Links: Richardson Waived, Tell Grizz "Get Well", Kinsey Signed, Pranica Blogs, Being a Fan

In the category of "unsurprising news", Jeremy Richardson was waived today. The D-League standout did not score in three game appearances since being signed on December 20th. We wish you the best Jeremy.

Over on Grizzlies.com, they have a way to send a "Get Well" message to Grizz, the mascot for the Memphis Grizzlies known to his friends as Eric McMahon. As we reported on here last month, Eric is being treated for Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Former Grizzlie Tarence Kinsey was signed by Turkish champion Fenerbahce Uker for the remainder of the season. Good luck TK -- we'll all be rooting for you.

Pete Pranica updated his blog today. As usual, it was quality reading material.

Chip alerted me to these next two links, which are quite clearly related. The first is from Dwight Jaynes of the Portland Tribune and is titled "Start training to be a great fan". The second is Dave from Blazer's Edge's response to it, which he titled "Ten Tenets for being a Semi-Decent Fan". Both are good, although I'd have to give the nod to Dave in terms of which is more relevant to today's NBA fan. Here's the first rule:

1. It is not always the coach's fault.
This is the Number One rule of fandom...or should be. Sometimes coaches are bad. Sometimes coaches lose their teams. But even a bad, out-of-touch coach doesn't pull his team into the huddle and say, "OK backcourt players...after we hoist a contested 23-foot shot against the buzzer why don't you guys stand around for a minute and allow the opponent to get out on a 3-on-1 fast break." Generally speaking most coaching styles and strategies can lead to success. All other things (e.g. talent) being equal if a team's players are committed to the coach, pay attention to the game plan, and execute with energy they're probably going to do well no matter what that game plan is. The #1 cause of bad coaching is lack of talent on the team. The #2 cause is lack of consistency among the talent you do have. Look really hard at those things before bringing up the coach. If a guy doesn't have flour and half of his eggs are broken he won't be making a cake today. People can come up with amazingly accurate critiques of coaching sometimes. But a whole lot of coaching criticism is cover for "I don't fully understand what's going on" or "I don't want to admit my team isn't that good".

If that doesn't sound like something most Grizzlies fans should take heed of, then I don't know what would. I'll be referring to #9 in a post later this week as well, so be sure to check it out.

Blog/Website of the Day: Forum Blue and Gold

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: Darko vs. Detroit, Rudy as "The Clean-Up Hitter", Tarence Sighting

There are a few good articles out there on the intarweb today regarding the Memphis Grizzlies.

First up is the requisite "Darko faces former team" piece by the Commercial Appeal's Ron Tillery. However, rather than taking the standard "revenge" stance, Ron dug a little deeper and found that Darko holds no grudges about his time in the Motor City and his former teammates all wish him the best of luck. Good job Ron!

"Stuff happened to me (in Detroit) that never happened before," said Milicic, who will face the Pistons tonight for the first time in a Grizzlies uniform. "I can't say it's anybody's fault. If anything, it was me. I went there, and it was tough on me. I lost the feeling for the game.
"But they're all good guys. ... (team president) Joe Dumars is a great guy. When he traded me, he wished me well, and he said I'll be a good player."

Then we have a great spotlight feature on Rudy Gay by SI.com's Ian Thomsen who seems to be following the Grizzlies closely this year as this is only one of many articles focusing on the Boys from Beale Street. There are some great quotes from Rudy who is looking to prove that his critics were wrong when they labeled him "passive" and said that he "lacked heart".

Six months before the draft, Gay was widely projected as the No. 1 pick. He has no difficulty remembering the anonymous criticisms from NBA scouts that caused him to plunge.
"How could I forget it: He's inconsistent, he's soft, things like that,'' said Gay, now 21. "I think that's what kept me going. That's one thing that motivates me during the summer. These guys say I can't do this, so why not work on it?''
The most damning criticism was that Gay played because he had a talent for it, and not because he loved it.
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't love the game,'' he said. "People like that get exposed. I want to be here night in, night out. After the draft, I was in the local gym shooting. I love this game, and hopefully more people understand that.''

"He's a guy who wants the ball in his hands and he's going to make a play, he's going to make something happen,'' said Iavaroni, who emphasizes that he didn't design the offense to make Gay the leading scorer. Instead, Gay has seized the opportunity

That's the kind of stuff that you want to hear from the guy that many project to be the Superstar-level talent for the Grizzlies going forward.

Our final news of note is that Tarence Kinsey posted on his blog yesterday after a month-long hiatus and seems to be dealing with his limited playing time very well so far. He respects the coaching staff and their decisions to this point and hopes that he can earn some PT as the season progresses. Keep your chin up TK.

Website/Blog of the Day: Give Me the Rock

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.

Links: Tarence Kinsey "Poster Boy"

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

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

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

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

Final Position Battles

As the final week of training camp winds down Marc Iavaroni made an announcement last night on the starting point guard. The Commercial Appeal covered the comments at the press conference and printed a nice piece on it titled Iavaroni Goes with Stoudamire at Point. It is a must read for understanding the way the coach sees that position battle at this time (and yes I am trying to make peace for yesterday's blog that upset people at the CA).

That answers that question for the time being. What is still unanswered is who is winning the battle for some key reserve roles. As has been covered earlier on this blog and confirmed by Iavaroni later, the coach plans on using an 8-9 man rotation this season which shouldn't vary from opponent to opponent. We can somewhat safely assume the starting 5 are Pau Gasol, Mike Miller, Rudy Gay, Damon Stoudamire and Stromile Swift. We now also know that Kyle Lowry will be Damon's backup so that is 6 of the 8-9 players.

Who is next in line?

This really breaks down to two positional battles at wing and the interior. The wing battle is the most wide open right now in my opinion with three players fighting for time. The interior battles revolves around two players. Let's take a look at the wing players today and deal with interior battle tomorrow.

Wing Battle: Juan Carlos Navarro, Tarence Kinsey and Casey Jacobsen

Why it should be Navarro: Juan Carlos comes in more mature than the others having starred in Europe and the International stage for many years. He is someone the team went out of their way to procure and he is Gasol's best friend. He is mature enough to want the ball in pressure situations and confident enough to take the big shot. Wallace and Iavaroni put their necks out a bit to acquire the guy and don't want to see him on the bench. Did I mention he was Gasol's best friend?

Why it shouldn't be Navarro: Defense. Navarro has not shown the ability to play defense at the level required in the NBA. Steve Francis routinely toasted him in Houston and he was torched by Mike Dunleavy at Indiana. These two players haven't exactly been offensive horses the last few seasons. Physically he isn't exactly a specimen. He has little vertical leaping ability and he isn't exactly fast although he is sneaky quick. Also Navarro isn't used to NBA officials or the grind of an 82 game season.

Why it should be Kinsey: Tarence Kinsey is the best defensive player among the three and when combined with Kyle Lowry makes a formidable backcourt combination. He doesn't really have three point range but he can hit the the three and he can definitely score against NBA 2 guards. He proved that last March and April.

Why it shouldn't be Kinsey: He's not a Chris Wallace/Marc Iavaroni hire. He's thin and has had injury problems in the past. His lack of true NBA 3 pt range makes it difficult to combine him with either Lowry or Conley since teams can sag off both players clogging the lane on offense.

Why it should be Jacobsen: Has more NBA experience than either other player, has the best range on his shot when his feet are planted and has worked with Iavaroni in the past while in Phoenix. He is thrilled to be back in the NBA and will leave everything on the court when he gets to play. He's smart, understands his limitations and plays within himself.

Why it shouldn't be Jacobsen: He's not fleet of foot so he won't be beating many people down the court. His shot is only effective when his feet are set and he really hasn't shown any ability to put the ball on the floor and drive. His ball handling skills are not his strong point so it puts more pressure on the point guard bring the ball up the court.

What does this mean? It means Iavaroni has a difficult decision to make. With all three players on one year contracts the losers will probably be looking to move out of town before the summer to get a head start on next season. I believe the job is Navarro's to lose right now due to the commitment that the team made in acquiring him from Washington and his closeness with Gasol. Kinsey seems to be the odd man out but could easily be back in the rotation should Navarro or Jacobsen hit a slump. His defense could also be a factor if that becomes a larger area of concern this season.

Links: Stardom, Altered Outlook, Possible Pickup

Marlon Morgan wrote a good article on Rudy Gay today, titled "Grizzlies' Gay on cusp of stardom". He talks about the strides Rudy has made in maturing as a player and pays specific attention to his versatility, which is one of the most intriguing aspects of his supreme potential.

''Right now, he's the only player we have that would swing between perimeter and post positions. That's the biggest swing there is. Three and four is a big learning curve, and he's handled it well.''
Gay said he doesn't have a problem playing either position, just as long as he's playing. Through the Grizzlies' first five preseason games, the 21-year-old has looked good in both roles.
Against fours, Gay said he tries to utilize his speed and quickness. Against threes, and sometimes twos, he turns to his size as an advantage.
''It's good for me to show coach I can do different things, and it'll help me grow as a player and get more experience,'' Gay said.

Good to see that Rudy is committed to growing as a player -- that gives me hope for his future...and the future of the Grizzlies.

Chip pointed out this post by David Friedman on 20 Second Timeout, where he explains why his expectations for the Memphis Grizzlies have changed. Here's what it boils down to, in essence:

The two NBA teams that lost a game in Europe last year--Clippers, 76ers--did not make the playoffs. Although my initial thought had been that the Grizzlies will be much better with a healthy Gasol, Memphis looked so soft in the loss to Unicaja Malaga that I downgraded my opinion.

So, he is echoing Chip's earlier thoughts that the games against international competition could be an indicator on a team's playoff chances. Still, even though I like Friedman as a writer, I'm going to have to give him our first ever Overreaction Award. Congrats, David! = )

In other news, local Memphis product and former Vanderbilt Commodore Derrick Byars was cut by the Philadelphia 76ers today. Since the Sixers already had Andre Igoudala, Willie Green, Rodney Carney, Thaddeus Young and Kyle Korver under contract at the G/F positions, it was a longshot that Byars was going to find a meaningful spot in the rotation in Philly. However, his scoring ability might fit well back home in Memphis. The former Ridgeway star could be signed to a non-guaranteed contract and then sent to the D-League for the bulk of the year, while being brought over a few times to see how well he plays at the highest level. That would be an ideal situation since Tarence Kinsey is on the last year of his current contract and Casey Jacobsen is on a one-year deal, as is Juan Carlos Navarro. Although I'm sure that if Navarro keeps up his level of play to what we've witnessed to this point, the Grizzlies' front office will find a way to re-sign him next year, even if it means making some one-sided trades. At least, that sounds reasonable to me....and some others as well. This would mean cutting Dontell Jefferson, but if the choice comes down to either the reigning SEC Player of the Year or a guy I hadn't even heard of two months ago, I think I'll take Byars.

Links: Buying Lunch, The Custodian, Kinsey

Mike Conley Jr. returns to his home state of Indiana to play the Pacers tonight. Jeff Rabjohns of the Indianapolis Star covers Conley's homecoming and talks about him spending time with his former high school coach, Jack Keefer, in Memphis last weekend.

Mike Conley Jr. has purchased a house on a golf course, is driving a Range Rover and even has enough spare cash to take his former high school coach out to lunch.
"The bill came and I started to reach for it, and he said, 'Coach, let me take care of that,' " Keefer said. "I said, 'Since you're a millionaire, go ahead.' He sheepishly paid for it and said, 'I think that's the first time I bought a meal for anybody.'

He also talks about Conley's long friendship with Greg Oden.

Conley's famous former teammate, Greg Oden, is sidelined while recovering from knee surgery. This is Conley's first season since junior high without the 7-foot center as a teammate.
"I don't think people gave him his due as a high school player because they always saw Greg out there and all that," Keefer said. "I think he's gained respect from everybody, and people will enjoy seeing him come back."

Golden State of Mind mentions our favorite Custodian (a former Warrior), as well as a former Grizzly.

Brian Cardinal, Janitor Memphis Grizzlies ($5,850,000): During one of the dark years I actually heard a fellow Warrior fan say that the Warriors need to build around Brian Cardinal. I'm worried adding him to the crew might result in some more delusional projections, so we'll pass.

Jason Williams, PG Miami Heat ($8,937,500): White chocolate used to be one of the most entertaining players in the league, but I'm a big fan of milk chocolate. I keep it brown.

Speaking of Brian Cardinal, the Commercial Appeal's Ronald Tillery posted a story today that says Coach Marc Iavaroni foresees using BC as a scrappy facillitator:

Griz head coach Marc Iavaroni seems convinced, evoking "The Custodian" when talking about a goal the team should have while shaping its identity.

"We should be scrapping," Iavaroni said. "That's why I've liked Brian Cardinal. He's done a good job of getting us extra possessions and extra shots. So he'll be in the rotation again. He's a guy who makes other players better. He's a facilitator. He's just a really heady basketball player."

Scrappy, huh?

Also on the CA, Marlon Morgan lets us in on why last season's surprise player, Tarence Kinsey, isn't seeing as much playing time as might have been expected after his torrid finish in the last three weeks of the 2006/07 season. Marc Iavaroni believes that the rotation will become clearer as the players become more familiar with the system and that Kinsey could work his way into increased minutes through hard work and determination.

After the dream month Tarence Kinsey had last April, it's understandable why he wasn't in a hurry for the 2006-07 season to end, even though the rest of the Grizzlies were ready to put their 22-win season behind them.

''He's just got some good competition,'' Iavaroni said. ''He's been working very hard, though. Right now, it's finding a format so I can get everybody quality minutes so they can be evaluated. I've been pleased with his effort. And his defense has been a very strong suit.

"I think he's similar to most of the other twos in that they're settling into that style that I'm going to be running a lot and then shooting a jump shot. That takes a little getting used to, even though he did it pretty well last year.''

Rank Me Please! 25 Small Forwards

Disclaimer: I know that Seattle says that Kevin Durant is going to be playing SG this season. And I should probably just go back and alter my SG rankings to reflect that. However, I don't believe he'll play SG for the majority of the year, so I'm putting him at SF...so there!

Small Forwards

1. LeBron James - Like it was even a contest.
2. Carmelo Anthony - He'll continue to score at will, but will he develop the rest of his game?
3. Luol Deng - He took a massive leap forward last season and I think he'll take a substantial step forward yet again this year.
4. Josh Howard - He's #2 to Dirk on the Mavs and he'll see his role increase even more this year.
5. Paul Pierce - Sacrilege you say?!? Somebody has to see their stats drop in Boston and Pierce is my pick for the honors.
6. Rashard Lewis - In Orlando he's paired with one of the top big men in the league, which should be a very complementary relationship for his perimeter-oriented offensive skillset.
7. Caron Butler - After having a career year sidetracked by injury, I expect Caron to perform at an even higher level this season.
8. Andrei Kirilenko - Whether or not he's moved, he'll have a resurgence that will produce stats similar to his All-Star season two years ago.
9. Richard Jefferson - He needs to step up his game as the talent around him continues to age and wear down.
10. Tayshaun Prince - A versatile player on both ends of the court, Prince could see a more active role on offense this year.
11. Josh Smith - Listed next to the word "superfreak" in the dictionary. This year, he'll either make "The Leap" or will be left out in the cold when it comes time to talk contract extension with Atlanta.
12. Corey Maggette - Along with Cuttino Mobley, he'll have to take on a greater burden this season as the Clip Joint struggles to avoid the cellar while missing Elton Brand.
13. Rudy Gay - Scream "Homer pick" all you want to -- he'll thrive in Iavaroni's uptempo system with some real point guards delivering the ball to him.
14. Kevin Durant - He's going to struggle early on and he'll hit the rookie wall sooner than most expect while he is thrust into a leadership role immediately.
15. Shane Battier - His stats will look the same as they always do, but Houston will win more games than they have in recent memory due to his ability to hold things together in crunch time.
16. Ron Artest - Honestly, I expect him to have a down year, probably get traded and then promptly lose what little remaining grasp he has on sanity.
17. Danny Granger - He was going to take on more responsibility this season after his strong showing last year anyways, but with Jermaine O'Neal 's chances of getting traded stronger than ever, he might be the leading scorer for the Pacers.
18. Stephen Jackson - He'll perform well in Nellie's system again this season. Now if we can just keep him out of trouble away from the court.
19. Peja Stojakovic - Supposedly he's healthy, which makes the Hornets an early favorite to joing the playoff hunt this season.
20. Grant Hill - If he can get playing time in Phoenix, he'll be a positive contributor. His desire for a ring will coax him to push himself hard all season.
21. Luke Walton - One of the few guys that Kobe seems to like playing with in L.A., Son of Bill will need to elevate his game to keep the Black Mamba from killing the rest of his teammates.
22. Hedo Turkoglu - Will probably see his minutes decrease with the arrival of Rashard Lewis, which makes him a good candidate to be traded early in the season.
23. Kyle Korver - Wonder if he'd shoot better if he got his hair cut so it wasn't constantly in his eyes?
24. Bruce Bowen - I expect a precipitous dropoff in his regular season production, due to his age and the arrival of Ime Udoka.
25. Ruben Patterson - Simply because I read today that he's tired of people calling him "Kobe Stopper".

Guys who could enter the Top 25: Corey Brewer, Ryan Gomes, Tarence Kinsey, Ime Udoka, Matt Barnes, Matt Carroll, Jeff Green.

Blue and White Scrimmage Recap

(Copyright 2007 NBAE. Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

I thoroughly enjoyed the Blue and White Scrimmage today. The crowd was larger than I expected and probably more people were there than showed up for the open practice last year.

I think I should say who won, but truthfully, I don't remember looking at the scoreboard more than once or twice. I think the White team won. They played two, 10 minute periods.

Here was how the teams were split up, with an (s) designating who started for each squad.

Blue:
--Mike Conley (s)
--Casey Jacobsen (s)
--Mike Miller (s)
--Hakim Warrick (s)
--Pau Gasol (s)
--Juan Carlos Navarro
--Andre Brown

White:
--Damon Stoudamire (s)
--Tarence Kinsey (s)
--Rudy Gay (s)
--Stromile Swift (s)
--Darko Milicic (s)
--Brian Cardinal
--Dontell Jefferson
--Kyle Lowry (didn't play)

I don't remember seeing the other training camp invitee play (Kasib Powell). Chris Wallace just mentioned on the Chris Vernon Show that he has already been waived.

The most memorable part of the scrimmage was everyone holding their breath when Mike Conley went down. It was only a charlie-horse in his thigh. Here is a picture I took when Conley was getting looked at on the bench after he went down. You can see the trainer messaging the thigh.


Here are some of my random observations. Most Griz fans echo similar thoughts (messageboard thread on scrimmage).

--Neither team really played at full speed.
--Rudy can still dunk.
--Casey can shoot.
--Miller wore sweat pants. yuck!
--Darko has a nice lefty baby hook shot.
--Navarro (called "instant-grits" by his teammates) showed off his running tear drop in the lane...nice.
--Rudy played the 3 and 4.
--With Kyle out, Navarro and Kinsey had to run some point.
--Players were conscious of not trying to hold the ball for very long (one of the points of emphasis from Coach Iavaroni). This unfortunately led to some careless turnovers, but that's alright. This is still a work in progress.
--Kinsey missed Stro for an alley-oop. TK7 (my nickname for him) immediately acknowledged that he missed it, but Stro still pouted and loafed after the fact. Reactions like that are going to get him sat on the bench this year. He needs to just keep playing and not dwell on things like that.

Now I want to talk a bit about Conley vs Damon. Damon looked good physically. Clearly more healthy than last year and could be potentially better than he was when we signed him. But, unlike many of my fellow Griz fans (and probably chip and spartacus too), I still see him as a point guard best suited for a half court team and not what this team needs to ignite a fast paced offense that is spurred using ball-hawking defense. Conley plays the point more like I envision the team needing. When Conley penetrates, he is great at keeping his dribble and leave as many options open as possible. Today Damon picked up his dribble a little earlier than I think he should have a few times. Damon showed off a great stroke today (clearly he is light years ahead of Conley in terms of shooting). While Damon looked healthy physically, I still have my doubts that he will be anything but average on defense. But enough of that. Both point guards looked good. Damon probably surprised people with his health and play. I'm glad Conley only has a thigh bruise and wish we all could have seen Lowry (the soon-to-be fan favorite) play today.

I also want to discuss some of the stuff we are doing on offense for fans that couldn't make it to the scrimmage. We are using more on-ball screens than in the past. In addition, when our bigs are in the high post, they are handing the ball off to a curling point guard often.

Here is a breakdown of one of the common half-court sets we used:

1.) PG passes to the right wing, then goes and picks for the PF on the left lower block.
2.) Either the PF gets the ball on the right lower block, or more likely, the ball is passed to the C at the top of the key.
3.) Then the left wing goes down and picks for the PG who is now on the left lower block.
4.) The PG pops out to the left wing off of that screen, then curls around the C for a hand-off pass.
5.) From there, the PG penetrates and makes something happen.

The Blue team ran that exact play to start the game and Mike Conley penetrated and found a diving Pau for an easy dunk. Nice.

Finishing up, here are some links. Wes at 730ESPN has audio from the scrimmage. Yahoo has pictures from the scrimmage.

Links/News: Andre Brown, Training Camp, Kyle Lowry

Awhile back, I asked for an Andre Brown article or interview. Today Ron Tillery delivered with a well-done piece in the Commercial Appeal. The part I liked the best was where Brown was described as having "Dennis Rodman-like intensity". I look forward to seeing what he's capable of in the upcoming season, although I don't expect him to get a ton of playing time.

Lawrence Buirse has an interesting read over on Hoopsworld.com covering the opening of Grizzlies' training camp. He discusses the new uptempo style Marc Iavaroni is installing, how the team is putting last year behind them and has a few quotes from players, including Darko Milicic, Stromile Swift and Tarence Kinsey.

Chris Wallace reported on the radio this morning that Kyle Lowry will miss 5-7 days after spraining his ankle. That makes it highly unlikely that Lowry will be the starter opening night, but hopefully it won't be a lingering issue, as sprained ankles have been for other Grizzlies in the past.

News and Notes

Over on Grizzlies.com they have a write-up about Media Day, which was held yesterday. There are also plenty of photos and player portraits to peruse, including the one shown here. Rudy Gay caught a fish "this big".

(Copyright 2007 NBAE. Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Grizzlies announced that they signed two free agents to the training camp roster yesterday -- Kasib Powell and Dontell Jefferson.

Dontell Jefferson is a 23-year old 6'4", 195-pound guard who played two seasons with Atlanta Metropolitan College, then transferred to the University of Arkansas for his final two seasons. He then played professionally last season with the NBADL champion Dakota Wizards, where he averaged 9.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 3.7 apg and 1.37 spg. He was coached there by David Joerger, who was recently hired as a Grizzlies assistant.

Kasib Powell is a 26-year old 6'7', 215-pound forward who attended Texas Tech for 4 years. Powell played professionally overseas in Bosnia, Greece, Russia and Greece. Last year, Powell averaged 9.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.0 apg and 1.4 spg for Spartak (St. Petersburg, Russia) in the Russian Superleague. He attended the training camps of three different teams the past three years: Orlando Magic (2006), Chicago Bulls (2005) and Minnesota Timberwolves (2004).

In other news, it looks like the rest of the sports world has caught on to the story we reported here on Shades of Blue four days ago -- Mark Price is the shooting coach for the Memphis Grizzlies. When news breaks, we're first on the scene with the duct tape.

Marlon Morgan has a nice column in the Commercial Appeal, detailing the fact that the team is actually healthy for this season's training camp -- a big difference from last year's disastrous start. He's got quotes from Brian Cardinal, Damon Stoudamire, Marc Iavaroni and Tarence Kinsey, all of whom are ready to prove that last season was an aberration and that this team was a lot better than their record indicated. Damon, in particular, seems to have a chip on his shoulder going into this season, which could result in him playing a lot more minutes than many fans would have expected after the selection of Mike Conley Jr. on draft night.

Finally, I urge all of you to read Geoff Calkins' column in this morning's Commercial Appeal titled "There's nothing hopeless about the Grizzlies this season". In it, Calkins details just how much things have changed from the standoffish, keep-at-arm's-length approach the organization had employed for the previous few seasons when dealing with its fanbase. The column is highlighted by President of Business Operations Andy Dolich offering his parking space so that a longtime season ticket holder would renew for this season. It is a new era in Memphis for the Grizzlies, so I think everyone should be willing to give them a chance to prove themselves to the community at large.

Another Grizzlies Preview

Lawrence Buirse has posted his Grizzlies Preview over at Hoopsworld. Go over and give it a quick read. For most die hard Griz fans, there is nothing new to learn in the article. He talks about the additions to the roster, which we are all well aware of. And breaks down the players at the different positions (that seems familiar, hint, hint, hint)

It's a good read, though I do have a couple of disagreements with him on a few points.

1.) He talks about Hakim Warrick as a Small Forward. This is wrong. I'll take you back to the Commercial Appeal article about Hak from a few weeks ago (covered by us here). Here is the key quote:

The days of Warrick trying to learn small forward appear over. Iavaroni stresses versatility but intends to count on Warrick exclusively in the frontcourt.

Ok, that is pretty clear cut. Hak will NOT be playing small forward. Sorry Buirse, it does not look like Hak will be asked to " make the transition to small forward."

2.) Here is a quote from Buirse's article:

On paper, the Memphis Grizzlies appear to be an improved team in all areas except defense.

Scoring should not be a problem for this team. Making defensive stops……that’s a tall task.

Is that what other Griz fans believe? I guess after last years performance with Barone at the helm, nothing should be taken for granted. But I fully believe we will be a much improved team on defense this year. Why?

--Marc Iavaroni was hired as head coach. He has repeatedly said that defense will be a priority. He was assigned to the defense in Phoenix, and he has coached under Pat Riley and Mike Fratello, so I'm sure he knows what he is doing. Clearly, Iavaroni is going to get the Griz to play better defense.

--We signed Darko. Darko may not be known as a defensive stopper, but his shear size and athleticism will make the frontcourt better defensively compared to what was available last year with Hak, Alexander Johnson, Lawrence Roberts, and Big Jake.

--The PG rotation now includes Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley. For the last 2 years the Griz have lacked speed and quickness at PG to stop opposing PG's from penetrating at will. No longer. The Griz arguably have the quickest PG rotation in the league now. And if we add in the perimeter defense of Kinsey and the improvement of Rudy, I think we have 4 quality perimeter players that can play lock down defense.

Chip also looked at the defensive outlook of this Grizzlies team about a month ago. Read it here. He makes a number of points on why the Grizzlies will be better defensively this year (particularly no more Barone, 2 tall 7 footers in the paint, and Conley/Lowry/Kinsey being able to stop penetration).

So, I'm not nearly as pessimistic about the Grizzlies defensive outlook for this season. Sure we still have some players that are defensive liabilities (i.e., Miller and Hak), but a lineup of Lowry, Kinsey, Gay, Pau, and Darko will make it hard for most teams to score against the Griz easily.

Position Battles - Wing Players

Marc Iavaroni has stated that he is going to break down the team into Wing Players and Interior players. I already created a sub-set of Point Guards but I am not going to subdivide the Wing Players any further.

Memphis entered the summer with a need in perimeter shooting with Chucky Atkins being a UFA and unlikely to resign with the team. 3-point shooting was designated an as important a hole to fill as point guard and interior presence. Chris Wallace's draft pick filled the PG role but not the 3-point shooting gap. That he addressed with the FA signings of Casey Jacobsen and Juan Carlos Navarro. They join Mike Miller, Tarence Kinsey and Rudy Gay as the Wing Players on the team. How well this group meshes together and functions under Iavaroni's system will determine if the Grizzlies are praying for playoff success or counting ping pong balls next summer.

The Wing Men...

Rudy Gay was the last major player acquisition of Jerry West's tenure in Memphis. At 6-9 and able to leap with the best in the league, Rudy struggled early but definitely showed the city why West gave up one of the most popular players in team history in Shane Battier to acquire him. Rudy finished 3rd in voting for Rookie of the Year and his personality made him a fan favorite as well.

Mike Miller is the most likely starter among the group after earning a spot on the Dream Team 2007 roster this summer. It's hard to imagine that Mike could be chosen among the 12 roster spots to represent the USA and not be a starter on the Grizzlies. The problem is, with Rudy Gay starting as well, the Grizzlies bench will be short and thin with the two biggest players starting.

Tarence Kinsey joined Rudy Gay with ROY accolades as he won Rookie of the Month in the Western Conference to end the season. After Mike was shelved to rest his knees TK went crazy averaging 18.8 ppg in April along with 5.0 rpg, 3.0 apg and 2.6 spg. Kinsey will also be a restricted free agent this summer so he can't afford to rest on his laurels quite yet. He needs a strong season to cement his future financial security. One troubling situation was a bruised shoulder in summer league play. With his wiry frame TK needs to prove he can handle pain better than he did in Vegas as well as extending his range to the 3-point line to earn those minutes this year. Just because he finished last season strong doesn't mean he is out of the woods yet.

Juan Carlos Navarro is the wild card on the Grizzlies team. La Bomba as he is known in Spain has always been able to score. Whether hitting the 3-point shot or delivering his ridiculously effective lob shot in the lane (which is where the nickname comes from not his long distance shots) Navarro has scored at every level of play including putting up good numbers against AI and the 76ers last summer. The problem is that at 6-3, he is short for a traditional wing player role and not fast enough to play the point in the NBA. He should see time at both spots but defense is going to be a question Navarro has to answer before getting serious court time.

Casey Jacobsen has drifted from the NBA to the Spanish League to the German league before finally finding the success that was expected of him coming out of Stanford. A long range shooting threat with poor defensive skills and slow of foot, Casey needs picks to get open and won't beat anyone off the dribble. Other than that he is an excellent ball player. He has smarts and a dead eye but not enough physical ability to parlay that into success on this scale.

So what is going to happen? Tough to say. There is a good argument for doing the obvious and start Rudy Gay with Mike Miller. After all they are the most accomplished and well rounded players among the group, they have played together the most and can rebound the best among the group. Of course, that leaves the bench with players who haven't got the experience, rebounding ability nor talent. The argument could go that Miller should be the 6th man ala Manu Ginobili because he has shown he is capable of coming off the bench and it doesn't matter who starts but who finishes anyway but who would start? Kinsey is the better defender but moving Miller to the bench means no one off the bench is good defensively. Casey Jacobson should never start in the NBA so that leaves Juan Carlos Navarro. Navarro has the least NBA experience, is too short to guard most of the SG's in the league and hasn't proved he can get his shot off in the NBA yet. Still he is Gasol's best friend and it might not take long to prove he can play at this level and at 27 years old he is experienced even if it isn't in the NBA.

My bet is the season begins with Miller and Gay starting, but if the bench struggles then don't be surprised to see Miller moved to the bench and either Kinsey or Navarro moving into the starting 5.

Grizzlies Review: A Season in Hell

It is always painful to write an end of season re-cap of player’s performances since this means the season is actually over. This season is not as painful as some but still hurts just the same. The team failed to live up to the lowest expectations of the fans and yet still managed to play entertaining basketball. Unsuccessful but entertaining just the same.

Pau Gasol: Season- 20.8 ppg, 9.8 RPG, 3.4 apg, 0.5 spg and 2.1 bpg
Career- 18.8 ppg, 8.6 RPG, 3.1 apg, 0.5 spg, 1.8 bpg

Gasol set career highs in scoring, rebounding, FG%, and tied his career high in blocks. He also set a franchise high in times being booed at home. An interesting dichotomy brought about by someone leaking a private conversation between Heisley and Gasol to the media. While definitely not Gasol’s fault for the story being leaked he was definitely made the whipping boy by the local fans who were upset that he was injured while playing basketball for Spain and missing the fist 23 games of the season.

What people seem to forget is that Gasol put up these numbers despite playing his way into game condition. His performance in 2007 was nothing short of impressive despite boos raining down from the rafters every time he made a mistake. Gasol averaged 21.5 ppg, 10.9 RPG, 3.65 apg and 2.3 bpg in 2007 that type of performance is comparable to Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitski and Kevin Garnett. There will always be critics who refuse to give Gasol credit this season but the reality is that he took his game up to another level despite playing 3 fewer minutes a game than he did during his all-star season of 05-06. While Gasol will never be as good as Duncan defensively, he could improve perception of his defense if the Grizz had a Point Guard who could stop dribble penetration which frequently left Gasol in difficult defensive situations.

Mike Miller: Season- 18.5 ppg, 5.4 RPG, 4.3 apg, 40.6 3pt%, 0.8 spg
Career- 14.4 ppg, 4.5 RPG, 2.9 apg, 39.8 3pt%, 0.7 spg

Mike opened the season as the team’s de facto #1 scorer and didn’t look good in that role. With Mike Fratello’s slow ball still the rule of thumb and the opponent’s not having to double team Gasol due to his injury, Miller was forced to play a style that doesn’t emphasize his best traits. His 14.0 ppg average was his season low in November. From that point on a different Miller emerged. With the return of Gasol and the firing of Fratello, Miller exploded out to average 19.7 ppg the rest of the season before knee tendonitis sidelined him at the end of March.

Miller was a long range sharp-shooter as usual but he also drove the lane more effectively than ever before. His confidence blossomed and with Gasol the team had two players capable of scoring 20 points on any given night. Never known as a defensive stopper Miller struggled to defend opposing SGs and was relegated to the SF role where his rebounding skills offset his lack of lateral quickness. While Miller’s season was his best statistically as a pro it also exposed the weaknesses inherent in his game. Those weaknesses may best be covered coming off the bench in the future rather than starting, especially with the rookies looking promising at SF and SG and the team’s desire to improve the backcourt in the off-season. Miller may be needed to be used as bait to get a deal done.

Chucky Atkins: Season- 13.2 ppg, 4.6 apg, 0.7 spg, 37.9 3pt%, 1.69 topg
Career- 10.8 ppg, 3.7 apg, 0.7 spg, 37.0 3pt%, 1.59 topg

Chucky was probably the most unpopular free agent signing this summer. Fans blamed Chucky for Jason Terry’s playoff explosion in the playoff sweep the previous season and didn’t want him back. A year later the attitude has changed dramatically. Now Memphis fans hope Chucky is back but he has more options available now and it is highly doubtful that he will return.

What Chucky did while in Memphis won’t be forgotten quickly however. His arrival in January, 2006 was a life raft to a season that looked to have been sunk when Damon Stoudamire went down with a patella tendon rupture. This season his impact was just as important. His excellent sense of humor and veteran presence insured the team remained upbeat even at the lowest points. His clutch 4th quarter shooting helped win games and his acceptance of his changing role with the team did much to enhance his stature in Memphis. His role was least appreciated at the start of the season but by the end he just may have been the team MVP.

Hakim Warrick: Season- 12.7 ppg, 5.1 RPG, 0.9 apg, 0.52 spg, 0.37 bpg
Career- 8.8 ppg, 3.8 RPG, 0.7 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.3 bpg

Hakim finally got to step on the court as a starter in the NBA when Gasol’s foot broke and he made a noticeable impact right away. He averaged 15.7 ppg in November as well as 6.1 RPG. Then Pau returned and Hakim’s minutes started dropping but his attitude stayed strong. He bided his time and when given a 2nd opportunity in the starting lineup he made sure he stayed there. His rebounding improved and his shooting punished teams intent on doubling Gasol. He became the #3 scoring threat on the team and seemed to grow more and more confident with each game. What Warrick didn’t seem to handle well was man on man defense. His inability to stop his man was one of the main reasons the Grizzlies went to the 2-3 zone that Warrick was familiar with at Syracuse.

With Warrick’s leaping ability there is no reason he should average less than half a block a game either. While his focus on rebounding improved during the season the defense he plays is not up to NBA expectations. He will need to improve his ball handling, his passing and his defense to be anything more than a spot starter in his career.

Rudy Gay: Season- 10.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.9 spg, 1.0 bpg, 36.4 3pt%, 42.2 FG%
Career- 10.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.9 spg, 1.0 bpg, 36.4 3pt%, 42.2 FG%

Rudy Gay entered the Grizzlies camp with the most fanfare of any rookie since Drew Gooden. He ended the season with as much fanfare as any Grizzlies rookie since Pau Gasol. Not a bad development from the 20 yr old. He opened the month of November with the ROM award for the Western Conference after averaging a paltry 8.7 ppg and shooting a terrible 35.9 FG% and 31.8 3pt%. Surprisingly he improved those numbers almost every month of the season but never won the award again. His best month was February when he averaged 15.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, shot 47.3% from the field and 47.5% from the arc.

The future is very bright for young Rudy who has admitted the strain of being a rookie in the NBA and having the onus to live up to Jerry West’s pre-season comments made it difficult to relax at first on the court. Rudy Gay struggled all season with playing multiple positions on the court and seems most suited for the SF position where his athleticism often will overwhelm other SFs in the league. His ball handling is a tad week to play the SG and that led many teams to start pressing the Grizzlies when he was playing in the backcourt. The effectiveness of those presses shows how much work needs to be done in this area. Defensively Rudy didn’t struggle nearly as much as would be expected from a rookie which should encourage the fans for next season.

Stromile Swift: Season- 7.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.15 bpg, 46.5 FG%
Career- 8.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 47.1 FG%

The Stro Show limped into town in shock from the draft day trade that brought him back to the Bluff City with Rudy Gay for Shane Battier. He didn’t seem to come out of the funk except for two periods all season. The first occurred after he returned from being with his mother who had suffered a stroke. He play had been sporadic since the beginning of the season as he complained of knee pain. Apparently his knee recovered nicely during the break with his mother. This time also corresponded with Mike Fratello being released and Barone hired and suddenly Stro was on fire. From Dec. 30 to Jan 9th Stro scored in double figures four times including a season high 26 pts against Golden St and was close to double figures in the other two games. Then another injury sat Stro for 11 more games in a row and when he returned he was not in the rotation (or out of doghouse). The last 4 games Stro scored in double figures in every game.

This is not what Jerry West envisioned when he reacquired Stro on draft day. Stro never looked comfortable this season either from injury or general dissatisfaction. His best friend on the team (Gasol) demanded a trade with management. For Stro that wasn’t necessary since the team was trying to trade him as hard as they could. No one seems interested in a MLE player who misses games with ‘phantom’ injuries and is moody. Not surprising really.

Tarence Kinsey: Season- 7.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.9 apg, 1.1 spg, 45.7 FG%
Career- 7.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.9 apg, 1.1 spg, 45.7 FG%

In a season filled with bad news and unhappy scenes, TK was a breath of fresh air to end the season. The 2nd rookie for the Grizzlies this season to win the Rookie of the Month award for the Western Conference, TK came out of nowhere to shock the league with his deadly accurate mid-range shooting and his on court intensity. Rookies aren’t supposed to play good defense. Undrafted rookies aren’t supposed to even play! TK took advantage of every opportunity he was given the year to suddenly be a serious contender for the starting SG role next season. Not bad for a player who had to fight thru a broken orbital socket suffered in training camp to even make the team.

Kinsey isn’t without his faults of course and the most glaring is his lack of a consistent outside shot. His mid-range game is excellent but when he gets to the arc his percentages drop like a rock averaging 18.8% from behind the arc in April alone. Very similar in appearance to a young Richard Hamilton without the pressure of being Michael Jordan’s first draft pick, TK really brought it the last month of the season averaging 18.8 ppg despite his long range woes. His play after Miller went down leads one to ask ‘just how invaluable is Mike Miller?’

Dahntay Jones: Season- 7.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.5 spg, 41.7 3pt%
Career- 5.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.4 spg, 33.0 3pt%

Dahntay Jones looked to have a real chance of showing the Grizzlies what he was capable of this season. Eddie Jones was injured to start the season and no one else seemed ready to fill the role of defensive SG on the roster and if he could improve his shooting the future starting role seemed to be his. 78 games later, with improvement in nearly every statistical category, there is a question whether the Grizzlies will even offer him his qualifying offer. After all, Tony Barone said Dahntay was the player most likely to give him an ulcer. Dahntay had his opportunity in December when he started 15 of 16 games, played 30 minutes a night and was given the tough assignments while covering for Miller defensively.

Unfortunately, while playing well it wasn’t enough to keep Rudy Gay on the bench when Barone took over. Dahntay’s minutes dropped from 30 to 20 immediately after Barone took over and eventually bottomed at 12 mpg in March before rising back to 29 mpg in April. With the de-emphasis on defense and the need for more scoring in the up-tempo offense Dahntay was cast aside and may not return despite the excellent play down the stretch.

Damon Stoudamire: Season- 7.5 ppg, 4.8 apg, 2.2 rpg, 0.8 spg, 39.1 FG%, 33.7 3pt%
Career- 14.0 ppg, 6.4 apg, 3.6 rpg, 1.1 spg, 40.8 FG%, 35.8 3pt%

Damon’s play after recovering from patella tendon surgery is nothing short of remarkable. Too bad that alone isn’t what people are judged for in the NBA. While he made significant progress toward regaining the use of his knee he regressed as a ball player and at 34 yrs old at the beginning of the season it may be a situation of too little too late. He simply may not be able to regain the strength robbed by the surgery in time to prevent the loss from age. From the beginning it was known that this would be a 2 yr recovery process but Damon also knew it was a race against time. At the end of the season it looked like time won.

Damon was unable to average 10 ppg in any single month this season. His shooting percentages are some of the worst of his career His assists only approached his career average in February. The up-tempo style only exposed the weakness in Damon’s leg. Without a shot, without an ability to break down defenders and without the height to stop people on the defensive end, Damon was merely a 5’10” aging PG with a bad wheel. Chucky and even Junior Harrington outplayed him down the stretch and we may have seen the end of Damon in Memphis, and possibly the end of Damon in the NBA. If the Grizz bring in a veteran PG via free agency then he is gone. If not then he has a chance for one more year.

Kyle Lowry: Season- 5.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.2 apg, 36.8 FG%, 37.5 3pt%, 1.4 spg
Career- 5.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.2 apg, 36.8 FG%, 37.5 3pt%, 1.4 spg

Quick, which rookie for the Grizzlies this season didn’t start a single game and was the most popular rookie for the year? If you remembered to say Kyle Lowry you would be correct. Rudy Gay started 43 games, Alexander Johnson started 19 games, Tarence Kinsey started 12 games and Kyle Lowry played in a total of 9 games all season but still everyone from Barone down to the fans of the team see Kyle Lowry as being a key component to the Grizzlies returning to respectability. Barone said at media day that Lowry may even be able to start the season at the point. Incredibly optimistic feelings from the fans and coaches for a player will almost no NBA experience.

Of course the broken wrist that robbed him of his rookie year is reportedly mended and the rehab has begun. He should be ready for summer camp and hopefully will get plenty of burn in the summer leagues as well. How well Kyle performs could determine how hard the Grizzlies search for a new PG. It is a dangerous play this way but one that could pay great dividends if Lowry is ready to go.

Lawrence Roberts: Season- 5.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 45.2 FG%, 0.67 spg, 0.24 bpg
Career- 3.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 45.2 FG%, 0.5 spg, 0.1 bpg

LRob is another player in a precarious situation with the Grizzlies. Since the Grizzlies have rights to match any offer, LRob may have to wait until the end of free agency to know where he will be playing next year if in the NBA at all. On the bright side are games like he had in Boston when he set a career high of 18 pts and the Charlotte game when he grabbed 11 rebounds in only 25 minutes and the 14 rebounds in only 26 minutes against Sacramento. On the dark side is the knee surgery to repair the meniscus in his knee following the Boston game and the cyst that developed on his other knee to prematurely end the season.

If Roberts can avoid the injury bug then the Grizzlies would definitely want him back but the risk is so high for a revenue strapped franchise. With Cardinal already guaranteed and sidelined with knee pain can the Grizzlies afford to resign another player with questionable knees no matter how high the potential seems to be. One aspect favoring a return by Roberts is that he was purchased with two 2nd rd draft picks. One of those picks is to be paid this season. That means the 1st pick in the 2nd rd won’t belong to the Grizzlies because of Roberts. That may be enough of a reason to keep him around a year or two more.

Junior Harrington: Season- 5.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.1 apg, 41.6 FG%, 26.9 3pt%, 0.72 spg
Career- 5.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 37.1 FG%, 27.4 3pt%, 0.9 spg

Junior was the last player cut from the team before the season began. He wasn’t the first point guard brought in after the team realized they needed help. He also started 8 games at the point this season. That tells you how weak the PG position has been this year. Actually Junior brought something to the point position that the team hadn’t had since their game in Cleveland. That is the ability to deny the opposing PG’s easy access to the lane. His defense helped the Grizzlies lower their team defensive scoring dramatically.

Brian Cardinal: Season- 4.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 40.9 3pt%, 49.4 FG%, 0.8 spg
Career- 6.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg. 39.7 3pt%, 42.5 FG%, 0.9 spg

Brian came out of camp being called the most impressive player of the camp. That either meant that the camp was really bad or that BC failed to live up to his pre-season play because he wasn’t the most impressive on the court during the season. BC’s knees are shot and it is doubtful that the season ending surgery he underwent is going to change that. If he comes back next season at anything less than 100% then he may become a target of fan dissatisfaction.

Alexander Johnson: Season 4.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.6 bpg, 53.8 FG%, 0.42 apg
Career: 4.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.6 bpg, 53.8 FG%, 0.42 apg

AJ was the shocking starting PF for 19 games in November and December. Then we became the forgotten man for the rest of the season. Most disturbing about this was his apparent lack of understanding on why that was the case. AJ averaged nearly 3 fouls every 13 minutes of court time. That means he couldn’t play half the game because of foul trouble alone. Once AJ learns how to play defense without fouling his future looks very bright in Memphis. He should know that is what he needs to work on this summer.

Eddie Jones: Grizz - 5.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.8 spg, 37.7 FG%, 29.7 3pt%
Season- 7.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.1 spg, 42.2 FG%, 35.1 3pt%
Career- 15.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.3 spg, 43.8 FG%, 37.5 3pt%

Eddie was apparently disappointed to be traded from a world class team like the Heat to Memphis last year. He was not going to play hard this season when it became apparent to him that this team wasn't even going to be competitive and he quit on the team. I can't blame him except he wore the C on his jersey. A team can't have the highest paid player and their captain quit so blatantly like Eddie Jones did.

Scott Padgett: Grizz - 0.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.14 spg, 14.3 FG%
Season- 1.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.16 spg, 28.6 FG%
Career- 4.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 0.70 spg, 41.0 FG%

The only question one has to ask about Scott Padgett is why does he have stats for the Grizzlies at all. Obviously a cost cutting move, one has to wonder why he got on the court 7 times for the Grizzlies.

Jake Tsakalidis: Grizz - 2.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.5 bpg, 40.0 FG%
Season- 2.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.3 bpg, 40.3 FG%
Career- 4.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 0.7 bpg, 49.0 FG%

Jake heard the Grizzlies were going to be running more this season than in the past, so he decided to lose about 30 pounds from his bulk for the new game. Unfortuantly he didn't get any quicker in the process. Nor could he jump higher, hold his position in the lane as well or set picks as strongly. His move was an obvious statement that the team doesn't see him in their future and the money they saved didn't hurt either.

Will Conroy- Grizz – 3 games, 0.0 ppg, 0.3 apg, 0.7 rpg
Season- 7 games, 0.0 ppg, 1.3 apg, 1.0 rpg
Career- 7 games, 0.0 ppg, 1.3 apg, 1.0 rpg

Will wasn’t here long enough to form an opinion. We hardly knew you and didn’t fall in love with what we saw.