Grizzlies Roundtable Discussion

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


Memphis Grizzlies Media Roundtable

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

They Like Us! They REALLY Like US!

Quick hit:

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

1. 3 Shades of Blue — One of the best team blogs in the game, this is such a good daily read that it leaves you wondering just why some of more prominent teams in the league don’t have blogs that are nearly this good.

The crew behind this gem of a website offer daily analysis, news, polls, links (maybe the best blogroll out there); and if "daily analysis, news, polls, links" sounds like just about every other NBA site on the 'net … yeah, this isn’t like every other site. Give it a read, and compare and contrast.

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

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.

Links: Thank Goodness It's Friday Edition

Let's kick it off with CelticBlog's continuing series of nominating the best 5 players in each franchise's history: Runnin' Fives: Memphis Grizzlies. You'll find commentary from CelticBlog, as well as 3 Shades of Blue and Nation of Grizzlam as they discuss who they believe the best player is at each position in the Grizzlies brief history.

Yesterday, there was an interesting back-and-forth between Steve Kyler (Hoopsworld) and Chris Herrington (Beyond the Arc) after Kyler posted something stating that the Grizzlies were intent on shedding even more salary, going so far as to suggest that they were looking to trade Kyle Lowry and/or Javaris Crittenton for another player's rights that was overseas in an obvious cost-cutting move. After Herrington called Chris Wallace, who completely refuted the report without hesitation, and posted a rebuttal, Kyler posted a retraction of sorts. Things got a little heated, as Kyler even posted a comment on Herrington's 2nd post on the subject with his email address and a request to contact him. While this received some interest on the Grizzlies Fan Boards, I didn't feel it deserved a response from us at 3SoB, as it was obviously a poorly researched column that merely fed into what many media-types have been saying about the Grizzlies being in an extreme cost-cutting mode. The fact that Kyler wasn't aware that the New Jersey Nets could not trade Nenad Krstic without him being signed to another NBA contract is rather inexcusable from where I sit, given that I am a lowly fan blogger and he is purportedly a credentialed member of the established media. I'm tempted to give him our "Sam Smith Award" for blatantly making up things to stir up interest, but I think that Herrington has done a fine job of putting him in his proper place.

Lastly, we come to our "Blazer's Edge" section, as Dave has put up 4 quality posts recently that I give my highest recommendation:
Optipessirealism
Blogs and Credentials Part 1 and Part 2
Writing Nerds - A Conversation with Bethlehem Shoals

Blog of the Day: Ridiculous Upside - your source for the latest and greatest D-League news and commentary.

Grizzles vs Lakers: Chalk this up to Stu Jackson

I don't care how teams perform in Summer League games. I really don't.

Having said that I do hate to see the Grizzlies look bad on national TV (even if it is just NBATV. Being that the only game being televised this summer (and I am sure to write a blog about how disappointing that was later) is was a shame that our Baby Bears had to play their 3rd game in as many days against a Lakers team that was well-rested.

I don't know if Stu Jackson actually writes the summer league schedule but whoever it is that does write the schedules obviously has been in touch with Stu. How else can you explain three straight games (and a fourth consecutive game tonight) in a 5 game summer league format? It's not like the entire league is being shortened to 7 days or anything. The Las Vegas summer league runs from July 11th to July 20th but the Grizzlies finish their summer league participation on July 16th. 5 games in 6 days. That is ridiculously tiring for any player much less rookies just getting back into game shape after working on drills to prepare for the NBA draft over the last two months.

Right now traditional NBA whipping boys the LA Clippers and our Memphis Grizzlies are the only teams to have played 3 straight games. LA already lost rookie Eric Gordon to a hamstring pull and won't play Game 4 until the 16th (against the Grizzlies) before ending their summer league participation on the 17th. Coincidence? I don't think so. The more glamourous Lakers won't play game 3 until the 16th.

What difference does it make? Well summer league isn't about the whole team (sorry Ere, Tucker and Burtt to name a few players). It is about getting your high draft picks prepared for training camp. To get them up to speed on the offense and for the known players to spend time with the coaches. Guess which teams is getting more practice time to indoctrinate their rookies. Memphis' rookies are having everything thrown at them in 8 days from start to finish. The Lakers have the pre-tournament practices and then 10 days in Vegas to work on things.

Now I know I am tired and frustrated after watching the game and seeing our tired legs getting constantly beat down the court and failing to establish position but I think I have a point too. I hope this isn't a foreshadowing of the upcoming schedule from the NBA. The Grizzlies would probably play 60 games back to back with travel if the same idiot who wrote the Summer League schedule gets to write the real season schedule this season.

Addendum: Does ESPN ever get information correct about the Grizzlies? Here is an exerpt from their NBA coverage of last nights game:

The Grizzlies will play their fourth game in as many days on Monday as they play the San Antonio Spurs in the final game at Thomas & Mack.

They were so close to getting that information right. It isn't the Grizzlies last game (they play the Clippers on Wednesday night).

Sunday Night Party: It was a lot of fun seeing everyone at the Buffalo Wild Wings last night. About 20 people showed up including the 3 SOB crowd sans MemphisX (he doesn't like to be seen in public with the rest of us), Memphis Slim, HPTMatt, The NoG crowd of CircleK, Commodore 64, Zac and PMI (I suppose it isn't a shameless plug to promote NoG), NancyW, GrizzLifer, GrizzBoyd, Mr Wright and True Blue (with some beautiful friends by the way), the poster formerly known as Grizzman (who was barely recognizable after losing 70 pounds - Can you say Jarret) and of course the resident Grizzlies experts Chris Herrington and East Memphis Bob. It was frustrating the team didn't play better but the conversation was lively and interesting.

Darko Update: One conversation in particular made me think last night. Someone asked if Serbia was in the pre-Olympic basketball tournament. I said no because I didn't think they were. I now found an article that supports that contention: Pre-Olympic teams. Darko is playing on his national team this summer but in a Euro Cup qualifier not the Olympic qualifier. Hope that helps clear things up.

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.

Rumors, Rumors, Rumors

Your main sources for the latest and greatest rumors.

Ron Tillery: Draft Day Musings Includes talk of acquiring Michael Beasley and/or Josh Howard, trading down with Charlotte and the latest word on Marc Gasol.

Chris Herrington: Beyond the Arc Herrington's own proposal to get Beasley, who to pick at #5, who to trade with to move down from #5.

Message Boards: As always, these guys are far more creative than anything I could ever come up with on my own.

A Blogger Among Men

As I mentioned in the draft workout blog, yesterday I was an invited guest at the Grizzlies workouts with Omar Casspi, Devon Jefferson and Charles Rhodes.

I felt like a fish out of water. Like a child among men. I didn't exactly feel comfortable if you get my drift.

Here I was sitting next to Chris Herrington and Chris Vernon, just a few seats away from Ron Tillery, Jarvis Greer and a slew of other well-known journalists and media personalities watching these big, young men getting put through the ringers and thinking "what the heck am I doing here?" I write a blog after all. I am not in these guys league.

I have said many times that I don't really know how to judge talent coming out of college. Well in college at least they are playing the game of basketball. What these guys did looked more like some medieval torture drill or Navy Seal training exercises. What the heck can these people determine from watching someone running up and down the court dribbling a ball as fast as they can? How can they determine who is going to be able to play in the NBA this way? I can dribble the ball up and down the court and not lose control of it with either hand AND I CAN'T PLAY BASKETBALL!

I'm serious. I couldn't make my high school team. I did make the final cut once but these guys are supposed to be slightly better than that yet watching the drills I couldn't tell you who was better among the three men much less whether or not they could make it in the NBA. They were running from drill to drill, alternating from a rapid fire shooting exercise from the perimeter, to one on one 'contact drills' which was an understatement to say the least. Professional wrestlers don't make as much as much contact as these guys did.

And it never really slowed down. One drill ended and another began and I was trying to see something that would make me say 'AHA. That is what I want to see in someone trying to make the Grizzlies.' It never came. Sure I saw some incredible plays by all three of the players but whether that makes them more interesting than a Casey Jacobson or Andre Brown I have no clue.

It really is more art than science. Sure guys took measurements and kept times and supposedly the players took a psychological profile test earlier in the morning but Chris Wallace, Gene Bartow, Tony Barone Jr and Sr were watching these drills intensely. They weren't chatting with the media or talking on the phone. They were watching and looking for clues from how hard the players drove the ball to how hard they charged for a rebound to how many free throws they could hit and I have no idea what they are using as a comparison and how anything I saw could help them make a decision.

Then it got worse.

The workout ended and we were told the players were now available for interviews. What they heck was I going to ask Omar Casspi who plays in Israel? Chris Herrington asked if he had to complete his military service. I didn't know he had military service. Damn what should I ask? I just stood there like a slug on the sidewalk.

What was I doing here?

When Chris Wallace came out to field questions I suddenly found myself surrounded by cameras and microphones. Probably intelligently I stepped out of their way before I was run over. They asked Chris a number of questions about the recent comments from Heisley (Mr. Heisley is free to say what he wants but I am happy with the trade and believe the team got the best deal offered), how he thought the players did (all of them worked hard and showed us a lot. None of these players were being considered for the #5 pick but all could be taken in the draft) and the such.

It was very surreal.

I want to thank Chris Vernon, Chris Herrington, Chris Wallace and especially Dustin Krugel for helping as much as possible to make me feel welcome and at ease. It didn't help a lot but it was nice of them to try. I really am not sure I belong at these events. I have nothing to add. Maybe if MemphisX or Zack were there they could garner something from these workouts but I sure didn't.

Not that I won't be back on Monday watching Kevin Love, DeAndre Jordan, Joey Dorsey and Javale McGee battling it out. I may be a fish out of water but I'm not stupid after all!

Links: Conley at practice, Collins for Swift trade completed, Pete's Perspective, 20 Questions

According to Graham Kendrick, Mike Conley was at practice today and should play in tomorrow night's contest against the Milwaukee Bucks. That's good news as the team could really use his steadying influence right now.

The trade that sent Stromile Swift to the New Jersey Nets for F/C Jason Collins and cash considerations was completed today. Collins is known around the league as a solid defender, which has been one of the Grizzlies' major shortcomings this season.

Now that I'm over the shock of the Gasol trade and have begun to consider what it all means, I'll probably post something regarding my thoughts on it later in the week. You can be assured that when I do it will include a lot of references to this recent post from Pete Pranica.

Make sure you visit Beyond the Arc to read the 20 questions that Chris Herrington asks and answers regarding the trade and where the Grizzlies go from here.

Correlating Grizzlies Success

I've mentioned a few times in pregame write-ups, that since the Grizzlies are so bad at defense that they need to shoot well to win, and in particular 3-point shooting seems to be essential.

Of course, this issue hasn't gotten past Chris Herrington either. He has been bringing the topic up over and over again in his pre- and post-game analyses. In fact, this is what he wrote after the Warriors game:

The Overwhelming Importance of Three-Point Shooting
I’ve been hammering this all season, but perhaps no game this season has illustrated how much this Grizzlies team depends on three-point shooting than tonight’s did. The Grizzlies shot 9-29 (31%) from three on the game, which isn’t terrible on the surface, but also isn’t generally good enough. On the season, the team is now 5-4 when they hit 10 or more threes, 2-13 when they don’t.

And what’s so intimidating is that the Grizzlies don’t just have to be good from three to win. They have to be great. In losses this season, the Grizzlies have shot a respectable 37% as a team on threes, with 36% and 40% shooting, respectively, from Mike Miller and Juan Carlos Navarro. In wins, the team has shot 42% from three with 52% and 42% shooting from Miller and Navarro, respectively. Essentially, the Grizzlies are so bad defensively and, with Gasol either slumping or injured most of the season, so erratic in the post that they have to hit a lot of threes to score enough to win.

I think just about anyone that follows the Grizzlies will agree that this team lives by the 3 and dies by the 3. The biggest stat that jumps out to me is that the Griz are only 2-13 when not hitting 10 or more treys.

This observation caused me to dive a little deeper in an attempt to further back up the claim that Grizzlies success is correlated to 3-point shooting.

Here is the question I am going to investigate here:

What team statistics correlate with Grizzlies success?

To investigate this question, I correlate the Grizzlies eam statistics to point differential, using the game-log stats provided by stats.com. I am using point differential instead of merely win/loss because it lends itself to a statistical analysis better. And also, this post goes great with Chip's recent post about scoring efficiency and be on the lookout for yet another statistical based post by MemphisX on turnovers and points off of them.

What is the Correlation Coefficient?

The correlation coefficient relates the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables. The correlation coefficient ranges between -1 and 1. A coefficient of 0 (zero) indicates no correlation. 'Significant' correlation is usually defined to be between 0.5 and 1 (and of course -0.5 and -1). 'Moderate' correlation is usually defined to be between +/-0.3 and +/-0.5. For this exercise I am going to mostly concentrate on any statistical categories that fall into the 'significant' range since our sample size is a bit small.

It should also be noted though that correlation does not imply causation. I am not looking for a cause to why the Griz win or loss games, but rather just what statistical categories tend to correlate best with Grizzlies success.

As well as the correlation coefficient between two sets of data, I calculate the probability of getting the observed correlation by random chance when the true correlation is zero. For this number, the lower the better, and typically below 0.05 is considered improbable, which would then support the hypothesis that the two variables are 'significantly' correlated.

All in all there are many caveats to take into consideration when examining the correlation between two variables, but nonetheless let's move on. I leave the 'be skeptical' lecture to your statistics professor.

Results

I correlated most, if not all, the available team statistics to point differential for the 24 games played this year (that is up through the Golden State game). The usual suspects are there: points, made and attempted shots (FG, FT and 3), percentage for and against, rebounds, assists, turnovers, etc. Below is a table showing the results (correlation coefficient and probability of random chance) for these various categories.

The Obvious: Scoring More Points Helps

The two obvious categories that show a significant correlation to point differential are points scored and FG's made. Both points scored and FG's made have a correlation coefficient of approximately 0.56.

In short, the Grizzlies win more when the score more. Makes sense and it follows logically from the conventional wisdom that the Griz are always bad on defense, so to be competitive they must score a lot. Notice I said 'be competitive' and not 'win'. That is because I am correlating the game stats with point differential. So, in theory we could not have won a single game, but still show a significant correlation to a certain statistic.

Below are the two scatter plots of points scored and FG's made versus point differential. The red line is the linear least-squares fit between the data. Something to remember is that the correlation coefficient is describing the scatter of the data about that best fit line, not the slope of the line. A higher correlation coefficient means less scatter. Click the plots to see them in more detail.

FG%

When it comes to FG%, our opponents FG% shows more correlation (significant at -0.52) to point differential than Grizzlies FG% (which is only moderate at 0.43). This was interesting to me. Scoring more points correlates better to point differential than allowing less points (0.56 to -0.36). However, the opposite is true with FG%. Opponents FG% is more of an indicator of success (or lack thereof) than the Grizzlies FG%. Hmmm....

Not 3-Point Shooting?

As it turns out, 3-point percentage and 3-pointers made do not show a significant correlation to point differential. 3-point percentage has a correlation coefficient of only 0.23, which is only 'minor' while 3-pointers made shows a 'moderate' correlation at 0.34. I am surprised by this and thought the correlation would be higher. Here is the scatter plot of 3-pointers made versus point differential.

Why Micheal Conley May Make a Big Difference

We all know that Conley's best skill is his nifty passing. And as it turns out, the one stat that correlates the best to Grizzlies Success is assists. The correlation coefficient is 0.69 and the probability number shows that it is almost impossible that the result is because of random chance. I also correlated assists-to-FG's made (for you HPTMatt) and assists-to-turnovers to point differential. Both had correlation coefficients in the 0.6 range as well, but not quite as high as just plain assists. Here is the scatter plot of assists versus point differential.

Of course the converse is also true, when the other team has a lot of assists, we are more likely to have a bad point differential (-0.64 correlation coefficient).

Conclusions

Scoring in general seems to be the good indicator of success. Assists seem to be the best indicator of success and might mean more than 3-point shooting does, which wasn't initially what I thought would be the result buts makes perfect sense now. Other categories like rebounds and turnovers didn't show that much of a correlation to point differential, however we all know they also contribute to our success or lack thereof.

Emptying Zack's Notebook

I thought I should empty out some stuff from my Grizzlies Notebook since I am officially on suicide watch after my beloved Titans have fallen completely apart.

The Titans have been absolutely pathetic for 3 straight weeks now. After starting 6-2 on the back of a stout defense and putting themselves in the driver's seat for a wild card spot, they now sit at 6-5, need help to make the playoffs, and the defense all of a sudden is in shambles. This would be like the Grizzlies being 31-10 in January, sitting pretty in the playoff picture, and having the #1 defense in the NBA while holding opponents to under 80 points per game and 35% shooting. Then going on a 15 game losing streak where the average score is 60-140 (and the mainstream media then wrongly concludes that the sole reason is because Darko is hurt). Could you imagine the Grizzlies Messageboard if the Griz lost 15 in a row and look completely pathetic for all 15 games? So here are some random things out of my Grizzlies Notebook, posted either for therapeutic reasons, or to give one last Grizzlies-related post before I jump off the I-40 Bridge if the Titans manage to get their butts handed to them by the Texans on Sunday.

Wrong about Being Wrong

In our prediction post, I predicted Navarro would be #2 in Rookie of the Year voting and be the 6th Man of the Year (apparently forgetting about Manu the Argentinian Flopper). Then after the Seattle game and only 3 games into the season, I rambled on about if I was wrong saying Navarro would make a big impact in the NBA this year. Well, it seems I was premature in questioning my initial opinion. Navarro is going to do just fine this year in the NBA. Starting with JC's 28 point breakout performance against the Hornets (including 8-9 from downtown), La Bomba has recorded 4 double-digit scoring performances in the last 6 games. JC has even started 3 games with Darko sidelined.

Navarro has shown off more than his deadly 3-point touch too. He is finally getting his patented running floater to fall. He is making great passes off the screen and roll (highlighted by a sweet between the legs bounce pass to Hakim against the Sonics). He is playing pesky defense (more on that in a minute). He has shown ball handling and distribution skills that has caused a sizable group of Griz fans on the message board to clamor for JC to be the starting PG.

Obviously the biggest difference between the Navarro at the beginning of the season and the Navarro we see now is that his shot is falling. Some might say that is due to getting acclimated to the speed of the NBA game or whatever. I see it as a good reminder that the ability to make shots is the primary characteristic used when judging not only NBA players, but anyone playing basketball. I don't care if you are 4'6, 300 lbs and have a 1 inch vertical, if you can consistently make your shots, you will get picked to play in the local pick-up basketball game (which is why I made Chris Vernon my first pick a few weeks ago, causing the other players to question my sanity). This principle is also the reason why most Griz fans are against Casey Jacobsen seeing much playing time right now, he just can't seem to make a shot.

On Lowry and Navarro Giving up Outside Shots

Alot has been made about the Grizzlies poor defense (allowing 107 ppg and league worst 47% shooting percentage). One factor in that poor performance is having taller players simply shoot over Lowry and Navarro. I have noticed something else besides height being the reason why it seems a guard is always shooting over Kyle or JC.

When Kyle or JC's man does not have the ball, both players are concentrating more on help side defense than staying with their man. In Kyle case, not only is he looking to get his hand in on dribble drives and in the passing lanes, but he is making a conceded effort to help out on the defensive glass. Many times this year I have seen Kyle anticipate a shot and start to block out someone else's man. Then all of a sudden, there is an extra pass and his man has a wide open 3 point attempt. Kyle has great recover speed, but here is where the height plays a disadvantage. But in reality, he could be 6'8 and his man would still have had an open look because Kyle was busy thinking more about rebounding than staying close to his man.

In JC's case, he is mostly looking to get a sneaky steal. One of JC's more under-rated aspects of his game is craftiness on defense, particularly helpside defense. JC is quick to help out anyone and will not shy away from leaving his man in an attempt to get a steal. Remember that bogus foul called on Navarro in the opening Spurs game when he was standing still against Duncan? That play was the result of Navarro free-lancing in the man-to-man set and he ended up picking up Duncan after TD picked up the loose ball JC knocked loose when free-lancing. The next time you see a drive and kick or skip pass end up in the hands of someone being guarded by Kyle or JC, watch and see if either of them was free-lancing off of their man looking to get a steal or rebound.

Chris Herrington is Good

We might as well just have a stickied post at the top of this blog directing all Griz fans to Beyond the Arc. Herrington - the inspiration behind the obviously inferior Shades of Blue - is a must read after each Griz game, espicially after home games. His latest postgame entry is particularly good (and the word of the post was "modulated", which to a seismologist like myself describes the result of two sine waves of different frequency being superimposed...but I digress). Chris talks about the up and down play of Lowry and Gay against the Wizards, then relays the postgame "conversation" he and Kevin Cerritto had with Coach Iavaroni during the postgame press conference. It was a fascinating read. Seriously, go read it if you haven't already. The audio, via Wes at 730ESPN, is here if you would like to listen to it for yourself. Herrington also relays other interesting game tidbits, like the expletive shouted by Lowry after a pass to the front row, or the first unofficial banter between Iavaroni and someone in the crowd.

Lowry's Turnovers are Not a Big Deal Right Now

Herrington talked about Lowry's turnovers in his Wizards post game entry and if you read the game threads on the Grizzlies Messageboard, you'll notice fans are very concerned about Lowry's turnover rate. In fact, many vocal posters think Lowry's turnovers should dictate Iavaroni limiting the minutes he plays.

I want to talk a bit about why I think Griz fans should not focus so much on Lowry's turnovers right now.

Does Lowry need to work on decreasing his turnover rate? Sure, as does every other PG in the league. Lowry is averaging 2.6 turnovers per game. Kidd is averaging 4.2, Nash 4.1, Deron Williams 3.7, Paul 3.2, Baron Davis 2.75, Jameer Nelson 2.6, Devin Harris 2.6. You get my point, there is nothing alarming about his turnover rate.

And most people like to balance turnovers with assists when it comes to evaluating PG's. That is a valid approach, but usually the gripe about a turnover is that it gives the ball away without getting a shot attempt up. For that reason, I like to see how many steals and offensive rebounds a player has also, since those 2 statistical categories reflect times that a player took a possession away from the opponent. In that light, Lowry's turnover rate is minimized since he is one of the best offensive rebounding PG's in the NBA and at the very least is average when it comes to stealing the ball.

Most of Kyle's turnovers result from him trying to make something happen. Being the aggressor. Surely that is preferred over the turnovers being the result of being passive, being lost, or being outplayed by the other player.

Should we be expecting less turnovers from him? Probably not. Kyle has now played in only 23 NBA games. I doubt most fans usually expect rookie point guards to be mistake free. Especially considering Kyle's full-speed style. By the looks of things, Kyle is still learning how to play the game with different speeds. Most of the time he is stuck in 6th gear with the peddle shoved to the ground. A much more devastating consequence due to this all-out style is the increased risk of injury, not the occasional turnover.

One last point on this subject. Lowry has found consistent playing time (last few minutes of the 1st, all of the 2nd, last few minutes of the 3rd, and all of the 4th), but he has hardly found consistency when it comes to who is on the court with him. Lowry has played with at least 14 different lineup combinations for more than 5 minutes this season. Compare that to Damon, who has seen 95% of his playing time alongside Pau, Miller and Gay and has seen only 4 barely different lineup combinations span his playing time. It seems logical to me that a PG would have more turnovers when his time is spent playing with a dynamic set of teammates being subbed in and out, as opposed to a point guard playing exclusively with the starters and no one else (like Damon is).

The Grizzlies Miss Darko

I'm not for sure if this is a good or bad thing. But during every game that Darko has missed, I have written in my Grizzlies Notebook, "we miss Darko down low". Being serious, this is a testament to how much Darko has grown and evolved as a NBA player. But there is still a comedic value in discussing how much the Grizzlies miss Darko at center. A year ago, who would have ever guessed that in 07-08, some fan would turn to his buddy and say "we might make the playoffs if only Darko wasn't hurt". Get well soon Darko.

Which brings me back full circle. Even though the Grizzlies greatly miss Darko's defensive and rebounding presence down low, any losses suffered while he has been hurt is not because Darko didn't play. Just like the Titans misery is far from only being due to Fat Albert missing the last 3 games. And with or without Fat Albert, if the Titans don't get it together soon, I'm going to completely lose my mind.

Links: NBA Edition

Not much Grizzlies news today, but there are a few interesting NBA stories out there.

First up, Phoenix Suns head coach Mike D'Antoni is very displeased with the fans out in the desert. From Jerry Brown of the East Valley Tribune:

D’Antoni said he also wasn’t happy when the fans booed his team in the home opener when they were blitzed 119-98 by the Lakers.

“(I vented about the fans) because the fans deserved it,” said D’Antoni, a day after describing Tuesday’s crowd as “deader than we are” when his team struggled to put away the short-handed Knicks.

“If they’re going to boo us, hell, what’s the difference, I can boo them.“(Tuesday), they didn’t come ready. You have to come every game, you have to bring it … and they didn’t bring it. There was no atmosphere. Everybody — us, them — was just kind of down and blah and there’s not reason to be.”

Wow.....can you imagine what would happen if Marc Iavaroni said that to the fans of Memphis? I don't even want to contemplate it fully, to be honest.

The Grizzlies are playing the New Orleans Hornets tomorrow night. The Hornets are led by Chris Paul, who was the 4th pick in the 2004 draft, behind Utah Jazz PG Deron Williams. Dave Berri has another interesting comparison between these inextricably linked young PG's over on Wages of Wins. This is his 3rd post on these two great young players and they just keep getting better and better in my humble opinion.

Ok, one bit of Grizzlies news -- Chris Herrington has his Post-game Three-Pointer up for last night's loss to Milwaukee. As usual, Herrington has been reading my game notes from over my left shoulder -- quality stuff as always.

And one more -- the guys at Beale Stree Beat have a recap of last night's game as well.

Links: Recaps, Rudy Rising, All-Star Ballot

Chris Herrington give a bigger than normal postgame recap over at Beyond the Arc. He recognizes just what the Ivory Towers (I told Chip we should have gotten a copyright on that name!) did to one of the best defensive frontcourts in the NBA last night.

Here are a few more recaps of last night's win over the Houston Rockets:

Houston Chronicle

Bay News 9

SportsNet2

Now, to the good stuff. Rudy Gay completely emasculates Luis Scola and drops a bomb on him, as well as Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo -- but you can call him Deke.



Now that you've watched that video 5 or 6 times, go over to Hardwood Paroxysm to read their incredulous reactions to what transpired last night. Be forewarned, it isn't for the weak of heart.

Our final note of the day is to inform you that the All-Star Ballots have been finalized. The Grizzlies tallied three players as eligible (you have to cast a write-in vote for the others): Rudy Gay (F), Mike Miller (F), Pau Gasol (C). Once the voting begins, we'll have an easily accessible link as a daily reminder to vote for your favorite Grizzlies.

Links: Gasol to Chicago?, Gasol defends Garbajosa, 5 Games In, Utah Recaps

Well, all it took was a slow, injury-fueled start for Pau Gasol and a train wreck beginning for the Chicago Bulls for the "Gasol to Chicago" rumor mill to start up again......in Chicago. This time it is John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times who thinks that the Grizzlies will be willing to part with their best low-post option so that he can be the only low-post option in Chicago. Although he admits that there is nothing out of Memphis to suggest that Gasol is available, he throws out his own trade scenario that seems straight out off a message board post:

So what would it take to make a deal? If I'm Paxson, Luol Deng still is an untouchable and so is Gordon in this scenario. I'd put together a package built around Tyrus Thomas, a younger, much cheaper player who could spark some fan interest in Memphis. An offer of Thomas, Andres Nocioni, another player and a pick might get a deal done under the right circumstances.

If Chris Wallace takes that deal, it would be wise for him to not return to Memphis. Fortunately, I've met Chris and talked with him and can assure all of you that he's not Kevin McHale, Isiah Thomas or Mitch Kupchak -- he won't trade away his best player for pennies on the dollar. So once again, this is Chicago futilely hoping for a handout to solve their woes. We're not in a charitable mood right now though.

In other Gasol-related news, he is making waves with overseas comments again -- this time by defending what he perceives to be unfair treatment of Spanish teammate Jorge Garbajosa. From Yahoo! Sports:

"It's surprising and unexpected, (Garbajosa's) situation," the Memphis Grizzlies forward wrote in his weekly column in Spanish newspaper Marca.
"There's something strange going on because Jorge says that he feels fine. I think that for all the things he did in the summer and his desire to play in the national team at the EuroBasket, the Raptors have a bit of a grudge."

After fighting through a lot of red tape to be able to compete in international tournament play this summer after a serious ankle injury in the spring, Garbajosa feels that he's being ostracized for his commitment to his national team -- something that Gasol has felt the sting of as well.

Coach Sam Mitchell said the forward "just (has) to get his confidence back and his timing back."
However, Garbajosa hit back.
"That's his opinion," he said. "He is the coach ... physically I'm great. I have all the confidence in myself. So what can I do?"
Through six games so far, the 6-9 Garbajosa has played an average of less than seven minutes.
In Friday's 105-103 win over Philadelphia, Mitchell elected not to play Garbajosa at all.

Given that the NBA has language that specifically prohibits teams from stopping their players from playing for their national teams, I wouldn't be surprised to see someone from the NBA's front office step in behind the scenes to smooth this over so that it doesn't become front page news.

Over on Beyond the Arc, Chris Herrington has a great post about what we've learned five games into the season. Chris echoes a lot of the thoughts and expectations you've read on this blog, although he is still holding onto more hope (possibility of 40 wins?) than this humble blogger will allow himself to. It's a great read and I highly recommend it.

The crew here at 3 Shades of Blue was in no mood to reflect on the massacre that took place on Saturday night, so we'll turn the recap over to others who were less affected by the beatdown:

Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune has a nice take on Iavaroni's return to Utah to face his former coach, Jerry Sloan..

The Sports Network provides their own recap of the carnage that occurred in Utah, as well.

Postgame: Memphis at Seattle 11.07.07

First Times

--The Memphis Grizzlies got their first 2007 regular season win by beating the Sonics 105 to 98. Congrats.
--Coach Marc Iavaroni got his first regular season NBA win last night. Congrats.
--Micheal Conley saw his first regular season action in the NBA last night. Congrats. Conley came in during the second quarter and played about 8 minutes. I suspect this will be the norm in the near future.

From Seattle's Perspective

After some Griz games I would like to highlight what is being said in the opposing city. I'm sure every Griz fan that reads this blog, also reads the Commercial Appeal's coverage of the Grizzlies (Tillery's recap is here). Below are some snippets from the Seattle media...

Jayda Evans at the Seattle Times wrote,

He was told no one on Memphis' team could guard him.

Not that it gave Sonics rookie Kevin Durant any false confidence, but it did make those 14 misses sting a little more. Especially because some were against the player who spoke the words, second-year Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay.

Eric D. Williams at the News Tribune wrote,

Seattle fights mightily in the fourth quarter, but ultimately can’t make enough plays to close out a win.

Memphis must have studied the script while waiting for Seattle to return from back-to-back games in Los Angeles and Sacramento. The Grizzlies followed the plot line to perfection in defeating Seattle, 105-98, Wednesday night in front of an announced crowd of 10,761.

The game was in question with 20 seconds left, but Memphis guard Kyle Lowry put the contest out of reach by nailing a 3-pointer from the wing, pushing Seattle a game closer to some unwanted franchise history.

Gary Washburn at the SeattlePI wrote,

After the shot fell through the hoop, Wilcox slammed the ball into the basket support, a testament to the team's frustration.

To no one's surprise, the Sonics, winless in their first five games, were unable to hold a 65-51 third-quarter lead. But what was surprising was how quickly the lead disintegrated and turned into a sizable deficit.

Earl Watson's jumper gave the Sonics the 14-point lead with 9:25 left in the period. And by the time Lowry completed a three-point play with 5.9 seconds left in the period, Memphis owned an 87-81 lead. The Grizzlies went on a 36-16 run in just over nine minutes, adding to the list of runs against the Sonics this season.

Random Thoughts From a Sleep Deprived Graduate Student

--I think the Griz will make the playoffs. Bethlehem Shoals thinks the Griz will make the playoffs. But is making the playoffs good for the Grizzlies? From a business standpoint in the short-term, yes. Memphis fans are more likely to go watch a team playing for or in the playoffs than a team destined to be in the lottery. But in the long term, the answer is likely no. As new SoB, MemphisX, pointed out, we have a talent gap. This year's draft looks to be talented and deep. We could sure use any of the stud's likely to go in the top 10. Plus, if we finish as one of the top 10 teams in the league, we lose our 1st round pick to the Wizards in the Juan Carlos Navarro trade. However, it will not be fun to see Memphis relying on more high draft picks to develop. The more sensible way to acquire more talent is likely through trades. But getting back to the question of is it good for the Grizzlies to make the playoffs. Probably. Although it is probably best for the Grizzlies to show dramatic improvement, be as good as a playoff team and barely miss the playoffs due to great play by other Western Conference teams.

--I might be wrong about JC Navarro. There is no way he is in contention for 6th man of the year. He might not be in contention for 10th man of the year. JC hasn't shot well from beyond the arc, and has yet to make a shot inside the 3 point line this year as well, missing on all of his patented 'La Bomba' running floater in the lane. Between JC and Casey, we expect pinpiont 3 point shooting. We haven't gotten it. We aren't paying these guys to play defense, they need to start earning their money by being sharp shooters.

--No, Chris Herrington, I don't think it is too early to call Darko the best center in Grizzlies history. At least not from me. He has officially beat out Lorenzen and Jake for that honor already. Darko has really impressed me in the first three games of the season. My biggest complaint surrounding Darko is the inability of the rest of the team to get him the ball in the post when he has his man buried under the basket. Darko might not have shown great touch around the basket, but he has shown an ability to get great position on the block. I want to see our guards and espicially the bigman in the high post to do a better job of getting Darko the ball when he has his man pinned.

Pregame: Memphis at Seattle - 11.7.07

Pregame commentary for the 11.07.07 Memphis at Seattle game, by ChipC3 and Zack. Leave your predictions for the final score in the comments.

Memphis has started the season with back to back home losses. Not an encouraging beginning to the season but the Grizzlies were in contention in both games and both the Spurs (3-0) and Indiana (3-0) are undefeated this season so the losses aren't as catastrophic as they could be. A few bounces going the other way or a few less offensive charging fouls and the record could be very different. The Seattle game opens a tough 3 games in 4 days road trip. It is not critical yet for the team to get a win but it would make everyone feel better.

Seattle has struggled so far this season as well. Their 0-4 mark includes strong efforts against Phoenix (who is struggling right now as well) and Sacramento, but were blown out at Denver and at the Clippers. Kevin Durant seems to be the real deal despite the losses as he is averaging 22.5 ppg and 5 rpg. However he is shooting only 40% from the field and 30% from the arc so he isn't very efficient in getting his points. Chris Wilcox is coming into his own as he is averaging 18.5 ppg and 9.5 rpg so far. Seattle is playing at home on Tuesday night against Sacramento so fatigue may be an issue. With a possible move lingering over the franchise it will be interesting to see if the fans are supportive or bitter at this game.

Trends:

--Small ball. It's no secret that Iavaroni has not hesitated to go small so far this season. Two examples of pushing the use of the small lineups; Mike Miller playing PF against the Pacers and a Lowry-Damon backcourt to close out the first half of each game.
--Damien Wilkins is excited. Manu scored 30, had 5 boards and 7 dimes. Dunleavy had 27, 8, and 4. Needless to say, opposing SG's are playing well against the Griz this season.
--Careless basketball. The Grizzlies and Sonics are last and second-to-last, respectively, in the NBA in turnovers committed. In 5 games, they have combined to commit a total of 100 turnovers, compared to 72 for the opposition.

Storylines:

--Iavaroni looking for his first win. On paper at least, this game is Coach Iavaroni's best chance to collect his first every regular season NBA win.
--Griz fans get to watch what could have been. May 22nd, 2007 will haunt Griz fans everytime they see Kevin Durant play.
--Will the Sonics follow the Grizzlies lead in leaving the Pacific Northwest? New owner Clay Bennett wants to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City. With the ex-Vancouver Grizzlies coming to town less than a week since the official announcement of intent to move, you can be sure the similarities between the two teams will be written/talked about plenty.

Keys:

--Get Pau more involved. Although Pau is leading the team in field goals attempted, he hasn't necessarily been the focal point on offense like in the past. Normally, I'm all for a balance when it comes to offensive focus, but Gasol has historically killed the Sonics and it may be a good time to let Gasol do his thing more often this game.
--Keep teams from shooting a high percentage from the outside. Although sometimes I don't act like it, I'm not an official basketball coach. So however Iavaroni goes about it, something has to be done to keep the opposing teams from shooting so well from the outside. My suggestion... Quit being so passive against the pick-and-roll. But what do I know?
--Continue to learn how to play together as a team. Ok, this might not be a key to victory in this particular game, but for the Griz to have more victories in the future, the team must continue to improve the on court chemistry. Win or lose, it needs to be within the umbrella of playing as a one unit, not a collection of individuals.

Matchups:

Damon Stoudamire vs Earl Watson: Memphis should have interest in this match up as former Grizzly Earl Watson matches up against Damon. Earl is not a super fast PG nor will he have a size advantage which means Damon should have a chance to shine. So far this season Damon has been erratic with his shot and has not been impressive defensively or as an assist man. His leadership may be greater at this stage than Lowry's but obviously Lowry is the main man. Likewise, Watson may be starting but Delonte West, in only 19 mpg, is averaging more points while shooting more efficiently. His assists lag Watson's but one has to wonder how long West will remain behind Watson.
Advantage: Memphis

Mike Miller vs Damien Wilkins: Damien Wilkins realizes his time as a starter is not going to be long. With Kevin Durant and Jeff Green waiting to take over the team Wilkins's role is to teach the rookies professionalism and the NBA game. In the meantime, Wilkins seems very interested in showing the rest of the league he belongs on a team in a prominent role. The son of Gerald and nephew of Dominique Wilkins, Damien is averaging 16.5 ppg and hitting an amazing 62% from the arc. Miller took a back seat to superstars on the Team USA this summer. He has yet to reclaim that role of dominant scorer since returning. Memphis needs Miller to look for his shot and stretch defenses with his range. So far Miller is leading the team in assists (6.0 per game) and rebounds (10 per game) but is only scoring 12.5 per game and he needs to be more aggressive.
Advantage: Memphis

Rudy Gay vs Kevin Durant: This is the marquee match up of the game. Kevin Durant was the #2 pick in last summer's draft and has shown no intention of holding back his shooting despite his early season ineffectiveness. At 6-10 and capable of hitting any shot on the floor he will be a defensive nightmare for any player in the league. Rudy is the Grizzlies best perimeter defender and at 6-9 he has the ability to alter his shot. Durant and Rudy should be fascinating to watch if the referees stay out of the way. Against Indiana Rudy was given 4 offensive fouls and was called for a questionable charging foul in the Spurs game as well. This time the rookie will be guarding Rudy. The big difference is Durant seems to realize he is the best option on the team while Rudy seems hesitant to take that role.
Advantage: Seattle

Pau Gasol vs Chris Wilcox: The battle of the bigs matches brute force against coached skill. Wilcox is a beast willing to use any intimidation factor he can call on to gain an advantage. A ferocious dunker and determined rebounder, Wilcox embodies everything people want more of from Gasol. So far Gasol has seemed tentative and while putting up acceptable numbers he hasn't been the focal point of the offense yet. Perhaps this has to do with Iavaroni's style or being unsure of his role in the new system but Memphis needs more from Gasol if the team wants to win games. I thought about giving Wilcox the edge because of his physical nature but Damon Agnos at Seattle Weekly reminded me of how often Gasol dominates Seattle.
Advantage: Memphis

Darko Milicic vs Nick Collison: Darko is a stronger and bigger center than Memphis has ever had. Collison is more of what Memphis was used to seeing in the middle when Lorenzen Wright manned the post. He works hard and is willing to sacrifice himself for the team. He is just outmatched physically under the basket. Darko is starting to get comfortable in the post with his new team and has been very effective when avoiding foul calls. Neither players will be expected to score a lot for their team. This match up will come down to who get the most rebounds. Darko's height should give him the edge but Collison is at home and Darko has yet to avoid early foul trouble.
Advantage: Seattle

Benches: Memphis was probably surprised to see back to back teams come in with benches every bit as capable as their own. Memphis' depth is supposed to be one of their strengths but so far new players Juan Carlos Navarro and Casey Jacobsen have struggled with their shots and being terrible on defense while Stro and Hak haven't found their rhythm. The one true bright spot off the bench has been Kyle Lowry who's defense and attacking style have helped elevate the backups to perform better as a unit than individually. Seattle's bench is a combination of developmental players like Johan Petro and Jeff Green with veterans like Wally Szczerbiak and Luke Ridnour. Delonte West has emulated Kyle Lowry providing a spark off the bench as well. Szczerbiak hasn't found his shot yet and Ridnour has been battling an injury
Advantage: Memphis

Coaches: PJ Carlisimo doesn't have a stranglehold on this team yet (I am sorry I couldn't resist saying that). His team couldn't get their breath in Denver (bad pun) and choked against Phoenix (I promise to quit now) before the weak effort against the Clippers. Carlisimo is experienced as a bench coach but struggled in the head coaches chair in the past. This team will try his patience after year's on San Antonio's bench but he does get players respect for what he has accomplished. Iavaroni seems to be playing favorites with his signees getting PT (Darko, Navarro and Jacobsen) while holdovers Tarence Kinsey and Brian Cardinal have yet to be activated for a game. Eventually Iavaroni will either have to improve his players performances or activate these former good role players. He's a rookie Head Coach but he seems to have already fallen into a trap with the players.
Advantage: Seattle

Other Game Previews:

--Check out the game preview written by Damon Agnos at the Buzzer Beater blog in the Seattle Weekly. Particularly you should read his take on the epic Wally vs Miller matchup.
--As always, go read Chris Herrington's Pre-Game Three-Pointer.
--To prepare Sonics fans for tonight's game, Kevin Pelton, at Sonics Beat, has 5 questions for Chris Herrington about the Griz in his Opposing View column. Great stuff, go read it.
--Grizzlies.com game preview.
--USA Today's game preview.

Links: Game Review, Media Guide, D-Wash

Chris Herrington delivers again with a quality post game review on Beyond the Arc.

SLAM Online had some fun at the expense of the Memphis Grizzlies media guide cover art They picked on the T'Wolves guide, too.

Lastly, there was a nice article about Darius Washington's return to Memphis on MySanAntonio.com.

Houston Recap and Notes of Interest

I, for one, had a lot of fun at the game last night as the Grizzlies knocked off the Rockets for the second night in a row by a score of 96-90. Starters for the Grizzlies: Damon Stoudamire, Tarence Kinsey (a TK sighting!), Rudy Gay, Stromile Swift and Darko Milicic. Three of those guys will be starting on Opening Night. I'll let you figure out which three. I'll give you a hint: Damon Stoudamire will be one of them. Sorry Conley/Lowry superfans.

I enjoyed the game from a seat close enough to hear Bonzi Wells say "Wouldn't be me if I didn't get a tech" after receiving a technical foul for trash talking while attempting to guard Casey Jacobsen. Oh, yeah, the "Bonzi Ban" was lifted with 2:28 left in the 1st quarter.

Here are my thoughts on the game:

Tarence Kinsey can still play. He didn't forget how to play solid defense or knock down mid-range jumpers in the offseason. In fact, although it was just one game, he had a better all-around game than either Navarro or Jacobsen have experienced through the preseason. I can see him getting some quality minutes -- especially as a defensive stopper off the bench.

Damon Stoudamire looked like a starter last night. He posted 11 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals against the Rockets in 19 minutes. Mighty Mouse made great decisions in running the offense and actually played above average defense on rookie Aaron Brooks. Having seen him up close, I agree with Marc Iavaroni's decision to name him starter for Opening Night.

Rudy Gay really does have that potential that Jerry West indicated when he traded Shane Battier away to acquire him on draft night last summer. And......he's starting to fulfill it. He had one play that will go down as a simple goaltending in the stat sheets that was a statement, nay a declaration of his emergence. He swatted a ball that was near the top of the backboard.....simply because he could. He then stared down Stromile Swift, who had a similar block last night, and I read his lips to say "Good enough?". Rudy is developing an attitude -- you know, the one thing that scouts said he was lacking when he went from surefire #1 overall pick at the end of his freshman season at UConn to #8 pick after his sophmore year, landing in Memphis as a result. The rest of the league should be worried about this development.

Hakim Warrick is a tremendously talented offensive player. He can score in a variety of ways from a number of angles. He rebounds at a fairly reasonable level. Now he needs to learn how to do other things that make for a good basketball player: passing, dribbling, defending. Chip and I kept track of how many times he passed in the game. I counted once, he never saw any. I know it is just preseason, but he had the same problem last year. I don't say this to be unfairly critical of Hak, but because I want him to be a successful part of this team -- and the team needs him to be a more well-rounded player.

Andre Brown might be a guy who is best described as "just happy to be here", but he brings hustle, energy and grit off the bench, so I'm glad to have him on the roster. He could shoot less often for my taste (especially since his free-throw shooting is abysmal), but it is still preseason, so I'll chalk it up to him displaying what he's capable of to the coaching staff. He's definitely willing to mix it up in the paint and fight for rebounds and loose balls, which will surely have some value this season.

Stromile Swift continues to look like he's motivated this season. I don't know if it is the new coaching staff, the fact that he can opt out of his contract at the end of the season, or something we haven't even considered, but there is a noticeable change in his on-court demeanor this year. I hope that he can keep it up all season long.

Michael Conley....looked like a rookie PG last night. He was the fastest guy on the court, even blowing by Aaron Brooks on one transition play, but that extra gear also got him into trouble, as he made a few bad decisions because he was in a rush. Once again, he showed flashes of the player that is going to terrorize the league for the next decade, but his consistency level isn't there yet, nor do I expect it to be for quite some time. No shame in that, as most rookies, especially PG's, take time to adjust to the NBA game. He has to be 3rd on the depth chart right now -- for his own good as much as anything else.

Juan Carlos Navarro looked a little off last night, which could be explained by the fact that this was his first back-to-back experience in the NBA -- with travel, no less. He never really got his offensive game going and struggled to stay in front of quick guards Luther Head, John Lucas and Aaron Brooks. He appeared to bang his elbow on the floor in the 4th quarter, but I've been unable to find any information about his status. Likewise, there hasn't been an update on Pau Gasol, although it was clear to us that he was walking without any discernible limp last night. Maybe we'll get some news later today.

Darko Milicic was still suffering from "flu-like symptoms" and only played in the first half again, but he managed to block 3 shots in 20 minutes, providing an intimidating presence in the paint. His rebounding wasn't to the same level we saw the night before, but there weren't that many missed shots, as the teams shot a combined 47% in the first half, including 63% from beyond the arc. Darko might not start on Opening Night, but he provides the Grizzlies with the ability to do so much from the high post (expect a post on that later this week) and possesses such a big, athletic body that I cannot see him not getting quality minutes throughout this season.

Casey Jacobsen didn't set the world on fire in playing 30 minutes last night, but he didn't allow his man (either Bonzi or Steve Novak) to go nuts either, so I'd call it a wash for the night. CJ seemed to enjoy the verbal sparring with Bonzi, as Wells repeatedly told him "you can't stop me", but Casey did a decent job on him all night. CJ will never be mistaken for Ron Artest or Ben Wallace on defense, but he's not a sieve either. On Tuesday night, the Rockets' broadcast team made several mentions of how hard he was working, hustling on every play and just generall being a solid gamer.

Kyle Lowry didn't drop another triple-double on the Rockets, but he did show that he is the obvious choice as the primary backup to Damon for the next few weeks, at the very least. His bulldog-like tenacity garnered him 3 fouls in only 13 minutes, but I don't think he was intended to play much after logging 44 minutes the previous night. Can't wait to see him when the games actually mean something. He changes the dynamics of the game when he enters the fray.

Last night was our first ever Shades of Blue: Blog Party. It was a resounding success!

Chris Herrington from the Memphis Flyer dropped by and we discussed several aspects of this intriguing Grizzlies team. There was also......ummmm.......well, Chip was there........and........uhhhh........I was there. Did I mention Chris Herrington was there? Well, I guess you could say that all the fans of our writing were there then. Ok, so it was the three of us and I think Chris just dropped by to get away from the allegedly horrific offering in the media room. I've never actually eaten the food they give to the members of the media, but I have hear many, many horror stories about it. *shudder* Herrington didn't let the poor showing for our Blog Party affect his ability to write, as he provided a running Live Blog over on Beyond the Arc -- always a treat for those who don't get to view the game live. Thanks for dropping by and chatting with us Chris -- it was greatly appreciated.

Links: SLAM, Dime Magazine, Battier speaks, Picking up options, Live Blog, Reminder

I listed a lot of previews yesterday and over the past few weeks as well. I think the one done by SLAM Online takes the prize as best of the best though. Rather than just assuming they know about the Grizzlies, Aggrey Sam actually does know about them. He displays a keen insight into the team and makes valid, well-thought-out conclusions based on observation. Either that, or he's been probing my mind while I sleep. Example:

Then there’s the underappreciate, albeit underskilled, Brian “The Custodian” Cardinal, who should be a steady veteran influence on the young squad.

That's the kind of thing I have yet to see on any other preview, outside of our own work here on Shades of Blue. Nice work, indeed.

Dime Magazine gave some much-deserved props to Kyle Lowry for his big performance last night in Houston.

There were two Commercial Appeal articles of note, too.

The first is an interview with former Grizzly Shane Battier that gets his thoughts on the current roster in Memphis. He didn't shy away from praising former teammate Pau Gasol:
Battier said having Gasol healthy -- physically and mentally -- catapults the Griz into a team to be reckoned with despite its overall youth.

"Pau is a lot more mentally stronger than most people give him credit for," Battier said. "I played with him for five years, and he's a tough guy who really wants to win.
"He wants to do the right thing. He wants to be a leader. He wants to be the guy for the team. He's worked really hard to get to that point and erase the memories of last year."

As always, Shane comes across as the ultimate class act that he is.

The second article is a bit of business news, as the Grizzlies picked up the options on a few young players: Kyle Lowry, Hakim Warrick and Rudy Gay. Good to see that we'll be keeping these guys around for a little bit longer.

Chris Herrington promises to Live Blog tonight on Beyond the Arc, so I don't feel too bad about being at the game and leaving all of you without my commentary and insights. He also has a nice recap of last night's game, so go check it out.

Finally, don't forget about our first ever Shades of Blue Blog Party, as we take over the back half of Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Restaurant inside FedEx Forum. Drop by and say hi. We won't bite.

Herrington's Practice Notes

Go over to Beyond the Arc and read Chris Herrington's training camp notes on what he saw at today's practice. Unlike in the past, the team is actually showing the media legit practice time instead of just free throws. As usual, Herrington is a must read for Griz fans. Herrington mentions that Conley looked great. Navarro looked a little weak. Rudy looked like Rudy. Darko looked disinterested during team huddles. And a high-five tweaked Stro's finger.