Links: Offseason Rolls Along

Great interview with Marc Gasol as he prepared to kick off the Olympics. I've really been impressed with his defensive ability so far and hope that he can be a solid contributor for the Grizzlies.

Be sure to read HoopsAddict.com's interview with Josh Smith in the aftermath of Atlanta matching the offer sheet he signed with the Grizzlies. He talks about why he was interested in coming to Memphis and was willing to sign with them.

Floor Burn Tournament: Round Two: Even though Kyle Lowry came up short against Mark "Mad Dog" Madsen last week, there are still a lot of interesting matchups to vote on, so go over there and click away.

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah fans are gauging interest in acquiring Darko Milicic as a backup center.

Memphis Flyer: Frank Murtaugh links Elvis songs to Memphis sports in honor of Elvis week here in Memphis.

Over on HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler continues to ride the Backtrack Express in the wake of his poorly conceived column from last week. Somebody please tell him to just leave it alone already. What's done is done. I'd hate to for hem to have to let Chris Herrington out of his cage again to deal with him. That could get ugly quick.

Courant.com: Rudy Gay spends time in Conneticut at Jim Calhoun's basketball camp and talks about life in the NBA. He also won the MVP of the charity game.

Stay tuned for a few announcements about some changes coming to the blog later this week.

Memphis vs Utah - 3.1.08

Memphis marches into the new month with glee after leaving the month of February with the worst record for any month since the team arrived in Memphis. One win vs 11 losses would be upseting to anyone. Throw in the Gasol trade, the Miller and Lowry rumors plus the abreviated situation with Marcus Vinicius (was he ever even in Memphis?) and you have a team needing to put that month behind them. If it is any consolation the team seems to be rebounding from the shocking series of events and could be welcoming back Mike Miller to the lineup. Mike would bring a serious second scoring threat to Rudy Gay and should be able to open the paint for the point guards as well. Over the last few games Memphis has started only two players averaging over 10 ppg for the season. If Miller comes back the Grizzlies will still probably be starting only two players averaging more than 10 ppg this season.

Utah is coming in with a 2.5 game lead over 2nd place Denver for the division lead which is a good thing since they are also 2.5 games out of missing the playoffs after reaching the conference finals last season. Led by 3rd yr PG Deron Williams and finally healthy Carlos Boozer, Utah has been adjusting to the early season trade to acquire Kyle Korver for unhappy Gordan Giricek. Korver gives Utah their first true long-range scoring threat since Jeff Hornacek. Utah is a complete team with all 5 starters contributing to the team's success and everyone understanding their role on the team. How can I say that? Well how about all 5 starters scoring more than 11 ppg and European Championship MVP Andrei Kirilenko scoring the fewest points among the starting 5.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Deron Williams
Anyone concerned about Mike Conley not being able to take the beating from the long NBA season better not watch this matchup. Deron Williams is a bruising PG who not only possesses a great outside shot and good passing eye but he is not afraid to use his significant bulk for a PG to get easy shots around the basket. Conley has been getting his strength and confidence back the last few games, especially in regards to his passing. His last 5 games have seen Conley averaging 12 ppg and 6 apg. Not bad for a 20 yr old rookie. Deron Williams is putting up numbers to put him in the same breath as Chris Paul and Steve Nash.
Advantage: Utah

Shooting Guards: Juan Carlos Navarro vs Ronnie Brewer
Earlier this season I belittled former Razorback Ronnie Brewer's production. I'm not making that mistake again. How many SG's are shooting 53.4% from the field? Throw in almost 2 steals a game and 11.7 points and you have a very nice looking player. Juan Carlos Navarro seems to have finally gotten over the rookie wall he was banging into most of the month. Since the all-star break Navarro is hitting 35.7% of his 3 pt attempts while scoring 13.4 ppg and hasn't missed a single free throw. Another interesting statistic is that Navarro actually shoots better from beyond the arc on back to back games (39.5%) than he does with 3 days rest (20%). Lucky for Memphis he is playing back to back in this game. Still Brewer has size, speed and athletic ability over Navarro.
Advantage: Utah

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Andrei Kirilenko
Rudy Gay has been the leader of the team since Pau Gasol was traded. However without Mike Miller to keep defenses honest Rudy has struggled to get any consistency going. He has a big weight on his 21 yr old shoulders and after being harassed by Shane Battier Friday night he can't be excited to see Andrei Kirilenko the next night. AK-47 has not been a big scorer this season (11.5 ppg) but he is a great defender averaging 1.21 spg and 1.72 bpg. That isn't good for Rudy who has had trouble dribbling the ball under pressure.
Advantage: Utah

Power Forwards: Hakim Warrick vs Mehmet Okur
I know Okur is the center and Boozer the PF but there is no way Iavaroni is going to allow Hakim to defend Boozer and I can't move Hakim to Center with a straight face. Okur, a former All-Star, has seen his star dimmed somewhat this season. His rebounds are down to 6.4 rpg and his scoring has dropped to 13.1 ppg. However he seems to have gotten a 2nd win in February raising those numbers to 14.8 ppg and 8.8 rpg while hitting 47% of his FG attempts and 36.5% of his three balls. Hakim has started 8 of the last 10 games and is averaging 16.5 ppg and 7.7 rpg over that span while hitting over 53% of his FG attempts. he needs to focus as much from the FT line as he has hit only 60.5% of his attempts. This boils down to Hak being able to stop Okur's long range bombs. If he gets on him then he can win the matchup.
Advantage: Utah

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Carlos Boozer
Carlos Boozer is probably the best player in the league running the pick and roll. Memphis is one of the worst teams in the league defending it. Not a good combination. What's more both Okur and Boozer are more agile than most Centers and that is the kind of player than gives Darko fits. Not many players in the league can reach double figures in points and rebounds in the league. Boozer averages 21 ppg and 10.8 rpg. Darko averages 6.6 ppg and 5.9 rpg. Need I continue?
Advantage: Utah

Benches: Memphis vs Utah
If Miller is playing some of the matchups change but not even Miller can sway the difference in the benches. Utah has Kyle Korver, a younger Miller in some people's eyes, Matt Harpring (an older Shane Battier) and power player Paul Milsaps. About the only interesting match up from the bench would be Jason vs Jarron. That's the Collins' twins and not some new Halloween slasher flick although it may resemble one by the end of the game.
Advantage: Utah

Relevant blogs:
Basketball John
My Utah Jazz

Memphis vs Utah - 2.1.08

FLAG NIGHT AT THE FORUM!

No not those flags!


It's the Grizzlies Rally Flag Night!!! Don't miss out on your 2007-08 edition.

Memphis plays their fourth consecutive home game and their 8th in their last 10 games Saturday night. So far the home stand can only be described as a mixed bad. Wins over Seattle, Chicago and the LA Clippers, blowout losses to Dallas and Orlando and two close but no cigars losses to Cleveland in OT and Denver after having a 7 pt lead with 3 minutes to play. Saturday nights game gives Memphis chance at a 4-4 record in the last 8 home games but Memphis hasn't beaten a team with a winning record since beating San Antonio on Dec. 19th. With Pau Gasol bothered by back spasms it will be a hard road to climb to change that streak. Darko Milicic had a big game against Denver but will need to repeat that performance again, something Darko has struggled doing this season. Rudy Gay continues to perform at the highest level any perimeter player in Memphis has showing range on his shots, quick hands on defense (1.5 steals per game) and the ability to hit the clutch shots.

Utah is visiting Washington to play the Wizards on Friday night so fatigue may play a part in this game. Utah has stormed past Portland and Denver into 1st place in the Northwest division on the back of a 6 game consecutive game win streak and a 10 game home winning streak. The only two losses in January were to divisional rivals Denver and Portland once each. Utah's frontline of Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur offer size, scoring and defense which will make things difficult for the interior players on the Grizzlies, especially if Stro or Pau don't play. Deron Williams probably won't be named an all-star this year but is playing like one averaging 19.1 ppg on 51.5% FG shooting, 9.5 assists and 1.15 spg. It's tough to make the All-Star game in the West when those numbers only put you in the mix. Utah can't afford to overlook the Grizzlies since despite their excellent record of late the Jazz are still only 1.5 games out of 9th place in the Western Conference and out of the playoffs completely.

Point Guards: Kyle Lowry vs Deron Williams
Kyle has been playing some long minutes lately and would probably be pleased to see Mike Conley back in the lineup for this game. Deron Williams is a pounding PG who, at 6-3 and 205 pounds, uses his size to his advantage to muscle his way inside or to post up opponents. Assuming Lowry is starting expect the two muscular players to really go after each other. The main problem is that Williams can shoot from the field (51.5%) and the arc (39.4%) while Kyle has struggled shooting this season. Also with Utah's pick and roll offense expect to see Lowry taking some mean picks for the team. Still Lowry is a bulldog and can surprise teams with his toughness and tenacity. This should be a great battle.
Advantage: Utah

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Ronnie Brewer
Former Arkansas Razorback Ronnie Brewer has blossomed this season in Utah. After averaging only 12.1 mpg last season Brewer has stepped it up to 28.5 mpg this season on the back of 54.1% FG shooting and a nice all-around game. Brewer is not a 3 pt threat, hitting only 17.9% of his attempts, but his size (6-7) enables him to post up most opposing SGs and to punish teams attempting to put PG's on him instead of Williams. Mike Miller will have to work hard to get his shot off against Brewer but can match him in size and power. Miller's rebounding has suffered in the small ball lineup but at SG he is one of the best in the league. Hitting 50.8% from teh field and 43.4% from the arc makes Mike a dangerous scorer in the half court and if players rush out to guard him on the perimeter Miller has shown the ability to get to the rim with ease as well.
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Andrei Kirilenko
Rudy Gay is the Grizzlies lead scorer and go to player late in the games despite only being 21 yrs old. His shooting has been respectable at 47% from the floor and nearly 40% from the arc. He has amazing athletic ability and if there is a weakness it his his ball-handling skills. Andrei Kirilenko is one of the best defensive players in the league. AK-47 averages 1.8 bpg and 1.3 spg while shooting 50.3% fro mteh field and 37% from the arc. The lanky 6-9 Russian is a tough guard on both sides of the court. This summer's trade demands seem to have calmed down during the season but with his desire to play PF more than SF it may not be over if the Jazz start to stumble. This battle should be worth the price of admission by itself.
Advantage: Utah

Power Forwards: Pau Gasol vs Carlos Boozer
The man who Memphis didn't get vs the man Memphis can't wait to see leave. Carlos Boozer was on everyone's lips but Jerry West at the 2002 draft. Robert Archibald was the Grizzlies 2nd rd pick and three picks later Cleveland gladly picked him up. He has become an All-Star in Utah averaging 22.4 ppg and 10.6 rpg this season. That may not be enough to get Boozer into the all-star game this season. It should be enough to outperform Gasol however. Before Gasol's back started bothering him he was playing his best this season in January. Gasol averaged 21.8 ppg and 10.5 rpg in the month as well as 3.4 apg and 1.9 bpg. Unfortunately Gasol's back has not allowed him to play at the level he performed in January.
Advantage: Utah

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Mehmet Okur
I don't know how to judge this match. Is the Darko who put 14 and 16 against Marcus Camby or is the 2 point, 5 board Darko against Dallas playing? Is Mehmet the 19 pt 9 baord NBA All-Star playing from past years or the 12 pt 6 rebound player of this year? In January Mehmet played some of his best ball all season averaging 14.5 ppg and 6.9 rpg. he also tossed in 42% of his three point shots.
Advantage: Utah

Benches: Memphis vs Utah
Let's see, Utah has a bench and Memphis doesn't. Against Denver Memphis had Casey Jacobsen, Hakim Warrick and Andre Brown off the bench. Utah has Kyle Korver (who some Grizz fan has proclaimed is as good as Mike Miller), Paul Millsap and Matt Harpring. Even if Stro is back and Conley returns from injury it is a mismatch.
Advantage: Utah

UPDATE:
Join Assistant Coach Ron DuBois in Lexus Lounge promptly at 6pm on February 2nd prior to the Grizzlies vs. Jazz game for insight about the game against the Jazz. Assistant coach Ron DuBois will show a short video covering 3-4 topics on the Jazz and how the Grizzlies will address that team’s obstacles.

Passed out to all in attendance will be a “Game Profile Sheet” which includes a statistical analysis of the opposing team. If time permits, there will be a brief session of Q&A from guests in Lexus Lounge.

A valid ticket with access to Lexus Lounge is all that is needed to attend. While an RSVP is not necessary, space in Lexus Lounge is limited. Reservations for Lexus Lounge can be made by calling 901-205-1830.

Links: Gasol to Chicago?, Gasol defends Garbajosa, 5 Games In, Utah Recaps

Well, all it took was a slow, injury-fueled start for Pau Gasol and a train wreck beginning for the Chicago Bulls for the "Gasol to Chicago" rumor mill to start up again......in Chicago. This time it is John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times who thinks that the Grizzlies will be willing to part with their best low-post option so that he can be the only low-post option in Chicago. Although he admits that there is nothing out of Memphis to suggest that Gasol is available, he throws out his own trade scenario that seems straight out off a message board post:

So what would it take to make a deal? If I'm Paxson, Luol Deng still is an untouchable and so is Gordon in this scenario. I'd put together a package built around Tyrus Thomas, a younger, much cheaper player who could spark some fan interest in Memphis. An offer of Thomas, Andres Nocioni, another player and a pick might get a deal done under the right circumstances.

If Chris Wallace takes that deal, it would be wise for him to not return to Memphis. Fortunately, I've met Chris and talked with him and can assure all of you that he's not Kevin McHale, Isiah Thomas or Mitch Kupchak -- he won't trade away his best player for pennies on the dollar. So once again, this is Chicago futilely hoping for a handout to solve their woes. We're not in a charitable mood right now though.

In other Gasol-related news, he is making waves with overseas comments again -- this time by defending what he perceives to be unfair treatment of Spanish teammate Jorge Garbajosa. From Yahoo! Sports:

"It's surprising and unexpected, (Garbajosa's) situation," the Memphis Grizzlies forward wrote in his weekly column in Spanish newspaper Marca.
"There's something strange going on because Jorge says that he feels fine. I think that for all the things he did in the summer and his desire to play in the national team at the EuroBasket, the Raptors have a bit of a grudge."

After fighting through a lot of red tape to be able to compete in international tournament play this summer after a serious ankle injury in the spring, Garbajosa feels that he's being ostracized for his commitment to his national team -- something that Gasol has felt the sting of as well.

Coach Sam Mitchell said the forward "just (has) to get his confidence back and his timing back."
However, Garbajosa hit back.
"That's his opinion," he said. "He is the coach ... physically I'm great. I have all the confidence in myself. So what can I do?"
Through six games so far, the 6-9 Garbajosa has played an average of less than seven minutes.
In Friday's 105-103 win over Philadelphia, Mitchell elected not to play Garbajosa at all.

Given that the NBA has language that specifically prohibits teams from stopping their players from playing for their national teams, I wouldn't be surprised to see someone from the NBA's front office step in behind the scenes to smooth this over so that it doesn't become front page news.

Over on Beyond the Arc, Chris Herrington has a great post about what we've learned five games into the season. Chris echoes a lot of the thoughts and expectations you've read on this blog, although he is still holding onto more hope (possibility of 40 wins?) than this humble blogger will allow himself to. It's a great read and I highly recommend it.

The crew here at 3 Shades of Blue was in no mood to reflect on the massacre that took place on Saturday night, so we'll turn the recap over to others who were less affected by the beatdown:

Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune has a nice take on Iavaroni's return to Utah to face his former coach, Jerry Sloan..

The Sports Network provides their own recap of the carnage that occurred in Utah, as well.

Pregame: Memphis at Utah - 11.10.07

Pregame commentary for the 11.10.07 Memphis at Utah game, by ChipC3 and Zack. Leave your predictions for the final score in the comments.

Memphis closes out the first road trip of the season with a tough match up in Salt Lake City against the Jazz. The trip started off on a strong note with a come from behind victory in Seattle before traveling to Portland on Friday. The back to back finish of the road trip makes it difficult to get up for a strong team like Utah but if the Grizzlies are serious about wanting to return to the playoffs this is the type of game they need to win or at least be competitive in. A good effort in this game should also put the team in a good frame of mind to return home to Memphis.

Utah has been strangely inconsistent so far this season. While their record is good they blew a big 1st half lead in LA in losing to the Lakers and blew a 5 pt lead with 30 seconds to play at home against Cleveland before incredibly hitting the winning shot with 1.4 seconds remaining. A veteran team like the Jazz (4 returning starters from last season’s conference finals team) should know how to close out games like those. The Jazz front line introduced themselves to the league last season when Okur, Boozer and Kirilenko became on of the best frontlines in the league. The maturity of Deron Williams continues but the shooting guard slot still is a gaping hole in their championship dreams. Until they fill that position Utah can not be considered a true challenger for the conference title much less the league.

Trends

--4th quarter woes. The fast paced Grizzlies offense has managed to score 19, 24, 18, and 22 in the 4th quarter in the first 4 games of the season, respectively. An average of ~20 points in the 4th quarter, for a team averaging over 100 points per game this season.
--Speedy backcourt. Surprisingly, Lowry and Conley have shared the court considerable minutes the last two games. The duo make for a small, but speedy backcourt, that puts pressure on the opposing defense, but allows opposing SG's a height advantage easily exploitable.
--Rudy has yet to experience a successful road trip. Last year the Grizzlies did not have a winning record during any multiple-game road trips. A win against the Jazz and that will change.

Storylines

--Iavaroni and Sloan. Marc Iavaroni played for the Jazz under Coach Jerry Sloan in the mid 80's.
--World MVP's square off. Two summers ago, Pau was named MVP. Last summer, it was AK47. I'm also guessing that Pau and JC are still a little pissed at Russia's success this summer.
--Griz failing apart last night. Losing what looked like a winnable game by playing one of the worst halves of basketball possible, after playing a great half of basketball, is tough and probably hard to shake out of the consciousness of players, coaches and fans.

Keys

--48 minutes. This team isn't good enough right now to win playing only half the game. A still dynamic rotation is helping create the ups and downs, however the team as a whole still needs to learn to play more consistent throughout the entire game.
--Rebounding. I am always anxious about Utah's ability to dominate the boards. Darko, Rudy, Mike and Pau really have to be focused when on defense and limit Utah's second chance points.
--Pick and Roll defense. Thus far this season Memphis has shown to be weak against the Pick and Roll. Unfortunately, the Jazz are one of the best Pick and Roll teams in the NBA. It just doesn't look good for the Grizzlies defense, to be truthful.

Matchups

Point Guard: Damon Stoudamire vs Deron Williams
The emotional Portland game being behind Damon he now has to face one of the best young PG’s in the league who is taller, stronger and a better passer than Damon. Questions were raised when Deron Williams was taken 3rd in the draft when Chris Paul and Raymond Felton were still on the board. Those questions became complaints when he struggled his first season and was benched by Jerry Sloan. However Deron learned from the bench and last year put all the concerns to rest with a dynamic season. He has continued his development this season and is now considered one of the top PG’s in the league. Damon will have to use his brain and his long range shot to keep up. Being the 2nd night of a back to back won’t help in that regard especially when you factor in the altitude.
Advantage: Utah

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Ronnie Brewer
Mike started the road trip with a big game in Seattle. That has been needed as Miller has been somewhat reticent to enforce himself in the offensive flow in the first 2 games at home. Every night you know Miller will bring his best effort but it isn’t always just shooting the ball. Miller has led the team in rebounding and assists so far this year but not scoring yet. Ronnie Brewer, the 2nd yr player from Arkansas, is struggling early in the season replacing Derek Fisher. The Jazz haven’t had a dependable SG really since Jeff Hornacek and the drafting of Morris Almond doesn’t send a strong message that they believe Brewer is the answer. Time will tell but he needs to play better or start expecting earlier and earlier calls to the bench. Sloan doesn’t put up with players learning on the court. That is what practice is for in his eyes.
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forward: Rudy Gay vs Andrei Kirilenko
Rudy Gay may not play against a better defender this season than Kirilenko. The former PF can block steal and flat out shut down players while still having the energy to contribute on the offensive end. AK-47 made it known however that he isn’t happy with things in Utah this summer and even hinted at asking out of his contract so he could return to Europe to play. That may be true but don’t count on AK slacking off because of it. The consummate pro gives his all every night. Rudy has shown the talent that encouraged West to trade him last season for Battier when on the court. Unfortunately he hasn’t always been able to stay on the court because of foul trouble. When Rudy can avoid offensive fouls he is a tough match up but AK is a vet and we know how refs like to favor the old guys over youth.
Advantage: Utah

Power Forwards: Darko Milicic vs Carlos Boozer
Okay, I know that Darko plays Center for the Grizzlies but it was either move Darko or Boozer because Gasol isn’t going to defend Carlos until Darko and Stro are already in foul trouble. It’s Boozer’s court so I moved Darko. In Memphis I will move Boozer. Carlos finally was pretty much injury free last season and earned the money he got when he shocked Cleveland by signing with the Jazz. Chosen for the All-Star (and replaced by Okur) Boozer has continued being a monster this season and Memphis will need to use everything they have to slow him down. Darko got his first double-double against Seattle but Nick Collison and Robert Swift are no Carlos Boozer.
Advantage: Utah

Center: Pau Gasol vs Mehmet Okur
Gasol may have a chip on his shoulder in this game since AK-47 beat his Spanish national team in Spain to steal the European Championship. Hopefully Gasol will make the Jazz pay for the Russian teams insult. Mehmet Okur was a replacement choice for the all-star game last season combining ridiculous range for a 7 ft center with a nice knack for grabbing boards. Okur hasn’t been as effective this season but the capability is there. Okur’s range forces teams to play a big far away from the basket giving the Jazz space for their other big men inside. How the Grizzlies defend against this will ultimately decide the outcome. If Gasol takes charge on the offensive end while keeping Okur from hitting too many threes would be good but his back issues are worrying.
Advantage: Utah

Benches: Kyle Lowry continues to be the main bright spot for the Grizzlies bench. Jacobsen, Navarro, Warrick and Swift have not played well yet and need to start showing why people expected the bench to be a strength for this team. Defensive breakdowns and poor shooting make it difficult for Iavaroni to give them many minutes. Utah has a stud on their bench in Paul Milsaps. An undersized PF who hits the boards and has been surprisingly effective scoring. However, like the Grizzlies he is basically the only producer off Utah’s bench. The loss of Derek Fisher is felt a lot when Deron Williams goes to the bench and could explain their struggles holding onto leads. That problem could be intensified with Kyle Lowry off the bench. If Stro and Hak can contain Milsaps then even the cold shooting bench of the Grizzlies can help keep the team in contention.
Advantage: Memphis

Coaches: Marc Iavaroni vs Jerry Sloan
This will be short. Jerry Sloan is one of the most successful coaches in NBA history, has taken his team to the NBA finals, Conference finals and won his division _ times. Marc Iavaroni is coaching his 4th game as the top guy in Memphis.
Advantage: Utah

Other Game Previews

--Check out Basketball John for a game preview with a Utah perspective. Here is a humorous excerpt:

Shouldn’t we swap nicknames? We already have a Grizzly for a mascot and there’s a lot more jazz in Memphis than Utah. Utah Grizzlies and Memphis Jazz. Plus, the team colors are similar enough we could just swap unis.

-- USA Today has their own game preview.

-- Grizzlies.com preview.