Well I finally saw a 28.
Not necessarily the 28 but definitely a potential 28th pick for the Grizzlies.
D.J. White (Indiana) showed himself to be a man among boys today when he worked out against Brian Butch (Wisconsin) and James Mays (Clemson).
At first I wasn't too impressed. He didn't seem to be that agile. He was obviously winded early on in the workout and his shot wasn't exactly beautiful or consistent. I was seeing the flaws in his game in an environment where the Grizzlies started off testing his weaknesses. Early on I was becoming impressed with James Mays who had the better outside shot, far more speed than White and seemed to be just as tall. It was close early on but I was more impressed with Mays at the beginning.
However, the workout eventually moved toward White's strengths and away from Mays. When defense, power play and toughness were tested White left everyone else behind. I don't remember how many times Mays had to pick himself up off the court in the last 30 minutes but it was at least 3 times and probably more. White treated him like a rag doll when he got in his way. White found the range on his shots as the workout went on and Mays' shot seemed to become more erratic the more fatigued he became.
If there was one drill that really set White's power apart from any other player I have seen slotted for the 28th pick it was near the end. In this drill the player had to hit the ball of the backboard twice before starting a full court break. Every player that did this drill tapped the ball off the glass and then took off running. White nearly put the ball through the backboard. BOOM, BOOM came the echo after each touch and still White was in control enough to make a clean pass and haul down the court to finish the break. It got everyone's attention even more so since it occurred so late in a very physical workout.
D.J. White has holes in his game. He showed almost no ability to separate from a defender with the ball, his outside shot has a range to at best 17 ft and he isn't an explosive leaper. However he is strong. Not just because he threw Mays to the court. Honestly a lot of people could have done that. No White's strength revealed itself more at the end of endurance drills. White had the strongest dunks to end the one minute drills that I have seen so far.
I don't know if he is going to be the player Memphis takes at 28 but he is definitely the most qualified candidate we have seen in Memphis so far for that spot.
James Mays didn't have a bad workout. He just didn't have a good one either and where he is weak, Memphis is weak so I don't seem him being a good fit. Mays is thin, athletic and very fast, but was too weak to hold his position in the lane when people got a body on him. His outside shot was nice but nothing to be awed about. He will probably go in the mid to late 2nd round and spend a year in the NBDL before heading to Europe for a nice career. I don't see him contributing in the NBA unless he gets a lot stronger or increases his ball skills on the perimeter. And as so many far more intelligent people than myself have said, if he doesn't have it now, it is most likely that isn't going to be something he develops later.
Brian Butch was deadly from outside. He has pretty close to NBA three point range, was automatic from 15-20 feet and showed a willingness to work very hard and a nice basketball IQ. However, he is slow and non-athletic. I don't like my 6-11 center's best move being a step back three point shot. Call me old fashioned I guess, but I want my center to be a bruiser. He had a couple of inches at least on both White and Mays yet it was White not Butch who made the impressive blocks during the workout. Butch can probably play European ball and find a nice career in some of the less physical leagues but I saw nothing that made me think he will be anything except a late 2nd rd pick who won't make it out of training camp. I could be wrong but I don't think so. I actually thought a few times during the workout that he may have a better career coaching than playing.
White clearly showed something missing from previous workouts with 28th picks including Joey's workout. White has a real nasty streak to him. He is skilled (what else would you expect coming out of 4 years at Indiana) but he also likes contact. I don't know if White will end up being the Grizzlies pick with the second draft spot. Honestly I don't know if he will be available with that pick but if he is then there ought to be a lot of serious consideration about making him a Grizzlies draft pick.
In other news Chris Wallace confirmed the Grizzlies are planning on working out Danillo Gallinari and Brook Lopez this weekend when on the West Coast. He also mentioned that the team is trying to get Eric Gordon in for a workout but have so far been unsuccessful getting a date set. 
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Workout Update: Butch, Mays and White
Links: Catching Up on the News
Ira Winderman (South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com) with his own trade proposal that has Miami and Memphis swapping draft picks.
Speaking of eye-catching rumors, Matt Steinmetz (Examiner.com) has a doozy: Grizzlies targeting Monta Ellis this offseason.
Boston Globe: Chris Wallace responds to criticism over Gasol trade.
Dustin Starr has some news on Grizz (Eric McMahon) over on m3mphis.com. It's good to know that Eric is continuing his recovery right on schedule.
At least someone who is currently a member of the Memphis Grizzlies will be associated with the Finals. Timekeeper Bob Young worked Game 3 in Los Angeles last night and will also man the clock for Game 4 on Thursday.
David Booth, a scout for the Grizzlies, is hosting a basketball camp in his hometown of Peoria, Illinois.
Speaking of basketball camp, Mike Conley hosted a few of his own.
Where Sport and Thought Interact takes a look at what he thinks the Grizzlies should do this offseason.
Preetom Bhattacharya (Hoopsworld.com) says that the plan should be to rebuild around Rudy Gay.
For the 2nd year, the Memphis Grizzlies will share the Dakota Wizards as their NBA Developmental League team with the Washington Wizards.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Trade Club
Since there is a ton of trade talk floating around the NBA in regard to teams looking to move up or down in the draft, we here at 3 Shades of Blue thought that we would outline some of the rules that you are bound by when you join Trade Club. Enjoy.
The first rule of Trade Club is: You do not talk directly to the media about Trade Club.
The second rule of Trade Club is: You DO NOT talk directly to the media about Trade Club!
The third rule of Trade Club is: You do not Trade big for small, unless there is a noticeable difference in talent levels.
The fourth rule of Trade Club is: You will not sacrifice the future for the present unless a championship is within your grasp.
The fifth rule of Trade Club is: Trade talks will go on as long as necessary.
The sixth rule of Trade Club is: Bring in as many parties as necessary to make a Trade work.
The seventh rule of Trade Club is: You will not Trade future 1st round picks for players who have obvious question marks.
The eighth rule of Trade Club is: Only one Trade with any of the following members allowed per year -- Kevin McHale, Isiah Thomas, Billy King, Elgin Baylor, Chris Wallace, Steve Kerr.
The ninth rule of Trade Club is: If you are caught using RealGM's Trade Checker or ESPN's Trade Machine, you will be banned from Trade Club.
The tenth and final rule of Trade Club is: If this is your first season in Trade Club, we highly recommend that you make a Trade as soon as possible.
Workout Update: Hendrix, Padgett and Hubalek
Wednesday brought in three big men who they may be interested with the 28th pick in the draft. Noticeably missing from the workout was Robert Dozier. Apparently Dozier pulled out of the workout due to scheduling conflicts (he was in Washington yesterday and Charlotte tomorrow).
Richard Hendrix from Alabama was the main prospect the Grizzlies appeared interested in. If he wanted to make a good impression he failed miserably. He looked to be in good shape but he was obviously winded within the first 30 minutes of the practice and was exhausted at the 45 minute mark. That isn't good for a one hour workout. It was too bad because he showed a lot of potential to play the 3 spot. His range was nearly out to the 3 pt line and he showed good interior play despite giving up at least two inches in height to the other players. Tony Barone said they wanted to push the big men to see what they had in the tank and by all appearances Hendrix was not prepared for such a difficult session.
Hendrix had motivation issues right from the start. He rarely followed his misses to the hoop and seemed to quit once the shot was missed. That isn't going to impress too many people when the Barone constantly told the players to finish every play. The one bright spot was Hendrix' range was surprising to me who only knew him as Alabama's center. It was difficult to imagine Hendrix being that effective as a rebounder in the NBA but he did average over 10 boards a game as Junior at Alabama. He also didn't look to be 6-9. He looked to be shorter than Kevin Love with less range, in poorer shape and not nearly as skilled. Of course Love is being considered for a top 5 pick not a bottom 5 pick.
David Padgett was the largest player at the workout and he showed great heart and desire. What he didn't show was great mobility or talent. Padgett could hit from 17 feet in and his motor never stopped running. He looked willing to run longer although he too was showing signs of fatigue at the end. He always appeared ready to do whatever the coaches asked. If any player really distinguished himself and raised his stock today it was Padgett.
Jiri Hubalek (pronounced WHO-bah-lek) was a new name for me and one I hope I don't have to put to memory. He has a smooth outside shot but seemed to frail to bang inside and too slow to get off a shot in the NBA unless left all alone. He did prove that if you give him an opening he will shoot lights out however. In one drill from the elbow Jiri went 12-14 shooting in 60 seconds while sprinting from sideline to sideline between shots. He reminded me of the Houston Rockets big man Steve Novak. He has legitimate NBA 3 pt range but is that an important trait in the NBA for a 6-11 center?
All in all it was not a very informative workout. About 10 invited guests were present and I can only assume they were more season ticket holders. I would have liked to talk to them but the real world called and I had to leave immediately after the workout ended. I did get to ask if Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez or any other new workouts were scheduled. Apparently both players have increased their interest in working out for the Grizzlies but nothing has been set in stone yet.
Also absent were Geoff Calkins and Chris Vernon. Ron Tillery and Chris Herrington was present and I expect a more thorough review from Chris' blog this afternoon. You may also want to check out the Edge to see if Ron makes any comments. For those interested David Sparks (The Arbitrarian) has an interesting blog up about the history of the Grizzlies.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
To Beasley or Not To Beasley -- That is the Question
While reading Geoff Calkins' column in the Commercial Appeal this morning, something kept rattling around in my head. No, it wasn't the loose screw that many people have warned me about. It was an idea -- nay, a vision. A vision of what the future could be. It is a future that includes lots of winning seasons, followed by playoff success and even some title aspirations down the road.
Calkins' piece focuses on the acquisition of Kansas State's Michael Beasley, who was an absolute monster in college and projects to be a tremendous player at the next level as a tweener forward with good rebounding ability and above average range on the offensive end. Calkins thinks that there is one thing the Grizzlies need and one thing only.
But here's the thing: The Grizzlies need more than a perfectly good, defensible pick at No. 5. They need a star, a perennial All-Star and, gee, Chris Wallace, are any of those available in this draft?
So, the Grizzlies need not just a star, but a perennial All-Star to boot, out of this draft, do they? A guy that is a winner, a leader, a marketable star that will bring fans to the FedEx Forum and bring attention from around the league, and get loads of pundits on ESPN to talk about him and show Sportscenter highlights of him. That is what is needed, right? They need the next LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Kobe Bryant.
Calkins does a very good job of illustrating all the reasons why the Memphis Grizzlies should not "settle" for the "0% chance he's a bust" Kevin Love at the #5 spot in the draft and should instead focus on doing whatever is necessary to trade up to the Miami Heat's #2 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft in order to grab Michael Beasley. In fact, there is but one hitch in his proposal. That hitch is that the Heat are reportedly after O.J. Mayo and would like to trade down to acquire him, rather than watch Pat Riley's head explode dealing with Beasley's questionable maturity. So, if O.J. Mayo is still there at #5, then the Grizzlies could trade him, along with Mike Miller and Kyle Lowry to Miami for the #2 pick (Beasley) and the services of Mark Blount and Marcus Banks to make the salaries match up.
Is that a smart deal though? I mean, both Miller and Lowry are fan favorites, as well as solid contributors at the NBA level. O.J. Mayo has been projected to be an amazing player in his own right at the next level. So that's Mayo/Miller/Lowry for Beasley/Blount/Banks for those of you keeping score at home. That's 3 solid contributors for 1 potential All-Star, 1 bad contract and 1 point guard who logs a lot of playing time for losers, but not for winning clubs. Why not just keep Mayo, if that is the case? Hasn't he been "The Next Big Thing" since he was in the 7th grade? Was the move from PG to SG that detrimental to his overall ability?
Some of you may remember that I was pretty hard on Mayo in a previous post. After talking to a few people who know far more about scouting talent than myself, I have softened my stance on him somewhat. They feel that Mayo, not Beasley, is more likely to be a perennial All-Star in the NBA. There are numerous things that Beasley was able to do in college that he won't be able to duplicate at the next level unless he is the second coming of Charles Barkley. Supposedly, that won't be the case for Mayo, who (like Kevin Love) already had a game predicated on playing at the highest level in the world. If the Grizzlies are so fortunate as to have him fall in their laps at #5, then why wouldn't they just take him and use Miller/Lowry in a trade for yet another quality player? Wouldn't that make more sense? Just checking.
For me, this basically boils down to whether or not Michael Beasley > O.J. Mayo. If Beasley truly is the next Kobe Bryant level talent, then I am 100% behind moving up to take him. Why is Miami so eager to get rid of him then? Shouldn't the real question be, why doesn't Miami just take Mayo at #2? Because they want to gain more assets by getting someone to trade up for somebody that they aren't going to draft anyways. You don't think that Pat Riley got all those shiny baubles on his fingers by showing his entire hand this early in the game, do you? If they want O.J., then they can bloody well draft him at #2. If they want Beasley, then there he is. I can't understand why the Grizzlies should bolster the overall talent level of the Heat (again) so that they can draft the next Antawn Jamison (my prediction for Beasley's career).
If O.J. Mayo is there at #5, then I'd like to think that Chris Wallace will take him, given that he has the chance to be that All-Star player that Memphis is so desperately wanting, needing, begging for. If Mayo is gone (as I expect him to be), then why not take Kevin Love (who I know worked out for the Heat, but don't believe that they intend to trade down to get), who has been described as everything from "a bigger and better Shane Battier" to a unique hybrid of Elton Brand and Bill Laimbeer? Geoff Calkins' co-host on their 730 ESPN morning radio show, Gary Parrish, has repeatedly said that Love might not ever been an All-Star, but he will be a solid starter for his entire career and that there is virtually no chance that he'll be anything remotely resembling a "bust".
If those are the choices that are laid before me, then I say "No" to Beasley at that price and "Yes" to either Mayo or Love. Then the question becomes, what if the draft goes Rose, Mayo, Beasley, Love....then what? That's a post for another day, but I'll leave a poll up to gauge your thoughts.
Update: Chris Herrington has his own thoughts about trading for Beasley on Beyond the Arc.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Monday's Workout - A Love Affair
Today's workout had a lot of big men with big names but it was obvious very early that there was only one player worthy of the Grizzlies first draft pick this year.
Kevin Love matched up with DeAndre Jordan, Javale McGee and Joey Dorsey with Jeremy Pargo and Kyle Weaver around to make the drills play like game situations. All of the big men had moments of excellence. DeAndre Jordan looked like a promising player with trememdous talent. His skills weren't off the chart but his raw ability would immediately put him ahead of any true center the Grizzlies have ever suited up. Of course when that list includes such non-luminaries as Darko Milicic, Lorenzen Wright and Jake Tsakalidis that isn't saying a lot. DeAndre Jordan fans are probably going to be disappointed on draft night. He has a big hitch in his shot, was easily pushed around in the paint by Love and really didn't appear to have a good feel for the game.
Javale McGee showed his speed and surprising strength at times but he didn't seem to have the same athleticism nor skills that the other players showed. If I was going to rank the players strictly on what we saw today he would have finished fourth among the big men. Joey Dorsey gave the most shocking performance of the day. Despite looking barely as tall as Kyle Weaver, Joey hit 8 consecutive free throws and that was broken up over 4 different exercises. Everyone was flabbergasted watching Joey hit one after another. He also showed his strength and defensive ability but in the end he just looked too short to be anything more than a bench player in the NBA and while he shot the ball well Memphis knows he is not a threat at all on the offensive end of the court.
Then there was Love. Love showed his skills by draining 7 of 10 three point shots, hit a high percentage of his free throw attempts, made some incredibly nice passes and even showed some better than expected defensive ability. His basketball IQ seemed very sharp as well as he consistently caught on to what the drills called for and what he needed to do to impress. On one timed drill however the athleticism question mark raised its head. The players had 60 seconds to run back and forth to hit shots from the free throw elbow. Hitting 7 of 9 shots was impressive (and the most that any of the big men hit). However he took one fewer attempt than DeAndre Jordan got off and a lot fewer than Jeremy Pargo. The full court drills gave Love the opportunity to show his intelligence making great passes but he usually trailed the plays and never beat anyone down the court.
I came away from the workout with the impression that Love was the best player at the workout by a wide margin but I question his value at #5. Will he be fast enough to play an uptempo style of game? Love made an interesting comment that confirmed that feeling to me. He said "I would love to play here in Memphis and my ability to make the outlet pass should give me a lot of opportunities to watch Rudy Gay finish with a dunk." Watch was the key word for me. He is going to watch those from the other end of the court because I honestly doubt if he will pass the halfcourt line in time.
So from what I have seen Love is an incredible talent and in the right situation will be a very solid player at the worst but in the wrong situation may struggle to keep pace. Assuming that Rose, Beasley, Mayo and Bayless are off the board when the 5th pick comes up I would have no problem taking Kevin Love 5th but I think it would be disappointing for those expecting a major impact player from that pick.
Love mentioned that he worked out yesterday for Miami in case the Heat trade down in the draft. If the rumor about Miami trading their pick is true I hope Memphis steps up to grab it. Love will be a very solid player but I doubt he will be a the type who can really change the fortune of this franchise.
I recommend our readers check out Beyond the Arc, Chris Herrington's excellent blog today to see his comments as well.
Later Today
Sorry for the lack of blog-worthy commentary this fine Monday morning. Chip will update everyone on the workouts with Kevin Love, Joey Dorsey, DeAndre Jordan and JaVale McGee. My prediction is that Kevin Love dominates the workout, JaVale McGee looks like a solid mid-first round pick, DeAndre Jordan looks completely overwhelmed and that Joey Dorsey impresses the gathered audience with his freakish athleticism. Check back later for Chip's report.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
A Blogger Among Men
As I mentioned in the draft workout blog, yesterday I was an invited guest at the Grizzlies workouts with Omar Casspi, Devon Jefferson and Charles Rhodes.
I felt like a fish out of water. Like a child among men. I didn't exactly feel comfortable if you get my drift.
Here I was sitting next to Chris Herrington and Chris Vernon, just a few seats away from Ron Tillery, Jarvis Greer and a slew of other well-known journalists and media personalities watching these big, young men getting put through the ringers and thinking "what the heck am I doing here?" I write a blog after all. I am not in these guys league.
I have said many times that I don't really know how to judge talent coming out of college. Well in college at least they are playing the game of basketball. What these guys did looked more like some medieval torture drill or Navy Seal training exercises. What the heck can these people determine from watching someone running up and down the court dribbling a ball as fast as they can? How can they determine who is going to be able to play in the NBA this way? I can dribble the ball up and down the court and not lose control of it with either hand AND I CAN'T PLAY BASKETBALL!
I'm serious. I couldn't make my high school team. I did make the final cut once but these guys are supposed to be slightly better than that yet watching the drills I couldn't tell you who was better among the three men much less whether or not they could make it in the NBA. They were running from drill to drill, alternating from a rapid fire shooting exercise from the perimeter, to one on one 'contact drills' which was an understatement to say the least. Professional wrestlers don't make as much as much contact as these guys did.
And it never really slowed down. One drill ended and another began and I was trying to see something that would make me say 'AHA. That is what I want to see in someone trying to make the Grizzlies.' It never came. Sure I saw some incredible plays by all three of the players but whether that makes them more interesting than a Casey Jacobson or Andre Brown I have no clue.
It really is more art than science. Sure guys took measurements and kept times and supposedly the players took a psychological profile test earlier in the morning but Chris Wallace, Gene Bartow, Tony Barone Jr and Sr were watching these drills intensely. They weren't chatting with the media or talking on the phone. They were watching and looking for clues from how hard the players drove the ball to how hard they charged for a rebound to how many free throws they could hit and I have no idea what they are using as a comparison and how anything I saw could help them make a decision.
Then it got worse.
The workout ended and we were told the players were now available for interviews. What they heck was I going to ask Omar Casspi who plays in Israel? Chris Herrington asked if he had to complete his military service. I didn't know he had military service. Damn what should I ask? I just stood there like a slug on the sidewalk.
What was I doing here?
When Chris Wallace came out to field questions I suddenly found myself surrounded by cameras and microphones. Probably intelligently I stepped out of their way before I was run over. They asked Chris a number of questions about the recent comments from Heisley (Mr. Heisley is free to say what he wants but I am happy with the trade and believe the team got the best deal offered), how he thought the players did (all of them worked hard and showed us a lot. None of these players were being considered for the #5 pick but all could be taken in the draft) and the such.
It was very surreal.
I want to thank Chris Vernon, Chris Herrington, Chris Wallace and especially Dustin Krugel for helping as much as possible to make me feel welcome and at ease. It didn't help a lot but it was nice of them to try. I really am not sure I belong at these events. I have nothing to add. Maybe if MemphisX or Zack were there they could garner something from these workouts but I sure didn't.
Not that I won't be back on Monday watching Kevin Love, DeAndre Jordan, Joey Dorsey and Javale McGee battling it out. I may be a fish out of water but I'm not stupid after all!
Setting the Story Straight
I just finished reading Chris Vernon's blog, where he basically says that we here at 3 Shades of Blue are in Michael Heisley's back pocket because we defended him, rather than taking Adrian Wojnarowski's column at face value. I don't think that's a fair label, given that we have been vocally critical of Heisley's tenure as owner on several occasions since starting this blog. Allow me to go step-by-step in offering a rebuttal to Verno's post.
I am mentioned as giving Adrian a forum so that he could get his "fifteen minutes." Adrian is an award-winning journalist who has worked for a lot of newspapers, espn.com, etc. He is also the author of one of the greatest sports books ever "The Miracle at St. Anthony." At 3 Shades of Blue they assume that Adrian is some blogger trying to make a name for himself and by misquoting Heisley it makes it hard for other legit bloggers. Hahahahahahhahaa. Oh for goodness sakes. The guy has been on the NY Times Bestsellers list and he is trying to make a name for himself talking about the freaking Grizzlies? Come on. 3 Shades trash Adrian and stick up for Heisley.
Unlike myself, Chip does not read every single piece of NBA-related information that passes across the tubes we like to call the internet. This is probably because he has a life and I don't. However, because of this, he was completely unaware of who Wojnarowski was (or who he even wrote for) and went with the description that Heisley gave him...because Heisley believed that Wojnarowski was a blogger just like us at 3SoB. That's right -- Heisley had no idea who Woj2 was when conversing with him a few days ago. I know who Woj2 is and even mentioned having previously had a great deal of respect for him in my response to his column yesterday morning. I have read his columns for years and own copies of both The Miracle of St. Anthony (currently in my library) and Jimmy V: The Life and Death of Jim Valvano (pre-ordered on Amazon.com). Rest assured, I know who the man is. However, I also knew that Heisley is prone to speaking off-the-cuff about things in a manner that could very easily be perceived in a manner out of context with how he actually intended them to be conveyed. That's why I was willing to step out there and take issue with the column, even though I knew it wouldn't be a very popular move. I saw things being presented in a light that was the opposite of what we had been told upon interviewing Heisley not that long ago and wanted to point that out. I didn't see it as "sticking up for Heisley" so much as sticking up for journalistic integrity (something most bloggers don't consider often enough) and making sure that the truth was being represented. If that makes me "Heisley's boy", then so be it. Unlike Chip, I've never met the man, so I can say that he hasn't had any direct influence on me. Also, I hate for Chris to paint all of us on 3 Shades of Blue with the same brush, given that there are 4 writers (and one fantastic genius) with distinct and unique viewpoints. That's something we're proud of here -- we offer opinions from every viewpoint, rather than just one.
I am not writing anything that I have not already talked to Chip from 3 Shades about. Do I believe that Adrian misquoted Heisley or took him out of context? No. Do I agree with all of the opinions Adrien had in the article? No. Do I think that Heisley regrets what he said? Yes. Do I know that the CA will soon come out and defend him too? I would be shocked if they did not. What I told Chip is that just because Heisley says something does not mean that it is true and that you have to stick up for him. In fairness, maybe they believe him (Lord, I hope not).
What would be so bad about believing Heisley? What has he been dishonest about during his time in Memphis? Again, I'm not defending his moves and direction of the team as the owner -- I'm just wondering why it is that everyone has painted him as an evil person who will lie, cheat and steal to achieve some sinister goal. I haven't seen any evidence of that to this point -- but if someone has such evidence, I will surely be more than willing to examine it.
You may not get the access if you call him out, I get that. I understand not biting the hand that feeds you. It is a legimate concern for anyone that reports on things. You have to weigh what is more important, access or objectivity? I struggle with it too. Now Heisley has the best Grizzlies blog and the local paper pumping his PR and sticking up for him. I am a big fan of the 3 Shades blog and have mentioned that many times, not to mention that I have met most of the authors and they all seem like nice guys (and they have been pretty nice and fair with me). Sad day I say. Heisley is killing the franchise, Adrian Wojnarowski isn't.
He is speaking the truth here. If we start blaming Heisley for everything that goes wrong with the franchise -- as Verno has been known to do in recent history -- then we might not get the same level of access to him and he almost assuredly won't be calling us from halfway across the world to give us the "real story" first. Of course, the only reason he agreed to be interviewed by us in the first place was because he disagreed with something we wrote and wanted to set the story straight on that issue. That's right -- he let us interview him because he didn't like us, not because he particularly enjoyed our little corner of the internet.
Verno says that Heisley is killing the franchise. I say that what is really killing the franchise can in no way be blamed on just one man. After all, did Heisley do something to make fan support start to dwindle after the magical 50-win season? Did Heisley convince Jason Williams, James Posey and Bonzi Wells to become overwhelming distractions on a playoff team? Was Heisley responsible for Pau Gasol's injury in the World Championships or Damon Stoudamire's knee injury? Did Heisley handpick who we drafted and signed over the past 7 years? Did Heisley create the "Memphis Mentality", where everyone wants everything given to them on a silver platter and believes that they are entitled to a title contender immediately without having to suffer through any of the normal growing pains? I'm fairly confident that the answer to all of those questions is a firm "No".
With that said, is Heisley completely blameless for the disconnect that fans feel with the franchise or with the below average product that has been put on the floor the past two seasons? No. But that's a post for another day -- and believe me it will be coming soon. I just wanted to illustrate that just because we don't believe that Michael Heisley is the second coming of Goldfinger doesn't mean that we don't disagree with things he has said, suggested or ordered. If Chris really wants to find out how true that is, then he knows how to get in touch with us and I'll be more than happy to spend a few minutes on his show explaining just what those things are.
Workout Update
The Grizzlies held their first private workout today with Israeli Omri Casspi, Davon Jefferson and Mississippi State's own Charles Rhodes.
I have never attended an NBA workout before and was very impressed with how physically taxing the hour long session was. They really put the players through the paces and tested everything from their shooting range, stamina, physicality and determination. While I was asked not to reveal the actual drills I can tell you I was beat from watching and all three players were very tired at the end of the workout.
Noticeably absent from the workout was Head Coach Marc Iavaroni but Coach Joerger, Coach Davis, Chris Wallace, the Barone's and Gene Bartow were all there as well as a lot of other Grizzlies personnel. Coach Iavaroni had a previous engagement and is expected at the other workouts. I wouldn't put too much stock into his absence. The private workouts are important but not as much as the totality of the work the players have produced in their careers.
The most interesting thing I can write about came from Chris Wallace who opened up the workouts by announcing there is no truth to the rumor that Memphis is struggling to get top players in for workouts. The list of people who are excluding Memphis are few and most have good reasons. Derick Rose and Michael Beasley don't expect to be available at #5 (you have to assume that is a safe bet too). Jerrod Bayless doesn't want to workout but that isn't surprising given the makeup of the team and the likelihood he won't be around at #5 either. Brook Lopez is only working out with the top 4 teams right now but I have a feeling that could change over the next couple of weeks. Danilo Gallinari hasscheduled only one workout in NY and his father doesn't understand why any more are needed. Apparently Italians don't do things like the NBA does. OJ Mayo has not scheduled any workouts anywhere while he decides on who his agent is going to be. Expect Lopez, Mayo and Gallinari to all work out at sometime before the draft. Here is the schedule so far:
Monday, June 9th: Kevin Love, DeAndre Jordan, JaVale McGee, Joey Dorsey, Kyle Weaver and Jeremy Pargo-
Wednesday, June 11th: Richard Hendrix (Alabama), David Padgett and Robert Dozier
Thursday, June 12th: DJ White, James Mays and Trent Plaisted
Friday/Saturday, June 14-15th: The team is going to Oakland, CA for a large group workout involving most of the late lottery to 2nd round picks like CDR, Darnell Jackson and Courtney Lee. There will be around 24 guys at this workout attended by most of the NBA teams.
Monday, June 16th: Courtney Lee, Sonny Weems, Will Daniels, Anthony Randolph and Darrell Arthur
Wendesday, June 18th: JR Giddens, Bill Walker, James Palacio and someone else who's name escapes me.
This list is not inclusive and people could be added or dropped. It is very fluid right now as players expect to go higher than they probably will end up being drafted. I anticipate more names coming in as the draft gets nearer. Russell Westbrook and Eric Gordon are still working out when they can fit a workout in with their schedules. Three weeks and 30 teams is a lot of workouts for these guys to attend especially having to travel all over the country.
Heisley Not Unhappy with Wallace
Michael Heisley called me from Kuala Lumpur. He is pissed off at Adrian Wojnar-who-ski or whatever that blogger from Yahoo's name is. I am not linking to that trash but I am sure you can find it if you look around. The truth is exactly what 3 Shades of Blue wrote earlier this week. Adrian had an agenda and took comments out of context and ignored statements that completely contradicted the tone of the article he wanted to write.
This is the message Mr. Heisley wants Memphis fans to hear and understand.
Michael Heisley is in no way unhappy with Chris Wallace. Michael Heisley approved the deal with LA and it accomplished what Mr. Heisley wanted. If anyone wants to be upset about the deal they should be upset with Heisley not Chris Wallace.
I wish I had exact quotes but I didn't have a tape machine with me when he called and I honestly wasn't expecting a phone call from Mr. Heisley at 8:30 in the morning at my office. I mean does anyone expect a phone call from a billionaire at anytime in the morning?
Anyway, Heisley said when he conducted the interview he was about to walk into a meeting and assumed the blogger would do an interview like 3 Shades of Blue did and simply report what he said. If he had realized that instead it was going to be a 'hatchet job' where statements were going to be taken out of context and misrepresented he would have been far more wary of what he said. Mr. Heisley isn't a media savvy man who spins what he says. He is brutally honest. He tries to tell the truth which leaves him susceptible to tricks like this blogger used to forward a position the writer wants.
Mr. Heisley isn't saying that everyone has to love the deal he made. However, you should understand the deal he made. He tried for over a year to get a deal done where he received back what he believed to be equal talent. All the other teams in the league knew this. No one was offering anything close to fair value. Once the decision was made to go with a youth movement and acquiring cap space relief the Grizzlies again approached teams about acquiring Gasol. He made public the negotiations with Chicago but that doesn't mean there weren't negotiations with other teams. Only Los Angeles was willing to provide a huge salary cap savings, 2 #1 draft picks and young talent that the Grizzlies wanted. No one else was coming to the table with comparable offers. Mr. Heisley made the decision to take the LA offer and it was his decision alone. Any team now pretending to not know Gasol was available is not telling the truth. Memphis contacted many teams but they did not conduct an auction for Gasol. You can't do that in the NBA. Any team could contact the Grizzlies and many did. Memphis also initiated contact with many teams.
It is blogs like that one that really hurt the efforts of people like us who are trying to educate fans about the team. When we write our opinions we do so where it is clear that this is what we are thinking or feeling. When we quote other people (like we have in the Heisley interview and others) we don't slant the comments to fit our agenda. We simply lay it out there and let the readers decide what to think. If the Yahoo blogger had done the same thing the blog would have had a decidedly different feeling to it.
Of course he wouldn't have been interviewed on Chris Vernon's show and been linked to stories all over the country either. So congrats Adrian for getting your 15 minutes of fame. Too bad it had to come at the expense of the truth and the Memphis Grizzlies.
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