Don't play poker with Danny Ainge

Right now, as in this very moment, I'm watching Kevin Garnett's news conference on ESPN News. I just finished reading the Sports Guy's column on Page 2 about Danny Ainge "going all-in with a jack-nine of spades after a flop yielded two more spades" in first acquiring Ray Allen on draft day and then getting that 5th spade on the river by having Garnett fall into his lap courtesy of old Celtic buddy Kevin McHale. Boston just went from being the second-worst team in the league last season to the favorite in their division (which isn't saying much) and a definite contender for the Eastern Conference crown (which is saying quite a bit more). Let's look at the team that Boston had at the end of the season and the team they have as of right now (knowing that more players will need to be signed).

2006/07 team: Paul Pierce, Al Jefferson, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Kendrick Perkins, Rajon Rondo, Sebastian Telfair, Brian Scalabrine, Tony Allen, Allan Ray, Michael Olowokandi, Theo Ratliff, Leon Powe, Kevin Pinkney

2007/08 team: Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Tony Allen, Brian Scalabrine, Leon Powe, Glen Davis, Brandon Wallace, Gabe Pruitt

Here's what you should deduce from the differences in those two rosters: a lot more talent.....and no depth whatsoever at any position. The Celtics now have the talent to go deep in the playoffs, but there are still a lot of question marks facing them. Who is capable of running the point other than Rajon Rondo? Is Doc Rivers the right coach for this team? Can Kendrick Perkins do enough to keep KG from killing him prior to the All-Star break? Will Tony Allen be available to play this season after his injury history and legal issues? Will Pierce or Allen be the primary "go-to" guy in late game situations? Lots of questions and quite a few roster holes to fill over the next few months.

Danny Ainge came away the big winner in this situation, having saved his job and his reputation in New England, but I believe that Minnesota got a decent return for the face of their franchise for the past decade. They weren't in a position to build around Garnett any longer so, much like Philly did last year in trading away Allen Iverson (and vastly improving afterwards, it is worth noting), the Timberwolves decided to rebuild with youth that will center around promising young big man Al Jefferson. Combine the talents of Jefferson with players like Corey Brewer, Randy Foye, Rashad McCants and they could follow the pattern of success that the Chicago Bulls have had over the past few seasons. They will need to ship out players like Marko Jaric, Ricky Davis and Mark Blount to achieve the desired result, though.

I realize that I just stated that Minnesota was not a "loser" in this trade, but Danny Ainge just said something that forces me to reiterate that you should not, under any circumstances, play poker with this man. He was talking about how much time they had invested in Jefferson, Gomes, Green and Telfair and made mention of the "blood, sweat and tears" they had shared together over the past few seasons. He said it all with a straight face and showed nothing that even hinted of guile. That means that he either truly believes all the B.S. that just exited his mouth or he's even crazier than I had him pegged to be. Either way, he's not a man to be trifled with.

As a somewhat unrelated side note that will serve to close this post, don't you have to imagine that Isiah Thomas is hiding under his desk right now?

The Checklist

As we draw ever closer to training camp, I'm compelled to look back over this ever-so-short offseason and see what was accomplished. Judging by the majority of the posts on the Grizzlies Messageboard, you would think that the Grizzlies became a worse team than they were this past disappointing season. I think a careful evaluation of the moves that were made will paint a slightly different picture. There were some glaring, obvious needs that the organization needed to address: GM, Coach, Point Guard, Big Man in the Middle, 3-Point Shooting off the bench. Let's see what was done to fill those gaps.

Coach: Marc Iavaroni
The biggest name on the available coaches market found his way to Beale Street and seems genuinely happy to be here. He has been a valuable assistant in three successful systems and was a solid NBA player for 7 seasons. He is regarded as one of the best "big man" coaches in the game, having been associated with legendary instructor and Hall of Fame coach Pete Newell for 22 years. I don't recall having heard one person say anything negative about the hiring of Iavaroni.

Point Guard: Mike Conley, Jr.
Conley was a vital cog in helping his Ohio State team to the championship game of the NCAA tournament. His leadership and clutch play led to him being named to the All Big Ten First Team. He led the Big Ten in assists and showed the ability to take over games when called upon, resulting in him being selected by the Grizzlies with the 4th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. His consistency from beyond the arc is the biggest question mark for this young man, as he has shown that he can dish and drive at the highest of levels.

Outside Shooting: Casey Jacobsen
One of the most feared shooters in college during his time with Stanford, Jacobsen's talents haven't always translated well to the NBA since he was drafted in 2002 by the Phoenix Suns. A two-time All American in college, Jacobsen spent last season with the Brose Baskets, where he was named Finals MVP after his team won the German Basketball championship. While no one should expect him to suddenly become a lockdown defender or an amazing dunker overnight, there should be no doubt that he is capable of providing the perimeter shooting that the Grizzlies will undoubtedly need in short bursts throughout the season, also allowing for players like Mike Miller to take the occasional game off to avoid fatigue during the grueling NBA regular season.

Big Man: Darko Miličić and Andre Brown
Darko Miličić has been one of the most scrutinized players in the NBA since he was drafted in 2003 after LeBron James and before Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Only 17 when he entered the league, there are many that think his first two years in the league with Detroit were spent in a situation that didn't allow for much evaluation, given that he was behind two perennial All-Stars in Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace. After being traded to Orlando in February 2006, Darko was provided with more playing time to display the potential that led Joe Dumars to select him with the #2 overall pick. At 7'0" tall and a solid 270 lbs., Darko seems to be the prototype for the complementary player that the Grizzlies have been searching for to place beside Pau Gasol for nearly 4 seasons. With the ability to put up double digits in both scoring and rebounding on any given night, he has also proven to be a capable shotblocker, having recorded 2+ blocks in several games last season. At only 22 years old, he is still 4-5 years away from the prime of his career.

Andre Brown is a virtual unknown for many Grizz fans, given that he only appeared in 38 games for Seattle last season, recording double digit minutes in merely 10 of them. By all accounts, he is a solid rebounder with great athleticism and leaping ability who runs the floor exceptionally well. Provided the scouting reports and evaluations are true, then he should fit in with the uptempo system that Coach Iavaroni is reputed to be installing in Memphis.

GM: Chris Wallace
Wallace didn't exactly have a sterling track record, having been part of one of the lowest points in Boston Celtics' history. His relatively short stint as the man in charge with one of the most storied franchises in the NBA didn't inspire a lot of confidence among the already gunshy fanbase in Memphis upon his hiring. So far though, he has managed to fill all the needs that the team had at the time ofhis arrival. Of course, it is easy to be optimistic prior to training camp -- the real answers will come to light during the regular season, when the fans are able to see just how well Conley, Darko, Jacobsen and Brown are able to perform under the bright lights.

All in all, I'd have to say that this has been one of the most successful offseasons in Memphis Grizzlies history, given that every need was filled with one of the best available candidates in each case. There is much reason to be optimistic for the future -- and given the season we all just experienced, that is good news indeed.

Shocking Free Agent Season

Marc Iavaroni promised to be on a free agent's doorstep on July 1st. Instead he was in Memphis preparing for the summer rookie camp.

Michael Heisley told the Grizz faithful that the team was going to focus on a significant big man on the inside to please Pau Gasol. Then it was reported that the Chris Wallace was in Argentina talking to Andres Nocioni?

Memphis was told by Chris Wallace they would be shocked with Memphis' free agent move this summer. So far nothing has happened.

I think it is safe to say most of their fans are shocked so far.

As the first official day that NBA free agents could sign contracts comes to an end, the Memphis Grizzlies have been noteworthy for their lack of offers more than who they are looking at.

Today some former big named players the Grizzlies were reportedly interested in at one time or another signed contracts all over the league, Chauncey Billups, Rashard Lewis, even Andres Nocioni, have all signed contracts with teams but still not even a rumor that a Grizzlies contract offer was refused. The Grizzlies are one of only two teams in the NBA below the salary cap and the other team, the Charlotte Bobcats, already has Emeka Okefor, Sean May, Walter Hermann and Primoz Brezac so big men probably aren't high on their list of free agent signees.

So Memphis should be in the cats bird seat to make a play at whatever big man they want. The best two, Anderson Varejao and Darko Milicic, are both available with the $8 miilion plus the Grizz have to offer. What is Chris Wallace waiting on?

Naturally Wallace doesn't have the 'complete autonomy' to make a deal that Jerry West reportedly had but the names available weren't a secret. Hasn't Wallace had time to contact both big men, find out their price, talk to Heisley and still be prepared to make an offer by now? Why hasn't the team made a move yet?

Maybe the team is hesitant to make an offer on Varejao because the Cavs has promised to match any offer. Perhaps the team is reconsidering their options now that Darko is an unrestricted free agent with the Rashard Lewis deal. What ever the reason Memphis fans were promised action and so far they have gotten nothing.

Is Wallace pursuing a trade route instead of simply dropping money in free agency? It would appear that there may be more talent available in a trade than is available in the free agent market but what do the Grizzlies have to offer in such a trade?

As it stands now there is no action, lots of silence and plenty of fan frustration.

The Grizzlies Draft Tonight

I honestly am completely confused about the team's moves tonight.

I think that is what makes it so exciting!

The good news is that I don't believe we will make a mistake no matter which of the players we take. Horford is a strong PF that reminds me of Karl Malone. Mike Conley is an ultrafast PG ala Tony Parker. Brandon Wright is an exciting uptempo PF in the mold of Boris Diaw but with greater potential. Joakim Noah is a high energy player that could be a Tyson Chandler type of player. His combination of defense and speed would seem to fit in perfectly with the style of play we have been told to expect from Iavaroni.

How can we go wrong?

Of course there is still danger in picking a player who doesn't turn out to be as good as someone else as a rookie. Horford could be another undersized PF who can't get to the ball without that size. Conley hasn't got a reliable outside shot and with teams packing the lane against him it could make it more difficult to get the ball to Pau. Brandon Wright is weak compared to most NBA players and is the farthest player from being NBA ready. Will he continue to develop while fighting the grind of the NBA season? Joakim Noah has no range on his shot and would clog the lane making it more difficult for Pau to operate.

I see the pros and cons of all the rookies. I don't believe in the long run anyone will question our pick but Memphis is funny that way. People still criticize the Drew Gooden selection despite him starting in the NBA finals this season and nearly averaging a double double and his trade brought us the 2nd best player on the team currently.

One thing for sure is that the rumors about tonight has helped break down the disconnect with the fans. For that I am grateful.

Is Wallace the Right Man?

Memphis is reportedly on the verge of hiring their new GM according to the Boston Globe. Ron Tillery wrote an article stating that a pool of NBA executives believe this to be true as well.

Why? Because Wallace and West are friends, both from West Virginia and West believes he can exert some control over the front office while technically in retirement. That would be similiar to the Mitch Kupchak hire in LA. Kupchak was supposed to be West's hand picked successor as well.

So is it a good thing that Wallace, hand picked by the legend himself, is going to move to Memphis? His track record as a GM is rather spotty. Wallace made 13 trades in 5 seasons as the GM of the Boston Celtics but his best move was picking Paul Pierce in the draft at #10 according to Hoopshype.com. Sounds great doesn't it but the players taken immediately ahead of Pierce were Dirk Nowitski, Larry Hughes, Jason Williams and Vince Carter. Bonzi Wells went immediately after Pierce. So Wallace's best move was thinking U of Kansas player Paul Pierce was better than Bonzi Wells from Ball St. Really went out on a limb to find that sleeper didn't he. And after all, getting a great player at #10 is more a statement of the mistakes other GM's drafting a head of him made than a statement of the intelligence of Wallace isn't it?

This is also the man who drafted Jerome Moiso with the 11th overall pick in the 2000 draft and traded two second round picks for Josip Sesar. He missed out on a few players of note from that draft like Etan Thomas (12th), Hedo Turkoglu (16th), Desmond Mason (17th), Quentin Richardson (18th), Jamaal Magliore (19th), Speedy Claxton (20th), Mo Peterson (21st), DeShawn Stevenson (23rd), Primoz Brezac (27th) and of course Jake Tsakaldis (25th). Even Big Jake had a better career than Jerome Moiso! Those 2 second round picks meant he didn't get Michael Redd, Marco Jaric, Jake Vsokuhl, Eddie House, Eduardo Najera, Jason Hart or Brian Cardinal.

But that is understandable since drafting is more art than science right?

He served faithfully under Rick Pittino and Danny Ainge. Two leaders with no previous experience running a team. Maybe that messed him up. Wallace has had experience scouting college players. That would be very helpful right now with the most important draft of the year taking place June 28th. Of course it is questionable just how effective his input will be since that is only 11 days away and he hasn't even been hired yet.

The pros of Wallace are that he has more experience scouting college players than any other GM, he has a good relationship with West so he has a mentor to help advice him and he has experience in Boston. The negatives are the he worked for Rick Pittino and Danny Ainge, that he didn't really translate all that scouting experience into excellent picks when he was solely responsible for the Celtics draft and the fans aren't really excited by his hire. Unlike the Iavaroni hire this one is being looked at with dread not excitement.

So is he the right man or does he just have the right connections?

What's the Plan?

Adm. Painter: What's his plan?
Jack Ryan: His plan?
Adm. Painter: Russians don't take a dump, son, without a plan.
From The Hunt for Red October

If only the same could be said about the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies announced today via the ‘re-energized’ owner Michael Heisley that the search for a new GM will continue for at least another week. Great news I suppose. That means Chris Wallace and his dubious history at Boston is not being given the job…yet. But it does raise a few questions as well.

Like what is the plan? Jerry West announced his intention to step down as GM on April 17th. That was over 55 days ago. How is another week going to clear up what has been so uncertain since April 17th? And why are there two new candidates emerging now instead of earlier in the process? What was the plan starting back on April 17th to replace Jerry West? Was their a plan in place anticipating that Mr. West would retire? Why did the Grizzlies leadership never interview Sam Presti, the Assistant GM at San Antonio, who signed with Seattle. Shouldn’t Presti have been interviewed early in the process as well if the team was still looking at realistic candidates?

Did Heisley assume that alleged #1 pick David Griffin would accept the position and when he withdrew his name the team no longer had any idea who they wanted?

The only logical explanation I can think of for not interviewing Presti in the beginning is that the Grizzlies felt they already had their man. After all the only person to pull his name out of consideration was David Griffin. So it appears that Grizzlies had all their eggs in one basket and did other interviews for appearances only. Now that they didn’t get their #1 choice and Presti is off the market they need to start doing serious interviews to find a legitimate candidate.

I hope that wasn’t their plan all along. Can you imagine the business meeting discussing that stragegy?

Jerry: I'm retiring.
Heisley: Well I want you to help me pick a successor and don't we need a head coach too?
Jerry: Marc Iavaroni and David Griffin are your men. I will throw together a few other names but that is who you want.
Heisley: Fine well after we hire them what do we do?
Jerry: Well let me do the draft of course. I would love to get my picture taken with Greg Oden.
Heisley: Okay so that is the plan then...

This apparent lack of a cohesive strategy has been happening all off-season for the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies were regular chatty Kathy’s before the lottery with articles being posted daily about how this draft was going to change the face of the franchise. After the lottery it took 8 days for any news out of the Grizzlies leadership. It was like they weren’t even prepared with talking points for this outcome despite their being a far greater likelihood of the team getting the fourth pick than the first. Boston was equally devastated by the outcome and yet the next day Ainge and Rivers were in front of the camera’s spewing the company line about how the team was excited about the potential at the 5 spot and how this wasn’t the end of the world for the franchise.

What was the Grizzlies plan?

The Grizzlies hung their hats on Marc Iavaroni as their next coach but when the negotiations got difficult it appeared the team had no other plan of attack. If Iavaroni didn’t take the job what was the plan? Larry Brown was brought in a dismissed as a candidate soon afterwards. No one knows for sure if Donovan was actually offered a contract or not (and I don't believe that he was). Beyond those two names no one knows what the leadership of the Grizz had planned. Let’s see, the team doesn’t appear to have a plan on who they want as GM since Griffin resigned with Phoenix. The Grizzlies don’t seem to have a plan on what to do if they didn’t get a top 2 pick in the lottery. Luckily we will never know what the Grizzlies were going to do if Marc Iavaroni hadn’t accepted the Grizzlies offer.

Does this team have a plan for the future at all or are they going to continue to wing it until the draft?

LeBron James is not the saviour of the NBA

This isn't a post that will denounce LeBron James or his accomplishments. If that's what you're looking for, then move along. At the same time, this isn't a piece that will exalt "The King" either, so be prepared for what is to follow.

I would not even had to have seen the final game of the series between the Pistons and the Cavaliers to have known who won the next day when listening to talk radio. The effusive praise being spouted forth engulfed me like a swimming pool full of Jell-O (quite a sight to behold, by the way) -- and it all centered on one man: LBJ. "LeBron has saved the Finals", "LeBron saved the fanbase of the NBA", "LeBron has proven his doubters wrong", "This is the coming out party for LeBron". These were the things I heard over and over that morning and have continued to hear over the past few days. Well, I don't agree with all of them and I'm about to tell you why.

First, let's address the issue of LeBron "saving us" from another Spurs vs. Pistons NBA Finals. I might have been the only one who remembers what a fantastic series that was.....albeit mostly because of the outstanding final three games, since the first four were somewhat boring due to their lack of suspense. Both the Spurs and the Pistons play phenomenal fundamental team basketball -- the way basketball was meant to be played, in fact. After the lottery results were announced, some of us settled in to watch the Spurs-Jazz playoff game that followed. Time and again we were amazed at the crisp passing and movement by the Spurs on offense, as well as their ability to help each other on defense. Was it as "entertaining" as watching the Suns run and gun? No. Was it still a joy to watch a team execute plays perfectly over and over? Absolutely. The Pistons play the same way, as the Spurs, which makes for a lack of contrasting styles, but is a display of the fundamentals of basketball that has been sorely lacking for some time now. So, count me out of the group that thinks that LeBron "saved us" from something by willing his team to the Finals.

I do believe that LeBron's emergence will help create new fans, draw interest from the "casual fans" and will certainly help the television ratings, I think that Cleveland's presence in the Finals will be a short-lived blessing for them. I think that LeBron has managed to do two things that most people are not considering. He has met very high expectations.....and simultaneously raised them for the remainder of his career. Chip and I discussed this the other day, in fact. By making the Finals in only his 4th year as a pro, he has actually reached the unrealistic bar that was set for him before he even got drafted. Unfortunately for him, now the expectations are going to be raised to the point of people expecting, nay demanding a championship next season, even though he has the worst supporting cast I've seen since watching Jimmy Chitwood play for Hickory High. Larry Bird had more help at Indiana State, I think. But, if there is one thing I've come to know, it is that once you have proven you can do something, then it becomes the "new standard". If you don't believe me, look at how the expectations were raised for the Memphis Grizzlies after vaulting from 28 wins to 50 the next year. By the time the next season had begun, people were talking about title contention! Don't ever forget that the word "fan" is short for "fanatic".....and fanatics are rarely ever coherent or lucid about the things nearest and dearest to their hearts.

So having said all that, let me conclude by saying that LeBron has had a remarkable run so far this postseason and that I hope his team will have a very competitive series with San Antonio over the next few weeks. Let's not have him fitted for a new crown, robe and scepter just yet though.

What Do We Care? We're Disconnected

Michael Heisley said he was feeling more energized about the team and was going to get more involved in the operations and then attended about one game from January to the end of the season. The Grizzlies had an interim coach that was the laughing stock of the league, a highly compensated individual who wanted to be traded and a team with more ‘injuries’ than any two teams in the league but Heisley still couldn’t make it to a game. The fans were never given a reason for this.

What do we care? We’re disconnected.

The Memphis local owners wanted to buy the team from Heisley but apparently didn’t want to enter into a bidding war with Heisley using their offer as leverage to get others to pay more for the franchise. Heisley refused to accept those terms and refused to discuss the situation with the media or the fans.

What do we care? We’re disconnected.

At the end of the season it was announced that West was retiring on June 30. This was to allow him to make the draft pick, pick a new coach and a replacement before retiring. Why in the world the team would want to allow the outgoing GM to make all of these decisions? What’s more the team didn’t come forth and tell us what they were looking for in a GM, a coach or really the draft. Not one press conference or Chalk Talk meeting with season ticket holders to discuss the franchise’s direction or hopes for the future.

What do we care? We’re disconnected.

The press reported that Heisley was interviewing Larry Brown and Kiki Vandeweghe. Upon hearing the news was released Heisley stated that he wasn’t going to conduct the hiring process in the press. He wasn’t going to talk about who he was interviewing or why. He wasn’t going to announce what he wanted in the new GM, Coach or VP of Operations. Heisley also wasn’t thinking about talking to the fans to explain what his thoughts were on the type of person needed to do the job.

What do we care? We’re disconnected.

The team lost the lottery and not one word came from the Grizzlies front office except Jerry West’s rant that the lottery is a terrible way to punish bad teams. No statement on how the team was going to move forward after the disappointment. No comment on the players that should be available at the fourth spot. Not a single comment at all. The fans were left in the dark about how this outcome affected the team and its future plans.

What do we care? We’re disconnected.

The team hired a man with no experience as a head coach without knowing who his boss will be on July 1st. He talked glowingly of the players Memphis has under contract but then stated he didn’t know what style his team would play until he got to know his players better. He then left for Spain to talk to the highest paid player on the team to massage his concerns? How he would do that without knowing what style of play the team was going to play or how the teammates perform would be a good question that hasn’t been asked.

What do we care? We’re disconnected.

All through this period the Memphis Commercial Appeal’s beat writer on the Grizzlies has been criticized for not reporting certain stories like the summer league games, player injuries and player criticisms of the team. All the while he has a morning radio show where daily he talks about how much he dislikes the team and the way they do things.

What do we care? We’re disconnected.

Now that the lottery is set and the deepest draft in recent history is staring the team in the face the Grizzlies announced that they will concentrate on only their single draft pick and that while they will be bringing in players to work out the workouts will be closed to the media, closed to the public and there will not be any discussions about the workouts.

Guess what. We don’t care. We’re disconnected.

I can’t help thinking back on the Grizzlies comments about being unsure of why the team has disconnected with the fans. I always thought it was because the team didn’t understand the Memphis mentality. They didn’t understand that what works by the Great Lake in Chicago and the beaches of Los Angeles may not translate well to the cotton fields of Memphis. Memphis has always been a community that relied on contact and personal interaction. We are a society of meeting for backyard barbeques more than disco dance halls and sports bars. We don’t feel that knowing your neighbors and what they are doing is nosy and intrusive. It shows we care. We extend the family from the house to neighborhood and to the city far more than people do in other parts of the country. Sure there is still a lot of gossip but when people need help the communication network gets the message out fast and people come running.

So why hasn’t Memphis come running to help the Grizzlies? Has this first taste of real big city action already numbed us to indifference like it has in so many other places around the nation? Simply put we have been told and shown that the Grizzlies don’t want us poking our noses in their business. Get the door slammed in your face enough times and eventually you stop caring. If Heisley and the Grizzlies front office don’t want Memphians to be concerned and get irritated when the fans ask questions then don’t act surprised or upset when the fans stop asking and stop caring and stop coming to games. Want to know why the fans are disconnected? Because you told the fans you don’t want us to be connected.

So why should we care?

Is Lowry's Injury More Serious that We Have Been Told?

Has anyone considered the possibility that Lowry will never be the player we saw last year again?

Lowry broke a bone in his wrist that is very difficult to heal properly. The fact that he had to have two surgeries implies that there were complications with the healing process, most likely blood flow was restricted to the bone. Arthritis is guaranteed from what I have heard but whether it begins at 23 or 43 or 63 is not known. What is of a more immediate threat is that the bone has not healed properly causing restricted movement. He may not be able to use his hand as freely as he has been accustomed to in the past.

Obviously the Grizzlies would not want this information to leak out to the press if it is in fact true. That would make the ability to acquire a point guard even more expensive. I think they may be preparing people however by certain comments and actions they have made of late.
Don't be surprised if the Grizzlies make a move to acquire a PG in the draft. Conley is a possibility but I hear that West is more enamored with Acie Law. If the Grizzlies make a move to acquire another lottery pick it should be a warning sign that the Grizzlies are very concerned with Lowry's situation.

What Now?

It's been over a month since my last post --mostly because I was extremely busy, but partly because I was ready for a break from the ever-present slide towards morose negativity revolving around the Memphis Grizzlies organization -- but now I'm back to assess what direction the team needs to take from this point forward. It has been one week since the draft lottery, when I joined GrizzMAN, memphis slim and chipc3 for an evening of pontificating and commiserating. In the seven days since that fateful decision was handed out, I have come to accept the results (with much less of a "Chicken Little complex" than many of my fellow fans) and have made a decision on what needs to happen next for the Grizzlies.

Obviously, the first set of things that needs to be taken care of involve the team's infrastructure and front office. The team needs a new owner (or at the very least, an accountable owner), a new GM and a new coaching staff. This is clearly the opening move of a rebuilding of sorts for this team. I've already detailed the people that I think are suitable for these positions (GM's: Presti, Griffin, Vandeweghe; Coaches: Iavaroni, Elie, Carlisle, Van Gundy), so there is no need to rehash that information.

The next step is to address the draft -- most specifically, whether to only select a player with the 4th overall pick or look to make moves to acquire a second (or third) pick, or possibly to move up into the top 2 by grossly overpaying. Over the past week, I've heard every imaginable scenario to do all of these things and here is what I've come up with as a plausible reality.

First, see what interest there is by teams in the lottery looking to move their pick for a future pick or a veteran player -- specifically Boston, Milwaukee, Indiana, Atlanta and Charlotte. There are cases for each of these teams to want to move out of the draft so that they don't have another young player on their roster, but nowhere is that case more evident than in Boston (where they have to placate Paul Pierce almost immediately or risk a situation similiar to the Iverson debacle of last season) or Charlotte (who are very, very long on young talent and very, very short on veteran leadership and consistent scoring). Boston will likely seek an arm, a leg and several key organs to move out of the 5th pick, so I don't know that they are a viable partner unless the team has decided to part ways with Gasol. Charlotte, on the other hand, might be more willing to deal if the Grizzlies are willing to give up Mike Miller, who could instantly provide that scoring and veteran presence to the Bobcats.

Trading Miller leads us to the next part of my analysis: who the Grizzlies should take with the #4 pick. Unless they are absolutely certain that they will be able to pick up a second top 10 pick and that he would be available at that position, I believe that Corey Brewer is the best pick for the organization. Paired with Rudy Gay on the wings for the next 5-10 years, they would provide the Grizz with a formidable combination of defensive intensity, athleticism and scoring. Add in the intensity that Kyle Lowry brought to the table in his brief stint last season, and you could have a trio on the wings very similar to the Pistons' group of Billups/Hamilton/Prince. The only other player I see as a viable choice at that position is Al Horford, who is about .007 behind Brewer in my current draft analysis, but still a few full points ahead of Mike Conley, Brandan Wright and Yi Jianlin. In other words, I'd rank those two players at #3 and #4 at the very worst as of this moment......and might even take Brewer over Durant. *Send all comments about blasphemy through the appropriate channels.*

If the Grizzlies are able to swing a deal with any other teams in the lottery, then select the best player available there, as well. DO NOT DRAFT BASED ON NEED!!! *Rant Warning* I don't want to see a Bowie over Jordan situation at this point, since this is a very critical juncture for the future of this organization. By the same token, don't overanalyze to the point of taking a project (Marvin Williams) over an obviously great player (Chris Paul). Sound like double-speak? It's not. It is actually the same scenario in both cases. In 1984, Jordan was clearly the best player on the board; in 2005, CP3 was clearly the best player on the board. While I hate to play the "hindsight game", this isn't a case of teams passing up players because of perceived weakness (in the Carlos Boozer is too small or Josh Howard can't adapt to NBA defenses model), but because it seems that NBA GM's all want to "discover talent", rather than recognizing it and drafting accordingly. Sometimes playing it safe comes back to haunt you, as the Grizzlies have witnessed with the draft selections of Drew Gooden, Troy Bell and Dahntay Jones. Other times it pays off, as with the recent selections of Hakim Warrick and Rudy Gay.

Ok, back to the present situation. If there was a way to take both Brewer and Horford (both great players who fill needs on the current Grizzlies' roster), then I would welcome it. I don't see it happening, though, so I'd prefer them to take the multi-dimensional Brewer over the solid, Boozer-lite potential and consistency of Horford. The team has done a good job of finagling second-round picks out of teams over the past few seasons, so hopefully they will manage to do that one more time with this being an especially deep draft.

Let me take a step back to address something I think a few fans might question, which is my willingness to so casually part with Mike Miller. That is a decision that has been made with a lot of careful consideration, so don't think of it as a flippant response to my current infatuation with the potential of Corey Brewer. I heard Geoff Calkins on the radio last week with a trade proposal that would have sent Miller to the Nuggets for Marcus Camby and as I contemplated that scenario, I must admit that I grew to like it more and more. Moves like that will need to be made in order for this organization to move forward -- much like the Battier to Houston trade was a necessity, no matter how painful it made this past season or how sorely his presence was missed, both on and off the court.

The last thing I want to address is what to do with Pau Gasol. I have heard both sides of the argument and remain convinced that the team has to keep him through this offseason. If a deal comes up that is beneficial, then I understand why they would want to part with him, but I don't see any teams out there that won't view the Grizzlies as being in a position of weakness at this point. If they wait until the season has started, and perhaps one of the contenders starts off slowly, then they will be in a position of equality at the very worst. There is virtually no way for them to receive anything back that would balance out what they would be losing in trading away Gasol during the offseason. I'll take his boring consistency through the season over a draft pick and a couple of spare parts from another team. And for all the complaints about his wallflower routine in the 4th quarters of several games, he is remarkably consistent. If his scoring goes down, then his rebounding and shot-blocking almost always go up. That's not a bad thing to be in a league where 25 ppg scorers have been known to fall off the face of the earth quite suddenly.

In conclusion, I think it is obvious that this organization needs to start at the top and then work its way down in order to solve all of its issues and problems. Getting the local owners to make a solid bid for the team would be an excellent start in my book. Putting pressure on Heisley to accept that bid would be even better. Installing a GM and coach before the draft would be intelligent moves, too. But what do I know? I'm just the paying customer, after all.

What Memphis Needs

The Memphis Grizzlies need some young blood in the front office.

They have gone with the expensive old guys and have little to show for it. Now the team needs someone to sell this franchise to their fan base by getting involved. Another expensive big name coach won't work around here. The Grizzlies to get some people that won't hide from the press but will get out and get this community fired up on the future. They have Rudy Gay, Kyle Lowry, Hakim Warrick and Tarence Kinsey to build with. They have Mike Miller and Pau Gasol in the prime of their careers. The 4th pick in the draft will never be Greg Oden or Kevin Durant but he will be a great player. They have a lot to be positive about on the team.

The front office is a disgrace however and it is dragging down the efforts of everyone. It was shameful to put Tony Barone on the bench last season. It is embarrassing that in an arena that is at best half full most nights the two best seats in the house are usually unoccupied by either Pitt Hyde or Michael Heisley. This city has had enough of Jerry West peering over his wine glass in his empty suite. Bring in some people that want to make this franchise successful. Bring in coaches who have prepared for the opportunity and want to be coaching the team. Bring us some front office people that are willing to mix it up with the common man to get them excited about the NBA. Give us an owner that loves the game and wants to see his team play every night like the Maloof Brothers or Mark Cuban.

If you give the local fans something to get excited about then Memphis can and will support this franchise. The city is just waiting to fall in love with this team but after years of being scorned by major leagues they are a little gun shy. If you try and fool them with big names being paid ridiculous sums of money that don’t want to mingle with the common people then you will have serious problems in Memphis. Memphis has always been a large town not a small city. You need to get the citizens involved by becoming part of the family not by trying to impress them with who you are. Heisley needs to stop thinking like a Chicago fan and start getting in touch with what Memphis wants.

Memphis and West: A Lesson in Failure

“Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there.”
-John Kotter

Jerry West has tendered his resignation effective July 1st, 2007. After 6 years at the head of the franchise West has decided the team needs a new voice to lead the franchise going forward.

When West arrived in Memphis he stated his vision to make this a model franchise. While few people really knew what that meant he changed the way the franchise was viewed by the fans and the league with just his presence. He made his first major move when he fired Sydney Lowe only 8 games into the new season. Hubie Brown was hired. Brown brought discipline and a mentality that winning is a process not an end result. He coached the Grizzlies to a 28-46 record that year.

When Brown succeeded the crowds supported Brown not because anyone bought into Jerry West’s vision or even understood what his vision was. They bought into Brown’s vision because he communicated this every night in the press conferences. Jerry West was given credit for being behind everything if Brown was this successful as the coach. Who cares if no one knew what West was thinking in his box in the sky, the success on the court meant he had a plan and we should trust him.

‘Trust in Jerry’ became a popular phrase around Memphis.

The next season the Grizzlies caught fire and during a beautiful 50 win year the Grizzlies could do no wrong. West was a genius winning the league’s Executive of the Year. Hubie Brown won Coach of the Year. Things couldn’t have been better in Memphis. Who cares if no one knew what West’s vision was for the future, the Grizzlies were on the right path.

Then things started to go wrong. First, Brian Cardinal was signed to a free agent contract larger than James Posey’s, the previous year’s team MVP. West paid far over market value for Cardinal and it raised a lot of eyebrows. Players began to express unhappiness with the lack of playing time under Brown’s system that had 10 players basically playing for 24 minutes a game. It really got weird when Brown complained that West was spying on him with an equipment manager. Even though the team was moving into a new arena and coming off a 50 win season and the first playoff appearance in franchise history, it seemed no one was happy. No one was on the same page. There was no shared vision of the future that everyone was working toward.

Then suddenly Brown was gone.

Thanksgiving Day he told the team he was retiring effective immediately due to health problems. In 2 months the Grizzlies had gone from an up and coming NBA team ready to take their place in the upper echelon of the NBA to a team in disarray without leadership and without cohesion. Within 8 days West brought in another old school coach, Mike Fratello, to take over the team. The rumor was that West wanted a disciplinarian coaching the team to control the egos and to get the players to focus on team and not individuals. What was left unanswered was the question of how Fratello fit into Jerry’s vision. Granted Fratello had a reputation as a disciplinarian but how would his coaching philosophy mesh with the vision West had for the team?

Fratello won a lot of games with the Grizzlies but also upset players and fans. West sat alone in his suite watching intensely. Fratello seemed to be the anti-thesis of Brown. He was short and curt in press conferences compared to Brown’s rolling monologues on the game. While Brown seemed to enjoy educating the press about the game, Fratello seemed to be irritated. Gone was the personality on TV that had him called the “Czar of the Telestrator.”

Fratello totally changed the manner of play on the court as well. The Grizzlies went from an up-tempo team that attempted to wear down their opponents with pressure and the depth of their bench to the slowest team in the league that apparently wanted to lull their opponents to sleep. Still West was stoic. The strong man behind his Forum suite’s glass partition never came out and explained how this move was getting us closer to his vision of the ‘Model Franchise.’

The termination of Fratello and hiring of Barone brought along a pronouncement that the team would be changing again to a running up-tempo style and true to his word Barone did give the fans that. He played the youngsters and the team ran the ball. Barone joked with the media, with the refs and even his own players. West barely said a word about how this move fit into his vision of the future.

And no one knows yet what West saw as the future of the franchise.

West has always been quiet, reserved and shy. His press conferences rambled from point to point and he often left people with no idea what he really meant. He did not express his vision of the future of the franchise. No one knew his strategy to get the team there. He motivated people in the short run by reputation but by being too closed and guarded in his plans for the team he didn’t have anyone buy into his vision of the future. People didn’t work together because very few understood what direction they were going.

Hubie Brown coached the team to run and use their athleticism to outscore the opponents. He didn’t run just to run. Everyone had a place on the court and Brown expected them to be in the right place at the right time but pressure and speed were valuable keys to the team’s success. Fratello wanted to control every aspect of the team. He preferred to slow the game down to make sure that he controlled what was happening. The Grizzlies went from one of the higher scoring teams in the league to one of the best defensive teams in two seasons. Under Barone the team became one of the highest scoring teams again in a matter of weeks. At no time were the fans involved or educated about the reason for these moves. What was the vision? West had 4 coaches in 5 seasons (Lowe, Brown, Fratello and Barone-and that isn’t including the 4 game stint of Lionel Hollins) and another one on the way this summer. Where is the plan? One minute the team is running the next they are taking the air out of the ball only to have it refilled with Helium. Is it any wonder the fans turned away?

If leadership is establishing a vision of the future and establishing a path to get you there then West failed to lead this team. A lot of things can be blamed on the owner but the failure to communicate a vision of the future lies at one man’s feet. He may have had that vision (and I suspect he did) but he failed to get the players to buy into it. He didn’t communicate this vision so the fans and the players had a hard time buying into it. Without that commitment and motivation the sacrifices weren’t made to help it succeed.

West is right about the team needing a new voice. Hopefully this time it will be one people can hear both on the team and in the community. To turn this franchise around it will need sacrifice on a lot of people’s parts. Things must change. The team has to create an identity that everyone can rally behind and all of this comes from the leader’s ability to communicate his goals and visions.

West didn’t fail in Memphis because he didn’t have a vision. He didn’t fail because he didn’t make sacrifices along the way to succeed. He didn’t fail because he didn’t cause change. He failed because he kept the vision to himself. Without the understood vision all the sacrifices and effort, all the attempts to motivate and inspire eventually fall on deaf ears. One man can’t do it alone.

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.

May Day

Some people are confused as to why Michael Heisley has decided to set a May 1st deadline for the sale of the team. First off, let me clarify one thing. When Michael Heisley says the team is off the market that doesn’t mean Heisley won’t try to sell the team again. That doesn’t even mean he won’t try and sell the team in the next year. It just means that going into the draft, free agency and the summer league season that the team won’t be actively marketed for sale.

Still, the Grizzlies need to hire Jerry West’s replacement and if the team is on the market then no self-respecting person should take the GM job knowing that new owners could be brought in any day and since he wouldn’t be their choice for that role they may want to replace him. Likewise no serious coach would want to be hired with the ownership situation in flux for the very same reasons. The Grizzlies and Michael Heisley want to hire people who are capable of doing a good job in these roles. I believe Heisley likes working with professionals that can run the business without his being involved day to day so ownership needs to be settled in the eyes of prospective candidates to allow Heisley to hire the best available people.

So why is May Day the deadline for selling the team?

To no one’s surprise I don’t believe that the deadline has anything to do with a maypole or the rights of summer or even the Haymarket Riot of 1886 in Chicago despite Heisley being a Chicago resident (Google it if you don’t know what this refers to).

I also don’t believe it is so the new GM would be present at the lottery although many people might make that association. That may be a small consideration but there is no reason not to assume that Jerry West or Michael Heisley won’t be in front of the cameras at that ceremony even if we do have a new GM in place. They are still the faces of the franchise and it doesn’t take a lot of brains to sit there with a smile on your face while you hear where you are going to draft in 6 weeks. The decision maker won’t need to be present for the show in New York City.

However May 1st is under a month from the beginning of the Orlando Pre-draft workout camps. The NBA has instituted a new rule that teams are not allowed to hold private workouts with potential draft picks until after the Orlando camp. Previously teams were allowed to begin the private workouts much earlier. With the new deadline it gives teams less time to develop opinions on players independently. That benefits teams in situations like the Grizzlies are presently in. Heisley will have 26 days to hire a replacement and to get him situated in his new surroundings. He would most likely have his first interaction with the fans at the draft lottery program being planned for the Forum on May 22nd while he runs the war room from the corporate offices.

Let’s not forget that Jerry West’s replacement isn’t the only position that needs to be filled this summer. The Grizzlies will also need to hire a new coach. By setting the May 1st deadline this allows Heisley to find the man who will be making the coaching decision as well. Assistant coaches will not be free to negotiate new deals until their team’s season is complete. The playoffs will only be 2 weeks old on May 1st. Most serious candidates will still be involved in their own team’s situations until well past that deadline. So this gives the Grizzlies, and therefore Heisley some time to find Jerry’s replacement prior to the Orlando camps and probably the opportunity to hire a new coach before the camps as well.

Both of these roles needs to be completed as soon as possible and the ideal situation would be to have both positions filled in time for the Orlando Camp. May 1st may be cutting it a little close but that is 2 weeks after the close of the regular season so any serious offer (or not so serious if Brian Davis puts up another bid) for the franchise will have time to be presented as well just in case someone is seriously considering making an offer. By putting the deadline ahead of the lottery Heisley also gets to keep the attraction of the top pick possibility in the offering price. After the lottery (where the Grizzlies have a greater than 50% possibility of getting the 3rd or 4th pick) the reality is what it is. Before the draft the 25% possibility still gets factored into the price.

Heisley isn’t dumb after all, greedy and self-serving possibly, but not dumb.

Sleepers

I'd like to take a look at a few players that might be flying under the radar right now, but will likely become solid players in the NBA by their 3rd year. Some of these guys are well-known college players that the "experts" are simply doubting (the Michael Redd/Gilbert Arenas/Carlos Boozer types) and some of them come from smaller schools, so they haven't received nearly as much coverage throughout their careers (the Anthony Mason/Dennis Rodman/Scottie Pippen types). Let's see what's out there, shall we?

Morris Almond (Rice) -- I detailed him in my draft analysis, but I really think that he could be a much more complete player than many scouts are predicting. His scoring ability is amazing, but with some work, he could be a legit starter with an all-around skillset.

Rodney Stuckey (Eastern Washington) -- Another great scorer, he's projected to be a combo guard in the NBA. He's also a solid defender, which brings to mind a younger, taller Bobby Jackson.

Ron Lewis (Ohio State) -- Lewis has proven that he's willing and able to take the big shot in end-game situations. That's a trait that every team is looking for in a player. He's also a good rebounder for his size and is a good defender on both the perimeter and in the post.

Alando Tucker (Wisconsin) -- Tucker wasn't able to lead his team to much success in the tournament after the loss of center Brian Butch, but that shouldn't have dragged his draft stock down as much as it has. He possesses great athleticism, which he understands how to use to its fullest advantage. He's a shooting guard who plays more like a power forward at times, using his strength to achieve an end result to his liking. He'll need to work on his perimeter shooting, but whichever team that winds up with him will likely be very pleased a few years down the road.

Glen Davis (LSU) -- He probably should have entered the draft last year, but c'est la vie. The absolute antithesis of a prototype power forward, his physique and skillset bring to mind another chunky rebounder who went by the name "Sir Charles". He'll likely never reach that level of accomplishment in his career, but if he can stay focused and mentally prepared, then Davis could be a guy who surprises a lot of teams.

Avis Wyatt (Virginia State) -- I've seen him play only once, but I think he'll figure out a way to find a place in the NBA, even if it means a stop in the D-League at some point. He's a good athlete with great defensive skills. He's too skinny to play in the post full time, but he displayed a solid mid-range game that could prove to be his ticket to sticking around at the next level.

Aaron Brooks (Oregon) -- A great scorer, but also more than a little selfish, Brooks will have to be drafted/signed by the right team or he'll never have a fighting chance in the NBA. With his lightning quick first step and sub-6 ft. height, he is reminiscent of a poor man's Damon Stoudamire. If he finds the right system, he could be a dynamic scoring threat as a sixth man.

You can mention anyone I might have overlooked in the Comments.