Previewing the Centers

By Joshua Coleman

Year after year since they arrived in Memphis, the Grizzlies have run out a ragtag group to man the pivot. Other than Lorenzen Wright, who performed admirably the majority of his time in his hometown, the other players have either been undersized (Stromile Swift, Alexander Johnson, Lawrence Roberts, Andre Brown) or undertalented (Jake Tsakalidis, Ike Austin, Cezary Trybanski) or both (Mike Batiste). So the fact that they will be trotting out not one, not two, but three legitimate 7-footers is practically a miracle of epic proportions. The additional thought that at least two of them are worthy rotational players and the third is a worthwhile project makes me all tingly inside.

The primary job of the center in the modern NBA is that of a rebounder and defensive presence. Other than the players of Yao Ming and Al Jefferson's offensive skill or Amare Stoudemire and Dwight Howard's athletic prowess, centers just aren't looked to as scorers nowadays. The Sameuel Dalembert's, Tyson Chandler's and Andrew Bogut's are the norm for the position now. When looking at Darko Milicic, Marc Gasol and Hamed Haddadi, it seems apparent that they favor the latter grouping more than the former. All three are known for their hard-nosed defense, physicality in the paint and solid rebounding. Let's take a closer look at each of them.

The Players:

Darko Milicic - As I said previously when talking about the Power Forwards, Darko isn't likely to ever reach the expectations that certain people had for him when he was drafted #2 overall in 2003, but that doesn't mean that he cannot be a quality NBA starter. After all, he's only 23 years old and has limited mileage on him considering that he barely played while in Detroit for two and a half seasons. Darko's strengths are in his positional defense and shot-blocking, although he did exhibit a deft passing touch last year from the high and low post positions. With the thumb on his shooting hand finally healed, we might get to see more of the player that posted 6 games of double-digit scoring in his first 15 appearances as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. If he winds up splitting time between the PF and C positions, his offense will definitely need to be raised to a new level. The bigger question for The Dark One is where his confidence level is at, since that has been the biggest road block to greater success in his career. If he ever gets out of his own head, the rest of the league should be very worried.

Marc Gasol - Pau's little brother is no stranger to Memphis. After his performance in the Olympics, he's probably not a stranger to the rest of the NBA now either. If Grizzlies fans had any doubt, Marc proved that he wasn't his much maligned sibling by putting Chris Bosh squarely on his backside when Spain met Team USA. The reigning MVP of the ACB League in Spain comes across the pond with a chip on his shoulder after not garnering a scholarship offer from any big name schools after graduating high school here in Memphis. While he doesn't have the offensive skillset of Pau, he has already displayed that he is much tougher and more physical in the paint, along with growing far superior facial hair, which is important to me since I'm also bearded on occasion. If what he has shown in Spain translates well to the NBA, then Gasol could find himself with a substantial amount of playing time this year.

Hamed Haddadi - The final member of the international trio manning the pivot is the Iranian import who recently got clearance to enter the United States. Although there might be a few communication issues that have to be overcome (such as GM Chris Wallace accidentally giving Haddadi the equivalent of "the bird" by displaying a thumbs up in practice) and he should definitely be classified as a project, but as the saying goes, 7-footers don't grow on trees. He displayed plenty of raw ability in the Olympics, leading all players in rebounding and shot-blocking. His new teammates have been very complimentary of his skill level over the past week, giving hope that he might be able to contribute as soon as this season if the necessity should arise.

(And you thought that I couldn't do that without a camel joke.)

CONCLUSION: While the Grizzlies undoubtedly have more potential than ever before at the center position, it is anyone's guess how well the two newest additions will transition to the NBA and whether or not Darko will finally "get it". If the Grizzlies manage to get an average of 15-17 ppg, 13-15 rpg and 3-4 bpg each and every night from their centers, then it will take a lot of pressure off the rest of the team who will have the knowledge that they have a capable shot-blocker behind them on defense, as well as a solid rebounder and space eater. The Grizzlies will finally have some intimidators in the paint this season -- something that is long overdue.

Linksplosion

We're overdue for a Links post, so let's dive right in with a couple of interviews!

Yahoo! (Sean Deveney - Sporting News) - Rudy Gay talked with Deveney at Chris Paul's charity event last weekend about a variety of topics. Deveney asked some rather provocative questions, many of which seemed to be designed to get a reaction from the young SF, but Rudy enhanced his calm and comported himself quite well. He answered questions about leadership and why the fans should show up this season, too.

The Sporting News (Stan McNeal) interviewed rookie Darrell Arthur yesterday via phone. Among the topics discussed was his involvement in the happenings at the Rookie Transistion Camp and how he had to face his mother afterwards. Solid interview for a player we hope is a solid presence in the post.

Ron Tillery checks in with two solid articles in the past couple of days. The first one, found on the Commercial Appeal, discusses the likelihood that the team is done making moves for the time being and will go into preseason with the 13 players already under contract. The second (and far more enlightening, IMO) is on the Memphis Edge, and gives fans something to be excited about: This Grizzlies team has fire and intensity! Reports of O.J. Mayo and Darko Milicic getting in each others' faces during practice makes me all tingly inside.

Speaking of Darko, over on FOXSports.com, my least favorite MSM NBA scribe, Mike Kahn, has a column about The Dark One and whether or not he'll ever live up to his hype and potential. Given what Marc Iavaroni told us in his interview posted earlier this week about Milicic moving over to the PF spot more this upcoming season, I think we could see some interesting things from him this year.

In an interesting interview that Chuck Klosterman did with Michael Rand (StarTribune.com), there was the following question and answer:

RB: Kevin Love or O.J. Mayo?

CK: This is actually pretty close. I think Love has the potential to be better, but only if he’s the third option on a very good team (and that will never happen in Minnesota). Mayo is more complex. He’ll either be awesome or useless. There is something strange about his attitude; he seems detached in a way I cannot define. He might end up being a version of Vernon Maxwell who passes well, or a [redacted] sociopath.

The Grizzlies are now short a shooting coach. Mark Price has joined the staff of the Atlanta Hawks.

Hoopsworld is reporting that even though the Zach Randolph trade is dead (can I get an Amen???), the Grizzlies are still more than willing to listen to trade proposals from around the league. Does that classify as breaking news given their imbalanced roster and overwhelming amount of young guards? No? Just checking. They also check in by listing Mike Conley as one of the Top Six Players in Need of a Trade. Ummm....yeah....right.

Kornheiser's Cartel seems to think that the Grizzlies' problems lie at the feet of GM Chris Wallace. I disagree and will explain why in an interview with the mastermind of this great new blog in the very near future.

Upside and Motor has a note for fans around the league that complain about ticket prices: Be glad you aren't a Laker fan.

For the stat geeks out there, check out this post from Bucks Diary that calculates the Win Profiles for each NBA team. This is some Dave Berri-level stuff, so it isn't for the faint of heart.

Think that all NBA referees suck and that you could do better? Henry Abbott (TrueHoop) says, "Not so fast". More often than not, these guys make the correct call.

Would you like to know more about defensive principles? Then read this excellent post by Dave on Blazer's Edge. Truly a great read.

Would you like to know more about basketball -- and sports in general? Then read Eric Musselman's blog every single day. What a great mind!

Former (Vancouver) Grizzlies forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim retired this week. Most fans in Memphis never got to see him suit up for the franchise, but I'm sure that many of the fans in the Great Northwest remember his remarkable consistency as a 20/10 player, night after night.

Finally, don't forget about the Tip-Off Luncheon. There are still a few seats available at the 2nd table that we here at 3 Shades of Blue will be sponsoring, so shoot us an email if you're interested.

Darko "Busting" Out

It starts off innocently enough....more of a question than anything. Usually it is asked in a manner that is seemingly innoccuous and harmless. Then the question starts to become a statement more and more often. Soon enough it is considered an irrefutable, undeniable fact. After all, you cannot argue that when the #2 pick of a draft that produced LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh is only averaging 5.2 ppg and 3.7 rpg after 4 years in the league that he is, in fact, a "bust".

Or can you?

Pau Gasol hasn't played for the Memphis Grizzlies since January 28 against the Dallas Mavericks. In the 7 games since then, Darko has played 30+ mpg in 5 of them, posting averages of 13.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.6 bpg, 1.8 apg, .519 FG%, .647 FT%. Add in the game at Dallas in which he played 25 minutes and his averages are 11.5 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 2.2 bpg, 1.5 apg, .483 FG%, .647 FT%. In other words, if you remove the Philly game where he only played 13 minutes as the team *coughshowcasedcough* ahem, gave significant playing time to Hakim Warrick, Milicic has averaged a double-double since Gasol left the lineup. Darko has 6 double-doubles on the year (3 since "The Trade"), but only one with less than 30 minutes played -- the game against the Lakers on January 8th, where he played 27:10 and recorded 12 pts, 11 reb and 4 blk.

Those aren't eye-popping numbers, but they're far better than what Jerome James or Malik Rose are putting up for the Knicks at similiar salaries. To give a little perspective, a certain 20-year old up-and-comer is receiving plenty of praise for posting 13/10 this year in 29 mpg after putting up 8/6 in 22 mpg last year. That player's name: Andrew Bynum, who is in his 3rd year in the league. In fact, that this is technically Darko's 5th season since being drafted has really worked against him when the dreaded "B" word comes up. But if you truly examine his tenure, you'll see that he is just now truly completing his 2nd full season in the NBA as his first 2.5 years with Detroit were practically wasted. Only when he was traded to the Orlando Magic did he receive any significant playing time. That's right, he's a 22-year old 7-foot center who only has 2 real years under his belt and is just now getting a chance to show what he can do, albeit with a nagging injury to his shooting hand for most of the year.

Hopefully you are over the shock of me comparing Darko to Bynum. Let's look at a few other comparisons and see how Darko stacks up against a few players who were known as solid defensive players with somewhat limited offensive potential and what their respective career arcs look like.

Tyson Chandler 7' 1" 6 yrs Pro
Yr	G	GS	MPG	FG%	RPG	BPG	PPG
01-02	71	31	19.6	0.497	4.8	1.3	6.1
02-03	75	68	24.4	0.531	6.9	1.4	9.2
03-04	35	8	22.3	0.424	7.7	1.2	6.1
04-05	80	10	27.4	0.494	9.7	1.8	8.0
05-06	79	50	26.8	0.565	9.0	1.3	5.3
06-07	73	73	34.6	0.624	12.4	1.8	9.5
07-08	46	46	34.7	0.607	12.3	1.0	12.2
Career	459	286	27.1	0.547	8.9	1.4	7.9

Samuel Dalembert 6' 11" 5 yrs Pro
Yr	G	GS	MPG	FG%	RPG	BPG	PPG
03-04	82	53	26.8	0.541	7.6	2.3	8.0
04-05	72	60	24.8	0.524	7.5	1.7	8.2
05-06	66	52	26.7	0.531	8.2	2.4	7.3
06-07	82	82	30.9	0.541	8.9	1.9	10.7
07-08	52	52	33.1	0.516	9.9	2.4	11.1
Career	388	299	26.2	0.530	7.8	1.9	8.3

Chris Kaman 7' 0" 5 yrs Pro
Yr	G	GS	MPG	FG%	RPG	BPG	PPG
03-04	82	61	22.5	0.460	5.6	0.9	6.1
04-05	63	50	25.9	0.497	6.7	1.1	9.1
05-06	78	78	32.8	0.523	9.6	1.4	11.9
06-07	75	66	29.0	0.451	7.8	1.5	10.1
07-08	44	43	39.0	0.476	13.6	3.0	16.5
Career	342	298	29.0	0.483	8.2	1.4	10.2

Darko Milicic 7' 0"   4 yrs Pro
Yr	G	GS	MPG	FG%	RPG	BPG	PPG
05-06	30	1	20.9	0.507	4.1	2.1	7.6
06-07	80	16	23.9	0.454	5.5	1.8	8.0
07-08	42	39	24.9	0.437	5.9	2.0	6.8
Career	248	60	16.7	0.443	3.7	1.3	5.3

It is rather interesting to consider that Tyson Chandler was considered a bust while in Chicago. Samuel Dalembert has shown gradual, but very limited improvement since he came into the league. Chris Kaman was labeled a disappointment before Elton Brand's injury allowed him to flourish this season. Right now, Darko is at least 4 years younger than any of these players. He'll have the rest of the season, as well as the next two years, to establish himself as a consistent low-post performer, something we have gotten a glimpse of since Gasol's departure. Sure, he'll still have a lousy game here and there -- who doesn't? But at his age with his potential on his current salary, I'm not sure that he isn't going to be one of the most important building blocks of this young team going forward. So, to every Mike Kahn or Chad Ford that calls Darko a BUST, I say that his fate has yet to be determined. Darko's Redemption? Nay. Darko's emergence from his chrysalis.


The Dark One cometh....

Darko's back, so who goes to the bench?

As Zack told you last night, Ron Tillery is reporting on the Memphis Edge that Darko Milicic is ready, willing and able to play tonight against Minnesota. This brings up an interesting issue as to who will go to the bench if Darko starts. The most common assumption is that either Juan Carlos Navarro or Mike Miller will take a seat to make way for the Dark One. We're going to look at the pros and cons of those two starting or sitting, as well as two other players you might not have considered -- Rudy Gay and Pau Gasol.

First up is Juan Carlos Navarro -- "La Bomba". The 27-year old rookie has been making quite a name for himself recently with his prolific outside shooting and surprising ability to do practically everything on the court - by himself at times. He's the low man on the totem pole, so it is probably correct to think that he would be the logical choice to be sent back to the bench if Darko starts tonight. However, when you look at his numbers when starting vs. sitting, you wonder if it is wise to go that route.

JCN "the starter": 5 games, 35.6 mpg, 14.6 ppg, .517 FG%, .389 3PT%, 4.2 rpg, 3.2 apg
JCN "off the bench": 10 games, 15.6 mpg, 6.8 ppg, .397 FG%, .457 3PT%, 1.1 rpg, 1.4 apg

Obviously there is also a large discrepancy between minutes played per game in those two stats that could still be rectified with Navarro playing a lot of minutes off the bench, but it is clear that he is a more productive player when he starts.

Next, we come to Mike Miller. Miller is a former 6th Man of the Year, which means that he has not only come off the bench before in his career, but thrived in that role. Prior to the season beginning, a few of us pondered whether or not MM would be better served to returning to that role, but were quite willing to ride along with whatever decision the coaching staff decided to make. Now, I'm not so sure that a change isn't needed. By sending Miller to the bench rather than Navarro, you get more size off the bench at the SG/SF positions without sacrificing any scoring ability. If Iavaroni is truly sincere about whittling his rotation down to 8 men, this makes the most sense to me, having Miller come off the bench along with Lowry and Swift for the vast majority of the time, allowing for Hakim, Casey, Conley and TK to get playing time in the event of injury or foul trouble.

Then we come to Rudy Gay, who is surely a surprise entry into this category. In all honesty, I probably wouldn't have even considered him despite his recent poor play if I hadn't seen this post on the Grizzlies Messageboard the other day. While I don't believe that it will happen, as Miller is the more logical choice of the two swingmen to take a seat, it is worth contemplating. Rudy has been a starter all of this season and has appeared to have taken on the mantle of lead scorer for the Grizzlies. His bouts with foul trouble and inconsistency have caused concern among some fans, as well as his perceived unwillingness to pass up open shots when they present themselves. Well, according to Marc Iavaroni's philosophy "If a player is wide open and has a shot he practices, then that player has the green light to shoot." That means you should expect Rudy to keep shooting with the coach's blessing. So while it is interesting to contemplate, I don't see Rudy starting the game tonight as a spectator.

Our final entry comes courtesy of one of our faithful readers, L3ESmith:

Guys:

Great blog. Wanted to pitch this wacky idea, see what you guys thought of it.

I posted a message at the CA boards entitled: "So crazy it just might work. . . ." Here's the body of it:
Now here's a thought. Just a thought: What about NOT starting Pau?
Starters: Damon, Navarro, Rudy, Stro/Hak, Darko.
Bench: Pau, Mike, Kyle, Stro/Hak
This would NOT be to penalize Pau; Hope he's enough of a team player to see the logic of it, which is this:
Mostly, it would be to match him up against the bench front court of other teams. Imagine bringing 20/10 off the bench! He'd still get his minutes, probably in the 2Q; and almost certainly finish games. But I can't help but imagine we'd increase his personal offensive punch, and make us one of the strongest benches in the game (with Mike and Kyle also coming off the bench).
Darko, albeit not totally healthy, has shown that he can be a threat in the post. If we can get early offensive production from Hak, I think it could pay off (and/or showcase him for a trade?). Defensively, Darko and Stro protect the rim, Stro gets to play his natural 4, and he's a better defender than Pau, to keep opposing PFs from getting going too early. Rudy moves back to the 3 and we get those extra 8-9 PPG we need from him. Damon and Navarro, no comment necessary.
But again, the main thing it that I could see it being a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. Let's just look at December:

Wolves: Pau matches up against Theo Ratliff and Mark Madsen instead of Al Jefferson.
Blazers: Pau matches up against Joel Pryzbilla and Raef Lafrentz instead of Lamarcus Aldridge.
Rockets: Pau vs. Scola/Mutombo instead of Yao/Hayes
Hornets: Pau vs. Melvin Ely/Hilton Armstrong instead of David West/Tyson Chandler
It's taking too long to look all this up. But you get the idea. Matching our superior player up against the inferior benches . . . Pau could likely eat their lunches, or force the opposing teams to play their starters longer than they really want to, which would help us at the end of games. Either way, it works to our advantage.
Much of this would be contingent on Darko emerging as a go-to offensive threat while maintaining defense, Hak not getting killed on defense by opposing fours, and Stro playing good defense on opposing fours. If a starting lineup of Stro/Hak + Darko could post 30/16 (that's figuring 18-9 for Darko and 12-7 for Hak/Stro), I think it's just crazy enough to work.
Oh yeah. For the record, closers would probably be: Kyle, JCN, Rudy, Pau, Darko.
Of course, I could be delusional. I'm sure several of you will let me know if I am . . .
After a little bit of ridicule from another poster whom I respect, I posted this reply:

But let's think for a sec: Isn't the future core of this team shaping up to be Kyle, MC, Rudy and maybe Darko/Hak/JCN? That's not to say that Pau isn't a contributor; to the contrary, he would be a very valuable contributor. But for all the ranting on this board about how Pau's not a franchise player, why not try him for a while as a very,
very significant role player?
He's not the person you want to throw the ball into at the end of games, agreed? But we could still certainly use his 20/10 a night, and the double teams he commands, even at the end of games. And many of the players he'd be matched up against are not serious offensive threats, thus helping to mask his defensive shortcomings.
Pau is on his way to no longer being THE MAN in Memphis. David Robinson accepted a reduced role in SA and look what happened. And would anybody debate what Manu Ginobli does for the Spurs simply by coming off the bench? Nobody really thinks of him as a bench player anyway.
Why don't we embrace Pau's shifting role on the team? I'd rather have him dominate off the bench then to be sometimey as a starter . . .

While I was skeptical of this idea, I was willing to entertain it just as I had done with the idea of Rudy taking a seat. Then I saw this great article by Ron Tillery in the Commercial Appeal titled Gasol tries to step up game plan. Here's a relevant quote that deals with Gasol's sub-par stats this sesaon:

"I have to be a little more active without the ball," said Gasol, who is averaging career lows in points (17.1) and rebounds (6.9). "There are not a lot of plays called. Period. It's more of a flow game. I haven't felt extremely comfortable with it because I was used to being told you go here, this is going to happen and you're going to get the ball.
"But that's more of a set game; a slower-paced game. We want to increase the tempo, and not let the defense set. I just have to look for the ball, and get my offense in the flow. It's been hard to assimilate (to the new system), but I'm going to do a better job of being more active without the ball and then demanding the ball."
Iavaroni said criticism of Gasol is unfair because the 7-foot Spaniard has complied with the coaching staff's wishes. Gasol essentially sacrifices his low-post game to
conform with the Grizzlies' goal of playing fast and adhering to equal-opportunity scoring.

In other words, Gasol is doing exactly what the coaching staff is asking him to do, so the critics should turn their attention to Iavaroni and Co. when talking about Gasol's stats. In fact, I seem to remember somebody suggesting that Pau's stats might take a hit in this new uptempo system. Also, L3ESmith made mention of David Robinson taking a lesser role to allow for Tim Duncan's emergence. Robinson was 32 years old when Duncan was drafted -- 5 years older than Gasol is now. Also, The Admiral was never sent to the bench, but instead played alongside the Big Fundamental as a starter -- the Two Towers reborn, as it was. In the same manner, it appears that Pau and Darko complement each other well and should play in the same lineup as often as possible. Otherwise I don't get to use the "Ivory Towers" nickname that I'm so fond of.

I'm sure I made it clear earlier, but I think it would be most beneficial for the team if Mike Miller was the 6th man who covers both swingman positions, thus leaving Navarro in the starting lineup. We'll see what occurs tonight and the rest of the season though.

Let me know what you think in the Comments.

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.

Live Blog: Grizzlies vs. Spurs 10/31/07

Welcome to the first Live Blog that actually counts!

It's Opening Night in Memphis, TN and I'm laid up with flu-like symptoms. Yes, the same flu-like symptoms that plagued Darko Milicic in the preseason and kept Brian Cardinal out the past few days. That's how close we are to the players -- we share the same illnesses.

Pete Pranica and Sean Tuohy spoke about Darius Washington making the Spurs squad and then turned it over to Rob Fischer who interviewed D-Wash prior to the game. Nice fluff piece for the Memphis crowd, although I find it very disconcerting to have to watch Fish after listening to him on the radio for the past few years. He's one of those guys who doesn't look like you would expect him to. He's certainly no Tony Luftman either -- I haven't heard him squeak in excitement yet. ;^)

Also, D-Wash is rocking a serious beard. As a fellow bearded one, I can say that it is quite impressive.

Fish interviews Coach Marc Iavaroni and then Rudy Gay, neither of which seems tense tonight, which is a good thing. Rudy seems very ready to get out there and perform at a high level.

Starting lineups
San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker, Michael Finley, Bruce Bowen, Tim Duncan, Fabricio Oberto
Memphis Grizzlies: Damon Stoudamire, Mike Miller, Rudy Gay, Darko Milicic, Pau Gasol

We've got the Trampoline Guy, Grizz Line and other assorted performers all over the court prior to the Grizzlies' introductions. Quite a spectacle, as they have the blacklights going and all the acts are glowing in the dark. Nice work!

Michael Buffer is in the house! Way to go all out guys! And he's doing the player introductions.

Anyone want to place a wager on whether or not Rudy Gay takes Bruce Bowen to flight school tonight?

Q1 - 11:00 -- Pau wins the tip-off and we are underway. Miller misses an 18 footer off a curl. Duncan cooly puts home a long jumper.

Q1 - 10:30 -- Darko hits a lefty hook from the left block. Duncan gets a sneaky basket to go in, but then Pau comes back and hits from the right baseline.

Q1 - 9:00 -- Tony Parker is crazy sneaky as he snakes in for a 1-on-2 layup. Rudy comes right back and hits a short turnaround over Bowen. Darko runs the floor to get an easy basket and then Parker comes right back again for another highlight style layup. Grizzlies 8, Spurs 8

Q1 - 7:33 -- Duncan somehow gets a leaner to go over Pau's outstretched fingertips, but then Pau gets fouled the next trip down the court and hits both free throws. Tied at 10.

Q1 - 6:40 -- Mike witht he steal and feeds it to Darko running the floor, who slams it home with the left hand!

Q1 - 5:56 -- Parker hits a long jumper from the left wing to tie it back up at 12 all. Pau gets called on a questionable offensive foul for a clear-out. Parker misses everything on another long jumper, prompting "Airball!" chants around the FedEx Forum. He looks for a foul call and gets none as we take our first timeout. Grizzlies 12, Spurs 12

Darko looks good. Perhaps the Dark One has decided to come out to play on Halloween.

Q1 - 5:12 -- Manu Ginobili into the game and he immediately heads to the rim in his slithering style. Misses the layup, but still got to the rim effortlessly. Damon rushes down the court and takes an ill-advised three pointer, which rattles out.

Q1 - 4:58 -- Darko inadvertently pokes Duncan in the eye, sending him to the bench. They call a foul on Rudy against Bowen on the next play, despite the fact that he was standing still with arms straight up in the air. Nothing like a makeup call so quickly after the non-call! Stro into the game now. Bowen misses both, because he can't hit free throws.

Q1 - 3:39 -- Bowen hits a runner from the left side, proving he can do more than hit corner threes. Miller comes back with a three from the left wing. Parker with another easy layup to give the Spurs the lead back. Spurs 16, Grizzlies 15

Q1 - 2:39 -- Wholesale changes as Navarro, Lowry and Jacobsen are now in the game. Duncan misses a bad pass, Navarro picks it up, feeds Casey for the fastbreak layup. Grizzlies take the lead 18-16 and the Spurs want a timeout.

Q1 - 1:50 -- Both teams hate free throws, as Ginobili misses a couple, then Stro hits one of two. Duncan hits another leaner that Navarro immediately answers with a three-pointer from the right wing. Grizz 22, Spurs 20

Q1 - 0:42 -- Pau fumbles the ball, recovers and hits a fallaway from the lane. Duncan gets fouled, hits one of two, but Manu gets the offensive rebound off the miss. Ginobili drives to the basket and Darko fouls him, giving him two fouls -- enter Hakim Warrick.

End Q1 -- Manu hits them both. Kyle Lowry is a force of nature. He drives the left side of the lane, dishes back out to Gasol, who slams it home! D-Wash tries to take the Spurs last shot, but is rejected by Pau! Grizz 26, Spurs 23

Q2 - 11:22 -- Finley hits a jumper from the right side over Hakim. Kyle continues his high energy play, blowing by D-Wash to get the foul call and head to the line for two free throws....and hits them both. Grizzlies 28, Spurs 25

Q2 - 10:20 -- Ginobili answers with a three-pointer from the top of the arc. La Bomba doesn't fall, leading to a miss by Ginobili, a scramble for the ball that winds up in Manu's hands again for another three-pointer.

Q2 - 9:32 -- Hakim grabs his own miss and puts it back in with one hand. Then Hak gets a ridiculous foul called on him when Finley acts like he's been thrown from a moving vehicle. Hakim couldn't throw one of the ball boys that far. Ginobili hits the three-pointer on the other end. Spurs 34, Grizzlies 30

Q2 - 8:10 -- Great set play as Gasol passes to Lowry at the top of the arc, who swings it to Navarro on the left wing.....alley-oop to Pau! Parker answers with a mid-range jumper. Hakim with a turnaround over three Spurs defenders that misses. Matt Bonner then hits a three from the left wing. Spurs 39, Grizzlies 32

Q2 - 7:22 -- Pau gets hacked on a trip through the lane and hits both free throws. We have our first Pau checking for blood sighting of the year! Finley misses a contested jumper, Rudy grabs the rebound and feeds Kyle who sprints down the floor for the easy transition layup. Next trip down, Brent Barry steps out of bounds and we get another TV timeout. Spurs 39, Grizz 38

Q2 - 5:50 -- Rudy abuses Bonner for a spinning hook shot to give Memphis the lead. These refs are horrific!!! Navarro is standing perfectly still next to Duncan, who elevates for the shot and gets a foul call. The Forum crowd is really giving it to them now! Pete and Sean agree that there was no foul to be called. Grizz 40, Spurs 39

Q2 - 5:36 -- Duncan misses them both -- the one chink in his armor still. Rudy vs. Bonner is a frightening mismatch as he blows by him and gets hacked to prevent the easy basket. Rudy hits them both, showing Duncan how it is done. Thank you Mark Price!

Q2 - 4:15 -- Rudy picks up another foul, giving him 3 on the night, which brings the return of Stro to the floor. Duncan uses the glass to score over a good defensive effort by Pau. Damon answers with a mid-range jumper from the left side of the floor. Ginobili misses a three-pointer and Miller gathers the rebound. Grizzlies 44, Spurs 41

Q2 - 3:20 -- Ginobili is fouled by Navarro, and JCN goes to the bench in favor of Lowry. Manu hits both free throws. Stro with the offensive board off Kyle's miss and then works into the lane for a basket over Duncan. Spurs take another timeout. Grizzlies 46, Spurs 43

Q2 - 2:15 -- Grizz are on a 14-4 run right now and are +7 in the rebounding department. Parker misses a three-pointer with the shot clock winding down. Miller coasts down the lane for a layup. Parker hits a three from the right corner to answer. Grizzlies 48, Spurs 46

End Q2 -- The Spurs hit two threes in a row and then Miller answers with one of his own. Lowry takes the hard foul driving from the left side and challenging the Spurs' big men. Kyle hits them both to tie the game again at 52 all. Spurs hold for the last shot -- Finley takes a bad shot, one step inside the three-point line, leading to a strange play where Ginobili flips the ball over the top of the backboard, turning the ball over to Memphis, who miss the final shot. Grizzlies 52, Spurs 52

I'm taking a break to eat some dinner, but if you have any questions, leave them in the comments.

Q3 - 10:36 -- Finley opens up with a fadeaway over Miller. Pau misses a fallaway over two defenders. Francisco Elson (the answer to "Who is that masked man?") hits a mid-range jumper. Rudy misses a long three. Memphis allows Bowen to set his feet and he knocks down a 17 footer, prompting a 20-second timeout from Iavaroni. Spurs 58, Grizzlies 52

Q3 - 9:21 -- Out of the timeout Damon hits a three-pointer. Then after a defensive stop, Rudy gets down the floor and hits a mid-range jumper to whittle the deficit down to one. Offensive foul on Duncan relieves the Spurs of another possession.

Q3 - 7:55 -- Rudy loses the ball and Duncan rattles one home on the ensuing possession. Pau answers back with a short leaner of his own. Duncan gets fouled by Gasol and manages to hit both free throws. Damon answers that with a three-pointer to tie it up at 62 all.

Q3 - 6:09 -- A rendition of "Can you top this?" breaks out as Parker and Damon both hit long two-pointers. Bowen breaks that up with a three pointer from the right corner. Darko comes back with a hook shot from the lane. Spurs 67, Grizzlies 66

Q3 - 4:13 -- Parker misses a long jumper. Mike misses a three, Pau grabs the offensive board, passes to Damon who misses another three. Duncan misses a shot on the right block as Darko came over for the intimidation factor. Rudy misses from the left elbow. Nobody can hit right now. Elson finally breaks the monotony with a slam off a nice feed by Ginobili. Gasol answers with the bucket and the foul. Spurs 69, Grizzlies 68

Q3 - 3:14-- Pau hits the free throw to tie it up and give him 17 points for the game. Oberto squeaks by Darko for the lay-in. Damon hits the three-pointer from the left wing. Then Damon steals the ball right out of Parker's hands, feeds Rudy who lays it in and gets fouled. Grizz 74, Spurs 71

Q3 - 2:52 -- Bowen tries to pass it in to Duncan, but the Grizzlies grab it, run down the floor and Miller hits the three from the right-hand side. Grizz 77, Spurs 71

Q3 - 1:33 -- D-Wash misses the three from the right side. Rudy turns it over after getting stuck in No Man's Land and D-Wash takes it coast-to-coast for the layup. Right now, it appears that they are trying to get Darko actively involved in the offense again. Rudy misses an open three and the Grizzlies slap the ball out of bounds. Kyle back in the game now.

Q3 - 0:22 Offensive foul on D-Wash after he pushes Kyle to the floor. Rudy tries another shot from the left side and makes this one. Bonner answers with a three. Grizz 79, Spurs 76

End Q3 -- Gasol says that "if the goofy-looking redhead can do it, so can I" and cans a three from the top of the key. Bonner misses his shot at retaliation as the buzzer sounds. Grizzlies 82, Spurs 79

Q4 - 12:00 -- Enter the final quarter with Gasol, Gay, Miller, Lowry and Swift on the floor.

Q4 - 9:55 -- D-Wash hits a floater to cut the lead to one. Lowry gets to the rim, but cannot finish. D-Wash misses from the left elbow, but Rudy and Stro knock the rebound out of bounds, allowing Brent Barry to hit a three-pointer on the extra possession. Spurs 84, Grizzlies 82

Q4 - 9:18 -- Rudy with a great save to get the ball back to Pau after a tipped rebound nearly went out of bounds. Kyle sprints down the floor and coasts in for another layup. He's quicker than a hiccup.

Q4 -8:03 -- The Spurs start to take over, making three baskets without an answer from Memphis, prompting a timeout from Iavaroni. Spurs 90, Grizzlies 84

Q4 -6:33 -- Navarro comes in and immediately hits a three-pointer. Parker misses a long shot and Lowry gathers the rebound. Navarro travels on the next possession running a pick and roll with Darko. Barry misses a three badly, Navarro brings the ball down and gets hammered on the shot -- no call. These refs will be getting a call from Ronnie Nunn tonight -- I guarantee it. Spurs 90, Grizz 87

Q4 - 5:05 -- Finley hits a three and Navarro answers. Darko with the block on Duncan! Lowry pushes the ball, feeds Warrick who gets clobbered from behind. Spurs 93, Grizz 90

Q4 -4:44 -- Come out of the TV timeout to see Kyle Lowry with ice on his hip after he took a leaping dive to save a ball a few plays earlier. Warrick at the free-throw line for two shots -- hits one of them to cut the lead to two points. Finley misses a three, but Duncan grabs the offensive board. Then Duncan gets the offensive foul! Spurs 93, Grizz 91

Q4 - 3:07 -- Back-and-forth we go, with both teams missing close shots. Miller misses a long jumper, then Duncan responds in kind.....but the Grizzlies fight over the rebound and lose it out of bounds. Duncan misses badly on the shot and Bonner knocks it out of bounds, but the officials give it to the Spurs. Where's Nunn's e-mail address again?

Q4 -2:40 -- Ginobili misses a wide-open shot and Darko boxes out Duncan for the rebound. Rudy gets the ball on the left wing, drives in and hits the jumper from 8 feet to tie it up at 93 all.

Q4 - 1:52 -- Finley misses another mid-range jumper with Rudy applying defensive pressure. Rudy gets the ball to Gasol who sets up Duncan and drives right around Timmy for the reverse layup. Duncan works into the lane to score over Darko and tie it back up. 95 all

Q4 - 0:27.7 -- Bonner misses a three, ball out of bounds to the Grizzlies. Gasol drives the lane and gets blocked by Duncan -- ball OB. Gasol gets the ball on the in-bounds and misses the shot across the lane with three defenders hanging on him. Ginobili hits the runner on the left side to give the Spurs the lead. Spurs 97, Griz 95

Q4 - 0:19.7 -- Crunch-time lineup: Gasol, Rudy, Mike, Darko, Damon. Ball goes in to Rudy who gets an offensive foul called on him when he lowers his shoulder and Ginobili flies into the next area code. Flopper. Spurs get the ball inbounds to Manu and force him to give it up to Duncan who is fouled. Ginobili gets fouled and goes to the line and only hits one of two. Spurs 98, Grizz 95

Q4 - 0:13.5 -- Iavaroni is setting up the play to either get a quick two or a set play to make the game-tying three. Casey in the game now for Darko. Miller goes down the lane for the deuce, but gets tripped by Ginobili and goes to the line. Mike misses the first one, makes the second. Spurs 98, Grizz 96

Q4 - 0:8.1 -- They foul Ginobili who hits them both this time. Damon down the floor for the quick layup. The Spurs are forced to take a timeout when they cannot inbound the ball.

Q4 - 0:3.1 -- Ginobili to the line again. He hits them both again. Damon comes down the floor and hits a huge three-pointer! They foul Manu yet again. Spurs 102, Grizz 101

End Q4 -- Ginobili hits them both. Long outlet to Rudy Gay who heaves it up from 40 feet and misses off the backboard. Final score: Spurs 104, Grizzlies 101

What a game. That's all I can really say at this point.

Darko's Summer in Turmoil

Darko Milicic has had the type of summer movies are made of this year. Disaster movies like Earthquake, The Towering Inferno or The Poseidon Adventure.

First he began the summer as a restricted free agent who's agent was suggesting Darko was worth $10 million a year. Then Orlando relinquished his rights choosing to sign Rashard Lewis instead. This led to rather hostile discussions between Darko's agent and the Magic which eliminated any chance Darko would return to Orlando in any manner other than an opponents uniform.

Darko accepted Memphis' offer of $6.5 million a year instead. This became a little uncomfortable when it was released that Darko had possibly implied that Pau Gasol, Memphis' resident big man, may be less than physical in his approach to the game. This was most likely misinterpreted and more directed at Spain than Memphis but it left a sour taste in people's mouths.

While this was going on Darko was preparing to play for his home country of Serbia in the FIBA European Championships. Serbia is a relative newcomer to European basketball. Originally a part of Yugoslavia and then combining with Montenegro this was to be the first European championship where Serbia competed as an individual country. Darko felt immense pressure to perform at the highest level for his country.

And perform he did. Darko was second in scoring (14.7 ppg), first in rebounding (9.7 per game) and first in blocked shots (3.3 per game). While shooting a disappointing 41% from the field a major reason for that was the 2-13 shooting performance against Russia. Darko did shoot over 50% for the rest of the tournament. His free throw shooting left much to be desired however.

Unfortunately Darko was also first in fines at the tournament after an expletive laced commentary about the referees following a close loss to Greece.

Serbia failed to win a single game in the competition but lost all three games by a combined 15 points. Russia, the eventual champion, beat Serbia by 10. Greece, the 4th place team, won by a single point in the highly controversial game. Israel beat the deflated Serbian team by a mere four points that was probably more of a hangover from the Greece game than anything else.

So what did we see from Darko's international experience this summer? We found that Darko won't sit around and accept things. We discovered that Darko is capable of rebounding and scoring on the international stage and as a player is ready to mature his game on the bigger stages. We also saw quite graphically that Darko isn't mature yet and still has troubles with maintaining his emotions.

Most encouraging was his rebounding, a major weakness of the Grizzlies in previous seasons. Darko was among the best rebounders in the tournament averaging 9.3 a game. To put it in perspective that was more than Dirk Nowitzki (8.6 per game), Pau Gasol (7.0 per game) and Andrei Kirilenko (8.6 per game). His weaknesses were maintaining his composure and free throw shooting (52.6%). Throw in the physical way he played and there is a lot more to be excited about than some originally thought.

Now if he can co-exist with Pau and Hakim Warrick in the paint, things could be very good for the Grizzlies this season.

Darko Act I

Memphis, meet Darko Milicic.

You might have missed his initial press conference this summer. You probably wish you would have missed this story too.

Darko Milicic, the Grizzlies top free agent acquisition and 7 foot Serbian center provided his Memphis fanbase with quite the opening act.

Darko Act I featured a profanity laced tirade directed towards the refs after Serbia lost to Greece. It was, of course, in Serbian. It was not only directed at the refs, but also their families. It was nasty, viscous, appalling, inappropriate, and whatever other negative descriptor that comes to your mind. I'm leaving it up to the reader to find the translation for themselves. Google.

Naturally, Chris Wallace didn’t like what he read. I don’t like reading what he said. No sensible person would approve of what he said.

That's why it is embarrassing to admit that when I first saw the youtube clip of Darko's outburst, I was smiling and enjoying myself. Sure, that was mostly because I do not speak Serbian and had not yet read the translation. But still. My first thoughts was that if we didn't catch lightning in a bottle, we might have caught venom in a vile. And isn't that what we have always wanted next to Pau?

This isn’t the same Darko I remember. Admittedly, I did not see Darko play much in Orlando, being restricted only to the few Grizzlies games he made an appearance in. Still, this isn’t the same Darko I remember sitting on the end of the Pistons bench wearing a bandaid on his ear. This Darko is big. This Darko is mean. This Darko is pissed.

Wait. I need to remember what he actually let himself say to a bunch of reporters after a heartbreaking overtime loss. It probably can't be stressed enough that he needs to control his emotions better. He was unprofessional. Right or wrong, we expect players to play hard during the game while pushing their emotional level to the brink without going over, then after the game, be calm, professional and display role model type sportsmanship. When players do go over the edge, whether during or after the game, we then frown upon it to varying degrees. This situation isn't any different.

But screw it. I’m a homer and I don't want what looked like a great offseason tainted right now.

I want this to be a glimpse into a mean Darko who will be the teams enforcer that we’ve always wanted next to Pau (minus the vulgar content about the refs and their families of course). Someone that won't let the Mavs tip out a missed free throw in the closing minutes of a playoff game. Someone that makes opposing guards think twice before driving the lane. Someone that won't stand for Mike Miller to be elbowed in the throat (provided they aren't on the bench and it is a crucial playoff game).

Darko's low rumblings during his initial press conference reminded many Griz fans of Drago from Rocky IV. I'm not sure how this latest incident changes that comparison. Maybe a juvenile Drago.

Darko Act I: Young Drago gets mad

(Aside…Ever since Darko's press conference this summer I have had the idea that Darko would make a perfect pro wrestler. He is already known by a single name (I doubt most casual fans know his last name). He is big. He is mean. And he apparently gives pro wrestling quality backstage interviews after getting screwed by the refs. Maybe him and Pacman could be a tag-team.)

Update: Slam Online has a take on the subject.
Update 2: The always-entertaining Bethlehem Shoals weighs in.
Update 3: FIBA fines Darko $13,770.
Update 4: Chris Sheridan with a hilarious comment:

Speaking of the Serbs, by the way, we invite those not easily offended to seek out a full translation of Darko Milicic's rant against FIBA referees last week. Let's just say the rant is so vicious, we will no longer be accepting nominations for this year's version of the Tim Duncan I Hate FIBA award. In fact, we'll go so far as to say Darko's rant will set the standard for ref-bashing for decades to come. Yes, it was that bad.