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.

Spreading the Mayo Coverage Thick

The Memphis fanbase is still buzzing from the Love/Miller for Mayo trade. And rightfully so. There has been lots of coverage of the trade here on Shades of Blue (where do we go from here, griz draft aftermath, highlights from the press conference, mayo the star or solar flare, initial take). And many other places, like....

The Nation of Grizzlam with some entertaining opinions on the trade, Chris Herrington with the most well-written and informative posts about the trade (kudos to Chris for being the primary source of information during the hectic post-draft hours), from the Commercial Appeal who has had superb coverage of the trade from all angles, John Hollinger on ESPN rang in to dis Memphis, AOL Fanhouse (thanks TZ) has given the trade alot of space, and just about every major NBA related internet site has given their take on the biggest trade of this years draft.

So, I'm here to make sure that the Mayo coverage is spread even thicker. I'll attack this in my usual, bulleted/list style.

No Need to Worry About Losing Mayo to a Big Market Anytime Soon

I know alot of people think geting Mayo, who seems like someone that wants to be in the national spotlight, is a waste because he will just bolt to a bigger market the first chance he gets. Well, I'm here to tell you that it will likely be 7-9 years before he gets that chance. Luckily the new CBA highly favors teams being able to keep their draft picks.

We have him in on his rookie contract for 4 to 5 years. The 5th year can be voided if he signs an early extension with us. And that extension has to be for at least 3 years. That will make his time in Memphis last 7 years total before he is an Unrestricted Free Agent. This is what LeBron and Dwade did. That gives us 7 years to get this team to be a stable contender. And even then, we will have the advantage when it comes to re-signing him, being able to offer more years, more money, higher increase in salary each year, and will not have to worry about salary cap restrictions.

There is the chance that Mayo would decline to sign an early extension with us, in which case he can become a Restricted Free Agent in year 5. But then we would be able to match any offer sheet he is signed too.

(this paragraph has been edited, I think I had some stuff wrong initially, sorry) The one doomsday scenario is that he can refuse to sign with anyone, and merely accept the qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent after 5 years. I hope this doesn't happen and can't remember it happening for anyone of much significance, Michael Olowokandi with the Clippers is the only example I know of. I doubt this happens. I also over-heard a conversation by people that know more than me about us trading for David Lee and what would happen if he refused to re-sign with during restricted free agency. There was something about a 6 month waiting period he would have to sit out, but now I can't find anything in Larry Coon's FAQ to back that up. Oh well. Bottomline, is that I expect if Mayo wants to change teams, he will do it LeBron and Dwade style, and do it 7 years from now, 4 years on a rookie contract and 3 years at Max or near Max money.

I Was Wrong to Be So Pessimistic

I told you guys, and told the Grizzlies.com messageboard, that I was not optimistic about this offseason. I thought we would make safe and unspectacular picks at 5 and 28. We would not spend any free agent money. And we would continue down the same path that won us a combined 44 wins the last 2 years.

I was wrong.

Heisley and Wallace took the chance. They went big as Noah would say. They did what was needed to be done to interject some life into this franchise. I applaud them for it. I give them a standing ovation for it. Wallace and Heisley made Draftmas the best Draftmas ever. Seriously, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Iavaroni Against the Trade?

The Commercial Appeal said that Iavaroni was against this trade. And that makes sense, his job is on the line in the short term and any trade that is thinking 3 years down the road is not good for his dinner table or 401K. But he will have to get use to it. Iavaroni's poor personnel decisions last year gave us the great Casey Jacobsen. Ivy needs to focus on how we defend the pick and roll and let Wallace do the player evaluation.

The Most Basic Reason Trading Love for Mayo Was the Correct Decision

Last year, when we had Pau, we sucked. No other way to put it. Wallace and Heisley saw it and knew we had to destroy this team and start over.

If our offseaon consisted of drafting Love to replace Pau, we would still suck. A starting lineup of Conley, Miller, Gay, Love and Darko is no different than it was with Pau. Probably worse, actually. We would still need to upgrade Miller or Darko in that scenario, and that would probably be difficult to do. Trading borderline starters and bench players usually doesn't net anyone quality starters. Particularly young, promising quality starters.

Trading for Mayo was the best option in the draft considering the bounty Riley wanted for Beasley.

Play Mayo at PG!!! Trade Conley!

By my count, we now have 5 guys that can play PG on our team. We have 2 guys only capable of playing point (Conley and Lowry). We have 3 combo guards (Mayo, Javaris, and Jaric). All those jokes about our 8 gazillion point guards just got even more appropriate.

What do we do now? Wallace said on ESPN national radio on Friday that he knows something will need to be done before the season to balance out our roster. Wallace has also said before the draft that he thinks Mayo can play both guard positions, but that he would be most effective and spend most time at point. Mayo has also said he envisions himself as a point guard in the NBA.

I think we need to play Mayo as the starting Point Guard. Period. I'm tired of midget ball (remember the lineups of Lowry, Navarro and Javaris?). I think Mayo will need the ball in his hands to be effective and Conley isn't effective playing off the ball (last year, I was told many times that if Conley was allowed to dominate the ball more and run more pick/rolls, he would look better....time to repeat that argument again). Playing Mayo as the starting PG is the best decision for this team to make.

And that means finding a trade for Conley. There has been a bunch of rumors floating around. On draft night, allegedly Memphis and Portland talked trade. I love this idea, because I am really high on Travis Outlaw. I think a Conley for Outlaw/Webster (or Outlaw/Frye) deal could be a win-win for both franchises. Two other teams I think could make good trade partners with regarding Conley are Phoenix (for Barbosa) and Detroit (for Prince).

Most of the Griz fanbase is saying to trade Lowry and Hak to balance out the roster. But, in my humble opinion, those two players are likely to net us a backup guard and backup forward, which is exactly what they are currently. Conley has the most trade value. Mayo will be most effective (IMO) at PG. Thus my conclusion is to trade Conley.

Sam Amico Should Have His Credentials Stripped

Traditionally, blogs have been a perfect place to rip on national writers. I want to do that here. And my target is Sam Amico of probasketballnews with his post-draft notes found here.

He starts by saying:

Memphis’ starting lineup will now look something like this: C Kwame Brown; PF Antoine Walker; SF Rudy Gay; SG Mayo; PG Mike Conley. Off the bench will be Darko Milicic, Hakim Warrick, Kyle Lowry, Marko Jaric, and new addition Marc Gasol. And there's no telling how good Gasol might be.

Seriously? How can you be given any credence for someone covering the NBA when you think the Memphis starting lineup now includes Kwame Brown (he is a unrestricted free agent, idiot, and didn't even start over Darko last year or even play last year for that matter) and Antoine Walker (who is already being talked about as a buyout candidate). No mention of Javaris Crittenton or Darrel Arthur either. He also discussed the new Timberwolves rotation and completely left off Corey Brewer.

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

Links: Gasol speaks out, ESPN is high on Conley, but not the team, Jumping Myth

Following last night's loss to the Lakers.....hang on a minute. Following last night's embarassing blowout to the Lakers -- that's better -- Pau Gasol had some statements that expressed his displeasure with what had occurred. From the Commercial Appeal:

Griz 7-footer Pau Gasol said he was frustrated by the Grizzlies' one-on-one play. The Griz finished with 19 assists on 41 field goals so that they had six players score in double figures was a bit deceiving.

"You don't have to be a scientist to figure that out," Gasol said. "We have to get back on track. We need to realize we have to play together every night and not try to do our own thing. ... It's a team game."

What's funny is that this is the kind of statements that get a player recognition for being a leader. I don't buy "Strotential" (click the link, you'll thank me) and I don't believe that Pau Gasol will ever be a "true leader". But even I thought it was the height of hysterics when someone read the comments above and labeled it as "more Gasol crying and whining". C'mon people -- quit sipping the haterade long enough to see that he was calling the whole team out and including himself in that group. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he was 100% right either. Or that Rudy Gay backed up his comments about it being a team game by talking about "team defense" later in the same article.

ESPN.com's fantasy basketball writer Keith Lipscomb has fallen in love with Mike Conley. He dedicated an entire Rookie Report to him today. While he was mostly concerned about his statistical output for fantasy purposes, they did praise him for his ability to run a team and his heady play.

However, over on the Daily Dime, Jalen Rose lists the Grizzlies at #4 on his "Most Disappointing" list. I'd love to be able to ask Jalen how exactly it is that the Grizzlies -- worst team in the NBA last season -- are more disappointing than the Bulls, Rockets or Jazz. Those three teams made the playoffs last year, were expected to go far this year and would all miss the playoffs if they started right now. Of course, he has Minnesota as his #1 most disappointing team, so I guess we should have lowered our expectations about what Jalen was bringing to the table with this one. In fact, didn't the ESPN.com experts predict an average finish of 10th in the West? I wonder what kind of expectations Rose had for this team?

With a hat tip to our helpful reader Jed, I direct you over to TrueHoop to explore the myth of leapers being able to touch the top of the backboard. As a lifelong Tiger fan, I can only think of one guy who might have been able to accomplish that feat -- Michael Wilson. No, not the guy who made all the funny sound effects in the Police Academy movies -- that was Michael Winslow. Michael Wilson played for the Tigers in the early 90's . In lieu of a Blog/Website of the day, I leave you with his world record dunk on a 12 ft. goal.

Links: Damon Fallout, Conley Blogs, Gasol Rumors/Wishlists, Staxtacular '08, NBA Blogger Award Ballot and All-Star Team

We've already covered the Damon trade demand from top to bottom and side to side. Now let's take a look at the fallout.

Kelly Dwyer has some good thoughts about the situation and the future direction of the team over on Yahoo's NBA Experts Blog, along with a mention of our little old site. Thanks KD!

Chris Vernon also has a take on it, although in his typical way, he is less than complimentary of what he perceives to be "whining".

Predictably, fans of teams around the league needing a PG upgrade or depth (like Cleveland) are posing scenarios to acquire the former Rookie of the Year.

In related news, Michael Conley updated his blog to talk about his first career NBA start and admits to being nervous.

ESPN's Daily Dime jumps on board with the "Chicago could really use Gasol right now" movement:

Team that needs to make a move, or else
The Chicago Bulls. Their two best players are Ben Gordon and Luol Deng. Both are up for contract extensions, both are unsigned. Scott Skiles has been fired.

What this team needs now is to develop an identity, which can be helped by getting an interior scorer and go-to guy. Getting Pau Gasol would be a great move for them, a face-up shooter who can complement their tremendous perimeter players. Seems like they have a glut of young big guys like Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah who do the same type of things.

To follow that up, over on RealGM, there is a piece by Patrick J. Austin where the title really says it all: Grizzlies Need to Move in a New Direction: Deal Gasol. The highlights:

Change is never easy. It’s always a scary and unpredictable proposition, but one that is ever present in life. People cling to what they know for fear of what’s “new and unknown.” The Memphis Grizzlies are currently facing this grim reality. They are a franchise in flux mired in another disappointing season and cellar dwellers in the most difficult division in the NBA.

However, the cold hard fact of the matter is that Gasol has not elevated the Grizzlies to a competitive level, despite the team emphasizing his talents and making him the focus of the offense for the majority of his career in Memphis. The organization saw flashes of a superstar player in Gasol’s earlier years and tried to make him the face of the franchise and go-to guy on the court. He repaid them by demanding a trade this past off-season and is nagged by various injuries. Moves were made to try and appease Gasol including using a chunk of cap space to sign a complimentary big man in Darko Milicic and dealing away a first round pick for Gasol’s good friend, Juan Carlos Navarro. Neither move has made the team markedly better and Gasol has not put up better numbers.

I believe the trade below would be perfect for both teams…

Grizzlies acquire:
Tyrus Thomas
Ben Gordon
Joe Smith
Chris Duhon

Bulls acquire:
Pau Gasol
Brian Cardinal
Juan Carlos Navarro

In other words, it is a rehash of what has been written by many people in many different places, including by our own bloggers here. I'm just curious why it is that we have to trade with Chicago in all these scenarios. Sure, they need Pau the most, but they really don't have what we need the most in return, IMO.

Are you ready for Staxtacular '08? In case you don't know what that is, here's a brief explanation from the link provided:

STAXTACULAR returns on Friday, March 7, 2008!
The city's wildest "soul-shakin' throwdown," hosted this year by Brian and Danielle Cardinal, Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay and Mike Conley from the Memphis Grizzlies, is back, bigger and better than ever--and now YOU have the opportunity to buy tickets before they go onsale to the public!

Call 901-261-6385 now to purchase your tickets before they are available to the public. Tickets are $150 each, and as always, all the proceeds will benefit the life-changing music education programs of the Stax Music Academy.

Sounds like a great event, as well as benefitting a good cause.

Over on Hardwood Paroxysm, they have released the NBA blogs that will be voted upon for various awards, as well as the First and Second Team All-Stars. Our fair blog did not make the cut for any of the categories and it would be fair to say that I'm disappointed. Nay, not disappointed -- OUTRAGED!!! After all, how many other blogs have sat down over chicken wings with their team's GM? How many I ask!?! If that's not enough to get you some recognition, then I don't know why I roll out of bed at noon every day to update this blog. We even got shut out of "Rookie of the Year" because of some technicality based on the fact that we posted a couple of times late last season about Greg Oden and the draft. Well that's not right and I refuse to stand for it! Give me my internet award right now! Sorry....just had some righteous indignation left over from yesterday's Damon post and had to get that out of my system.

In all seriousness though, everyone go over there and look at all the great blogs/websites that were nominated in preparation for the voting which will take place in April.

Blog/Website of the Day: The Basketball Jones

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

(Getty Images)

From Zack - Quick Thoughts

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

MemphisX's View:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opposing View

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Links: Conley Update, Rudy's Media Exposure, Damon's Statement, Oops

According to his blog, Conley participated in full contact drills, took a few hits to his shoulder and feels fine. Perhaps we'll see him on the court with the coming of the new year. That would give the fans some hope moving forward, I would think.

Hornets.com conducted an interview with rising star Rudy Gay over the Christmas break.

Hornets.com: Now that you have a year under your belt in the NBA, has it
been easier this season as far as preparation and expectations?
Rudy Gay: I don’t know if it’s been easier, but I feel better prepared for it. There are some great players in the league with a lot of talent, so you’re always going against the best. I think the biggest thing was taking care of myself and getting used to how long the season is.

There weren't any truly deep, searching questions, but it is still nice to see Rudy get some media recognition. I think we all know that if it weren't for his buzzer-beater against the Spurs, he'd still be the most low-profile player who leads his team in scoring across the entire league.



Rudy was also the subject of an interesting read in a Pennsylvania newspaper article that I saw on Hoopsworld.com, titled: Grizzlies' Gay proving critics wrong.

He's been called disinterested about basketball at times, but Memphis Grizzlies swingman Rudy Gay is making a lot of critics eat those words.

With his sophomore campaign looking brighter by each game, Gay has become the lone reason why fans are even paying attention to the Grizzlies during their rebuilding stage.

While I think the writer took a somewhat simplistic approach to this story, given that Rudy's improvement could in fact be a result of having critics -- similar to the impressive rookie season that former UConn teammate Charlie Villanueva had after being blasted by pundits. But, it is still nice to see the media noticing that Rudy is starting to show why most experts had him at the top of the draft boards through his freshman season and most of his sophmore year of college.

In the Commercial Appeal today, Damon Stoudamire had some words for his teammates that could best be described as "tough love", as he said that the team needed to get tough.

"The guys in this locker room have to decide when enough is going to be enough. We, as players, have to get tough. We have to help each other on defense and offense. We have to trust each other. ...When we get after it, we're not that bad."
"We've got to take a stand as a team," Stoudamire said. "We've got to get sick of losing, and string some wins together."
"It comes a time where if you don't get it done, you have to always build each other up," Stoudamire said. "You spend a lot of time convincing guys that the philosophy will work. You're trying to make some guys want to fight, and the season is too young for that. We have to show some fight. It's not on coach. We have to do it in this locker room."

It's nice to see one of the veteran leaders of this team step up and attempt to "right the ship".

Over on The Blog of Mikey, one blogger admits to falling prey to the "previous results" fallacy of predicting success and playoff teams. At least he's a quick enough study to figure that out now, rather than after the All-Star break.

Mega-Links: Injury News, Mike Miller and his monkey, TK in a giving mood, Sign the "Kobe Stopper"?, Team Value, Rudy Gay, Hak on the block?

Ron Tillery is reporting on the Memphis Edge that Pau Gasol is questionable for Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers after jamming the big toe on his right foot in practice. That's the bad news. The good news is that Michael Conley has been participating in non-contact drills since Monday and hopes to be cleared for full contact drills by next Tuesday. I would have liked to have known about that a few days ago, but I guess Tillery was busy finding "his stories" in other locations. Oh Ron-Ron...and here we were trying to be nice to you for a change. Don't make me regret that decision.

I was too busy yesterday afternoon to see this post on TrueHoop about Mike Miller and his former pet, a monkey named Sonny. Apparently when Henry Abbott worked for HOOP Magazine, he interviewed Miller and they had a lengthy conversation about Sonny at that time. Well, it got brought up again because of the current issue (January/February 2008) of HOOP Magazine that includes a new interview with #33 in which Sonny's story is revisited. It's unique, it's bizarre, it's a must-read.

Over on CSTV.com is the report that Tarence Kinsey is giving back to his alma mater, the University of South Carolina.

Former Gamecocks basketball player Tarence Kinsey will donate his Memphis Grizzlies game-worn uniform to be auctioned on the official South Carolina Auctions page on GamecocksOnline.com with the proceeds benefiting the Carolina Remembrance Fund.
The uniform includes an autographed jersey, game shorts and autographed shoes.
The university established the Carolina Remembrance Fund in honor and memory of the six Carolina students who died in the Ocean Isle fire Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007.
Proceeds from the fund will honor these students through their sorority, Delta Delta Delta, or fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Nice to see yet another Grizzlies player taking the time to be charitable and help others.

Over on the Grizzlies Message Board, there is an outcry to sign the recently waived Ruben "Kobe Stopper" Patterson to shore up the team's defensive deficiencies and supply a little attitude. Ehh--what could it hurt? If he can crack the rotation ahead of Casey Jacobsen and Brian Cardinal (a daunting task, I know), then give him a shot.

Finally, we have Forbes anual Team Valuation Rankings, in which the Grizzlies come in at #23 with a value of $304 million. I could have sworn that I had posted this already, but a search through the archives didn't turn up anything, so there you go.

Late Updates via the venerable ODK on the Message Boards:

Rudy Gay, A Chat On The Raptors Tonight On The RealGM Hoops Show
Tonight on the RealGM Hoops Show, Brendon, Sacha and Aaron will talk to Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay about his breakout season. They will also chat with RealGM's Tyler Sherkin about the Toronto Raptors and will be joined by former NBA star Jerome Williams live from the Philippines. Feel free to call the show between 9:00 and 10:00 PM Eastern at 1-888-942-7326.

Hakim Warrick made ESPN's list of the 10 most likely to be traded:
4. Hakim Warrick, Grizzlies

After a five-game stretch in which he played very little, the Grizzlies have been showcasing him to a degree in their past two games as word has circulated around the league that the third-year forward does not fit into the Grizzlies' long-term plans.There are still plenty of teams willing to take a shot on Warrick's upside, which means Memphis can get true value in return.

Website/Blog of the Day: The Blowtorch

Links: Pete Pranica is an intelligent man, Conley Blogs, JCN's Rookie Ranking, More Rankings,

Pete Pranica reads my mind one more time with his newest blog post "What Rattles Around My Brain". He succinctly captures what is "wrong" with this version of the Memphis Grizzlies -- a lack of leadership and the absence of a "closer" who will grab the game by the...um....throat and take over. Pete, if you read this blog, feel free to send us an e-mail, as we'd love to pick your brain for awhile.

Michael Conley updated his blog yesterday and took some questions from the fans.

SI.com has Juan Carlos Navarro holding steady in the 5th position of its Rookie Rankings this week.

NBA.com has Instant Grits in the #4 spot, up from #7 last week.

Got a few power rankings to throw your way, as well.

MKE Bucks Diary (PVOA Ranking)
MKE Bucks Diary (NBA Offensive/Defensive Performance Rank)

Website/Blog of the Day -- Basketbawful

Links: Leadership, Pranica in the Big Easy, Dance Team

Former NBA player Eddie Johnson (Kings, Suns, SuperSonics, Hornets, Pacers, Nuggets and Rockets -- he's been around) is currently blogging for Hoopshype. His post today is titled "Leaders among players are hard to find." In it, he mentions the Memphis Grizzlies as one of the teams that is foundering due to a lack of leadership among those actually lacing up their sneakers. Here's what he had to say:

Memphis Grizzlies
Pau Gasol needs to play up to his potential and stop trying to jump ship. That attitude will not allow him to lead the team, where he is presumably the best player. The Grizzlies have very good young talent, but like the Bulls will need to find a leader that can allow Marc Iavaroni to have a solid year evaluating his team and at least get them close to the potential he expects.

I'm not in disagreement with his assessment of Memphis being a team in need of on-court leadership -- I just don't think that Pau Gasol will ever be that guy. It's not really what I consider a fault -- it just isn't part of Pau's personality to be that guy and likely never will be. If he were part of the future of the team, I believe that Damon Stoudamire would embrace that role. But he isn't, so he is unlikely to contribute in that way this season unfortunately. In all likelihood, this team won't get its "leader" until Michael Conley is the unquestioned starter. He was the floor general for Ohio State as a freshman in leading them to the NCAA title game and I fully expect him to do the same thing here in Memphis. So get well soon Michael -- we need you out on the floor!

Pete Pranica has a new blog post up today titled "New Orleans in the Morning". It is a heartfelt look at the citizens of N'awlins and the dwindling fanbase capable of supporting the Hornets. As always, it is a fantastic read that I highly recommend.


The big news of the day is that the Grizzlies Dance Team section is finally up and running on Grizzlies.com with new photos and dancer bios. As you may remember, we were fortunate enough to interview two former dance team members and truly appreciate the hard work that these young women do to provide entertainment at the games. You can view those interviews and pictures by following these links: Ashley Nations and Terah Chin.

Website/Blog of the Day: PhDribble

Links: Conley Update, Gasol's 5 Questions, Another Gasol rumor

Michael Conley updated his blog on Yardbarker just a few minutes ago: Rehab

He talks about rehabbing his shoulder every morning and the fact that it won't require surgery, but no further mention of a timetable for his return.

Here's a further explanation of his injury from Dr. Owen Tabor, whom we asked to explain what a posterior labral tear is. Dr. Tabor hasn't examined Conley, so he is speaking about the injury in general terms.

The labrum is a soft cartilage rim around the shoulder socket (glenoid) that is analagous to the meniscus in the knee. Usually, to tear the labrum, you need to have dislocated or subluxed (almost dislocated) the shoulder. A labral tear is actually hard to diagnose, as MRIs are not that accurate. There's not much rehab involved in a labral tear. I would assume they will wait a week or two, and if his shoulder feels better, let him play. If it still hurts, he may need a scope of his shoulder, which could keep him out for anywhere from 2 weeks to the rest of the season, depending on what they find and how they treat it.

Pau Gasol answered 5 Questions for ESPN's Marc Stein on the Daily Dime and seemed to be ready to put the ugliness/disappointment of last year behind him. He says that things are much better this year and he cannot wait to get over a few nagging injuries that have slowed him down so far this season so that they can continue to progress as a team. Check out the link for the full Q&A session. (Hat tip: TennesseeDrew)

Here's another Gasol rumor out of Chicago (the Sun Times' John Jackson....again):

The player I would make a serious run at is Memphis Grizzlies big man Pau Gasol, a player the Bulls were interested in last season. The Grizzlies aren't shopping him right now, but they probably can be persuaded to make a deal because the team is losing, fans aren't filling the FedEx Forum and Gasol is owed a lot of money in the next four years.
I still wouldn't trade Deng, the player the Grizzlies wanted last season, but I'd make it clear that anyone else -- including Hinrich and Gordon -- could be had in the right deal.

As per the last trade rumor, this is the idle speculation/wish list of a bored sportswriter and nothing more.

Reasonable Expectations

See? Now you respect me, because I’m a threat. That’s the way it works.

Syndrome
The Incredibles


In the entire history of Grizzlies basketball, we have never been a threat. We are in the 13th season and nothing, nada, zippo. Only one All Star in the first 12 seasons. Dwindling attendance. Lackluster and indifferent fan base. Currently 3-9 and coming off a blowout loss to the World Champion San Antonio Spurs. Yes, it is a long way from Halloween when we played the Spurs closely. As the season wears on and the losses mount (look at December’s schedule), there is one underlying theme as the Grizzlies face the better teams…we are not a threat.

When discussing the Grizzlies, especially with regards to roster moves, the vision is for building a contender for the Larry O’Brien trophy. It is not about building a “competitive” team or a playoff contender. It is about a team that is at least on the level that the Utah Jazz is currently. Might not be a championship favorite but a team that is considered to have a chance if things break right. So the question that needs to be answered is what type of talent do the Grizzlies need to compete at that level?

When starting this conversation, it is good to refer to an article written about two years ago that covered what it takes to win in the NBA from a historic perspective. When referring to this article, it shows you the #1 reason why the Grizz have failed to build a contender. The Grizzlies have not built the team from the top down. What this means is that the past GMs of the Grizzlies have been more concerned with overall depth than the quality of the players at the top. Another shortcoming is that Grizzlies management has not valued acquiring players that defend the goal over shooters.

BUILDING A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM

STEP 1: Acquire a Championship Superstar
Approach #1: Acquire a Top 5 caliber player Only two NBA Champions failed to include a player named to the All-NBA first team during their careers. These players are easy to identify as all but 4 NBA championship teams included players named All-NBA 1st Team in the prior four seasons.

Approach #2: If you fail to acquire a Top 5 caliber player, then you need a Top 5 caliber defender. Only two NBA Champions failed to include a player named to the All-Defensive first team during their careers, and each of these teams included Top 5 Players.

Approach #3: Clear salary cap space for next year. No NBA team has won a championship without a Top 5 player or Top 5 defender.

STEP 2: Add a championship sidekick (or two) Every NBA championship roster included a Top 10 caliber player or Top 10 defender as a sidekick. Most championship sidekicks can be identified by looking at players named All-NBA 1st or 2nd Team or All-Defensive 1st or 2nd Team in one of the prior 4 seasons. All told, 86% of all championship rosters included at least one sidekick with a previous All-NBA or All-Defensive selection, and over half of the championship rosters (57%) included 2 or more sidekicks with a previous All-NBA or All-Defensive selection.

STEP 3: Make sure one of your players (superstar or sidekick) can defend. No team has won an NBA title without a Top 10 caliber defender.

Now this article is not THE reference for building an NBA champion, but history should not be ignored. The key to winning in the NBA is not size, depth, defense, or scoring. The key to winning is top-level talent. Ask Phoenix if size and defense is the key to contending. Ask Boston if depth is essential to contending. Ask Detroit if you need elite scorers to contend. See I am not asking for or expecting an NBA title. I just want to enter the conversation.

Coach Iavaroni has already stated that he would prefer an 8 or 9 man rotation. So in essence, we should have 6 roster spots that we should not even discuss except in theoretical playoff match up terms such as having an extra big if we had to deal with Greg Oden or an extra long perimeter defender to disrupt Kevin Durant. Did you catch that? Yes, that is how far away this roster is from making the jump into the upper 25% of the league. I think this is the reality that must set in for us. We are at least 3 years away.

These three years assumes that Gay, Lowry, Conley and Darko progress as expected. In this time the Grizzlies should have a top 7 pick in 2008, to be a borderline playoff team in 2009, a playoff team in 2010 and to go into the 2010-11 season as a threat to make the Western Conference finals. So with that timeline it is more important to find players that fit the team our coach wants to build. A team that attacks on both ends of the court, athletic, and able to shoot proficiently from the perimeter is what Coach Iavaroni emphasized. Tarence Kinsey doesn’t count because he should not be in your top 8 or 9.

In my estimation, we have players 3 through 6 in our future contending rotation: (3) Michael Conley, (4) Rudy Gay, (5) Darko Milicic, and (6) Kyle Lowry. So we need use the rest of our assets in getting two big time players: one a glass eating (10+ rebounder) interior defender and the other a perimeter shot maker in the mold of the upper echelon wings in the league. Nothing else matters.

Now the chance of acquiring an age appropriate (25 and under), established “superstar” via trade is virtually impossible. So that leaves the draft, free agency and trading for a potential superstar before they have blossomed. Players that fit the mold we should be looking for: Gilbert Arenas, Michael Beasley, OJ Mayo, Eric Gordon, Andre Iguodala, Emeka Okafor, Andris Biedrens, DeAndre Jordan, Tyrus Thomas, and Josh Smith.

In other words, the two types of players needed are a perimeter player capable of eventually giving you a consistent 20 to 25 points a night with range and without being a defensive liability and an interior player capable of pulling down 10 to 15 rebounds per night while scoring in double figures with good enough hands that the team can use him to run the pick and roll and playing good defense. These two guys don’t guarantee a championship but they elevate the Grizzlies into contention. Isn’t that all a Grizzlies fan could ask for at this point?

Should We Be Worried About Conley's Injury?

Spartacus mentioned in the Daily Links post that #4 overall pick, Micheal Conley has a posterior labral tear in his right shoulder. He is expected to miss at least 2-3 weeks of action. Conley injured the shoulder in the third quarter of the 11.17.07 game versus the Dallas Mavericks.

I want to take this opportunity to delve a little deeper into this unfortunate situation.

Are the Memphis Grizzlies Cursed?

Yes, particularly at the PG position. What else would someone living in Memphis say? The negative, woe-is-me attitude isn't totally unjustified. First, the franchise lost out on being able to draft potential superstars LeBron, Melo, or D-wade in 2003, then again with Oden or Durant in 2007. Memphis fans have yet to see a playoff victory. And now it seems that new Grizzly PG acquisitions are destined to get hurt in their first year on the job.

Damon was signed in the summer of 2005, then blew out his knee in December of that year and is just now fully recovering. Kyle Lowry was drafted in 2006, then severely damaged his wrist in the 10th game of the year and missed the rest of the year. Now the 2007 #4 overall selection has a posterior labral tear in his right shoulder within the first month of the season, despite having a hard time finding playing time this season. With a fan base ready to see Conley play sooner rather than later, this injury is hard to stomach. So it seems that anything less than 3 quality point guards is a recipe for disaster for the Grizzlies.

Should we be worried about this injury?

I don't yet know if we should be worried, but I'll admit that, yes, my gut feeling is that I am worried about this injury. I'm worried that Conley will miss significantly more time than suggested right now. And I'm worried that this could be the start of long term problems to that shoulder.

First, the good news. The injury is in the right shoulder and Conley is left-handed. Tillery also says that

this injury isn’t too serious. Posterior labral reattachment provides consistently good results, allowing the athlete to return to competition without worry of complications. It’s mostly a football injury.

Being someone that sustained a major shoulder injury playing high school football, I admit that I'm a little more ignorant on shoulder injuries than I should be. I don't think my injury was the same as Conley's. In fact, my injury was initially misdiagnosed and then required surgery a year later. It was a nightmare and I have tried hard to forget as much as possible about the injury and grueling rehab process, though I am reminded everyday by the throbbing that still exists.

Originally, Conley's injury was said to be a "sprained shoulder", and I was under the impression the implication was that the injury was minor. I am always skeptical of injuries when the initial diagnoses is not correct and proves too optimistic.

Anyway, I found this page helpful in re-educating me about shoulder injuries. The about.com link lists 3 types of labral tears.

--SLAP Tears
--Bankart Lesions
--Posterior Labral Tears

Posterior Labral Tears are also called internal impinchment and is said to be caused from pinching of the tuberosity (top of the humerus) against the labrum. The link says that Labral tears do not typically require surgery, although they can. And the posterior labral tear is seen mostly in athletics, particularly football and baseball.

I also want to mention Lamar Odom. I am not entirely up to speed on Odom's injury history, though I do know he has suffered from shoulder problems in the past. At the end of last season, Odom was sidelined for the rest of the year because of a labrum tear in his left shoulder. The injury required surgery. It was the same shoulder he had surgery on 2 seasons prior. Most likely, Conley's injury is much less severe than Odom's. I hope. I also don't think Conley has a history of shoulder problems, like Odom had.

How will this affect Damon?

I would think the possibility of trading Damon in the short-term is nearly ruled out, although I doubt that was much of an option yet anyway. The injury is sure to stunt Conley's development this year and thus could make it less likely that Conley is ready to be handed the keys by the time the trade deadline comes in February. Right now, I would still say trading Damon by the trade deadline is more likely than not, but this injury certainly provides a solid reason for keeping Damon around all season. One future scenario that I think is now a possibility is that Damon will stay all season and just be bought out after the season is over.

Can we trust the 2-3 week timeline?

It is reported that Conley will miss at minimum 2 to 3 weeks. Tillery also says Conley is out 'indefinitely. I am making a guess that this injury will keep Conley out at least 6 weeks, if not 2 to 3 months, although I have no real basis for my opinion, other than a gut feeling that the 2-3 weeks is much too optimistic. Plus there is no real reason to rush this rehab process. Conley wasn't playing much, Damon and Kyle are playing fine and the kid is still only 19 or 20 years old. Last year, it seemed that Lowry's injury was under-reported, then eventually ballooned into needing 3 different surgeries and keeping the wrist inactive for longer than expected. Something tells me this injury to Conley might play out in a similar manner.

I suggest you forget about the 2-3 week timeline and just be ecstatic if Conley returns before the calendar says 2008. The Grizzlies can't afford to rush Conley back. 5 days ago it seemed that the future was ready to be the present, but now it seems the future is back to being the future.

Addendum: Posterior Labral Tear is fully explained on this web page for those interested in the science aspect.

Links: Mike Miller Likes 3's, Damon on NBA TV, Conley out with shoulder injury 2-3 weeks

Following Pau Gasol's lead earlier this year, Mike Miller will be giving away 333 tickets in person on the same night that 3,000 Mike Miller Team USA jerseys will be given away.

Prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors at FedExForum, fans will have the opportunity to pick up tickets to Saturday’s game from Miller himself beginning at 4:45 p.m. in the Grand Lobby. There will be a limit of two tickets per person.
“I’m proud to have represented my country this past summer and help the United States men’s basketball team qualify for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing,” said Miller. “I felt a great deal of pride putting on a Team USA jersey, and I’m excited to share that feeling with Grizzlies fans Saturday night.”

Last night, Damon Stoudamire was interviewed by NBA TV's Rick Kamla and Frank Isola. You can see that interview on NBA.com. It was an interesting exchange as it seemed that the hosts wanted Damon to say something that would make it seem like he wanted to leave Memphis, but Damon responded like the savvy veteran that he is.

Injury news: It is being reported that Michael Conley will miss 2-3 weeks with a posterior labral tear in his right shoulder. (Source: ESPN.com)

Links: Updated TV Schedule, Pau isn't being shopped, Injury News, Darko being Darko

I meant to mention this on Thursday, but got busy fighting off ninjas....or was it pirates? Well, whatever it was that happened, helpful reader AC reminded me that SportSouth picked up 11 of the 19 games that were not scheduled to be aired locally. In fact, I'll let AC tell you all about it:

In any case, according to the schedule at the official Griz site, SportSouth will be carrying these games:
Dec. 3, Portland
Dec. 8, @ Atlanta
Dec. 15, @ Orlando
Dec. 26, New Orleans
Jan. 6, Miami
Jan. 19, @ Charlotte
Feb. 2, Utah
Feb. 9, @ New Orleans
Feb. 19, @ Seattle
March 8, Boston
March 11, @ Phoenix

That is obviously great news for Grizz fans who don't have League Pass and would otherwise miss seeing the Boys from Beale Street in action.

In other news, Pete Pranica mentioned something interesting in his latest blog post about the Pau Gasol trade rumors originating from Chicago. He mentions his friend Marty Burns, who just happens to write for SI.com and wrote a column about the Gasol issue titled "Grizzlies not looking to deal Gasol":

The Grizzlies' slow start has fueled anew talk of a Pau Gasol trade, but here's a crude reminder for any team hoping to strike oil by stealing the 7-foot Spaniard out of Memphis: Gasol-ine doesn't come cheap.
"Pau's already a proven commodity," Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said, while insisting he's not looking to deal his franchise forward. "He's proven he's a double-double player. He's a difficult matchup for the other team. He scores the ball easily in the post. Those are things that are very difficult to go out and replace."

Wow...you mean that post players who have averaged 20/10/4/2 and can finish with either hand don't exist on every street corner? Whodathunkit?

"In the NBA, you can never say never," Wallace said. "Allen Iverson was traded. Shaquille O'Neal was traded. Kevin Garnett was traded. Those things do occur. But Pau has been very enthusiastic about what's going on here with the players we've brought in and the system Marc Iavaroni has put into place.

"We're not out there running around shopping him, I can tell you that."

Needless to say, it doesn't exactly sound like GM Chris Wallace is running up his cell phone bill begging the other 29 GM's in the NBA to offer him a couple of unproven young players and a draft pick for the talented Spaniard. If anything, he's taking the approach that there's no reason to trade away a 27-year old PF/C coming off a career year who is suffering from a few minor, nagging injuries early in the season. That should be welcome news to Grizzlies fans everywhere -- especially given the solid play of Darko Milicic and the emergence of Rudy Gay as a consistent scoring threat. Pau seems to be more content in Memphis this year, even with the persistence of the trade rumors.

"Every player is [tradable]," he said with a shrug after Wednesday night's loss in Milwaukee. "That's up to [the GM] and the owner. ... Right now, I'm trying to focus on the team and that's what you've got to do, worry about the present. If something happens, it happens.
"But it's definitely a better situation around here than last year."

In that same article, Marty Burns also notes that rookie PG Michael Conley has looked good in the limited time he has seen the court. I've said it before, but it bears repeating: The future looks bright for the Grizzlies.

Unfortunately, Conley sprained his right shoulder in the loss Saturday night and will be evaluated to determine if he'll miss any time. Darko Milicic missed the game against Dallas with his injured left thumb. X-rays were negative during the Hornets game when the injury occurred, but the Grizzlies are holding him out since the thumb was already injured prior to the New Orleans game. Reports are that he'll be re-evaluated upon the team's return to Memphis.

Speaking of Darko -- over at Basketbawful, they have uncovered some very....um....interesting video of The Dark One doing some very....um.....interesting things. I'd say more, but I'm trying to forget I ever saw it. But you guys head on over there and enjoy it. The nightmares will wear off -- I promise.