Possible Damon Buyout?

According to Ron Tillery in this morning's Commercial Appeal, the Grizzlies are working on a buyout for the 34-year old point guard.

A more pressing issue is with veteran point guard Damon Stoudamire, whose agent publicly said his client wanted a trade or contract buyout if the team doesn't intend to play him.

Stoudamire was recently replaced in the starting lineup by rookie Mike Conley. The veteran's issue isn't that Conley received a promotion; rather, that he's suddenly not playing.

Heisley understands, which is why he's working with Stoudamire on a buyout that could be finalized any day if the 13-year veteran is willing to forgo part of his future earnings.

"Damon wants to play. He's at the end of his career and I understand that," Heisley said. "He's been an outstanding teammate, leader, captain and person."

Well isn't that interesting. Wasn't it Heisley that said that he wasn't going to buy out any more players after doing so with Eddie Jones last year? Nice little flip-flop there when it looks like it might save him a few bucks.

Here's what I suggested to a few people yesterday for the betterment of the team. Activate Damon, put Kyle Lowry on the Inactive List and let Damon backup Conley for a few games. Lowry has obviously hit the "rookie wall" and could use a little time off to regain his bearings and recharge his batteries. The team could use a PG who has a perimeter shot that is actually perceived to be a threat. It is a win-win situation for the team.

Over on The Fanhouse, Tom Ziller has some poignant thoughts about the matter that I recommend checking out.

New Player: Bobby Jones

According to Chris Vernon, the Grizzlies will have a new player arriving soon.

From cvernon.com:

This is hardly big news, but the roster spot vacated by Jeremy Richardson will be filled very soon.

The roster spot will be filled with Bobby Jones, not the golfer, who was released from the Denver Nuggets. Jones is regarded as a wing defender, which is what the Grizzlies need. Played college ball at Washington. He has not gotten a lot of run in the NBA. Let's hope he can help and we get a chance to see him play a little when he gets his 10-day.

Zack tells me that Verno and Wallace had a conversation on the radio today that strongly hinted at this happening and I trust Verno enough to run this without any confirmation from the Grizzlies.

Update (11:10 PM): Here is something from his draft profile (hat tip to Timmy D):

6'7", 215 lbs.

Bobby Jones is a defensive stopper in the truest sense. He has great size and quickness and moves his feet intelligently, always staying in front of his man and taking great pride in harassing whoever he is guarding. He is a versatile defender as well; being used in college to defend any position on the court 1-5. Jones does a good job with post defense and he can defend shorter players on the perimeter as well. He is exceptional at sliding his feet from side to side, knowing when to extend or advance his on the ball defensive position and having the instincts to retreat backwards while staying in his defensive stance and keeping his technique.

Jones is mostly a role player and doesn’t seem to have a problem with that. Offensively he is a decent slasher, being able to take a few short dribbles with his right hand to get to the hoop. Jones moves well without the ball, cutting to the basket and looking for opportunities to come up with cheap baskets in the paint. Once at the rim, he has the length and athleticism to finish well at the hoop.

Bobby Jones is not going to be a star at the next level, instead he is your consummate role player who could be a true defensive stopper in the NBA under the right coach. The special thing about Jones is the defensive versatility he has shown in college, being asked to guard all positions on the floor. If asked to switch on a screen in the NBA this will come in very handy as he is used to defending all kinds of offensive players, which will increase his value at the next level. He is a smart defender, and he just understands that part of the game.

Jones likely has the athletic ability and the defensive ability to stick in the NBA until he develops the rest of his game. His overall weaknesses in ball handling and shooting will limit what he can do at the next level, however, a defender is a defender and at his size with his athletic skills, he can play at the next level and be a great defensive stopper.

Best Case: Bruce Bowen

Worst Case: Stacey Augmon

Sounds good to me! Let's get this guy in Beale Street Blue pronto.

Update: It is officially a done deal. See all the details on Grizzlies.com.

News and Notes: Captains, Inactive List

A couple of newsworthy items to inform everyone about.

First, the Grizzlies have named their captains for this upcoming season. From Graham Kendrick's blog today:

Marc Iavaroni announced that the team has named three captains for the upcoming season: Pau Gasol, Mike Miller and Damon Stoudamire.

That is great to hear, as I love the fact that they are putting Gasol in a visible leadership role, rather than simply calling him a leader and expecting it to mean something.

The other item is that Brian Cardinal and Tarence Kinsey will both begin the season on the Inactive List. (NBA.com)

A lot of fans are puzzled by this, given how well TK played last year, but I think it is probably a combination of some lingering issues from his shoulder injury (suffered during Summer League), as well as how well Casey Jacobsen played in preseason. The most common complaint of fans has been that Andre Brown should have been on the list instead, but given that we open the season against the San Antonio Spurs, I want as many frontcourt players available as possible. With Cardinal going on the list, it made sense to make the other player a swingman.