Central Division Previews

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.

Grizzlies/Pacers Postgame Thoughts

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

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

Memphis at Chicago - 3.4.08

Memphis hasn't enjoyed their last few visits to Chicago. Of course Memphis hasn't enjoyed much of anything lately having lost 8 games in a row and not really being competitive in most of those games. Starting a rookie backcourt of Mike Conley and Juan Carlos Navarro bodes well for the future but Navarro is 27 yrs old and while he should become more consistent it is doubtful his game will develop that much. Rudy Gay is struggling in the role of team leader but Hakim Warrick is improving his play. The dark cloud right now is over Darko Milicic who needs to start showing consistency in his 5th season in the league.

Chicago lost a tough game at Cleveland on Sunday. The rebuilt squad continues to bring effort to the floor despite the front office's apparent tossing in of the towel this season. Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden bring a veteran presence to what is still a very young team. Joakim Noah is the main beneficiary of the trade as he assumes the starting center role and is doing well so far in that capacity bringing energy and effort to the court. Kirk Hinrich has disappointed this season. Ben Gordon is probably playing his last season in Chicago and that reality may be affecting his play.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Kirk Hinrich
Kirk Hinrich struggled early in the season but has adjusted nicely to a new running mate in Larry Hughes. Over the last 5 games Hinrich has found his scoring touch by not having to take so many shots. Being the playmaker better suits Hinrich's game and Larry Hughes's presence allows Hinrich to be that. Mike Conley doesn't appear to be hitting the rookie wall yet but only playing 33 games so far could have something to do with that. His consistency of performance has been shocking for a rookie. He's averaging 9.3 ppg and 4.6 apg over the season, 10.2 ppg and 4.3 apg over the last 10 games and 10.2 ppg and 4.6 apg over the last 5 games. Most rookies have more variability in their games. This matchup favors Hinrich on experience but Conley on speed. Old age over youth every time but it is closer than most people would think.
Advantage: Chicago

Shooting Guards: Juan Carlos Navarro vs Larry Hughes
Memphis is targeting this game for Miller's return and he will be needed against the tall and aggresive Hughes. Hughes is aggressive offensively and defensively which translates into a lot of turnovers on both sides of the ball. When he is on his game he can shoot very well but shooting 37.7% from the field and 34.1% from the arc means he thinks he is hot more often than he really is. He averages over 2 turnovers a game as well but offsets that with 1.5 steaps a game. Navarro has finally left the rookie wall behind him and is getting comfortable in the starting SG role for the Grizzlies. Despite an ice cold February where Navarro shot just 36% for the month from the floor he has been relatively accurate in his last 5 games hitting 42% of his FG attempts and 40.7% from behind the arc. His defense has improved as well but he will need to be careful with the ball against Hughes. Navarro could actually win this matchup if the refs call it fair but Navarro hasn't been on friendly terms with the refs all season.
Advantage: Chicago

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Luol Deng
The only real reason to watch this game is the battle between Rudy Gay and Luol Deng. Deng entered the season being listed among the top free agents in this summers class but has disappointed this season, along with the entire Bulls team. His scoring is down nearly 2 pts a game, his percentage is off from 52% to 47% and his rebounds are down as well. Rudy Gay on the other hand has been soaring up the charts this season despite the Grizzlies poor play. He looks to become the 3rd player in franchise history to average over 20 ppg over the entire season (something Deng has never done) and all of his numbers are above last season's marks.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: Hakim Warrick vs Drew Gooden
An interesting matchup here as Drew Gooden was shipped out of Memphis because he couldn't unseat Gasol while Warrick was kept behind Gasol and now has replaced him. Warrick has responded well as a starter after not getting into the lineup much early in the season. As a starter Hakim is averaging 17 ppg and 9 boards while shooting 55% from the field. Gooden is on his 4th team in 6 seasons. He consistently averages around 12 ppg and 8 rpg but is rumored to be a lockerroom cancer. He has the experience and agility to give Warrick fits however and it will be interesting to see if Warrick can keep Gooden off the glass. If he can't this could get ugly.
Advantage: Chicago

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Joakim Noah
Darko vs Noah may one day be an interesting battle of big men. Not today however. Darko is 22 and Noah is 23 (yes Noah is older than darko) so they are basically the same age. Both are limited offensively but Darko has the reputation of being able to develop while Noah will always be at best a scorer on breaks and offensive rebounds. He has no range and his unorthodox shot probably precludes him from becoming a good shooter. Noah does have a spring in his step absent from Darko's game right now. He runs the court better than nearly any big man not named Amare right now and he is very active on the defensive end of the court. Once refs start giving his flop respect he will be difficult to deal with. The key is Darko is strong enough to overpower Noah right now and the refs don't respect Joakim's flop. Darko should win the battle as long as he keeps finishing at the rim and not settling for hooks and jump shots.
Advantage: Memphis

Benches: Memphis vs Chicago
Ince again the difference comes down to the benches. Chicago can roll out Chris Duhon, Ben Gordon, Andres Nocioni and Tyrus Thomas. Memphis may have Mike Miller back so that could help. Kyle Lowry and Javaris Crittenton would be interesting to see play more together as they bring a level of excitement not seen off Memphis's bench since Bonzi played here. The problem is matching up with Chicago's bigs. Tyrus Thomas and Aaron Gray are simply better than Collins and Kwame.
Advantage: Chicago

Enemy Blogs:
Blog a Bull
Bull Riding
Hoopsworld

Memphis at Cleveland - 2.24.08

Memphis is playing a tough schedule of games and is also playing some of their worst basketball of the season. The trade of Pau Gasol and the loss of Mike Miller to back spasms has caused Memphis to struggle with a young lineup who is ill prepared for the rigors of the NBA season. Hakim Warrick has started to slow down after a hot start replacing Pau as the starting PF. Rudy Gay has been extremely frustrated by the lack of respect from the referees and has struggled to get as many open looks as he got earlier in the season when teams were more focused on containing Gasol and Miller. Juan Carlos Navarro has gone public with his struggles hitting the rookie wall in the NBA as well. Most disturbing has been Darko Milicic's recent struggles after putting together three consecutive double-doubles after the trade.

Cleveland joined many other contending teams in attempting to make a major deal to increase their chances in the playoffs. Gone are former Grizz Drew Gooden as well as Lrry Hughes, Donyell Marshall, Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown. In are Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West. By trading two starters Cleveland gave up on a lot of players who contributed to their NBA finals run last season. West and Wally should provide immediate aid in two big areas of weakness for the Cavs: point guard, especially with Daniel 'Boobie' Gibson out with a sprained ankle, and outside shooting. Wallace is aging rapidly but will provide toughness on the interior that the Cavs have lacked as well. Cleveland has remained in the playoff hunt this year thanks to the incredible play of superstar LeBron James and his 4th quarter heroics. The changes in the lineup should limit the need for LeBron to lead so many 4th quarter comebacks.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Damon Jones
Damon Jones has started while waiting for Delonte West to be cleared to play for Cleveland but his time as the starter is running short. Damon is known more as a long range threat than a true point guard that Cleveland needs. Jones is shooting 42% from the arc this season and was 7-11 in his one start against Washington on Friday night. Mike Conley continues to gain confidence in his offensive game but still struggles with his outside shot. He is cool in the lane and can score with either hand in the paint as well has being able to spot teammates on the perimeter. He averages 2.5 assists to turnovers the last few games which is more than respectable for a rookie and rather incredible considering the poor shooting the Grizzlies have exhibited lately.
Advantage: Memphis

Shooting Guards: Juan Carlos Navarro vs Eric Snow
Snow is another player forced into the starting role with Gibson's injury and without West or Szczerbiak available on Friday night. He more than any other player is least capable of relieving James of offensive burdens. Snow is also an intelligent player and excellent defender who will give Navarro fits getting open for a shot. Not that superior defense is called for lately on Navarro. Juan Carlos has struggled badly the last few weeks and is shooting a mere 31% from the field and 19% from the arc in the last 10 games. Navarro has reached double figures in 3 of the last 5 games but he also had a goose egg against Dallas Friday night. The one good thing is Navarro knows he can shoot and won't hesitate to continue putting up shots.
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs LeBron James
This is a matchup where Memphis fans get to see the difference between who they want to be a superstar in Rudy Gay and what a superstar is in LeBron James. Rudy is averaging 20 ppg, 6.1 rpg and 1.8 apg. Very nice numbers for a 21 yr old 2nd yr players. LeBron James is averaging 30.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg and 7.5 apg. Damn good for any player and phenomenal for a 24 yr old 5th yr player. LeBron is the total package and what's more is he is most deadly in the 4th quarter. LeBron has led Cleveland from behind in the 4th quarter consistently all season. Over the last 5 games LeBron has actually picked up his play averaging a triple double with 31 ppg, 11 rpg and 10 apg over that span.
Advantage: Cleveland

Power Forwards: Hakim Warrick vs Ben Wallace
Hakim Warrick has been one of the few bright spots since the trade of Pau Gasol. As a starter Hakim is averaging 18 ppg, 8.2 rpg and shooting 55% from the field. That's the good news. The bad news is he is hooting 52% from the free throw line and teams are starting to realize that they need to cover him everywhere inside the arc. In the last 5 games Hak's scoring has gone been 24, 23, 22, 20 and 15. The trend is not Hak's friend right now. Ben Wallace was supposed to be the missing link to Chicago's return to glory. Instead he became the reason for their failure. Now in Cleveland he won't be expected to be what he isn't. Defense and rebounding is what Cleveland wants from Wallace and against undersized and underweighted Warrick that shouldn't be a problem.
Advantage: Cleveland

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Does anyone know who the 2nd leading scorer on the Cavs is? Yep, Big Z is still #2 although Cleveland is hoping that won't be the case after the trade with Wally coming to town. Ilgauskas is slow, actually plodding, and doesn't really have a go to move. All he does is his job each and every night. Big Z has 20 double-doubles this season. Darko has 6 double-doubles this season. He even had three in a row but the last one was 7 games ago and his performance has been declining game by game since then.
Advantage: Cleveland

Benches: Memphis vs Cleveland
Cleveland's bench could be loaded or empty depending on on how the starting lineup shakes out. Wally Szczerbiak has been great coming off the bench in Seattle and will probably start that way in Cleveland as first. However, Wally is a far better SG option than Snow, Jones, Gibson or anyone else on Cleveland's roster. Anderson Varejao was a serious prospect for Chris Wallace when he came to Memphis but it was obvious Memphis couldn't sign him so they turned to Darko instead. Joe Smith is solid if unspecatcular. Aleksandar Pavlovic has struggled with his contract, conditioning and expectations this season. Whatever the reason Pavlovic has failed to live up to expectations. Memphis' bench has been terrible lately. Kyle Lowry is struggling shooting, Brian Cardinal looks out of place on the court and Jason Collins contributes nothing. Former Lakers Javaris Crittenton and Kwame Brown have looked alternately terrible and promising but never dependable.
Advantage: Cleveland

Outside Opinions and Other Commentary:
Cavalier Attitude
Larry Hughes: Please Stop Taking Bad Shots - I wonder if they are going to move to covering Chicago or change their name...
Brian Windhorst - Ohio.com - One of the best bloggers in the country on the NBA. A must read for any informed fan.
Waiting For Next Year - This is the former Cleveland Sports Authority site and very well done.

Post GameThoughts - Milwaukee

Chipc3's Perspective:
Well the post-Gasol era started the same way the Gasol era ended, with a team unable to figure out how to win a game that was in their grasp. The new look Grizzlies looked a lot like the old blowing a late lead by being outscored 12-2 down the stretch to lose by 5 pts to a Milwaukee team missing their top scorer and their hot shot rookie. Mike Miller looked good for three quarters including the fourth but this time disappeared in the 3rd when a halftime lead became a fourth quarter deficit. Rudy Gay couldn't take over the game because of his lack of ball handling skills and the team simply put up too many ugly shots down the stretch.

To make matters worse Pau Gasol scored 24 pts on 10-15 shooting and grabbed 12 boards in his Laker debut.

Darko Milicic looked decent at times in amassing his third straight double-double but his shot selection was highly suspect as was the play-calling that kept putting the ball in his hands. It seemed the plan was to make Darko an offensive threat and he is really is better focusing on defense and rebounding. The problem is that Memphis can't afford Darko to be an after thought offensively. The Grizzlies already attack in the half court set with 4 against 5 as Kyle Lowry is no threat at all. Throw in the fact that Juan Carlos Navarro is in a slump and the Grizz already have a hole at the 4 with no Gasol and it is easy to see why they have trouble scoring in crunch time.

The interior defense is still a problem so maybe that wasn't Pau's fault. They got killed on the boards so maybe that wasn't Pau's fault either. Basically the team looked exactly like they did with Pau only with one less weapon to score with. Still the trade is about the future not the present. Javaris Crittenton looked very promising if a bit raw in his 7 minutes and Kwame looked exactly like we were told he would look. Which means he looked like a player that will give us $9 million in cap space this summer.

The one bright spot was the weather had more to do with the poor attendance than the team.

From Zack

Quickly...

-- Deadly tornadoes in the area limited the crowd size. The upper deck was closed off and those fans moved down.
-- Kwame Brown got a standing ovation when he first entered the game.
-- The refs were absolutely abysmal.
-- A fan got kicked out because of it.
-- Of course, we found a way to lose at the end.
-- The Griz do not defend the pick-and-roll correctly. At all. Even a bit. It's pathetic.
-- Javaris played SG, while Navarro played PG when on the court together. Probably temporary.
-- Navarro is better suited to be a SG, this game showed his struggles bringing the ball down the court effectively against pressure.
-- Best play of the game was a thunderous alley-oop from Kyle to Rudy.
-- The Bucks were depleted. There couldn't have been a less interesting game scheduled tonight.
-- I had a lot of fun at the game, despite the loss.
-- Rudy Gay is awesome.
-- I'm encouraged about what I'm seeing from Darko with Pau gone.

Memphis vs Milwaukee - 2.5.08

Memphis seemed to still be suffering from shellshock against Utah from the news that Pau Gasol was traded to the Lakers for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, the draft rights to Marc Gasol and two #1 draft picks. The Milwaukee game should actually witness the start of the era after Gasol when Jason Collins, Javaris and Kwame actually suit up in a game for the Grizzlies. Not that anyone should expect much contribution from these three. The only player that adds anything to the immediate lineup will be Javaris as he should instantly become the backup to Kyle Lowry moving JCN back to his more natural SG position. Collins and Brown will both see action backing up Darko but it is doubtful that either will play significant minutes. That leaves the scoring burden on Miller and Gay who struggled against Utah in that role. Mike Miller especially will miss seeing open shots as team's doubled down on Gasol. This is a great opportunity for Hakim Warrick to step up and show he belongs in the future plans for the Grizzlies.

Milwaukee has struggled this year. Between fighting with the Chinese government about letting Yi Jianlian play for the Bucks, to dealing with life without Michael Redd to just trying to mature as a team with so many young players in the mix, it has been a learning experience for Milwaukee. While most of the attention directed at Milwaukee has to do with the drafting of Yi and his performance the development of Andrew Bogut has been the best story on the team this season. Charlie Villanueva on the other hand has taken a severe step backwards in his development and may be available in a trade soon. Bobby Simmons' return from two years of injuries offers more promise for the Bucks future.

Point Guards: Kyle Lowry vs Mo Williams
Many people expected Memphis to make a run at Mo Williams in free agency last summer but the drafting of Michael Conley turned the Grizzlies attention toward a big and eventually to Darko. Mo returned to Milwaukee and has played decently but hasn't been the playmaker many people expected this season. Part of that has to do with the lack of people to make plays of course. Kyle Lowry has continued to log heavy minutes since Conley's injury and has produced but his role on the team is in question now with another rookie PG on the roster. The disturbing aspects of Lowry's game have been his turnovers and poor shooting.
Advantage: Milwaukee

Shooting Guards: Juan Carlos Navarro vs Royal Ivey
Royal Ivey has been filling in for Redd this season and definately hasn't got the shooting touch that Redd has. Shooting only 41% as a starter and only 28% from the arc, Ivey has taken a team's strength and made it a weakness. Navarro's shooting has been off lately as his minutes have increased and his responsibilities broadened. In the last 5 games Navarro has shot a tepid 35% from the field and 27% from the arc. Navarro should be playing the majority of minutes at SG now but one has to wonder how he will perform now that his best friend is gone. Not having to be the playmaker anymore should free up Navarro to concentrate solely on the 2 position which should help him snap out of his funk.
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Mike Miller vs Bobby Simmons
Bobby Simmons is coming back after two frustrating seasons of injuries including missing the entire 2005-06 season after signing a big free agent contract to leave LA for Milwaukee. Before the injuries Bobby was finally living up to the potential he exhibited his last season in LA. Simmons has been thrust back into the starting lineup wiht the injury to Desmond Mason. Mike is the most experienced Grizz player with the team right now. He has played barely over 5 full seasons with the team. Mike has a high basketball IQ and a deadly eye but a weak stomach for taking big shots. This is a rare matchup where Mike won't be a step slower than his opponent however so his shooting in the first three quarters should be enough to win the personal battle.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Yi Jianlian
Yi is the 2nd rookie starting in this game. That is extremely rare in the NBA. Yi has been a lot better than his detractors expected but by no means has he been tearing up the league. Grizz fans may remember Rudy's introduction to Yi in the summer league with his posterizing dunk. Rudy is playing like the 2nd best player from last year's draft class behind Brandon Roy and he isn't far behind. Rudy has been given the keys to the team and is being asked to take over like Roy has in Portland after Zack Randolph was traded. How Rudy responds to the challenge will go a long way in determining if Memphis made a bad deal or not.
Advantage: Memphis

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Andrew Bogut
Darko has put together back to back double-doubles in points and rebounds in the last two games for the 1t time in his career. Andrew Bogut has 21 double-doubles this season. Bogut was drafted #1 the year after Darko went #2 but Bogut is still a year older than Darko because of his time in college. While neither player has really lived up to their high draft positions Bogut at least has become a competitant NBA starter averaging 13.5 ppg and 9 rebounds. Darko's defense has been improving (7 blocks in the last two games) as has his shooting. Hopefully Darko is fully recovered from the sprained thumb that plagued him early in the season. Darko may be playing well but it is hard to forget the spanking Bogut put on the Grizzlies earlier this season.
Advantage: Milwaukee

Benches: Memphis vs Milwaukee
Are Michael Redd or Desmond Mason going to play in this game? Those questions will affect the game's outcome more than the benches. Milwaukee's bench is led by Charlie Bell and Charlie Villanueva right now. Has Charlie Villanueva woken up from his season long funk? Charlie V's up and down performances have been disappointing for the Bucks. Who knows what Memphis' bench will be like? Hakim Warrick is looked at to provide points but what impact with Jason Collins, Kwame Brown and Javaris Crittenton have? Personally I hope to see Crittenton have a good game as that will ease a lot of the pressure on the Grizzlies about the trade.
Advantage: Milwaukee

UPDATE: According to Graham Kendrick, Mike Conley practiced on Monday and should be available for the game against Milwaukee. This makes it official, the Grizzlies have more point guards with fewer than 50 games of playing experience than any team in NBA history!

Alternative Perspectives:
BrewHoop.com
Bucks Blog
MKE Bucks Draft

Memphis vs Chicago - MLK Day

Memphis is privileged to host the 6th annual Martin Luther King Jr Day game again. This year the team honors Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Lanier. The events for the day include a symposium, a high school game and the main event with Chicago coming to town to play our Grizzlies. The game will be televised on TNT (the only national network broadcast of the Grizzlies this season) with Mike Fratello doing color commentary. The game will also be a Pepsi Value Night. This means fans can get 4 hotdogs, 3 Pepsi drinks and 4 tickets starting at only $48. The halftime show includes a performance from Boys II Men.

Memphis took a beating in Charlotte 87-105. Playing short-handed with Rudy Gay still suffering the effects of the flu and Mike Miller out with back spasms Memphis didn't have enough firepower to handle the Bobcats. Pau Gasol continued his strong play with 28 pts but only 7 rebounds as the Grizzlies went small to counter Charlotte's small lineup. Juan Carlos Navarro scored 21 pts and Rudy Gay 17 for the Grizzlies. 40 games into the season Coach Iavaroni made the first clear cut statement that the lineup may be changed when he stated "Not to make excuses, but we’ve got to find guys who are eager to score, guys who are going to run the floor." This is the Grizzlies 3rd game in 4 days so fatigue may play an issue.

Chicago is playing some of their best ball of the season as the Bulls defeated Detroit97-81 to remain undefeated against the Pistons. Luol Deng missed the game with a sore Achilles heal and is questionable for the game against the Grizzlies. Andres Nocioni, a player the Grizzlies recruited this summer before re-signing with the Bulls, scored 21 replacing Deng and Ben Gordon exploded for 33 points in the win. The only downside for Chicago was when backup PG Chris Duhon was carried off the court after injuring his keft ankle. He too is questionable for Monday's game. This is also Chicago's 3rd game in 4 days after traveling to Golden St on Friday before the Detroit game in Chicago Saturday night.

Interesting College Connections
--Rudy and Ben Gordon both attended UCONN.
--Miller and Joakim Noah both attended Florida.
--Stromile and Ty Thomas both attended LSU.
--Hak and Demetrius Nichols both attended Syracuse.

Did You Know - The Griz are 2-3 all-time in MLK games, with both wins coming against the Rockets.

Pau + Bulls + Trade Talk = Overwhelming Storyline of the Game
In case you haven't heard, Pau Gasol has been prominently mentioned in trade talks for the last year of more now, with 90% of the mindless chatter centered around Pau being traded to the Bulls, who need a legit low-post scorer and don't need any more offensively challenged energy guys (then why in the hell did Paxson not draft Aldridge instead of Tyrus freaking Thomas, why? I have yet to hear a good explanation for that draft day blunder). What makes this meeting even more interesting in this whole "I'm a Chicago columnist and I think the Bulls should trade Tyrus Thomas and PJ Brown for Gasol because the Grizzlies HAVE to save money and rebuild" nonsense is that last year after the MLK game against Phoenix was when Pau went to Heisley to talk about being traded, prompting Jerry West to get mad and leak the info of that meeting to which he wasn't involved in.

Must Read Link Before Tonight:
Trade Talk Involving Gasol on Back Burner (analysis by the Great Ron Tillery)

Zack's Key to Stomping a Mudhole in the Sam Smith Chicago Bulls:
Make this Game a Track Meet
This is my one and only key for this game, because it involves a few aspects that should favor the Griz. Behold:

--The Bulls have yet to win a game when the opponent scored over 100 points. The Griz have scored 100 points or more in 6 of the last 8 games and average 101.4 per game for the season.
--According to 82games, the Bulls have the most difficult time winning against teams that 1) Score a lot of points (see above), 2) Have a high FG%, and 3) Have a high pace. Sounds good to me because the Griz score a lot of points (101.4 per game, 9th overall), shoot a good percentage (46.2, 7th overall) and also are near the top in pace too.

I don't know if Miller will be available, but I'd bet my puny weekly wage he is. I would also bet that Navarro starts tonight in place of Darko. Miller and Navarro need to be ready to pull the trigger early and often (Navarro is averaging 22.7 points in his last 3 games while shooting over 50%). Conley and Lowry also need to look to push the ball as much as possible, regardless of the numbers in transition. Being our only national TV game, I think the Griz will be motivated and will be shooting just fine, so let's convince the Bulls they should run with us and make this game a track meet.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Kirk Hinrich
Kirk Hinrich will probably be back in the starting role after missing 3 games with an injury due to Duhon's injury. Hinrich has not played well this season scoring 11.3 ppg on 38.9% shooting from the field. Mike Conley has been steady since taking over the starting role in January averaging 10.4 ppg and 5.3 apg. More importantly Conley has shot 33.3% from the arc forcing teams to honor that shot. Keeping the opposing team's PG on the perimeter allows the Grizzlies more room to operate inside.
Advantage: Memphis

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Ben Gordon
If Miller can go he has a distinct height advantage against the diminutive Gordon. Miller has been playing the most minutes of any Griz player this season but the emergence of Bobby Jones could give Mike some much needed time to rest. When playing Miller has been very efficient this season scoring 16.5 ppg on 51.8% from the field and 44% from the arc. He is also averaging a career high 6.8 rpg. Gordon, despite being the highest scoring Bull this season, has rotated in and out of the starting lineup. Like most of the Bulls, Gordon hasn't scored very efficiently hitting only 42.1% from the field but still shoots 38.1% from the arc.
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Andres Nocioni
Andres Nocioni will likely start for the Bulls as Luol Deng injured his Achilles and those usually take more than a few days to recover from. Nocioni was the first player Wallace targeted for a FA signing this summer (ahead of Darko Milicic) but Nocioni made it clear he wanted to stay with Chicago. Nocioni is averaging 14.5 ppg on 43.8% shooting and 36.1% from the arc. Nocioni is a physical player and will drive the ball hard in an attempt to draw fouls. Rudy has been avoiding fouls but has sacrificed defensive intensity to do so. Rudy has athleticism over Nocioni but will need to keep Andres on the perimeter and not give up silly fouls. For the first time this season Rudy is not the highest scoring Grizzlies player as his 19.3 ppg is tied with Gasol for team lead.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: Pau Gasol vs Joe Smith
After a slow start Gasol is now averaging above his career averages in scoring and rebounding. His 19.3 ppg and 8.9 rpg are not career highs but his averages January are as good as they have ever been (24.2 pgg and 11.0 rpg). Containing Gasol will not lie solely on Smith but Smith will be given the first opportunity. Smith is averaging 10.7 ppg and 5.1 rpg in 22 minutes a night. Backing up Smith will be Jaokim Noah who is having a turmoil filled season. Gasol has been taking the lead in generating points lately and will have the opportunity to do more damage against the Bulls but will have to be aware of Chicago's tendency to shoot from outside when playing defense. It has been rumored that Gasol wants to play for Chicago if traded and this game would be a great time to impress the Bulls front office.
Advantage: Memphis

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Ben Wallace
The battle of the disappointing Free Agents. Ben Wallace was the biggest name in free agency in 2006. Darko Millicic was the biggest name last season. Neither player has lived up to the hype. Wallace was supposed to be the interior muscle the Bulls needed but has been more of a 33 yr old undersized center than the answer to the interior. Wallace has never developed an offensive go-to move and his rebounds, blocks and staals are all below his career averages despite being respectable. The real probably has been his less than stellar rebounding. Milicic has been battling injuries from his ankle to his back to his thumb but the team has been pleased with his defensive effort. What has been disappointing is the apparent inability for Darko to score with any shot outside of the left handed hook. Milicic needs to be injury free and show a greater array of moves to justify his contract.
Acvnatage: Chicago

Benches: Memphis vs Chicago
Normally one would look at the Bulls bench and assume they have a big advantage over the Girzlies. Ben Gordon and Chris Duhon as experienced bench players, Nocioni bring punch and energy and Noah is a lottery pick. Now with most of these producing players either in the starting lineup, injured themselves or in trouble with the team it is less certain. Thabo Sefolosha is starting to show some promise and Tyrus Thomas can explode at any time but the consistency is questionable. Memphis' bench has been getting great production from Lowry and Navarro while Hakim and Bobby Jones have been hot and cold.
Advantage: Memphis

Relevant Links and Game Previews
Blog-a-Bull

Post Game Thoughts - Cleveland

Well another close game, this time making it to OT, but the same result. When the game is on the line you can expect Memphis to lose. It is painful to say that but just the same it is true. You can feel it in the stands during the game, an almost fatalistic plea to win the game only to see the team fail in the crunch. If you can take a positive out of this game it is that the team isn't quitting and that drive will produce results at some point as long as the team keeps fighting. The talent is there but the ability to put it together in crunch time is still missing.

Pau Gasol had a decent game fighting against not just one big but two and outplaying them both but he was alone in fighting in the paint and it wore him down. Logging 45 minutes against Ilgauskas, Varejao and Gooden will do that to anyone. Darko Milicic only played 5+ minutes and had his leg wrapped the entire second half and without his bulk Memphis was killed on the boards against one of the best rebounding teams in the league. Despite Milicic's lack of PT Stromile Swift never left the bench again. It makes you wonder just how deep in the doghouse he has fallen. Gasol was effective on offense whenever he touched the ball but the double teaming made it difficult to be the offensive force he has been.

Rudy Gay broke 30 points on the night but was silent after hitting a big three with time left in the fourth. Memphis rode his shooting to get back in the game but he looked tired as well after logging 47+ minutes. Mike Miller struggled offensively all night but having to guard LeBron James for 48 minutes will do that. He tried hard but couldn't stop LeBron who scored 51 points on 18-28 shooting. Juan Carlos Navarro picked up the slack for Milicic's absence and hit some key shots but also was the defensive victim of Damon Jones's clutch three to put Cleveland ahead for good in OT.

The refs were a joke but can't be blamed for the outcome. They allowed Ilgauskas to basically play like a pulling guard on high screens and push (or shove) players at will but until the Grizzlies prove they can win in spite of the refs you can't expect them to bail you out. They let the game play physical and that benefited the Cavs. Memphis has to start making the plays and stop looking to the refs to bail them out even when they are fouled. Until that happens the refs won't see what everyone else thinks is so obvious. I'm not saying the referees were close minded but LeBron got to the line 16 times. The Grizzlies as a team got to the line 18 times. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is a little out of whack.

The game was entertaining and thrilling and even if the Grizzlies lost it was definitely worth the price of admission. It was so quiet in the first half I could harass Damon Jones about his smurf-like hair cut and not only did he hear me but I heard his retort although I doubt he was serious when he said the girls love it. Maybe he meant his daughter and her friends because no adult woman could look at that head and not laugh. Memphis needs to get the fans back into the game and the best way to do that is to start winning games. Until then it will be difficult to take solace in close losses.

Former Cav player Mike Sanders was scouting the game for the Bobcats tonight and he sat right in front of me. He was very gracious and it was interesting to watch him diagram our plays and take notes of our tendencies. If the Bobcats look prepared for the Grizzlies you know who to blame now for the scouting report.

From Zack

Went to the game tonight, sat in what are some of my favorite seats, Row A in the Upper Tier. Great view of the court.

It was an exciting game, despite the painfully obvious crunch-time loss. Even further than the fact that a typical Griz fan expects to lose when the game is essentially tied at the 1 minute mark, a typical Griz fan also knows that going to OT is not an acceptable option at the end of regulation. OT = Loss. I can't remember the last OT win in the Forum. I'm sure there has been a couple here and there that I am forgetting, but overwhelmingly if we are going to OT, it is just going to be another loss.

Enough about how the Grizzlies can never pull out close games. Here is what I am thinking about right now when I think back to the game and what plays or players made an impression on me.

-- What an electrifying dunk Rudy had (see below). It was off a nicely anticipated half-court steal. Rudy's arm got a good 3 feet above the rim. Please let Rudy make the dunk contest. Take a look for yourself thanks to Getty.

-- Rudy's dunk wasn't the only highlight reel dunk of the night. Hak put one down on the other end of the court (i.e., in the 1st half) and we as beyond the block in the short corner. He had to jump over a couple of players that fell down (probably off a Mike Miller jump pass or something) and Hak did that go-g- gadget-arm-extending thing. It was pretty awesome.

-- Navarro played a great game. I don't think any shot is a bad shot for him. When he is on the court, I just want him to shoot as much as possible, particularly early in the shot clock. He finished with 47 minutes and started the 2nd half in front of Darko. He was 9 for 16 from the field. I'll take that. The last 3-pointer that JC had which tied the game (see below) was a riveting play to watch develop. From my view he was leaning pretty hard to the left to get the shot off, with Damon Jones and LeBron chasing him. here is the Getty Image of the play.


-- Overall, I was pleased with Pau's crunch time play with a couple of big blocks and a few big shots. but I hated his weak-sauce play fumbling the ball when he got the offensive rebound off of a short 3-pointer. I also hate it that I remember those couple of weak plays by Pau over his numerous good plays whenever I go to games at the Forum.

-- Conley was a terrific tonight. He had a good sense of where to direct the ball on offense, some quick slicing drives, 2-3 from deep, and a couple of great steals. Although to be fair, tonight might have been his most turnovers in a single game (to go along with what I'm assuming to be a season high in points). It was an up and down game and I don't mind those turnovers. I really like the Conley-Lowry combo at PG. The scaled back minutes have helped Lowry be a better compliment to Conley. The two of them always give us the speed dimension in transition.

-- Miller played his heart out against LeBron. All the respect for how hard Miller tried to stop LeBron from scoring 50+. LeBron is just pretty damn good. I would hope that Bobby Jones can come in for a few more minutes or in certain situations to relive Miller from having to chase LeBron down for 48 minutes. Or maybe put Rudy on LeBron more in the 2nd half. Running Miller to death on defense negatively affects his offensive game.

-- Rudy is a freaking stud. He might still have a long way to go to be the star we all hope he will become, but he is a special player. Rudy is the player on our team I feel most comfortable with taking shots the important shots, the shots at the end of the shot clock when all went south, the shots that end scoring droughts, the shots that win games. He was 12 for 22 from the field (3-6 beyond the arc) and had the most shot attempts on the team. And I wouldn't be upset if he got even more shot attempts. I know it sounds crazy to think that he should be shooting, say 25 or 30, times in a game, but if he did I think it would likely benefit the Griz, much like LeBron being a ball hog benefited the Cavs tonight.

Go read Brian Windhorst's game recap up on Ohio.com. Here is a good bullet he writes about Mike Miller guarding LeBron:

–Can’t believe the Grizzlies decided to let Mike Miller basically play LeBron James alone on a island for much of the night. Sometimes they double teamed but most of the time they left those two alone. Thus, LeBron puts in 51. You won’t see that again for awhile unless it’s Bruce Bowen. Miller was just disheartened by the end and the late doubles Memphis did bring only meant fouls and easy passes to open teammates. Meanwhile Marc Iavaroni says: “I thought our defense improved.”

Also, when Big Z got fouled in the 3rd quarter, sitting in the stands we thought something was funny. I'll let Brian explain:

–Funny moment in the third quarter. Zydrunas Ilgauskas got fouled and made the shot, which the officials waved off but still gave Z two shots. Which didn’t make sense. Mike Brown calls LeBron over and LeBron tells him: “They say he doesn’t get the basket because he traveled but they are still giving him the two shots. I’ve never heard that rule before in my life, but we’re going to roll with it, coach.”

Spartacus Says:


That is all.

Memphis vs Cleveland - 1.15.08

Special Ticket Offer: For the Martin Luther King Game on January 21st, the Grizzlies are selling Plaza 5, Plaza 6 and Plaza 7 tickets for $25 a piece. Club level tickets are $50 each and all Terrace level seats are $10. Call 205-1445 to take advantage of this offer. This offer is only good for today.

Memphis returns from a difficult stretch of games against the Pacific Division having played the Lakers, at Sacramento, at Golden St and at the Lakers all within 6 days. So instead of getting a few days off to recuperate and maybe a game against the Knicks, TWolves or Sonics Memphis gets one day off and then the defending Eastern Conference champs. Thanks Stu Jackson. Memphis left town with their heads between their legs and players pointing fingers. The team lost all three road games but should feel a lot better about themselves. Two heart breaking losses and a game where they could have rolled over but didn't showed the team has a spine which has been questioned all season.

Cleveland rode LeBron James to the NBA finals where they got run over by a great team. This season Cleveland has struggled with contract issues (Varejao and Pavlovic), injuries (Hughes, James and now Varejao) and frankly a shocking lack of depth behind LeBron. It would seem that LeBron should be able to recruit veterans at a lower rate like the Celtics Big Three did but that hasn't been the case so far. Cleveland hasn't played a game since January 11th so any bumps or bruises they have will probably be healed up pretty well. Thanks again Stu Jackson! Maybe they will have a rest hangover. Winning 5 of their last 6 games, The Cavs are one game above .500 right now which puts them solidly in the Eastern Conference playoff race. With a healthy team riding LeBron's back they should make the playoffs and then anything is possible.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Larry Hughes
There aren't many point guards starting in the NBA taller than Larry Hughes. The 6-5 steal monster knows passing lanes as well as anyone in the league and uses his long arms to get to balls others simply can't. If he could shoot he'd be deadly. Lucky for opponents Hughes is only hitting 36% of his FG attempts and 30% of his 3 pt attempts and he isn't shy about shooting either. As Hughes goes so go the Cavs as he averages 12 ppg on 43% shooting in wins but only 7 ppg on 22% shooting in losses. Conley is struggling to adapt to the NBA but his composure implies a great future. His speed can be incredible and he can hit the open jumper on occasion. He will need to be careful with sloppy passes around Hughes however.
Advantage: Cleveland

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Aleksandar Pavlovic
A 6-7 Serbian national, Pavlovic has the size to give Miller trouble shooting over him and the hustle to surprise you if you take him for granted but he isn't really that strong of a player. Hitting only 33.8% of his FG attempts and 28.4% of his long range shots tend to make him forgettable when discussing SG's in the league. Pavlovic has hit for double figures twice since Dec 3rd. Miller is playing some of the best ball of the season right now including a team high 27 points against the Lakers when he shot 11-16 from the field. Miller's main weakness has been defense and that shouldn't be a huge problem against Pavlovic. However, if Rudy gets into early foul trouble don't be surprised to see Miller on James and Rudy on Pavlovic.
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs LeBron James
Is there a better all-around player in the NBA than LeBron James? Back to back games against Kobe and LeBron will give Memphis fans a very real chance to compare these two great players. LeBron is 23 and seemingly bound for immortality. Rudy is 21 and listed as 30 pounds lighter than LeBron. Rudy has to stay out of foul trouble (and possibly ask his girlfriend and any cousins to miss the game) to hang with LeBron. LeBron averages 29.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 7.5 apg. He hits 48% of his FG attempts and if there is a weakness it is his 3 pt shot which he only hits 28.2% of the time but in crunch time I wouldn't bet against him. Rudy is a great player but LeBron is legendary.
Advantage: Cleveland

Power Forwards: Pau Gasol vs Drew Gooden
Drew Gooden was drafted 5 years ago by the Memphis Grizzlies but was traded during his rookie season for Mike Miller. Drew struggled his first few years in the league trying to determine if he was a 3 or a 4 and if he was supposed to be a scorer or a role player. Rumor has it he finally realizes he is a role player and a power forward. This season he is averaging 12.1 ppg and 8.9 rpg but only shooting 43.6% from the field so maybe he still takes too many bad shots. Gasol called out the team after the first Laker loss and has been a beast ever since. In the last three games since his comments went public Gasol has averaged 27.67 ppg, 11.33 rpg and shot 61.4% from the field. His 8 assists against the Lakers were a season high and the four blocks tied a season high as well. In 18 games since the end of November Gasol is averaging 20.5 ppg, 10.11 rpg and shooting 3.28 apg while shooting 50.01% from the floor. Maybe there was something to the stories about him being injured to start the season.
Advantage: Memphis

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Big Z is nearing the end of an up and down career. Having fought through numerous injuries and some terrible teams, Ilgauskas will turn 33 in June and one has to wonder how many years the big guy has left. Ilguaskas is averaging 13.1 ppg but that is on the lower end of his career average but his rebounding is at a career high. He's still able to block an occasional shot but he looks slower and slower every day. Darko is on the upside of his career. The 22 yr old finally has found a starting spot he can hold onto and is trying to make the most of his opportunity. He averages 2.7 bpg but still finds it difficult to score consistently and his free throw shooting is atrocious. Darko can not afford to get into early foul trouble either since Memphis has no one to match Ilgauskas inside outside of Darko.
Advantage: Cleveland

Benches: Memphis vs Cleveland
If there is one area that the Grizzlies could hold a decisive advantage it is off the bench. Daniel Gibson is the most reliable bench scorer for the Cavs but as a backup PG his 2.7 apg leave a lot to be desired and his strength matches up directly with Kyle Lowry's strength which is defense. Memphis looked hard at Anderson Varejao over the summer but felt the investment was too great for the upside potential. So far that has seemed to be a smart decision as Varejao wanted a lot more money than Darko signed for, missed all of training camp and part of the season holding out and hasn't progressed the way people expected this season. Still Varejao is a hustle player who's intensity will need to be matched. After those two the options dwindle fast with Shannon Brown, Devin Brown and Ira Newble being the main contributors. Memphis' bench has come back to life on the road trip with Lowry, Juan Carlos Navarro, Hakim Warrick all contributing at times and newly signed wingman Bobby Jones looking very good in limited minutes.
Advantage: Memphis

Relevant Storylines:
Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Brown was given a two year contract extension today.
Local reaction to LeBron's speeding ticket. (via TrueHoop)
LeBron speaks about his vehicular misdeeds. (Fanhouse)
Cleveland one of ten teams looking to trade? (TrueHoop)
LeBron's MVP candidacy. (via Yahoo! NBA Experts Blog)

Relevant blogs and previews:
Grizzlies.com Preview
Brian Windhorst (Akron Beacon Journal)
Pete Pranica's Preview
Cleveland Sports Authority (Preview)
Cavalier Attitude
Cavaliers Corner
Cleveland Cavaliers Blog
Hoopsworld Preview

Indiana Postgame - First Win in Indiana, Conley Starts, Darko Shows Right Hand

(Getty Images)

From Zack - Quick Thoughts

-- Surprisingly good game tonight by the Griz. Nice to get that first win on the road against the Pacers.
-- Conley started and looked poised on offense and defense. It was a very impressive starting debut.
-- A glimpse of the future Conley-Lowry PG combo was on display (I loved it), with Damon not playing at all and being in street clothes (I think). Which was odd since Lowry was reportedly under the weather.
-- Darko shot and made a right handed hook. Yes, you read that right.
-- Offensive rebounds kept Indiana in the game.
-- The offense was better, but the defense was even more improved. Held a Tinsley-less Pacers to 72 points on 30% shooting.
-- Pau, Gay, and Miller was the offensive force we need. 73 combined points.
-- In the end, Conley was clearly the story of the night.

MemphisX's View:

Well, it has been obvious to most that Michael Conley was the best point guard on the team since preseason and he did nothing to disappoint me. Once he gets the nuances of when to score down, he will become very dangerous. Also, the team will look a lot better once they get used to having a point guard that they can let initiate the offense at all times.

Pau Gasol benefited so much from not having to facilitate for others and just being able to concentrate on scoring the ball. Still needs to get tougher on the defensive boards but that is really not going to happen at this point. He was The Spaniard tonight and I will take it every time.

Rudy Gay also benefited from the better offensive flow and was even better as a play maker.

I have the same gripe with Mike Miller. Shoot more Mike, please. There are no bad shots for Mike Miller just bad drives. He should really concentrate on spotting up from deep now and let Conley run the pick and roll.

Darko played good individual, interior defense again on Jermaine O'Neal. I still think he needs to lose weight to improve his rebounding range.

Damon in a suit means his time in Memphis is about over and just like I predicted, there will be a major (starter) trade before the MLK game.

The bad: rest of the team looked like crap with the exception of Lowry who was sick.

MemphisX advice: Be in the forum early on Sunday (3 pm tipoff) because that Pau Gasol action figurine wil be a collector's item.

Opposing View

Click here to read the postgame comments from the great Pacers blog, Indy Cornrows. A sample:

Indy's freshly sworn-in mayor, Greg Ballard was a guest of the Pacers tonight. Of the many issues that carried him to an unexpected victory was his promise to address a festering crime problem in several areas around the city. (Okay, are you finished with all of your Pacers off-court behavior jokes? Can I continue with this post? Thank you.)

Maybe Mayor Ballard should start at the Fieldhouse, because the basketball malfeasance he witnessed tonight during the Pacers' 90-72 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies should not be tolerated by the citizenry. The premeditated assault and battery on the helpless rims at the Fieldhouse with utter disregard for basic basketball principles like ball and player movement, making the extra pass, or shooting within the flow of the offense should be considererd felonious acts. Back up the paddy wagon to the locker room because everyone in blue and gold went wilding on the precious game we revere.

Additional Getty Magic (taken from here, click to see other great photos)



ChipC3's Perspective:
-Memphis finally got a chance to see the future PG of the franchise and he looked real good. Mike Conley's performance against the Pacers rivaled the performance he put on during the pre-season. Too bad Conley can't play every game against backup PG's in Indianapolis. The 7 pt, 6 rebound, 8 assists and 3 steals were one heck of a coming out party in his first career start.

-Damon made an impact by his absence in two ways. First, suddenly, a team wasn't able to get into the lane with ease and Memphis' defense was much improved. I wonder if there is a connection? Second, Sitting at the end of the bench in a suit raised a lot of suspicion that a trade is in the works to me. Damon was inactive without any injury being reported so why else does a player go from starter to inactive?

-Pau Gasol wasn't double teamed by Indy. He punished the Pacers all night to the tune of 30 pts and 12 rebounds. Either that was the height of foolishness or Coach O (O'Brien that is) read the Grizzlies Message Board and figured Gasol wasn't any good anymore. Either way Gasol looked like a kid in a candy store (30 pts and 12 boards) and had a solid all around night. The only negative was missing that jump shot before half-time that could have given the Grizzlies the lead at halftime. Damn Spaniard can never be trusted to produce under pressure! Sure he carried the team on his back in the third period when it seemed no one else was scoring but Gasol but he still didn't hit that clutch shot in the closing seconds nor did he make a game winner. (that is satire by the way).

-The Grizzlies Big Three beat the entire Pacers team 73-72. Besides Gasol's 30, Rudy Gay scored 24 and Mike Miller chipped in 19 pts. That compensated for a bench that scored 5 points all night and looked terrible. Navarro may have played his worst game as a Grizzlies with 3 turnovers in only 8 minutes. Stro was terrible despite scoring all 5 of the bench points. Kyle Lowry may still be feeling the effects of the flu he had in San Antonio. The bench committed 8 of the 17 Grizzlies turnovers despite no one but Stro playing more than 14 minutes.

-Indiana threw Jermaine O'Neal, Ike Diogu and Jeff Foster at the Grizzlies but only scored 34 points in the paint. Was that because Andre Owens couldn't penetrate like Jamal Tinsley, Mike Conley was quick enough to cut off dribble penetration or the Ivory Towers were that effective on defense? Probably a combination of all three but forcing (or allowing) Indiana to shoot from the outside instead of getting into the paint was huge defensively in this game.

-The Grizzlies came out from halftime like a team on fire. I don't know if people realize it but Indiana scored 28 pts after halftime. 9 pts in the 4th quarter. The Grizzlies put up 28 pts in the third quarter alone.

-Is this the team Chris Wallace told us to be patient and wait to develop or was it a fluke? It is hard to not be cynical about this win honestly. Conley was in his hometown, Tinsley didn't play, the Grizzlies shot below 50% from the line, were outrebounded by 10 pts and committed 10 turnovers in the first half and only trailed by 1 pt! The Pacers continued to shoot from outside when the book says attack the middle against the Grizzlies.

I just didn't see Indiana attempt to score from inside that much so I believe it is more mirage than material. Still feels good to finally win at the Fieldhouse but the Grizzlies head to Boston for a different test. As good as this game makes Grizz fans feel it is a long year. The more important games are going to be Miami and the Lakers next week in Memphis. Stringing together some home wins against the likes of DWade and Kobe would go a long way in re-energizing the home crowds.

One suggestion Coach Iavaroni, let Mike Conley play in those games. The home fans deserve a chance to see him play in person.

Memphis at Indiana - 1.2.08

Memphis may be the happiest team in the league to see 2007 end. Riding a five game losing streak, 2nd longest in the league, and not being competitive in most of the games during that streak seemed a somewhat fitting end to a year that started with Tony Barone as coach and Pau Gasol asking for a trade. Not much went well in between either. Now the team has had some days off to recuperate and get focused on salvaging the 2nd half of the season. Rudy Gay has been struggling over the last 5 games hitting only 40% of his field goal attempts and a mere 52% from the line. Pau Gasol has been consistent only in failing to reach the level where people would be satisfied with his effort. Mike Miller failed to attempt a shot until midway through the 3rd quarter against San Antonio. Those are the Grizzlies top three scorers and explains why the team is struggling. Memphis needs to get their top players playing better as the role players feed off the big names. Mike Conley returns to his hometown in this game and could see significant minutes as he returns from his injured shoulder.

Indiana started the season 3-0 with a convincing rout of the Grizzlies in Memphis. Since that impressive start the team is 12-16 and struggling. Were the victories over Chicago, Miami and Memphis just fool's gold or what? One thing that should motivate Indiana in this game is that they have never lost to Memphis at home. Indiana is struggling with injuries and off court issues as Jamal Tinsley has been shot at outside a nightclub early one morning as well as suffering a hamstring injury. Jermaine O'Neal has missed 6 games this season do to injury and has dropped all the way down to third on the team in scoring. Leading the Pacers has been Danny Granger, who has developed into one of the league's best third year players which is saying a lot since that class included such players as Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Marvin Williams, and Mike Dunleavy who is not only leading the Pacers in scoring but providing the type of all-around excellence expected out of the former Duke star when he turned pro.

Trends
-- Indiana has lost 4 in a row.
-- Memphis has lost 5 in a row and 12 of their last 14.
-- Memphis has never won in Indiana.
-- Memphis averages 100 ppg, but has yet to crack 100 points in the last 6 games, and has averaged only 86.4 during the 5 game losing streak. On top of that, Memphis is 1-14 when scoring under 100 points.

Storyline of the Night -- Can the Grizzlies be competitive for 48 minutes?
During the last 3 games (all against divisional rivals), the Griz have not been competitive for long stretches of the game and almost seemed disinterested in playing. Most Memphis fans can't take much more of this putrid effort. Indiana has whipped the Grizzlies 3 times this year (twice in preseason, once in regular season). Another poor effort resulting in another double digit loss will only further the frustration of most fans.

Point of Emphasis for the Game -- Offensive production.
The Griz still seem to still be searching for an offensive identity. Success tonight will likely rest on the shoulders of the offense, not defense. Unfortunately, the offense may still be unsettled as another point guard (Conley) is now thrown into the mix fighting for minutes, which will probably lead to all 3 PG's splitting time evenly. I hope the offense doesn't suffer for it. Regardless, the Griz need to find some consistency on offense. 3-point shooting will need to be on tonight (calling Mike and JC). Assisted FG's will need to be plentiful (calling Damon, Kyle, and Micheal). Our offensive centerpieces will need to be efficient and forceful with the ball (calling Pau and Rudy).

Point Guards: Damon Stoudamire vs Andre Owens
Andre Owens has replaced Jamal Tinsley at the point for Indiana and has played sufficiently well. The 2nd yr player from the University of Houston has size (6-4) to shoot over Damon but has not looked to score much in the starting role which may not be a bad thing since he is shooting only 29% from the field. Damon has continued to hold onto the starting role with Memphis despite shooting below 40% from the field himself. His threat of the long range shot forces teams to think twice about doubling down on Gasol and Gay which neither Lowry nor Conley can do at this point.
Advantage: Memphis

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Mike Dunleavy
If there are two more similar players than Mike Miller and Mike Dunleavy in the league I can't think of who they are. Both players are deadly from the arc, grab more rebounds than you would expect and possess a high basketball IQ. However both players are also are suspect defensively, are rumored to disappear at crunch time and don't take enough shot attempts to be considered big time scores. Mike Miller has failed to hit double figure attempts in 3 of the last 5 games despite shooting 50% from the field and 43% from the arc. Dunleavy has only attempted 18 shots total in his last 3 games despite shooting 48% of his FG attempts and 43% from the arc. When great shooters don't shoot it makes it difficult for the offense to perform at a high level. Dunleavy has done well against Miller this season and he is at home.
Advantage: Indiana

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Danny Granger
Danny Granger and Rudy Gay should be a marquee match for years to come. Both players are under 25 years old and possess amazing skills and the workmanlike effort needed to become elite players. Rudy has become the leading scorer on the Grizzlies this season averaging 19.1 ppg but has struggled of late. One reason for his struggles has been his inability to stay out of foul trouble. Averaging 4 fouls a game in the last four games have made minutes difficult for Gay and that has affected other parts of his game. Granger also struggled with foul calls earlier in December but has seemed to iron out those difficulties of late. The match up is pretty even otherwise as both players possess range out to the 3 pt line, hit the boards for 5-6 rebounds a game, make defensive plays with both averaging over a steal per game and Granger also getting over a block a game. Rudy has played a lot of the PF position and he doesn't seem as comfortable in that role which may be affecting his confidence.
Advantage: Indiana

Power Forwards: Pau Gasol vs Jermaine O'Neal
Are their any more disappointing players in the league than Pau Gasol and Jermaine O'Neal. Both players demanded a trade in 2007 and neither player got what they asked for. Both players have new coaches leading the team and have struggled in the uptempo styles the coaches prefer. Both players have struggled with minor injuries early in the season that has slowed their absorption into the new system. Gasol seems to be picking up his role in the new system a bit as he has begun to put up consistently better numbers. Likewise O'Neal has begun to ring up numbers more consistent with expectations. The major difference between the two players would appear to be O'Neal's ability to bang with anyone and his defensive presence. In a battle such as this with both teams appearing even on paper (and both wanting to showcase their skills if a trade does occur) you have to expect the more physical player to control the action.
Advantage: Indiana

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Troy Murphy
The best battle between left handed centers people have seen so far this year. Okay it is the 1st game of the year but still two of the better outside shooting centers in the league battle here as Darko and Murphy face off. In a game seemingly even or close at every position Troy Murphy's superior rebounding and long range skill could make the difference. In many ways Murphy represents the type of player people hope Darko can become. He pounds the defensive boards to while spreading the court on offense with his long range shooting. Darko isn't as good a rebounder nor long range shooter but at 22 can still develop these skills. What he can't seem to do is get over a left thumb injury that makes it difficult to grab the ball be it on rebounds, passes or even taking shots. Defensively Darko is still learning how to make plays without picking up fouls but despite his 4 years of experience he is only 22 and hasn't played that many games. His upside could be greater than Murphy's but his present isn't there yet.
Advantage: Indiana

Benches: Memphis vs Indiana
Memphis' bench has been struggling to score of late. Kyle Lowry seems to be having difficulty adapting to the way teams are guarding him which entails playing off of him on the perimeter and surrounding him in the lane. While Kyle's outside shot is suspect he has to find a way to get more confidence in it or team's will simply clog the lanes preventing not only Lowry from driving but Gasol to operate in the lane. Juan Carlos Navarro continues to be a decent bench player but he obviously prefers starting averaging 16 ppg when starting compared to 7 ppg as a reserve. Stromile Swift is still one of the most perplexing players in the league seemingly looking fantastic in limited minutes but more minutes seems to result in the same statistics. It's as if Stro only plays hard for 18 minutes no matter how long he is on the court. Watch for Mike Conley to get on the court more in this game as the Pacers can't match his speed in the open court. Indiana's bench relies on former Memphis Tiger Shawn Williams to provide some punch as well as Ike Diogu and Marquis Daniels. These three players are erratic but can light up the scoreboard when they are on their game.
Advantage: Indiana

Grizzlies vs Detroit - 12.21.07

Memphis heads to Detroit with the glow of a last second victory in their eyes and the taste of their first win in a game decided by three points or less all season. I imagine that visions of sugarplums are dancing in their heads as well. They better wake up and get serious however because Detroit is downright scary (take it any way you want). Michael Conley should be cleared to practice with the team very soon (he said he was ready to go last night and was just waiting on the Doctors to inspect him to get cleared to play) but I don't expect for him to see the court anytime soon. Rudy Gay has established himself as a serious candidate for Most Improved Player in the league with that buzzer beating three point shot over Tim Duncan. The Grizzlies have won 2 of 3 games after a 6 game losing streak.

Detroit heads home with the glow of a last second victory in their eyes and the taste of the first visiting team victory in Boston all season. I imagine that visions of pick and rolls and hard fouls are dancing in their heads. They are the Pistons after all, home of the Bad Boys and the hardest working team in the NBA. Sugarplums just don't enter their minds even in dreams. Chauncey Billups was the man again as he faked Tony Allen into biting on a desperation three point shot, drew the foul and calmly sank the free throws to win the game. The Pistons are 8-2 in their last 10 games and a top the Central Division standings.

Zack's Corner - Q/A Time

Q: The Griz and Pistons just played 10 days ago. What has happened since then?
A: The Griz have went 2-2. They played probably their worst game of the season against the Clippers, but followed that up with their best 2 wins of the season against the Magic and Spurs. The Pistons have went 3-1, including their signature win of the season, beating the Celtics in Boston.

Q: Should Griz fans hope for a high or low scoring game?
A: There might not be a logical answer to this question. The Pistons are 11-0 when scoring over 100 points. The Grizzlies are 1-9 when scoring less than 100 points. I guess I'll go with a high scoring game.

Q: What went wrong in the last game?
A: Everything. Started out slow (37-22 in the 1st quarter). The Pistons backcourt totally dominated the Grizzlies backcourt. The Grizzlies couldn't force many turnovers on defense (leading to the Pistons having a 19-4 fastbreak point advantage) and wasn't getting many assisted FG's on offense.

Q: What should be the most important point of emphasis tonight?
A: The Grizzlies backcourt holding their own against Billups and Hamilton. Damon, Kyle, Navarro and Miller are the key players tonight.

Matchups

Point Guards: Damon Stoudamire vs Chauncey Billups
Damon has been playing some of the best basketball of his Memphis career. There is a not so subtle statistic to look for with Damon. He averages around 10 ppg in Grizzlies wins but only 6 ppg in losses. Chauncey Billups is having another solid season. He is 2nd on the Pistons in scoring, first in assists and steals but not hitting his shots at the same clip he has in the past. The last time these two met Billups had his way with Damon. If that happens again it will be a long night for the Grizzlies.
Advantage: Detroit

Shooting Guards: Juan Carlos Navarro vs Richard Hamilton
Juan Carlos Navarro can shoot. No big news there as the former MVP of the Spanish League has always been known as a scorer. Juan Carlos can play defense. Now that is something people weren't so sure about. After struggling early NAvarro has begun to pick up how to slow players down. Slowing down Hamilton is never easy as the man simply has an incredible amount of energy. Constantly in motion 'Rip' has been known to wear out opponents in the 1st half with the constant need to fight thru picks which Detroit sets liberally for their leading scorer. Mike Miller is more of a set shooter and his defense has been questioned. To keep up with Hamilton Navarro may have to sacrifice his offense. Size is also a problem as the 6-3 Navarro surrenders four inches to Hamilton.
Advantage: Detroit

Small Forwards: Mike Miller vs Tayshaun Prince
Tayshaun Prince's lanky body allows him to play surprisingly good defense without being outmatched physically. This will be a difficult match for Mike as Prince is sneaky good on offense as well. Prince is 3rd on the Pistons in scoring and hits 49.6% of his FG attempts. Mike has woken up is offense after a slow start of the season and is starting to pour in baskets in bunches but he is still a defensive weak point. Unlike Hamilton, Prince isn't a constant mover without the ball so possibly this will allow Miller to focus more on offense where he is needed.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Rasheed Wallace
Rasheed Wallace is one of the most difficult big men to play in the NBA. He leads the Pistons in rebounding at only 7.3 a game but adds 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks a game while hitting 39% of his 3 pt attempts. Rudy Gay however can match Wallace in height, perimeter agility, rebounding and defense while having a far better overall offensive game. Rudy will have to be aggressive however against a pretty good defender who will have the home court and experience advantage. A classic match up that should be worth the price of admission. While I doubt it will make the difference in the game, it should be fun to watch anyway.
Advantage: Memphis

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Antonio McDyes
Darko's return gives Memphis an extremely physical interior presence that the team desperately needs. Darko is returning to the scene of the crime in this game. Detroit is where he sat and watched as the Pistons played. Hopefully that will bring some extra incentive for the big Serbian. Antonio McDyes has been sick offensively this year hitting 56.8% of his FG attempts and he doesn't just try to dunk the ball. That percentage is made with 8-10 foot jump shots contested by some pretty big men. If Darko can avoid foul trouble he may just have enough emotion to overcome his numerous bumps and bruises.
Advantage: Detroit

Benches: Memphis vs Detroit
Detroit runs an 8 man rotation for the most part. The big three off the bench are Jason Maxiel, Jarvis Hayes and Ronald 'Flip' Murray. All three of these players average about 8 ppg. The new entry off the bench is Aaron Afflalo. The UCLA rookie has been earning time of late which allows Rip Hamilton a few minutes break each half. The rest of the Detroit bench plays less than 10 mpg and aren't expected to contribute unless the game is over. Memphis is settling into an 8 man rotation while Gasol is out raising questions as to what will happen when he returns. The newest Grizz, Jerome Richardson, should be in uniform for this game but it is doubtful he will see action. That leaves Kyle Lowry, Hakim Warrick and Stromile Swift as the main contributors off the bench. Jacobsen will see some action simply because Miller and Rudy can't play 48 minutes but not otherwise. There is a possiblity Pau Gasol will be active for this game and not wait until after Christmas as was originally reported in the paper.
Advantage: Detroit

Other Pre-game Sites/Relevant Commentary:
Need4Sheed.com
Pistons Nation Blog
Motoring
Detroit Bad Boys
Detroit News - Chris McCosky
Wages of Wins "Are the Pistons This Good"
Grizzlies.com