Central Division Previews

Chicago Bulls
Nels: Give Me The Rock
Matt: Blog-a-Bull

Cleveland Cavaliers
Rock: Waiting For Next Year
FTS: Fear The Sword
David Friedman: 20 Second Timeout
Amar Panchmatia: Cavalier Attitude

Detroit Pistons
Brian Spencer: Empty the Bench
Natalie Sitto: Need4Sheed.com
Matt Watson: Detroit Bad Boys

Indiana Pacers
Tom: Indy Cornrows

Milwaukee Bucks
Jeramey Jannene: The Bratwurst
Frank Madden: BrewHoop

Also see links to all the previews at CelticsBlog.com.

Southwest Division Previews

Dallas Mavericks
Jake Kerr: Mavs Moneyball

Houston Rockets
grungedave and UofTOrange: The Dream Shake

Memphis Grizzlies
Joshua Coleman: 3 Shades of Blue

New Orleans Hornets
Rohan: At the Hive

ticktock6 & mW: Hornets Hype

Ryan Schwan & Ron Hitley: Hornets247.com


San Antonio Spurs
Graydon Gordian: 48 Minutes of Hell

Also see links to all the previews at CelticsBlog.com

2008/09 Memphis Grizzlies Preview

Memphis Grizzlies
Last Years Record: 22-60
Key Losses: Mike Miller, Juan Carlos Navarro, Jason Collins (Minor Losses: Brian Cardinal, Andre Brown)
Key Additions: O.J. Mayo, Marc Gasol, Darrell Arthur (Minor additions: Antoine Walker, Hamed Haddadi, Quinton Ross)

1. What significant moves were made during the offseason?
The Grizzlies revamped their roster in the offseason, completing what had been started with the trade of Pau Gasol during the season. On draft night, they traded away the last of the contributors from the squad that made 3 straight trips to the postseason when they sent Mike Miller and Brian Cardinal to Minnesota along with Jason Collins and the rights to Kevin Love in exchange for the rights to O.J. Mayo and the contracts of Antoine Walker, Marko Jaric and Greg Buckner. They also acquired Darrell Arthur in exchange for Donte Greene and a 2nd round pick.

Then they signed highly touted draft pick Marc Gasol to a contract to compete for the starting center position. They followed that up by signing Hamed Haddadi and Quinton Ross as well, to shore up the roster depth at some areas of need.

The biggest move that was made this offseason was the choice to allow Marc Iavaroni to remain as head coach of the team after rumors swirled about his possible departure. Ivy will get a second chance (as he should, IMO) to show that he can coach this young team to success.

2. What are the team's biggest strengths?
Youthful exuberance and determination. This team could achieve quite a bit more than is expected of them simply because they don't know any better. Top draft pick O.J. Mayo has been lauded for his drive to succeed and that attitude has visibly spread throughout the entire team. This collection of players doesn't intend to lay down for anyone, no matter what the odds against them might appear to be. In that way, they remind me a lot of the youthful team that arrived in Memphis a mere 7 years ago. I think that they will win more games than they probably should, just because they don't know any better.

3. What are the team's biggest weaknesses?
This team lacks experience. In all likelihood, only one starter will be older than 23 at the beginning of the season and the depth behind those starters isn't entirely tested either. The players with real experience (Antoine Walker, Greg Buckner) are on the downslope of their careers and are mostly viewed as contracts moreso than players to the majority of the fanbase. Fortunately, these young guys will get plenty of playing time to remedy that weakness, which everyone hopes will lead to some much-needed maturation. This franchise is on a 3-year plan to return to playoff levels, so talent and experience are the two key ingredients. They are working diligently on the first one, but the second will take some time.

4. What are the goals for this team?
Survival? If not that, then the goal is to display that they know what it takes to win games, even if they aren't quite good enough to do so consistently. They need to play much better defense than last year and to remain in games mentally for all 4 quarters. They have to show heart, since that has been missing from the team the last two miserable seasons. Mostly they need to show that they "get it" and are legitimate NBA talent capable of playing at the highest of levels.

5. Is there a real starting power forward on the roster?
They have 4 players capable of playing the position (Hakim Warrick, Antoine Walker, Darrell Arthur, Darko Milicic), but are any of them a legitimate answer? Warrick is a solid scorer/rebounder, but has limitations everywhere else. Walker spends too much time on the perimeter and not enough in the low post, not to mention that he is not the long-term answer for the team. Darrell Arthur is a rookie who shouldn't be expected to shoulder a tremendous role this year. Darko Milicic is a solid defender, but has issues with his offensive game and his confidence/mental approach is always a big question mark. I believe that the Grizzlies will look to trade either Warrick or Walker (or both), along with one of the young guards (likely Lowry or Crittenton) to acquire a legit PF at some point this season, perhaps a rental like Shawn Marion.

Predicted Record: 28-54

Check out previews for the rest of the NBA at CelticsBlog.com.

Gratuitous Self-Promotion: An Interview with Kornheiser's Cartel

By Joshua Coleman

On Tuesday, Kornheiser's Cartel posted a column titled Memphis Grisly. As I'm sure you can ascertain from the title, it wasn't full of rainbows and marshmallow goodness for our fair team. But that didn't stop me from acquiesing to an interview when Billynho requested one. After all, I'm all about defending our franchise and setting the record straight whenever the opportunity arises. They asked and I answered, all of which can be found right here. I encourage you to head over there to see the great questions they asked, as well as the answers I gave. They really do run a fantastic blog that I recommend adding to your Favorites List.

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: Catching Up on the News

Hoopsworld.com says that the Grizzlies are definitely not looking to move Mike Miller.

Ira Winderman (South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com) with his own trade proposal that has Miami and Memphis swapping draft picks.

Speaking of eye-catching rumors, Matt Steinmetz (Examiner.com) has a doozy: Grizzlies targeting Monta Ellis this offseason.

Boston Globe: Chris Wallace responds to criticism over Gasol trade.

Dustin Starr has some news on Grizz (Eric McMahon) over on m3mphis.com. It's good to know that Eric is continuing his recovery right on schedule.

At least someone who is currently a member of the Memphis Grizzlies will be associated with the Finals. Timekeeper Bob Young worked Game 3 in Los Angeles last night and will also man the clock for Game 4 on Thursday.

David Booth, a scout for the Grizzlies, is hosting a basketball camp in his hometown of Peoria, Illinois.

Speaking of basketball camp, Mike Conley hosted a few of his own.

Where Sport and Thought Interact takes a look at what he thinks the Grizzlies should do this offseason.

Preetom Bhattacharya (Hoopsworld.com) says that the plan should be to rebuild around Rudy Gay.

For the 2nd year, the Memphis Grizzlies will share the Dakota Wizards as their NBA Developmental League team with the Washington Wizards.

Links: Slow News Week

Hakim Warrick wants your Final Four picks on his blog.

The Memphis Grizzlies sponsor a team in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association: the Memphis Rolling Grizzlies. Hat tip: Living in Lakeland, who actually participated in a game. Click for pictures.

This guy thinks that the Grizzlies should be listed among the Top 10 Worst Franchises in Pro Sports. I won't argue with him, because their history speaks for itself, but he is taking liberties in assuming that the future doesn't look brighter than the past.

Check out Odenized and Hoop Tube for great NBA videos daily.

A few general NBA posts:

Hardwood Paroxysm gives the best analysis of the San Antonio Spurs I've ever read.

J.E. Skeets (Ball Don't Lie) - An NBA fan's guide to the Final Four

Buster Gunning (RealGM) - Isiah: East is Beast

The Most Overpaid Players of 2007-08

Deadspin (via Ball Don't Lie) - Who is the NBA's Least Valuable Player?

Links: Mike Conley, Iavaroni Interview, Local Owners, J-Critt

SI.com - Conley experiencing growing pains, reality check in rookie season

Sacramento Bee - 24 Seconds with Marc Iavaroni

Geoff Calkins (Commercial Appeal) - Easy to see why the local owners wanted out.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Crittenton's journey in NBA hectic

Basketbawful - The Worstest of the Weekend-a-roonie

Hoopsworld (Via le basketbawl with some funny comments of their own) - Five coaches on the hot seat

Vegan Fish Tacos (great name!) - Framework of a Franchise: Memphis Grizzlies

Blog of the Day: The Wages of Wins Journal

Pau opens his mouth and I tell him to shut it

I read this in the Commercial Appeal when it came out Friday morning and just shook my head. I mean, it is one thing for a player who felt like he was treated poorly (say...Bonzi Wells) to come back and say things about his former franchise. But for a guy that the team paid max money to and labeled their franchise player to come out with the following quotes....well that's just unacceptable in my opinion.

Pau Gasol: No matter what, the Grizzlies aren't going to be able to put themselves in position to win a championship. I don't think that's ever going to happen. I think it's just the way it is. We just couldn't do it. We had Jerry West as a GM. If you can't do it with Jerry West, I don't think there's many ways you can. We had Hubie (Brown) and Mike Fratello -- good coaches. It wasn't enough. I don't think the Grizzlies will ever have enough to be at that highest level. There's a lot needed.

Well, well, well. That's some interesting material to digest right there. Now, to make sure I was not taking this out of context, I read and re-read the entire article several times. After all, he is very complimentary of owner Michael Heisley making sure that he was traded to a contender and he even had good things to say about first year head coach Marc Iavaroni. But for whatever reason, he felt like dropping that nugget right in the middle of the interview that also discusses the half-empty FedEx Forum and feeling more appreciated in Los Angeles more than Memphis.

I think my biggest problem with what he said is that it comes across as being somewhat arrogant as it is tied to what the team was able to do with him as the best player on the team during its time in Memphis. This is a discussion that Grizzlies fans have often had and the refrain has almost always been the same: If the team gets a player better than Gasol to play alongside him, they can be a legitimate threat in the West. After all, now he's playing with one of, if not THE, best player in the NBA and is enjoying unprecedented success. If the Grizzlies had won the lottery last year and been able to put a Greg Oden or Kevin Durant next to Gasol, do you think he'd be in Forum blue and gold right now? I doubt it.

Look at what the New Orleans Hornets have done since drafting Chris Paul. They have gone from bottom feeder to the top record in the Western Conference. One great player surrounded by the right mixture of talent and chemistry can be enough to do serious damage. Look at what the Cleveland Cavaliers did last year with LeBron James and not much else. Look at that 76er's team that Allen Iverson carried to the Finals when the rest of the team was a bunch of non-descript role players. Great players can take teams to the next level.

This isn't meant to denigrate Pau Gasol, as I was an advocate of keeping him with this team even after his trade request last year. I still believe that the team could have kept him and put a winning team on the floor next season. But for him to make a statement like that is just the height of self-importance in my unvarnished opinion. Gasol is a solid 2nd banana on a title contender, as he is showing in LaLa Land. He never was The Man for the Grizzlies and never will be for the Lakers. So just because he wasn't able to lead Memphis to postseason success doesn't mean that Chris Wallace won't be able to bring in players through the draft, free agency and trades that can.

Pau -- I enjoyed watching you play in Memphis for six and a half seasons and truly wish you the best with your new franchise. But the next time you think about telling your former franchise and their fans what you feel they are and are not capable of, don't. We don't care because you no longer have any valid input about the situation.

For some other great thoughts on this subject, check out Grizzlies' PA Announcer Rick Trotter's blog, as he has some tremendous commentary to share with all of you.

Links: Settle In Edition

Clear your schedule -- this is gonna be a big one!

Jeff Wong (The Score) asked us some questions about the Grizzlies, Tigers and the city of Memphis. Being the sell-out media whores that we are, we were happy to answer them.

Stephen Litel (Hoopsworld) conducted a fantastic interview with Kwame Brown recently. It helps clear up a lot of misconceptions with the former #1 overall pick.

Tom Ziller (The Fanhouse) has some additional thoughts on the ownership news.

Epic Carnival: Fandom is Irrational.

Hardwood Paroxysm thinks it is both hilarious and ironic that Michael Heisley made his money in sewage. You cannot make stuff like this up.

Canis Hoopus reviews the Grizzlies in Part 3 of Examining the Bottom of the Barrel.

The Howeva Files: Memphis = NBA Bad Decision Fantasyland

The Bleacher Report says that if the Grizzlies intend to hire Larry Brown, just shoot Darko in the head right now. My thoughts exactly.

David Stern is creating a new postseason tournament with the Grizzlies in mind?

Former Grizzlies' PG Chucky Atkins is quite the entrepreneur.

Marcus Vinicius -- you remember him, right...he came to the Grizzlies in that deal between the Rockets and Hornets -- returned to his homeland of Brazil last week. Marcus, we hardly knew you.

Nick Emery saw the Kings-Grizzlies tilt live and in person.

Sports Tsar: What's in a franchise name?

Blog of the Day: David's Memphis Grizzlies Blog - David has been posting some great stuff the past couple of weeks, including meeting both Mike Miller and Juan Carlos Navarro.

Links: Evaluation, Nuggets Blogs, Blogger Ban

Empty the Bench has taken on the task of evaluating the teams that won't be making the postseason this year (a thankless job, if ever there was one). Yesterday, they tackled the Memphis Grizzlies. ETB didn't mince words or pull any punches, which is just the way we like our analysis: harsh and accurate. It is a great read that I urge all of you to take a look at.

Both Nugg Doctor and Fire George Karl are pleased with last night's win, if somewhat unimpressed with the opponent. Hard to blame them on either count.

I'm sure all of you bloggers out there have already heard about the Dallas Mavericks imposing a Blogger Ban on their locker room. We have read everyone else's responses to this point (Hardwood Paroxysm, TrueHoop, et al) and agree with much of what has been said. Of course, as it so happens, we here at 3SoB have been politely asked to refrain from contacting anyone within the Grizzlies organization after our initial sitdown with Chris Wallace, even as we continue to provide some of the best coverage of the team outside of the lone newspaper in town. We have abided by that, even as other teams give blogs more access that we have ever dreamed of requesting. I have no problem with teams protecting themselves from media outlets that would seek to release damaging information (true, false or otherwise) acquired from "insider access". In fact, I wholeheartedly support it. However, as has been pointed out, writers from the "established media" should be held to the same standards that they accuse bloggers of not reaching. After all, if I had a nickel for every Sam Smith or Peter Vescey rumor that never panned out, I could afford to do nothing but write this blog every day. The media landscape is changing and it is time for "media targets" to not only realize it, but to accept it and adapt accordingly.

Blog of the day: Pete Pranica (Grizz Blogs)

Mini Links (Small, but packed with goodness)

Normally, I'd save links like these for another day or two until I had enough to warrant a "Links" post. But these two are too good not to put up immediately.

The Association: The Grizzlies are the NBA's "Slump Buster". They have taken note of the fact that due to a scheduling quirk, the Grizzlies continue to play teams that have either made a big trade recently or are in desperate need of a win to stem the tide of losing. A quick excerpt:

The NBA's real Washington Generals, the NBA's beer goggles, the NBA's Vicodin, the NBA's liquid courage, the NBA's Dr. Feelgood, the NBA's HGH (but only to recover from injuries and not to throw fastballs at age 45)...

The Score: Let's do Vancouver again. What would it look like if the Grizzlies had never left their original location? Jeff Wong is willing to take a look at that re-written history and see what could have been...including a different mascot.

Blog of the Day: The Melo Backpedal

Links: Cleaning Out the Inbox (Quick Hit Edition)

Washington Post: Rudy Gay is On the Cusp.

Chance Harper (SBR Forum) on small market realities in Memphis and Milwaukee.

Round 7 of the MVP/ROY Blogger Rankings is up on CelticsBlog for your viewing pleasure. LeBron still has a stranglehold on the top spot, but there has been a shakeup after that. On a related note, the guys at Hardwood Paroxysm have been having a little back-and-forth with CelticsBlog and David Friedman (20 Second Timeout) about MVP voting practices today. Very entertaining.

Pete Pranica's latest blog post.

The Play in California and The Free Throw Line review the trades. Some interesting thoughts, even if I think a few are off-base.

Neil and Vicky took in a Grizzlies game on their travels. You can read about it on Travel Pod.

Ted Sevransky says the Grizzlies are the worst team in the NBA. Guess he doesn't get Miami Heat games in Canada.

Think Chris Wallace is the worst GM in the league after the Gasol trade? At least he's not the Sports Guy. Go read BrewHoop's take on having Bill Simmons offer to be Milwaukee's GM. (via Hardwood Paroxysm)

Blog/Website of the Day: 20 Greatest TV Show Intros

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

Links: MVP/ROY Rankings, Rudy, New Coach, Rankings Report, Pranica, More Trade Fallout

Hardwood Paroxysm has Round 6 of the Blogger MVP/ROY Rankings up for your viewing pleasure. There are plenty of great comments, so be sure to head on over there.

USA Today's Oscar Dixon has a great column up about Rudy Gay with some great quotes from Rudy, Pau Gasol and Marc Iavaroni. They also provide this little nugget of information:

The 21-year-old leads the Grizzlies in scoring (19.9) and steals (1.5); he and Kobe Bryant are the only players in the NBA in the top 40 in dunks and three-pointers, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

That's an interesting stat, considering that many believe that Rudy's mid-range game is, in fact, his biggest strength right now. It appears that Rudy is developing into a very well-rounded player.

In a rare case of good news, Ron Tillery reports in today's Commercial Appeal that recent acquisition Aaron McKie is a player-coach in the truest sense.

McKie instantly gives the Griz someone who can instruct and relate to this generation of players, much like Damon Stoudamire did before he left for San Antonio. It's no coincidence that McKie took up residence in Stoudamire's old locker between second-year swingman Rudy Gay and rookie point guard Mike Conley.

That's something to consider a positive, as this team obviously needs some veteran leadership. Having McKie stick close to the two cornerstones of the franchise should benefit them in the long run.

Dime Magazine has followed suit with many recent power rankings in dropping the Grizzlies to the bottom of the barrel. Hard to blame them, given the current talent level of the team and the upcoming schedule.

Pete Pranica finds a silver lining that many others are looking to in the wake of the Gasol trade -- the resurrection of the New Orleans Hornets.

Tom Ziller (NBA Fanhouse) is tallying up the people that think Chris Wallace made a less-than-wise move in trading Pau Gasol to the Lakers......and the numbers keep piling up:

4. Chris Wallace's Christmas card list. First Gregg Popovich reamed Memphis for gift wrapping Pau Gasol for the Lakers. Next? Mark Cuban, of course, followed by Gilbert Arenas. I even heard John Salmons (John Salmons!) on radio ripping the deal.

Blog/Website of the Day: Rudy Gay All-Star Dunk Blog

Links: NBA Officiating, Gasol Trade Review, Team Names, Rudy Illustration

One of these days, the guys over at Hardwood Paroxysm are going to stop looking to us for answers. Until that happens, we're going to keep pulling answers out of our nether regions. This time around, they wanted to talk about NBA officiating. Well, that's one of our favorite subjects to vent our frustrations about, so we quite willingly obliged.

Chris Mannix (SI.com) thinks that the Memphis Grizzlies -- and Chris Wallace in particular -- might be a little in over their heads right now, given what they got in return for former franchise player Pau Gasol. Once you get past his biting sarcasm, it isn't hard to find some common ground to agree with him on, though.

Rooktopia has taken it upon themselves to rate the Western Conference's teams based solely upon their name. You'll be happy to know that while they only gave the Grizzlies 4/5, they do have a solution that would make them, along with 2 other teams, tops in the league.

Joel Kimmel has another fantastic illustration up on his blog -- this time of Rudy Gay in a representation of a dunk he'd like to see performed in the Dunk Contest.

Blog/Website of the Day: Basketbawful

Links: Gasol trade fallout

It's gonna take awhile to get used to that image.

Hardwood Paroxysm has one of the best viewpoints of what the Gasol trade truly means for the future of the Memphis Grizzlies.


Chad Ford (ESPN Insider) lists 10 teams he thinks could have provided a trade for Gasol that would have been as good as what the Lakers were offering.


The Blowtorch has a suggestion for the Grizzlies' new lineup: Busts and Boobies.


Hoopsworld lists the Grizzlies among its "Coldest Teams of January". That's not a good thing, I can assure you.

Links: Linkstravaganza!

Sorry for the lack of updates and links lately. New job = new work schedule. To make up for it, here's an extra-large helping of links.

Rudy Gay is in the Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk Contest. He will be facing reigning champ Gerald Green, the man-beast who should have won last year in Dwight Howard and rookie surprise Jamario Moon. He is asking for all the help he can get, as he is requesting that fans offer submissions via YouTube that could assist him in capturing the crown. Go to http://www.youtube.com/rudygay22slamdunk for all the details.




The Ahwatukee Foothills News (real paper, I swear) has a great look at the story of Eric McMahon, known to the readers of this blog as "Grizz", the mascot of the Memphis Grizzlies. McMahon found out that he has Hodgkin's lymphoma in December and the article provides several details about his battle to recover. As a reminder, you can send cards and get well wishes to McMahon at 191 Beale St., Memphis, Tenn., 38103, or email him at grizz@grizzlies.com.

Ben Q. Rock over at Third Quarter Collapse has a recap of last night's game up that is fair, if a little harsh in its frankness. Actually, I think he's just happy that they blew us out last night, since we beat them on their home floor in the first meeting this year. It seems to have restored his faith in his team's postseason chances, even if he isn't willing to admit it.

While we didn't get a chance to meet up with Matt from Blog a Bull while he was in town for the MLK Day game, I did enjoy his recap of the experience, as well as his post this morning about the "return of Kirk", since Hinrich has been one of my favorite players going back to his college days at Kansas.

After you check out our postgame thoughts and comments, make sure you look at the recaps that the guys at Beale Street Beat and Grizzlies Locker have been putting up.

Warren Blatt asks the question, "Is trading Gasol the way to go for Memphis?". He reaches the same conclusion as most of the rest of the sports writing nation and offers the same stale proposal involving Chicago as a trade partner. Well better late than never on that bandwagon, I suppose.

It appears that at least one Chicago sportswriter isn't completely enamored with the idea of acquiring post player extraordinaire Pau Gasol.

Speaking of Gasol and trade rumors, at least he's not letting them affect him, according to this article from the Chicago Sun-Times.

Head over to David's Memphis Grizzlies Blog to see what a way-less-than-happy Grizz fan looks/sounds like.

Check out drewcasey.net for the viewpoint of a vocal fan/season ticket holder of the Grizzlies.

ESPN's David Thorpe covers which sophmore players are doing well, and not-so-surprisingly he came to the conclusion that Rudy Gay is pretty darn good, coming in at #2 on the list. Kyle Lowry also received mention, although Thorpe made the same classic blunder in his evaluation as most "experts" do, in assuming that Lowry needs to be moved since Conley is the starter.

FOX Sports' Mike Kahn with earth-shattering news: He thinks Darko Milicic is the biggest bust in the NBA since 2001. He reached that conclusion even when he had Nikoloz Tskitishvili in the discussion. The same Skita that is no longer even in the league. *sigh* Mike, I've never liked your writing, so thanks for allowing me to continue down that same path.

USA Today has a very good article titled "Foreign rookies face world of change" that looks at what international players have to deal with in terms of transitioning to the NBA and living in America. "La Bomba" is mentioned and you can see by the charts that JCN stacks up very well in comparison to the other foreign rookies.

Speaking of rookies, here is a post dedicated to those feeling the effects of the dreaded eventuality that is the "Rookie Wall".

While the Grizzlies might not be good right now, at least they aren't the Miami Heat. I can neither confirm nor deny my involvement with this piece of humorous writing, but I will say that I approve the intended message.

Hardwood Paroxysm released Part Two of the phenomenal saga that is the Birth of a Division.

We did our own Mid-Season Review, but I must tip my hat and bow before the majesty that is The Dream Shake for their 80's Mid Season Review which left me speechless. I thoroughly enjoyed Chris Herrington's mid-season report, as well. Make sure you go over to SI.com to see Jack McCallum's take on all 30 teams, too.

Blog/Website of the Day: The Wizznutzz

Links: Rudy talks to Dime, ESPN creates a trade rumor, Confusion about Casey (that has been verified resulted from misinformation)

Dime Magazine's Austin Burton recently sat down with Rudy Gay to conduct a very good interview.

Dime: It’s not like the Grizzlies came into this season with great expectations, but you still hoped to be better than 10-28 at this point. How would you analyze the season so far?

Rudy Gay: It may not seem like it, but we’re taking some big strides as far as individual people getting better. Once a couple of things fall into place, we’ll be pretty good. But we all know we have a lot of work to do.

That was the first question, and they just got better from there. Be sure to go check it out.

ESPN's Chris Sheridan got bored today and decided to make Grizzlies' fans work feverishly at their keyboards by first stating that NBA executives overwhelmingly believe that Pau Gasol is the high profile player most likely to be moved before the deadline and then proposing a Gasol/Warrick for Amare Stoudemire/draft pick trade while discussing the Phoenix Suns' big man. Thanks a lot Chris! Now the fanbase has gone from being willing to take Chicago's "kiddie meal" offer or L.A.'s "expiring contracts bonanza" to thinking they could have Amare in Beale Street Blue. Like they didn't want to move the talented Spaniard enough already?

Finally, it seems that some overseas announcers might have intimated that the Grizzlies were on the verge of releasing G/F Casey Jacobsen and that a return to Germany would be in his future. I've seen nothing to substantiate this and have no doubt that at the current time it is a complete fabrication -- that's a big word that means it belongs in a Sam Smith column.

UPDATE BY ZACK...RE: Casey

Special thanks goes out to the best Sports Radio Host currently residing on the Bluffs of the Great Mississippi River.

Chris Wallace confirmed to Verno that Casey "has not been bought out or released".

Verno contacted Wallace after seeing the above mentioned link and then relayed the news to me. I feel bad for that misinformation about Casey being taken from the dark depths of messageboard-land to the perils of the NBA Blogsphere. I'm glad Verno helped us straighten it out.

Blog/Website of the Day: 20 Second Timeout

Links: Hardwood Paroxysm is my homepage

Hardwood Paroxysm comes through with two fantastic posts this week. The first is a serious look around the league at what the value of a true scorer is with some quotes from your's truly. The second just might be the greatest thing they have ever done. Make sure to abstain from all liquids while reading it.

You've heard of Power Rankings, right? Well, meet the Powerless Rankings: East and West.

The Lodi News-Sentinel has a great article about Grizzlies assistant coach Ron DuBois who is in his first season with Memphis.

Jay Mariotti joins the rest of Chicago in pining for the services of Pau Gasol.

Bleacher Report is among those who considers this Memphis team a disappointment, listing them among their Early Season Flops.

The Idaho Press-Tribune reports that the Grizzlies have scouts at the D-League Showcase.

Sixers4Guidos has the latest Blogger MVP/ROY Rankings up.

Blog/Website of the Day: American Basketball Association of America