Links: Offseason Rolls Along

Great interview with Marc Gasol as he prepared to kick off the Olympics. I've really been impressed with his defensive ability so far and hope that he can be a solid contributor for the Grizzlies.

Be sure to read HoopsAddict.com's interview with Josh Smith in the aftermath of Atlanta matching the offer sheet he signed with the Grizzlies. He talks about why he was interested in coming to Memphis and was willing to sign with them.

Floor Burn Tournament: Round Two: Even though Kyle Lowry came up short against Mark "Mad Dog" Madsen last week, there are still a lot of interesting matchups to vote on, so go over there and click away.

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah fans are gauging interest in acquiring Darko Milicic as a backup center.

Memphis Flyer: Frank Murtaugh links Elvis songs to Memphis sports in honor of Elvis week here in Memphis.

Over on HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler continues to ride the Backtrack Express in the wake of his poorly conceived column from last week. Somebody please tell him to just leave it alone already. What's done is done. I'd hate to for hem to have to let Chris Herrington out of his cage again to deal with him. That could get ugly quick.

Courant.com: Rudy Gay spends time in Conneticut at Jim Calhoun's basketball camp and talks about life in the NBA. He also won the MVP of the charity game.

Stay tuned for a few announcements about some changes coming to the blog later this week.

Links: Counting Down to the Draft

We participated in the Mock Draft being hosted by Ridiculous Upside today. You can click over there to find out who we selected at #5 after Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo and Eric Gordon went off the board in the first four picks. Also, check back on their site later this week to see who we take at #28.

DraftExpress has the details on who is in and who is out for the draft.

One of the players that is in, despite a knee injury, is Kansas State's Bill Walker, who the Grizzlies are reported to have some interest in. The Pistons (29th pick) are also said to be high on Walker.

Catching up with Mike Miller about the Grizzlies, Team USA and basketball clinics.

For a fantastic look at bloggers vs. traditional media on the issue of objectivity, head over to the Portland Tribune to see what Dwight Jaynes has to say about it.

Mike Kahn (FoxSports.com) says that former Grizzlies big man Pau Gasol is "in a much better place now".

Blog of the day: Eric Musselman's Basketball Blog

Rudy Gay: Next in Line

TheDay.com (Connecticut) had an article this morning touting the fact that they believe that Rudy Gay is the "Next in Line" of the ex-UConn players headed to stardom. Far be it from me to disagree with that assessment either.

If Gay, 21, continues on his path, it may be only a few years before he joins (Ray) Allen, a seven-time All-Star in his 12th professional season, as another former Husky to reach elite status in the NBA.
Gay, a smooth 6-foot-8 forward, is in the midst of a breakout second season, averaging a team-best 19.3 points and 5.5 rebounds while starting all 32 games for the Memphis Grizzlies. After a slow start Friday, he finished with 21 points and five rebounds, although Allen's Celtics won, 100-96, at TD Banknorth Garden.

The article follows Rudy from his lowered draft status due to concerns about his effort and passion towards the game to his current rise towards stardom. They also provide quite a few quotes from fellow UConn alum Ray Allen, who has been impressed with how much Rudy has progressed in such a short time period.

“It has to be just his ability to perform consistently,” Allen said when asked what's the difference in Gay's game. “He's always been a great athletic player. It seems like he's starting to develop professional habits.
“He's shooting the ball. He just seems he's confident in his moves. Before he would be just all over the place. Now it seems he's locking down his offense a lot more. ... He's definitely getting better.”

As always, it is great to see a Grizzlies player be recognized for how well they are doing. This was a great piece that I recommend everyone checking out in full.

Links: Conley, Conley, Conley

Think that there might be a theme for today's links?

Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports that Michael Conley is staying prepared, despite the fact that he hasn't been on the floor through two games of the regular season.

Conley, who was still on the court nearly 45 minutes after his teammates had departed from their morning shootaround, is getting the majority of his work before, during and after practice because playing time has been sparse for the No. 4 pick in the summer's draft.
"This is where I'm getting all my work in," Conley said. "Of course I would love to be out there, but it's something right now that this team is in a good position. . . . I'm fine with the guys that are playing ahead of me. I'm trying to learn as much as I can while I'm on the bench."

Even though Conley is probably disappointed by not playing, he's not letting it affect how he practices or relates to his teammates and coaches.

Despite the high expectations of being the No. 4 pick, Conley has remained level-headed and keeps a positive attitude. Iavaroni said the rookie is usually one of the first players to arrive at practice and is routinely one of the last ones off the court.
"He's a young kid and you see what he's willing to do," the Grizzlies coach said. "To me, he's going to be a success because he's a hard worker. I think he's been hungry in practice. He's ready on the bench."

Over on SLAM Online, Nick Tuths lists Conley among his under-the-radar guys to keep an eye on during the onslaught of Kobe trade rumors, Knick-related fiascos and officiating turmoil. A brief snippet of what was said:

Conley is already (yeah I said it) one of the best ball handlers in the NBA. Even if he struggles at first, to get minutes with Damon Stoudamire and Kyle Lowry on the roster, expect him to force himself into the class of Deron and CP3 as the best young Points in the NBA.

Finally, over on Buzzer Beater, Damon Agnos wants to know why Conley hasn't been playing in his pregame writeup on the upcoming meeting between the Sonics and the Grizz. Fortunately, Chip was there to let him in on the inside scoop.

Links: Tarence Kinsey "Poster Boy"

The State.com's Bob Spear has a very nice article about swingman Tarence Kinsey. He talks about how hard TK has worked to make it to the NBA and has some nice quotes about the undrafted 2nd year player.

“I take a lot of pride in how he developed,” (South Carolina coach Dave) Odom said. “He worked at the game and he earned his place.”
He signed a free-agent contract with the Grizzlies, but he saw little playing time much of last season. He really “made” the team during the stretches of DNPs in the box scores.
“He earned respect then,” Odom said. “A lot of players sit there, pout, collect their money and go home. Tarence didn’t do that; he kept working.
“(Former Grizzlies general manager) Jerry West told me he sought out the coaches to get in extra work. He caught their eye that way.”
“Jerry West told me Tarence had a better understanding of the game than anybody — anybody — on that team,” Odom said.

It's a really great look at Kinsey's perseverance and determination. Hopefully, he'll be able to play at an even higher level this season.

Make sure that you vote in the poll in the right-hand column, too. We'll have a new question there every week.

Brian Cardinal - Unlikely Success Story

Jeff Washburn has a nice article on Brian Cardinal in the Journal & Courier today titled "Cardinal continues to realize NBA dream". According to Cardinal, his expectations were met when he made the varsity basketball team in Tolono, Illinois. Needless to say, he has achieved much more than that accomplishment.

"I've succeeded just by being myself ... working hard and being proactive," Cardinal said. "I've improved as the years have gone on. I'm not getting younger, and it seems like the kids coming into the league are getting younger and younger.

"Those guys are much more athletic than what I am. In my position, I'm just trying to stay ahead of the game by continuing to work out and stay in shape. I always try to get after it."

Cardinal and his wife, Danielle, live in Memphis and have a 10-month-old son, Bryson. Cardinal's wife is former Purdue women's basketball player Danielle Bird.

"We enjoy living in Memphis," Cardinal said. "It's a great city. I have a lot of good friends there. There are several Purdue grads that we have befriended. We love it."

And barbecue connoisseur Cardinal couldn't have picked a better city to satisfy his dining habits. He is a frequent visitor to The Rendezvous and Interstate Barbecue -- each a Memphis staple.

"I probably get there too often," Cardinal said. "It's great ... some of the best barbecue. It's good living down there."

It's a nice piece about where hard work and determination can lead you to, and it was nice to hear about one of our less-heralded team members for a change. Who knows, maybe I'll get an Andre Brown or Casey Jacobsen story later this week to top this one.

I know that a lot of people complain rather vociferously about Cardinal's contract and his continual stints on the disabled list the past few seasons. It is true that he hasn't fully lived up to the deal he signed in terms of presence or performance. However, after reading something like this and then recalling how his play in the 2004/05 season helped propel the Grizzlies into the playoffs despite Pau Gasol's absence in several games due to plantar fasciitis, it makes me realize that we, as fans, can be incredibly heartless and critical of guys who are just like us in reality...only a little bit taller. I'm sure none of these players want to get injured after signing these big contracts -- that's just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. And, for all the offbase talk about how "bad" Cardinal's contract is, it isn't like we're dealing with a contract the size of Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill or Allan Houston, is it?

With all that said, I believe that Cardinal can be a valuable contributor for this team, even with the uptempo style they are sure to play. He won't play 24 mpg as he did in 2004/05, but the hustle and perimeter shooting he can likely provide for 8-12 mpg (if needed) should be enough to give Pau, Hakim and Rudy some much needed rest at the forward positions. For me, this is just one more reason to get excited about Memphis Grizzlies basketball as the season draws ever closer.

Damon Stoudamire hints at future trade possibilities

Earlier today, the following story was posted in the Tucson Citizen:

Former UA All-American Damon Stoudamire says he's as healthy as he's been
in some time and is getting ready for another season in the NBA, his 13th.

But he'd also like to play for a winner.

"Hopefully I can get out of Memphis - that rebuilding process is
hard,'' he said Sunday, after he scored 21 points in the Lute Olson Classic.
"I've got to be professional but it's one of those situations where you never
think you'll be in. You want to get put in a situation where you want to win.
Individually things don't matter.''

Stoudamire, who turns 34 next month, still has two years left on his
contract that pays him $4 million a season. "I'm going to keep my fingers
crossed (about being moved) but I'm not going to make any demands or nothing,''
he said.

"Anybody who's been in my position knows. You see the writing on the
wall so I'm hoping at the end of the day we can work something out.''

There are a few things that can be gathered from these comments. First, Damon would like to play for a proven winner. Well, who wouldn't? There are very few players that are content to just waste year after year suiting up for a perpetual loser (other Jerome James). So, that is an understandable position to take. Second, Damon feels that he can contribute and doesn't look forward to being the potential 3rd string PG behind two young unproven players. That is also reasonable, seeing as how Damon probably felt assured that he'd be the starter in Memphis for the remainder of his contract prior to his injury two seasons ago. Lastly, Damon sees the potential to becoming unhappy in Memphis, but is not demanding a trade, or even requesting one. That's a smart position, and we're about to examine why.

Damon knows that not only would it be foolish to demand a trade, but it would seriously derail any possibility of him going anywhere anytime soon. Here's why: Damon is coming off two injury-marred seasons and there isn't anyone willing to take on the 2 years and $8 million remaining on his contract until he proves that he is, in fact, as healthy as he claims to be. That means he's looking at a mid-season trade at the soonest. That timeline works out pretty well, because if he proves he's capable of still contributing to a team and either Conley or Lowry show that they are ready to handle the role of starter, then something can probably be worked out to send him to a "winner". Until that happens, he's not going anywhere though. The Grizzlies would be unwise to send him out with only rookies left on the depth chart and prospective teams would be crazy to trade for him until he proves that he is back to 100%. All in all, this story sounds like much ado about nothing on a slow news day for the NBA.