings defensive perimeter help and could be the closest thing Memphis has to a shut down defender. The big question mark is how well the veterans act. If Jaric and Buckner don't provide leadership this team could implode with the egos in the locker room. If they take a roll in being leaders then it could be a great deal. The team won't make the playoffs this season and maybe not next year but the team has made a bold statement that they are wanting to be players again.

If Antoine Walker is bought out then that should ease some of my concerns about team chemistry too. By the way, I think this proves that Heisley was telling the truth when he said there was no reason to believe he wouldn't spend money to improve the team. A buyout of Walker's contract won't come cheaply but it is probably the smart move.