One Must Wonder....

By HPTMatt

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

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

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

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

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

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

Previewing the Point Guards:

by Chip Crain

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

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

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

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

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

The Players:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bargain Shopping, Part 1: The Denver Nuggets

By Lee Eric Smith

I have a buddy who is a wine expert. I was joking with him once about getting a great $50 bottle of wine. He simply replied: "Anybody can buy a great bottle of wine for $50. The question is, can you find a great bottle of wine for $10?"

These days, the cream of the crop of NBA GMs tend to share that great quality of being able to build a good team by finding great bargains -- R.C. Buford in San Antonio, Joe Dumars in Detroit, even Jerry West was prescient enough to swap proven big man Vlade Divac for some high school kid named Kobe Bryant, bucking the wisdom of not trading big for small. Maybe Chris Wallace can catch some of that magic himself.

So after reading Henry Abbott's True Hoop posting about "teams in turmoil," it got me thinking: some teams might be ripe for trades -- not all due to basketball reasons either. Hence, this, the first in a periodic series I'll write this month called, "Bargain Shopping." Our first stop at the Clearance Mall: The Denver Nuggets.

Why Denver:
You think it sucks for the Grizz not to get out of the first round? At least our excuse was that we only had Pau, Mike Miller and Shane. Imagine having a team with Iverson, Melo and Camby, and not being able to do it. They're WAAAAY over the cap, which means they'll have to pay $6.3 million in luxury tax. Key players (AI, Melo, Nene) are all pissed about the Camby trade. Then there's Furious George's tendency to grate his players. Oh, and it's not like the West is getting weaker, either. Sounds like a recipe for cleaning house.

Proposed Deal:
Allen Iverson ($21M) for Antoine Walker ($9M) + Kyle Lowry($1.1M) + Hakim Warrick ($2.1M).



















Crunching Numbers:
This is mostly about money. For those who are wondering how those contracts add up, put away your calculators: they don't. Except for the fact that Denver is $10 million over the cap, and we're $10 million under it. Means we could take on AI's salary without going over.

Why Memphis Does It:
It's Allen Freakin' Iverson! On other message boards, I've proposed getting AI a couple of times, and I stick to it for the same reasons: Galvanizes the fan base, makes us relevant, he plays with heart and fire, and then there's the fact that he scores in bunches, even at 32. He's in a contract year, so it's not like we'd be on the hook past this year anyway. Would allow us to bring O.J. along slowly, gets us veteran leadership, etc. There's no downside here.

Why Denver Does It:
I can think of at least $6.3 million reasons. Taking Iverson's contract off the books would put them under the cap, saving them that amount of money. And while the Nuggets would no doubt ask for somebody like Mayo or Gay, Hak and Kyle are two young pieces to work with (along with the first shot at resigning them), at two positions where they need young pieces. Plus, with Antoine's expiring contract, they get the same cap relief they would with Iverson next summer, only without having to pay $6 million in between. Hak and Melo have played together before at Syracuse, and are good friends. Kyle brings defensive toughness, which they need also. The Nuggests need to rebuild sooner or later, and this would not be a bad start, coming out with at least $10 million for next year's free agent crop.

I could run a couple different scenarios that would involve getting Carmelo and/or Nene, but I just don't see Denver giving up Melo, or us giving up what it would take to get him -- not with Rudy progressing so nicely, and OJ and Conley showing such promise.

I know some would be concerned with AI's age, attitude, durability, etc. But to me the pros FAR outweigh the cons. And he would be loved in Memphis just as much as he was in Philly, if not more, giving us instant "street cred."

More to come in the series . . . in the meantime, what do you think? AI in Beale St. Blue? Post below . . .

Grizzly 52 Pick-Up

1. Darko, pick up an anger management book. Learn to harness your temper, unlike the Serbia-Greece postgame incident, and put it towards your play on the court.
2. Coach, pick up your pride after last season. Don't listen to those who blasted you, you're a rookie head coach. I've got the faith. There is no I in team, but I want I on the sidelines.
3. Conley, pick up the weights. I heard you have, but pick them up again. And again. Repeat.
4. Hakim, pick up the weights. Ditto the rest of numero tres for you.
5. Lowry, pick up the fact that when you drive through the lane, you need to be a bit more controlled. I love your bulldog-like tenacity, but a little more controlled chaos would be beneficial to the team's overall game.
6. Rudy, pick up a scouting report on yourself. You are a STUD, my man. Teams adjust their gameplans to YOU. Put this team on your shoulders and become the star I believe you can be, the star some have already annointed you, and the star some think you can never be.
7. 'Toine, pick up a health and fitness book, report to camp in shape, and hopefully you can get some playing time. I mean, you do have a ring that isn't breaded with an onion inside of it, so I believe you've still got game. Let's see it, because I don't want us to have to spend our "capspace" bolstering our bench...so you can sit on it without breaking it.
8. OJ, pick up some more bowties for press conferences and post-game reports. GQ.
9. Marc, pick up a mirror. Then you will realize you look like the spawn of Mike Miller and your brother. Of course, if you have a hybrid game of Mike Miller and your brother, then you are going to be worth every bit of your money and then another of your salary on top of that.
10. Marko, pick up a nice dress for Adriana to wear for opening night. That can be your contribution to the team and the fans.
11. Greg, pick up a clipboard. You're going to be a player-coach this season anyway. maybe occasionally spelling Rudy at the 3.
12. Darrell, pick up a head full of steam and barrel through the post using your speed at the 4. I'd like to see you start at the 4, but you will likely have to back up Hakim, so make your minutes count. Use your advantages.
13. Hakim, pick up your dribble after having the ball for a few seconds, then pass. I hate watching you dribble almost as much as I hated watching OJ Mayo play PG in Summer League.
14. Marc, pick up rebounds. That IS why we signed you, or it should have been. We never can seem to rebound worth spit.
15. Kevin O'Neill, pick up Darko's anger management book after he is finished reading it. Turn that book into your Bible.
16. Michael Heisley, pick up the tab on some players, please. Capspace, Shmapspace. You want a winner, let's build one.
17. OJ, pick up games with high profile players = good thing. It gets your name out there, gets the word around that you are the real deal, makes you better, which in turn makes us look good as well.
18. People in the Advertising Dept, pick up on the fact that some of this just isn't cutting it. The "Hello Mayo" poster? Absolutely gorgeous. Where are our billboards, our bus signs, our commercials...something with pizzazz, flash, flair..."just like what the Grizz are going to bring this season."
19. Casey, pick up my car from valet out front. It's the Crossfire, black. Here's three dollars. The first three you made all night.
20. Critt, pick up the ball when youre open from the 3 point line, and jack it like a TV from a New Orleans store display. You, along with Toine, Rudy, Mayo and maybe Jaric are our only credible three-point shooters. Man, losing Mike in that aspect hurts.
21. Coach, pick up your clipboard and draw up some plays this season. Please, no more high-post handoff predictability.
22. Conley, pick up the speed more, if possible. Not because you're doing anything wrong, but because I'd just like to see how fast you really are. Top 5 in the L, in my personal opinion.
23. Kevin O'Neill, pick up some throat lozenges for after the game. I have a feeling you will need them.
24. Rudy, pick up the other team's players (and possibly our own) jaws after you blow past them for a rim-rattling, earth-shattering, mind-altering dunk.
25. Hakim, pick up a pair of clippers and shave that soul patch if you aren't going to go full beard on us. It's all-in or fold, buddy.
26. Darko, pick up your head if you don't make the first shot. It's not the end of the world, get your head back in the game. I'm tired of seeing your first shot not fall and then watch you get your confidence down the rest of the game and it affect your play. Go hard every minute.
27. Darrell, pick up a new hairstyle or something, anything but a headband. If Hak takes my advice and shaves the soul patch, I will have no chance of distinguishing you two lanky post players with headbands and no facial hair from all the way up in my section. Wait...you're the one who can play defense, right?
28. Hak, pick up a defensive scheme once in a while. Wait...no dont...then it would go back to you two being undistinguishable again...noooo....
29. Conley, pick up a Ja Rule cd cover. It's going to be like looking into a mirror for you, seriously.
30. Anyone, pick up a Downtowner magazine or an RSVP Memphis mag so we can stuff it down Phil Jackson's throat the next time he wants to say our downtown looks like Dresden.
31. Marc, pick up a laptop or anything with internet access and read the things that Memphis fans have said about your brother. Learn from it. Play the exact opposite.
32. Lowry, pick up some Air Jordans or some Nikes with heels. 6'0 my left foot. I'm 6 foot tall, and I was taller than you. Can you imagine Lowry with height on him? Man. Those "Trade Conley" advocates might get a vote from this "independent" on that front.
33. Rudy, pick up your teammates when they get down, and get on em when they mess up. That's what a leader of a team does.
34. Michael Heisley, pick up this team and move it, and you will have an entire city chasing you up to Chicago. You don't want that. Crime is already bad enough in Chicago this year without adding angry Memphians in the mix.
35. To Whom It May Concern, pick up the initiative I propose for opening night. The National Anthem shouldnt be done in person, we should all stand while the video of Isaac Hayes singing the Anthem at a Grizzlies game plays over the jumbotron, followed by a moment of silence for a Memphis Soul Icon. It'd be a classy move.
36. Coach, pick up your players and shake them from time to time. Don't make O'Neill do it every time. You can still be the nice guy...you can be the nice father with a stern hand.
37. Critt, pick up your speed. If we do trade Conley, or Lowry, you become the backup PG. If we are going to in fact be a running system, we're going to need speed. If we lose Conley the Ferarri, or Lowry the bulldog, we need speed and toughness at the point. You can be J-Critt the Challenger R/T. Speed and muscle. Speaking of that...
38. Critt, pick up the weights after Conley and Hak are done with them.
39. Darrell, I'll say it again, pick up a distinguishable characteristic. You are similar to the generic "Create-a-Player" on NBA Live 09. Grow some braids, dye your hair like the Rodman Rainbow, change your name to "Cero Cero" a la Chad Johnson...something.
40. Lowry, pick up the foul that ISNT an offensive one when you run into the post.
41. OJ, pick up a local newspaper. There is a buzz for you being here in the M. Take that, seize it, and you and Rudy become a two-headed monster. Maybe one day, the two of you will be ranked on a Dynamic Duo list.
42. Marc, pick up and absorb everything you learned from FIBA, the Olympics, and even at Lausanne. Apply it on the court here, and you will begin to step out of your brother's shadow. Not here, of course. You can drive through Memphis and see tomatoes and arrows thrown at the ground because a shadow that looked like Pau was there at one time.
43. Marko, pick up a GQ magazine, flip past that "Mayo Brings Back the Bowtie" article and find you some fashion tips. That way you can look fly on the bench. I kid, I kid. Not every game.
44. 'Toine, pick up the guts to say No to the Paula Deen Buffet. I know its right past the state line, but resist...RESIST!
45. Michael Heisley, pick up the WSJ and see if we have a trade embargo with Iran. Maybe if we dont, we can explore trade options for Hadadi and expiring contracts for, you know, capspace.
46. Hak, pick up some fattening food. I should have listed that first, but eat Eat EAT before you pick up the weights. Otherwise you will turn into a human strand of sinew, muscle and bone from working out. Sorry for not clarifying. Eat, then work out.
47. Darko, pick up the English language better. That way, if you do go into another tirade, I will be able to understand it without subtitles, and it will give me great entertainment.
48. Scouting team, pick up a report on Blake Griffin. If we have a terrible season, and we still have no answer at the 4 spot, tell the appropriate people to do everything they can to ensure that we get him.
49. Sportswriters and Analysts, pick up on the fact that the Grizzlies ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE. You can stop with your X-Files conspiracy theories. It isn't going to happen. Las Vegas doesn't have grizzlies, and they aren't going to have ours either.
50. OJ, pick up Rudy before one of your pickup games. Do a little two on two. It will establish chemistry with our duo, and get both of you some great experience in the process. The only thing better than it helping you, is if it helps both of you.
51. Fans, pick up your tickets for the entire season or just a game, whatever you can do. Support the NBA in Memphis.
52. And lastly, Anyone, pick up the habit of being a Grizzly fan.

Trade Talk

Since the Josh Smith offer sheet was matched by the Atlanta Hawks, it seems that most of the talk surrounding the Grizzlies making another acquisition this offseason has centered on potential trades. Plenty of names have been bandied about on the Grizzlies Fan Boards and on websites/news papers around the country. Let's take a look at who has already been mentioned and find a few more that might prove to be interesting.

Zach Randolph for Darko Milicic/??? - Ron Tillery mentioned him in a brief, one-line comment after the Hawks matched the offer sheet. It caused quite a stir among Grizzlies and Knicks fans when they saw it, but now that comment has been removed from the online piece where it originally appeared (which is why I don't see the point in linking to it).

My thoughts on Z-Bo are quite simple. He's a talented PF and he's a knucklehead. Yes, he puts up good stats, but he doesn't play well in a team concept, plays no defense and is a certifiable black hole on offense. He's a cancer -- and I don't throw that term around loosely. On top of all that, he has the exact same contract that Pau Gasol has, which the organization and its fanbase were so eager to get rid of. He's a glorified role player with a max-level contract, which means that the Grizzlies shouldn't consider him for any reason.

Matt Harpring/Jarron Collins for Darko Milicic - This one popped up in the Salt Lake Tribune column that we linked to earlier in the week, as Steve Luhm answered a reader's question about Darko's ability to fit in with the Jazz. This isn't even a real rumor, as Luhm even labels it a "hypothetical trade" in the column, but it is interesting. On the one hand, Harpring does give the Grizzlies that veteran backup SF that they desperately need behind Rudy Gay. On the other, Jarron Collins is known as "Collins the Lesser" among my circle of NBA friends. That's right, he's not even as good as his brother, Jason, who we fans had the pleasure of seeing last year. Not to mention that this would thrust Marc Gasol directly into the starting lineup when we don't have a clue as to how well he's going to adjust to the NBA. I don't have a problem with taking a calculated risk (Rudy for Shane, Mayo for Love, Miller for Gooden), but this seems to be a needless chance to take just to acquire a SF who will probably only be needed for 10-13 mpg this year. I think that Darko has more value than this trade.

Keith Bogans/Draft Pick for Javaris Crittenton - I've had a lot of back and forth with an Orlando Magic fan about this trade rumor. I think that it could be a win-win for both teams, but it all hinges on the draft pick. I don't think that a 2nd rounder is enough for Memphis to do the deal, but a protected 1st rounder probably would. I like Keith Bogans game a lot. He's a solid defender who can play the SG and SF positions off the bench. He's only 28, which means that he could still fit into the Three Year Plan if they re-sign him beyond the current deal. I'd much rather send them Kyle Lowry (PG only) in this deal than JCritt (combo guard capable), but getting another 1st rounder and thinning out the "young guard" group would probably prove to be worthwhile.

Al Harrington/Marco Belinelli for Antoine Walker/Hakim Warrick/Kyle Lowry - A Warriors fan who was high on Hak/Lowry sent this one to me the other day. Ummm....where do I sign? I'm not a huge fan of Harrington's SF game at the PF spot, but he has the same price tag as Walker for this year and twice the production. Belinelli (Summer League All-Star!) would be solid as a backup SG and might actually get some playing time in Memphis -- something he hasn't gotten much of in Oakland. They are both in the last year of their current contracts, so if they don't work out, then you don't have to keep them. Honestly, this deal feels like something you should have to wear a ski mask to pull off.

Reggie Evans/Willie Green for Hakim Warrick/Javaris Crittenton/Greg Buckner - The Grizzlies get a proven frontcourt presence in Evans, while the Sixers get some instant offense off the bench behind Elton Brand in Hak. Willie Green is a solid guard off the bench who started for Philly much of last year. Critt and Buckner would be quality depth for a team that has dreams of winning the Eastern Conference next year. Evans (28) and Green (27) are both young enough to qualify for the Three Year Plan, too.

Those are the ones that I'm aware of at the moment, although I'm hearing rumblings of Andrei Kirilenko being available, too. AK-47 is a tremendous talent and was always better as a PF than the SF role he has assumed since the arrival of Boozer/Okur. But, he also has the same max contract that Gasol and Randolph have, which means that it would be counter-productive to trade for him at this juncture. That's really too bad, since the combination of him with Darko/Marc in the frontcourt backing up Conley/Mayo/Lowry in the backcourt would display a fearsome level of defense. C'est la vie.

Be sure to either email us any rumors that you've heard of recently or just leave them in the comments.

Vote for Kyle Lowry!

Vote for Kyle Lowry in HoopsAddict.com's Floor Burn Tournament. He was our entry into this contest to determine who is the down-and-dirty grittiest player in the league who does all the little things that rarely result in credit. In the first round, he is up against Mark Madsen, so go vote for him in the matchup of Bulldog vs. Mad Dog.

The Case for Not Trading a Point Guard

There has been a lot of discussion among Grizzlies fans about the apparent logjam at Point Guard on the team and how Memphis needs to make a move immediately to address this problem. I disagree and for some simple reasons.

First off Conley is only 20 yrs old and has started a grand total of 46 games in the NBA. That is not exactly a ringing endorsement to give him the keys to the franchise. Sure his statistics almost mirror Tony Parker's when he was a rookie and are actually superior to such prominent PG's as Gilbert Arenas, Chauncey Billups and Steve Nash as rookies but that doesn't mean you can stamp the future All-Star label on Mike just yet. Lowry doesn't have much more experience after only playing 10 games his rookie season. Right now it appears Conley will be the superior PG in the NBA to some people but he hasn't shown that on the court yet. There is no reason to rush the decision before someone has clearly won the job.

OJ Mayo is a dynamic player who has stated that he feels his best position is PG. That doesn't mean he is right and from what we have seen so far that is simply not the case. Mayo is a scorer who struggles against quick PG's and makes bad decisions at times when pressured with the ball. He may develop into an excellent PG at some point but right now he is a turnover waiting to happen.

Javaris Crittenton is similiar to OJ Mayo without the outside shot. He has excellent size to be a PG (compared to the dimunitive Conley and Lowry) but his ability to control the ball and run the offense hasn't develop yet. He also doesn't appear to NBA level vision when driving in the lane. A PG can always drive in the lane and shoot but to be a truly effective PG you need to get into the lane and then find the open man as the defense collapses. So far I haven't seen Crittenton capable of making that play.

Jaric can play PG, SG and SF. He is very versatile in that respect. He came over playing PG but last season he was almost exclusively a SG and at 6-7 he has decent size to play SF. Frankly with his lack of foot speed I feel more comfortable playing Jaric as a SG/SF than at the point. Jaric will bring experience and knowledge to the young guards on the team and that is important. His role is clearly more mentor than player at this point.

What's more, Lowry and Conley give the Grizzlies two different PG skill sets that most teams will struggle matching up against. Right now JCritt and Mayo don't appear to take care of the ball well enough to run the point but both can defend well at the SG and allow the Grizzlies to add more playmaking ability to the backcourt.

This doesn't even take into account the serious problem the Grizzlies have had lately keeping Point Guards healthy. In 2005 Damon blew his Patello Tendon out. In 2006 Kyle Lowry broke his thumb and missed the remained of the season. Last year Mike Conley hurt his shoulder and missed a total of 30 games. It isn't like the Grizzlies haven't had a big need for strong backups at the point lately.

At some point in the future I expect at least one of the backcourt players to be moved to fil a hole in another part of the team but that definitely doesn't mean they have to make a move right now.

2008 Memphis Grizzlies Offseason

2008 NBA Offseason starts off with a bang!

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

What does all this mean for the Memphis Grizzlies?

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

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

A Deal to obtain a vet and thin the guards

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

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

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

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

The Grizz after the trade

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

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

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

Blogging at the Forum

Well tonight I finally got to see what the media sees all the time when covering the Grizzlies. I was got to see the inside of the Don Poier Media Center. It was a very interesting and informative experience. And like any rookie put on the big stage I started off with a fumble. When we were called into the media room to hear Chris Wallace and Marc Iavaroni's comments about the drafting of Kevin Love I forget my pen and failed to hit the record button on my recorder. Boy did I feel stupid.

Of course no one is interested in what I thought of the media center or how I made a fool of myself. Well some people may like reading that but most people want to know about the draft picks and what the Grizzlies thought about their night.

First off Chris Wallace wasn't high fiving anyone when he came into the media center. He was rather subdued in fact. He spoke matter of factly about the selection of Love and what he means for the team. Wallace feels Memphis has a player that is going to be a great rebounder, an excellent outlet passer and who has a lot to learn about playing defense in the NBA. While he did say Love has to learn a lot he also made a very intriguing comment which really stuck in my head. Wallace said that Love is ready to function in a team defense philosophy. He will be where he is supposed to be on defense and not just 50% of the time but every time. That says a lot about Love's basketball intelligence and also a lot about what he felt about some of the people who were supposed to be playing defense for the Grizzlies last season.

Next Wallace left to return to the draft room as Marc Iavaroni took the mike. Iavaroni was clearly excited about the selection of Love. He talked about his strength of charecter, his desire to be great and his intelligence. Marc is clearly thrilled to be having a leader like Kevin Love with the team.

That isn't to say that Wallace isn't excited. Wallace just looked like he had more work to do. Judging from his selection of Donte Green at 28 I think Wallace knew someone was going to slide in the draft and he wanted to make sure the Grizzlies were ready to pounce when that opportunity came up. Wallace also dealt with the trade rumors about attempting to move up to get Beasley and why Memphis wasn't interested. Miami wasn't asking for Mike Miller plus the pick and point guard. They wanted Rudy Gay! Beasley may be a star in the making but there is no way Memphis should give up that much for the right to find out.

My personal feelings are that Love was the smart pick and the right pick. Love will be contributing right away. He has a learning curve of course but he won't be the type of player who hurts the team when he is on the court. Love will immediately improve the team's pick and roll plays as he can set a mean pick and hit the perimeter shot if his man tries to cover the cutter. He will be the best rebounder Memphis has ever had and will ignite the running game with his outlet passes. There may be other players who have better careers but there won't be many and Memphis couldn't afford to miss with this pick. He should team up well with Rudy Gay and Mike Miller to make the team stronger both physically and mentally.

Donte Green is nothing short of a steal. No one expected, myself included, to find a player with this much potential that late in the draft. Green will step right into the hole that was Casey Jacobsen last season and should be a huge improvement immediately. Unlike Love however Green will need much more maturing to reach his full potential. He has a long way to go on defense (don't all Syracuse players) and his shot selection needs to improve but he should have time to do that backing up Rudy Gay. Most importantly he will need to get stronger.

Speaking of stronger, Mike Conley has developed guns. He is ripped. I got a chance to talk to him as the draft was starting and Conley admitted that he had been lifting a lot of weights while taking a class at Ohio State. I asked Mike about his newfound muscles and he said that he worked for a week with Mike Curtis, the strength and conditioning coach and also Kevin O'Neill. That means Mike realizes he needs to improve his strength and defense and is working on it. He also has been playing phone tag with shooting coach Mark Price and is planning on getting together with Mark to work on his shot in Atlanta during the summer. Mike also admitted being a little concerned about all the trade rumors about him but was very grateful to hear Chris Wallace say Conley was not being discussed in a trade. He likes being with the Grizzlies and doesn't want to go anywhere.

Kyle Lowry was there and he told me that he was planning on spending most of the summer in Philadelphia but he too is going to be working on his shot with Mark Price. Kyle didn't get the trade assurance that Conley did and he said he understands this. It's a business and it wasn't harder this year than it was last year hearing the Grizzlies wanted Conley in the draft. I got the impression that Kyle isn't going to let these things bother him and he will come to camp ready to win the starting job. He just seems to have the attitude that he is using these things as motivation.

Last season started with a front line of Gasol, Gay and Milicic. Backing that line up was Stromile Swift, Casey Jacobsen and Hakim Warrick. Next season it looks to be Gay, Love and Milicic with Donte Green, Hakim Warrick and Marc Gasol backing up. That is a huge improvement on paper. Now it will be wait and see if the paper translates onto the court.

ADDENDUM: Learned another lesson tonight. Don't leave before the Grizzlies tell you the night is over. I left before the news of the Mayo-Love trade and the Greene-Arthur deal was announced. Instead of being in the meeting with the team hearing how they feel about the deal I am lying in bed wondering why I thought it was so important to get home and get some sleep! I guess this shows you are never to old to stop learning.

What Do We Call Them?

Dallas had its Tres J's. Boston has the Boston Three Party. Memphis has three small guards coming off the bench that have sparked the team more than any bench players since Mike Miller won the 6th man award and Hubie had his 10 man rotation.

These guys need a nickname!

Kyle Lowry, Juan Carlos Navarro and Javaris Crittenton have become the best story on the team this season. 'The Great' Kyle Lowry, as Memphis radio heads used to call him, was expected by most Grizz fans to be a spark off the bench. Juan Carlos Navarro came in with the 'La Bomba' nickname and the cute smile and instantly became a fan favorite. Javaris Crittenton is the baby of the three at only 19 years of age but all three should be considered rookies even if Crittenton is the only one who has never played professional basketball before this season.

College teams routinely go small and use three guards. Texas had 5-11 AJ Abrams, 6-0 DJ Augustin and 6-2 Justin Mason playing big minutes this year. North Carolina has 6-4 Wayne Ellington, 5-11 Ty Lawson and 6-5 Marcus Grinyard starting for Tarheels.

But this is the NBA. Teams aren't supposed to be able to get by playing three guards, much less three small guards. Kyle Lowry is a generous 6-0. Juan Carlos Navarro is listed as 6-3 and Javaris Crittenton is supposedly 6-5 but he looks more like 6-4...at best. These guys are small, unselfish and very, very fast. The pressure they put on defenses is incredible.

Okay, maybe I am falling under the spell of Kinsey Fever again but all year we have wanted to see uptempo basketball, with three point bombs and slashes into the lane and now we finally are getting it from our 3 rookies off the bench.

They have earned a nickname. I just can't think of one to give them. Beale St Blue and Yellow Fever doesn't really work for me. The Oreo Cookies? No, that plays on race and is offensive to me and just about everyone in the city. Three G's sounds fun but may be too esoteric for some people to catch the meaning.

Anyone have any better suggestions?

Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments section below. It should be interesting to see what people come up with.

Links: All-Star Hangover Edition

Hope everyone enjoyed the All-Star weekend festivities. I, myself, didn't actually watch any of it other than the Slam Dunk contest, because the Rookie/Sophmore game is an abomination, the Celebrity game and Shooting Stars competition are beyond horrendous and I find the Skills Challenge and 3-point Shootout rather pedantic. And, of course, the Knight Rider movie came on last night, so I skipped the All-Star game. Priorities and all. I know that Hardwood Paroxysm made the trip down there and snapped a quick picture of Juan Carlos Navarro, so that's something, I guess.

Chris Herrington compiled the Top 10 Grizzlies Dunks in preparation of the Dunk Contest.

The 700Level.com has the lowdown on what the Sixers' scouting report for newly acquired player-coach Aaron McKie looked like the other night.

• Savvy vet
• Not as good a shooter as he thinks
• Used to defend
• Don't guard
• Rotate off of him

Nice to see that they think enough of him to have some fun at his expense.

Trade Talk: Miller/Lowry to Denver? Lowry to Cleveland?

Even though it doesn't make the news every time it happens, the Grizzlies try to do their part in the community. Hakim Warrick does his part in his hometown, too.

Speaking of Hak, Empty the Bench lists him as one of their Ten NBA Players Poised for Better Things Down the Stretch, along with rookie Mike Conley. Some interesting analysis to be read there.

Pau Gasol is adapting to the Triangle just fine. Now, will somebody get him the number to a real estate agent?

Speaking of Pau, add Tim Duncan to those who think the trade was fairly craptastic. Wait, what's that? Tim Duncan whining about something? I'm shocked.

In the "piling on" portion of the program, we have Epic Carnival saying that Chris Wallace is no Rocket Surgeon.

The Bismarck Tribune has a nice article on assistant coach Dave Joerger.

Blog/Website of the Day: The 22 Worst Dunks Ever

3SoB Sunday Chronicle 1.27.08

Welcome to the latest edition of our Sunday Chronicle, where the previous week will be reviewed, the upcoming week will be previewed, and a few more things added in there for your reading pleasure. All pictures are from games duing the previous week.

Shown is the Grizzlies only tipoff seen by a national audience this season. (Getty)

Rudy Invited to Dunk Contest, Adopts Grassroots Approach

Everyone knows by now, Rudy has been invited to the Dunk Contest held over NBA All-star weekend. He is one of four contestants, joining reigning champion (and upcoming FA who wants a trade) Gerald Green, should-of-been winner Dwight Howard, and former globetrotter Jamario Moon. Rudy has come up with an innovative approach towards the NBA Dunk contest. Rudy is asking fans to send in their best dunk to YouTube. He will pick his favorite and replicate it as one of his dunks during the contest. I think it is brilliant. For a small market team with a horrible record, national publicity for the Grizzlies is usually lacking. Rudy's campaign was a nice way to have Rudy (the best, or 2nd best sophomore in the NBA) and the Griz get some good publicity (case in point). The move seems even better when taking into consideration that the fans will help decide the winner.

Shades of Blue Week in Review

Power Rankings - Griz have an average of 25.875 with a high of 25 and low of 27.
Mid Year Perspective - Halfway through with the season, how has the season been and how's the rest of the season going to play out?
2008 NBA Draft Preview Part I - MemphisX breaks down the draft with Grizzlies needs and fit taken into account (hint, OJ Mayo is #1).
Rebounding - The Real Story - Chip explores what is causing our recent increase in rebounding numbers.
The Price is Right (about Damon's buyout) - Chip breaks down the latest numbers thrown around in the Damon debacle.

Griz Week in Review

An animated Iavaroni during the overtime win against the Clippers. Many fans in the arena looked and felt the same way. (Getty)

The Griz went 2-2 this week and 2-1 at home. The overall record now stands at 13-31 and only a mere 12.5 games out of the 8th playoff spot.

The week was a wild, wild ride. From the euporia from mauling (thanks, AP) the Bulls on national tv, to getting embarrased by the great Hedo in front about only 150 people, to losing Conley and Pau to injuries (oh ya, Stro too), to evidently buying out Damon, to playing the single worst quarter of basketball this season, to a spirited 2nd half comeback, to a hard fought OT win against a medicore Clippers team.

104-90 Win vs Chicago
85-112 Loss vs Orlando
93-104 Loss @ Washington
125-120 OT Win vs LA Clippers

Best Game of the Week That Didn't go to Overtime: Grizzlies completely dominate the lifeless Bulls.

Mike Miller drives past one of Pau's many rumored trade partners. (AP)

SoB recap.

The Grizzlies jumped on the Bulls early and controlled the game with a double digit lead for the last 28 minutes. Four Grizzlies posted a double-double, with Micheal Conley getting his career high in assits with 10. Miller was probably the player of the game and the Griz displayed an entertaining, efficient and productive running game. A 4th quarter alley-oop dunkathon was particularly satisfying. The Bulls looked particularly bad, with an absolute insane reluctance to take the ball inside and instead relied on a bunch of brick jumpers. The Bulls were bad, the Griz were good. And during our only nationally seen game of the year on a day celebrating Martin Luther King Jr's remarkable legacy, the Griz shined in the national spotlight and dumped on one of the NBA darling franchises. This win felt especially good. Mr. Sam Smith, eat our shorts!!!!

Best Game of the Week that Included an Overtime: Lowry and Gay lead Grizzlies past a small Clipper team.

Al Thornton touches Rudy to make sure he is human while Rudy destroys the Clips for 34 spectacular points. (Getty)

Herrington's live blog/recap.

I can't believe the Griz actually pulled out an overtime game at home. The game was a blast to watch. NBA TV pulled the game from the schedule due to the overall level of suckiness displayed by both lottery-bound teams, leaving many in Memphis unable to watch it (thanks to internet links, many still did). All the people around the country and the city that didn't watch this game missed out on a great battle between two sucky, injury depleted, lottery-bound teams (wait, the LA owner thinks the paper Clips still have a shot at the playoffs...haha)

Pau Gasol didn't play (and wasn't at courtside). Micheal Conley didn't play (and also wasn't at courtside). Stromile dressed out, but I think he has some sort of typical Stro injury preventing him the joy of knowing that Iavaroni could have choose him to sub in for Darko, but picked Hak instead. And Damon was inactive, in street clothes on the bench and seemed very happy. I also saw him giving some goodbye's to Grizzlies employees.

Kaman didn't play for the Clippers, leaving them with the likes of Aaron Williams and Josh Powell in the post. That is playoff inspiring combination there. That didn't last all that long actually, as Tim Thomas played center for the Clips for most of the 4th quarter while a SG or SF played PF. This caused Iavaorni to sit Darko and match the Clips in this super small-ball lineup.

The Clippers whole offense is based around identifying the biggest mismatch and then posting those players up. All of their players can operate efficient in the post, even the guards, no make that especially the guards. This game, the Clips went at Navarro, posting JC up with Cuttino Mobley. Over and over again. Navarro fought his butt off for position. I was impressed with his play. Likewise, Tim Thomas posted up Hak repeatedly in the 4th quarter. Hak also played admirably given Hak's reputation as a wet tissue on defense.

Lowry and Rudy played inspiring games tonight. I don't think that can be stated loud enough. Rudy was flaming hot to start the game, as he sparked a remarkable 36 1st quarter points. He was a one man wrecking crew, scoring on a variety of isolation drives and pull ups. Rudy scored a career high 34 points to go along with 12 rebounds. He probably should have had over 40 points.

Lowry, being the only real PG active, followed up his high energy play against the Wizards with a stunning performance against Brevin Knight and Sam Cassell. Lowry scored a career high 21 points, got to the line in bunches (didn't make them in bunches though), but it was his 8 rebounds and just 1 turnover that was the real key to his success against the Clippers. Lowry played solid defense against Cassell too, while playing part of the 4th and all of the OT with 5 fouls causing him to be iso'd a number of times.

The play of the game came from Lowry in overtime with 40 seconds to play. Down by 1 point, the offense breaks down (again) and Hak ends up taking a wild turnaround jumper as the shot clock expires. Lowry skies over Tim Thomas (there is a downfall to playing him at center) for an amazing offensive rebound and put back. Awesome! That one play epitomized how Lowry willed the Grizzlies to victory over the Clippers.

The refs were horrible tonight. Really, really bad. My seat was close enough to tell them about it (and tell Maggatte how much he sucks too). Dunleavy got a technical after a crazy play directly in front of me went with no foul called. Take a look, what a picture!

Darko is showing off a move that might replace the patented lefty jump hook. (Getty)

Recaps of the Remaining Lottery-Odd-Increasing Losses:

Grizzlies-Magic SoB recap.

Dwight Howard was held in check, but Hedo Turkoglu went off (more on that below). The good thing was that virtually no one was in the arena to see the home blowout.

Grizzlies-Wizards CA recap.

With Pau Gasol nursing a sore back, the Grizzlies start lethargic. Mollases in January type of lethargic. The sloth like start produces 9 freaking 1st quarter points. Ugh! And then to top it off, Micheal Conley goes down with a horrible looking injury. Lowry goes all 2006 and leads a spirited comeback while amassing 13 points, 10 assists and 5 steals.

Weekly Awards

Player of the Week: Kyle Lowry
The Great Lowry was the most active and spirited Griz player for the Wizards and Clippers games. His offensive rebound and put back won the Clippers game. And with Conley out, we need more of this type of play from Lowry.

Kyle Lowry finishes a layup while trying his hardest to spark a Griz comeback. (Getty)

Griz Killer of the Week: Hedo Turkoglu
26 points and 6 of 8 from deep in the Magic rout of Memphis.

"It's up and it's good for 3!" Long Ball Bomber of the Week: Rudy Gay
Rudy 12-22
Miller 11-25
Navarro 10-24

Other Top Griz Stories from Last Week

Conley and Pau Injured
Pau's back injury is likely mild and he is listed as day-to-day. Pau will be back anytime. But it is the Conley injury that is worrisome. It looked really bad at the time. Tillery is reporting that it is a "chest/rib contusion" and the X-rays were negative. Still, with a shoulder injury that was a tear that went without surgery, seeing him injury that side of his body again is nerve racking. I think this one could keep him out longer than people expect.

Damon's Buyout Complete
The odd breakup is now nearly complete, as two reports have surfaced saying a deal for Damon to buyout his current contract has been agreed upon by both sides. This comes after a weird week where Damon's agent even threw some harsh words towards the Griz and particularly Heisley's attorney Stan Meadows. Tillery has most of the details of the buyout and even relays that Damon left a voicemail message with Heisley thanking him (for, um, letting him buy his way from the bottom of the trash heap to presumably the top of the league with the beloved Celtics). Marc Stein at ESPN adds in his report that the Griz wanted to holdout for a trade, but found the offers underwhelming. The easy money bet is that Dontrell Jefferson, a training camp participant and NBADL player for the Dakota Wizards, will be joining the Griz shortly.

Midseason Report

We've made it over the halfway hump of the season. The Griz finished the first half of the season 12-29 and only 2 games better than last year. Chip, Spartacus, and MemphisX have given their 1st half impressions and 2nd half expectations. The CA polled the public for grades for the Grizzlies (ugh). And Herrington trumped everyone with his optimistic and astute mid-season report. Here are some of my thoughts...

I'm disappointed about the 1st half of the season. While I seemingly imitated a 10 year old girl at a Hanana Montana Concert, I (think I) predicted the Grizzlies to finish 6th in the West. Ya, right. That was right on the mark. About as accurate as a Chicago Bull's jumpshot. So, knowing my high expectations, I can be nothing but disappointed. However, there is a lot of optimism and hope in with that disappointment. The draft picks of Conley and Gay give the Grizzlies a bright, very bright future.

The pessimism I do have about this team going forward involves my belief that a 40-minute a night core of Conley-Miller-Gay-Pau is not a winning combination. I think the first half of this season was further proof of that. Basketball can be about who has the most talent, but it is also a team game where the 5 players need to fit together and play above their collective talent suggests. The Conley-Miller-Gay-Pau core, with whoever as the role players around them chomping up the few minutes remaining, is just not ever going to be a serious contender, even with my expected bright futures for Gay and Conley. I'm convinced this team needs a shake up in order to force the best working pecking order out of our players/team.

Why do I think we are barely above last years pace at the half-way mark?

1. Coaching
2. Defense
3. Leadership

I probably can't be more pleased with the play of Rudy Gay so far this season. Most claim he is the 2nd best sophomore this year, but I think he can make a good case for being the best, and certainly has more potential than Roy. I think Rudy probably should have been the #1 overall pick in his draft class. Toronto and Charlotte in particular, goofed by not taking Rudy. Rudy was suppose to be the surefire #1 pick in January of that year, but the scouts over-thought themselves by June and 7 teams missed out.

Mid-Season MVP: Rudy Gay

Best Game: Dec 19th Victory Over Spurs; Rudy Nails Game Winning Shot over Duncan

Mid-Season Griz Killer MVP: Chris Paul

Griz Killer Honorable Mention: LeBron James and Travis Outlaw

Griz Week Ahead

Navarro knives through the lane against the Clips. The Griz will need all the production they can get from Navarro coming up against the high-powered Mavs, Nugs and Jazz. (Getty)

The Griz have 3 tough home games slated for the week. I was excited about the 5 home stand until I saw Dallas, Denver, and Utah were 3 of those 5 games. I expect all 3 games to be shootouts. I predict no one scores in the double-digits this week. I also predict Pau will play against the Mavs, while Conley will not play at all during the week.

Monday vs Dallas
Do you think the Mavs think about how much their 1st round sweep of the Griz set the course for trading for our new superstar-in-the-making Rudy Gay? The matchup of the game might be Rudy vs Dirk if Iavaroni goes small and let's Rudy play major minutes at PF.

Wednesday vs Denver
Denver visits the Forum for a partial home game as the Memphis crowd loves AI. I hate the Nuggets and if we can only win 1 game in the coming week, I hope it is against the Nuggets.

Saturday vs Utah
The pick-and-roll machine comes to town to inflict severe damage to the Griz. As I have talked about until my fingers wear down, the Griz are downright horrible at defending the pick-and-roll for most of the season and Utah might have invented the pick-and-roll. Deron Williams is probably more likely than not to have a career game. Watching AK-47 try to check Rudy will be fun.

I Can Be Sam Smith Too; A Pau Gasol Trade Idea

Just a quick hypothetical, RealGM fueled trade idea involving our favorite trade-idea whipping boy, Pau Gasol. Ok, so we have been told more than once now by Tillery, that Atlanta and Billy Knight have a standing offer for Pau. I am intrigued by this because I like both Al Horford and Josh Smith. Anyway, here is my idea:

Pau and Navarro
for
Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Lorenzen Wright (!), Ty Lue, 2008 2nd Rounder

Ren and Lue are both expiring contracts. Actually Lue could help us at PG right now. But clearly the centerpiece of the trade is Pau for Josh Smith. I think Josh Smith will turn into a beast, particularly in a system that allows him to take poor shots, but will relish him for his defensive ability. The expiring contracts and not needing to re-sign Navarro, should open up enough cap room to sign both Josh Smith and Josh Childress to extensions. Smith and Childress add solid defenders to the rotation. This trade banks on Josh Smith morphing into a stud, which I think is a bet worth taking. Next year's rotation could look something like this:

PG: Conley
SG: Miller
SF: Gay
PF: J.Smith
C: Darko
Bench: Lowry, Mayo, Childress, Hak, Stro

3SoB Sunday Chronicle 1.13.08

Welcome to the first installment of what I hope will be a regular weekly feature. Sunday morning will be used to take a tour through the world of the Grizzlies. We will recap the previous week and preview the upcoming week. We will take the team's temperature and summarize the ongoing Griz storylines. From time to time, a Griz op-ed by one of the Shades of Blue Bloggers will be highlighted. In this week's initial offering, quite a lot of ground is covered, so let's get going.

Wait, while I still have your full attention. Be aware that the game preview for the Griz-Lakers game is posted, the game starts tonight at 8:30 pm.

Micheal Conley and Juan Carlos Navarro celebrating "Elvis Night". (Getty)

Recapping the Sunday Morning Commercial Appeal

Let's start with the local newspaper. Geoff Calkins has a mailbag column. Not quite Sports Guy quality, but Geoff's Sunday morning column is always a must read.

Marlon Morgan writes about our PG duo of the future learning their roles. Lowry discusses his latest apparent slump and gives some reality-based comments about his role for this team.

''Being the No. 4 pick, you know they're going to play,'' Lowry said. ''I knew that was going to happen, and I accepted the role. My role is to come off the bench with energy and play hard.''

Also in the article, Coach Iavaroni and assistant Coach Johnny Davis offer up some comments about the Conley-Lowry PG combination.

Rudy Gay Interviewed by Kyle Lowry for Memphis Sport Mag

I was at the Memphis Pizza Cafe this week and picked up the Memphis Sport Magazine. I tend to forget about this really good local publication. In the latest edition, there is an interview with Rudy Gay...with the wrinkle of Kyle Lowry asking the questions. You can tell the two draft-mates are good friends. The not-so-serious interview is packed with light-hearted teasing between the two of them. They cover a range of subjects including UConn vs 'Nova (of course), who's the best player on the team named Kyle, Rudy's new facial hair, the Memphis Tigers (and Jerrick, yes Jerrick Rose), Rudy's long list of nicknames, and best of all Mike Fratello! I gotta quote the Frat part:

Kyle: What do you miss most about Mike Fratello?
Rudy: That's a real quesion? Is that really the question? What's that?
Kyle: Next question

Ok...i'll also quote the part regarding Rudy's nicknames growing up:

Kyle: What were your nicknames growing up?
Rudy: Rud Boy, Big Truck, uh...what else they call me?
Kyle: Mr. Gay?
Rudy: Ha ha ha. Only in elementary school. Bones, Slinky...all those...Rudabaker...
Kyle: That's enough.
Rudy: Randy.
Kyle: OK
Rudy: Ronald.
Kyle OK!
Rudy: Slippin', The Kid, Young Fella', Yo' Daddy
Kyle: Next question.

The next time you are around town, pick up the magazine and read the entertaining interview. You can also go visit http://www.memphissport.net/, where you can probably find a digital version laying around somewhere.

Shades of Blue Week in Review

Just a quick reminder of the best Shades of Blue posts during the last week.
-- Gary Parrish Interview
-- Power Rankings
-- Roster Redundancy or Poor Evaluation
-- Chemacterility

Griz Week in Review

The Grizzlies went 1-3 last week (and have now lost 16 of 20...ugh)

Rundown:
101-94 Win versus Miami
101-117 Loss versus L.A.
113-116 Loss versus Sacramento
104-116 Loss versus Golden State

Miami Game...the week started off strong as the Micheal Conley honeymoon was still in full swing. The Grizzlies beat a suffering Heat team who have now lost something like 10 in a row. Man, do the Heat really suck. The most impressive part of this win was that the Griz won the game at the end (instead of losing it) by using a 9-2 run to close the game out after the score was tied with a few minutes to play.

Lakers Game...the suddenly surging Lakers rode on the back of Derek Fisher's hot hand to build an early lead and control the game from start to finish. A pretty low attendance number (something in 14K range) for a game involving Kobe...kindof surprising.

Kings Game...the Grizzlies should have won, but predictably lost in the waning seconds while keeping in tact the 18 game Sacramento road losing streaking. Fransisco Garcia's name can now be placed next to Brad Miller (x2) and Mike Bibby for clutch 3's that beat the Griz in Sacramento. The Griz had this game seemingly won with a few minutes to go and I'm sure many in Memphis went to bed thinking the game was in fact a W, but then the Griz managed to choke the game away in the last 45 seconds with Rudy Gay having 2 bone headed plays.

Warriors game...the hometown Warriors followed the Lakers game plan by getting out to a comfortable lead early and never looking back. Pau Gasol had a career night with 43 points and the bench did their part to put the game within reach when it was slipping away. But the guard driven Warriors were just too strong at home as Baron Davis almost went for 20/20. Could we really have gotten Baron for Shane years ago? That would have been nice.

Grizzlies Sign Bobby Jones
Maybe the biggest news not related to the Grizzlies losing again was that Chris Wallace has signed Bobby Jones to a 10-day contract. Bobby Jones played at U-Dub (Univ. of Washington) with current darkhorse MVP candidate Brandon Roy. Jones was recently released by Denver and is known to play solid defense at multiple positions. He got his first minutes against the Warriors and looked decent. Also noteworthy was that Verno, simply a hardworking radio host, broke this news before the Grizzlies beat writer.

Latest News on Damon
Shortly after Heisley says he won't be buying out Damon's contract, he is in town for some business and buying out Damon's contract might be on his to-do list. On the Chris Vernon show, Eric says that Damon most likely will not play for the Griz again and coming from him, that carries alot of weight. Damon was active for the Warriors game but did not play. Stay tuned for breaking news on this front in the next week.

Weekly Awards (9/6 to 9/12)

Player of the Week: Pau Gasol
Pau averaged 27 points and 10 rebounds in the 4 games this week including a breezy 43 against the Warriors.

Bench Player of the Week: (tie) Hakim Warrick and Juan Carlos Navarro
Hak found his way to the rotation ahead of the oft-injured Stro and scored 15 against the Lakers and 10 against the Warriors. JC scored 20 against the Warriors and 10 against the Kings.

Grizzly Killer of the Week: Derek Fisher
There were a number of applicants this week, all of them guards. Monte Ellis, Baron Davis, John Salmons, Derek Fisher, and Kobe Bryant. Fisher (26 points and only 1 total miss) gets the honor for being so efficient during his drumming of the defense-less Grizzlies and giving Micheal Conley a lessen in NBA point guard play.

Long Ball King for the Week: Rudy Gay
The Grizzlies live and die by the 3, so let's give some recognition to whoever shoots the best in the past week from beyond the arc. Here were the stats:
9-17 Rudy Gay
9-21 Mike Miller
7-22 Juan Carlos Navarro

The Youtube Dunk of the Week: Brad Miller over Darko
Click this link, and then watch the youtube clip of Brad Miller flying down the lane to dunk on Darko. If I figure out how to embed the clip myself I may do that later.

Griz Week Ahead

Jerry West Draft Steal versus Jerry West Draft Steal
The Logo was able to snatch Kobe away from Charlotte in much the same way he snatched Rudy Gay from Houston. The Grizzlies have to face the Lakers for the 2nd time in less than a week. I hope to see Rudy nailing alot of these beautiful looking jump shots.

(Getty Images)

Two Superstars Stolen From Memphis During the Lottery Return
LeBron James and Kevin Durant, both of whom should have been in Beale Street Blue if not for lottery night disasters, bring their respective teams into the Forum next week. Will Memphis show up to watch them play?

Another Week and Probably Another Pau Gasol Trade Rumor Out of Chicago
As we near the trade deadline, the non-stop trade talk heats up. A ridiculous amount of players have already been mentioned. And I'm sure there will be more Pau Gasol rumblings coming from Chicago this week. And I'm sure the rumors will be total garbage and idle speculation. With news of Noah getting into trouble, the Sam Smith trade idea will probably be Nocioni, Noah, PJ Brown (Sam isn't aware yet that he is sitting at home unemployed), and the United Center lead janitor.

On Tap:
http://3shadesofblue.blogspot.com/2008/01/memphis-at-l-lakers-11308.html
Tuesday vs Cleveland
Friday vs Seattle
Saturday @ Charlotte

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.