Roundtable Discussion, Part 1

The following is a roundtable discussion that occurred on September 25. This is Part 1 of a 3 part series. Be sure to leave feedback in the comments section. Due to the overwhelming length of these posts, they will be moved after the weekend, but I'll provide a link to each part for your viewing convenience.

Roundtable discussion, Part 1
Chip: New team, new coach, new season about to start. First question, let’s start at the end. How do you see the season ending?
Spartacus: I think, in all likelihood, we’re looking at 36-37 wins as the most likely scenario. We’re looking at 2 young PG’s. Navarro is a veteran overseas, but is still an NBA rookie, so we’re not sure how well he’ll go through that transition. Darko, for all intents and purposes is still a big question mark. He’s still unfulfilled potential at this point. Throw that in with a new coach and a new system and it’s an uncertain reality to face.
C: Well, we know what Darko can do to a ref’s family, but we don’t know what he can do on an NBA court.
S: Exactly.
Zack: I’m a little more optimistic. I was right around 36-38 wins, but I’ve bumped it up in the last couple weeks, looking at a win total in the low 40’s and grabbing one of those last playoff spots.
C: What do you see as the big difference that will allow us get a few extra wins to enter the playoff picture? You’re talking about an additional 5% upgrade over an 82 game season.
Z: I’ve downgraded my predictions on the rest of the West. Portland is a couple of games less now. I saw them as a playoff possibility before.
C: They still have LaMarcus Aldridge, Channing Frye, Brandon Roy, Jarrett Jack, Sergio Rodriguez.
Z: They’re loaded with young talent, that’s for sure.
S: Darius Miles is supposed to be healthy now.
C: He is healthy and is supposed to come to camp without a contract.
Z: Well, physically healthy anyways.
C: Yeah, physically. Very good point. LOL
Z: The Clippers with Brand out. They’re looking at a repeat of the Grizzlies season last year.
S: Exactly. Especially with Sam Cassell sitting there looking at Boston going, “Please.....please”
C: Now wait a minute guys, we saw Chris Kaman this summer. He completely dominated the Grizzlies big men in Summer League. None of them are actually in the NBA now and I don’t think any of them are in any training camps...
S: Summer League All-Stars! They’re the biggest crock every year.
C: He at least admitted that he needed to improve and is showing signs of carrying that out. You’ve got to look at a team with Al Thornton, Corey Maggette...
Z: Al Thornton impressed me during the summer league.
C: Summer League All-Star here too. But he’s a 23-year old rookie.
S: He impressed me last year in college, too, though. He was a little older, a little more mature than everyone else.
C: I wonder how greatly the demise of the Clippers is being overstated. It’s hard to see how they won’t have an impact with the talent they still have on that roster.
S: I think everything rests on how Sam Cassell reacts to the situation.
C: What about Tim Thomas?
S: *snort* Uh..no.
C: Tim Thomas plays where all of a sudden you’ve got this weird situation where there are four outside shooters, a slashing point guard and a big man in the middle. I’ve heard some people think this is an effective way to play these days. Trying to get perimeter shooters with slashers and a big guy. Hmmm...who do we know doing that?
S: There’s nobody that does that. Well, not successfully of course!
Z: Going back to the original point, I see the Grizzlies grabbing one of those last playoff spots—the 6th, 7th, 8th spot that always seems to be up for grabs.
C: Last season’s 6th-8th spots were who?
Z: Golden State, the Lakers and Denver.
C: I look at those teams and wonder, where is the slide? Granted, the Lakers aren’t going to improve, but are they gonna slide? They do have one or two guys who can shoot.
Z: I think they’re going to slide, because they’ve got turmoil. They’re in a big media market ready to pounce—they’ll take anything they can get.
S: Who exactly were their big offseason acquisitions? They got Derek Fisher.
C: Which is a pretty good acquisition.
S: But other than that, what did they do?
C: They re-signed Luke Walton.
Z: They drafted a PG for the second year in a row, just like the Grizzlies.
C: They’ve got Jordan Farmar starting because they got rid of their starter from last season because Smush Parker is in Miami now.
Z: Javaris Crittendon is who they drafted.
C: I don’t have a lot of faith in rookie PG’s, as much as it pains me to say that.
S: And Crittendon is more of a scorer than a playmaker, whereas Farmar is the opposite.
Z: Then you have the Warriors losing Jason Richardson, which will definitely hurt them in the short term as they try to replace his scoring.
S: Losing Richardson and then waving good-bye to Jasikevicius, which means both of their SG’s are gone from last season.
Z: Baron Davis is wanting a contract extension.
C: He won’t get it.
S: And Monta Ellis probably stepping into the starting lineup.
Z: They’ve got some question marks, which is why I’ve got the Warriors and Lakers falling out of the postseason, even if Memphis doesn’t take their spot.
C: So, if someone was going to fall, you’ve got those two. Who do you see, other than the Grizzlies, potentially stepping up?
Z: You’ve got to like the Hornets.
S: We were talking about them earlier today. You almost have to like them. Peja is back healthy, they signed MoPete in the offseason and Tyson Chandler looks like he’s ready to just destroy the entire league on his own.
C: As long as he doesn’t have to shoot the ball anyways.
Z: And I really like David West. He hits that 15-ft. elbow shot all day long.
S: He’s like another P.J. Brown. He says, “I’m just going to sit out here all day long until you stop me”.
C: David West is an average PF who can take advantage of whatever you give him, but won’t enforce himself on anyone.
S: He’s not going to go down to the low post to bang around with everyone. Like Zack said, he’ll take that mid-range shot all night and at the end of the game you look at the stats and go, “Hey, West had 22 and 11. How did that happen?”
C: Offensive rebounds. He grabs 4-6 every game it seems, which allows him easy putbacks, so he doesn’t have to shoot that much to get his points. He’ll get points and rebounds, but he doesn’t seem to give you much else. Like David Berri said after reading Ryan Schwan’s Hornets blog—he’s average. But on the right team, an average player can be exceptional.
Z: I like their coach, too.
C: The Original Grizzly—Byron Scott.
Z: I think he’ll rally the troops. Even when they’ve had injuries, I thought he handled things well. A lot of the 82 game season is about who can deal with adversity. Who can suffer an injury to a key contributor and keep the momentum until that guy can make it back.
C: If I was going to say that there is one thing that scares me about calling the Hornets a lock for the playoffs, it is that they seem fragile. There isn’t a single player on their team that I would bet would play 80 games this year.
Z: Chris Paul, he’s so young, but he plays a style that lends itself to contact.
C: It’s such a physical game and he’s not really a physical specimen. You’ve also got Peja...
Z: History speaks for itself there.
C: But they’ve also got the ironman in MoPete. Until last season, he had the longest active consecutive game streak going. Of course, you find that when people break down, especially around the age of 30, it doesn’t seem to stop with just one injury.
S: It becomes a chronic problem, more often than not.
Z: Speaking of injuries, if there was one Western Conference team that you think is going to get the injury bug this year, who would it be? There’s always one.
S: Sacramento.
Z: I’m looking at Sacramento or Utah.
C: You know who I think? What do you look for when you look for potential injury bug? Players who play a lot of minutes.
Z: Rely heavily on one player.
C: Teams that have a preponderance of older players.
Z: And a short bench.
C: And a team that avoided injury the previous year. I’m picking the San Antonio Spurs. Nobody got hurt last year. They basically go 6 deep and they’re all over 40. You look at that team and go, “If Tim Duncan doesn’t go down, it probably doesn’t matter”. They did finish 3rd in the conference and 2nd in their division last year and still managed to be 1st overall. But you look at a team with Michael Finley, Bruce Bowen, Robert Horry, Manu Ginobili. Fabricio Oberto has already broken his jaw, his face, something like that. Tony Parker’s never been hurt, Tim Duncan is passing 30. Who else? That’s their 6 or 7 guys, right?
Z: So who is more valuable to them? Parker or Duncan?
C: Duncan in the regular season and Parker in the playoffs. Because Duncan, night in and night out, never seems to fail you. He’s going to do his job.
S: 25 and 10, just like clockwork.
C: Parker in the playoffs, just has so much speed that they more he wears out the opponent, the more effective he becomes. In a short series, I want Parker. Over 82 games, I want Tim Duncan.
S: With that speed that Parker brings, it frustrates a defense. And in a playoff series, where you know that you’re going to see the same guy the next night and the next night, it becomes a mental issue, which makes him even more effective. That’s why quick heady point guards destroy teams in the playoffs.
C: So my Glass Team, the Red Cross team to watch this year is the Spurs. It’s very hard to do it two years in a row.
S: Part of the reason why they’ve been prevented from winning consecutive titles. It seems like someone ends up with a nagging injury late in the season that affects their postseason performance. That’s what happened with Duncan two years ago when they lost to Dallas. He goes down towards the end of the year and never fully recovers in time for the playoffs.
Z: So who’s better—the Spurs, Mavs or Suns? They’ve been the top three for a few years now.
C: This is the first year that I see there being some weakness at the top. Not a lot, but it is there. Of the three, I think in the regular season, you have to say that the Dallas Mavericks have the best combination of depth and talent.
S: What did they have, 67 wins last year?
C: Yeah, and the only guy who could beat them was their former coach.
S: Did you read the post by Henry Abbott on TrueHoop today about them hiring Paul Westphal? The guy he quoted just absolutely destroyed them for that move. Apparently, he was a student at Pepperdine and believes that Westphal destroyed that program. He detailed the roster from 2 or 3 years ago, where there were 3 or 4 NBA level talents on the team and they finished below .500 in the WCC.
Z: And he was using John Calipari’s, well it was his (Westphal’s) “Attack, Attack, Attack” philosophy?
S: The guy went on to say that he had that much talent in one of the worst conferences in America and still ran the program into the ground? Why would you want him anywhere near your team?
C: The last time Dallas hired a former Phoenix coach, it didn’t end well. When John MacLeod came to Dallas, he had a great history of running a team from top to bottom. Then he promptly took a playoff team that made the Conference Finals in his first year and dropped them off a cliff. They won like 15 games by the time he was done with them. That’s why I’ve never been a fan of hiring former Phoenix coaches. Uhh..........Phoenix head coaches that is!
S: Nice save.
C: Well, we’ve kind of covered the West now. Can anyone stop Boston in the East?
Z: I think so.
S: We’ve gone over this before. I even had a blog post about it, because I’m not conceding the conference championship to Beantown just yet.
C: I’m not conceding the division to them yet.
S: They asked Jason Kidd about that the other day, if anyone can stop Boston. He said that Toronto won the division last year and all of a sudden everyone is counting them out. I’m not sure why. They’re a great team that’s only going to get better.
C: New Jersey is still solid, too.
S: Exactly what he said. He felt that his team still had a great shot. There are others in the East, too. With Miami, it would take...
C: A miracle?
S: Well, a healthy Shaq, Wade and a lot of help from their role players to beat the Celtics in a playoff series. I think that Chicago could potentially take anybody down in a best of 7, if they are clicking on all cylinders.
C: I think if any team can come up out of the East and truly be an elite team, you have to look at Chicago before you look at Boston.
S: Well, you can’t forget about Detroit either.
Z: I’m a big fan of the Pistons’ chances in the East. They are getting old and their days are numbered, but they’re still dangerous.
C: Is Webber coming back?
S: No, they are moving Rasheed over to center and starting Antonio McDyess at PF.
C: Interesting. I don’t think that will work, but we’ll see.
S: Here’s the thing though. With Sheed, you’ve got the one guy that Tim Duncan freely admits gives him absolute fits when they are matched up. That was at PF. You move him to C and he becomes the Mehmet Okur of the East, because McDyess can hit the midrange shot with consistency too. Can you see the frontcourt guys in the East following him out to the perimeter?
Z: I also really like the young wing guys for Detroit—Arron Afflalo and Rodney Stuckey.
C: Summer League All-Stars again.
S: Not as much as you’d think. Afflalo I wasn’t as high on, but I detailed Stuckey in our draft preview. He’s just a flat-out scorer.
C: They’ll still have that typical rookie adjustment. (Speaking directly to Zack:) I can’t believe that you’re talking to me about Afflalo after I wrote about him over the summer and you chastised me about him. Don’t even talk to me about Arron Afflalo!
Z: I just didn’t like him college.
S: He looked good in college...just not in the tournament.
C: He was the only guy on their team that could score.
C: What will end first, the New York Knicks season or Isiah Thomas’ trial?
Z: You mean trials?
S: Yeah, are we including the future civil suits that will be forthcoming?
Z: I’ve been reading the headlines from this trial and it looks like something out of Penthouse. It’s unbelievable.
S: I don’t know. Like Chip has said before, if you have jurors falling asleep during proceedings, it can’t be that interesting.
C: I’ve never heard of a sexual harassment suit where people were falling asleep. That doesn’t seem to follow.
S: Of course, the clips they’ve had of Isiah and Starbury on The Fanhouse and Deadspin have been endlessly entertaining. Absolutely priceless.
Z: So who’s winning the East?
C: I’m going out on a limb and saying Chicago.
S: I think they are still a year away.
C: I thought they were a year away last year.
S: They still haven’t added any low-post scoring. That’s still holding them back.
C: Ben Wallace is currently enrolled in the Mark Price Shooting School.
S: I think Detroit does it as kind of a last hurrah before they begin a minor rebuilding phase. They need to rebuild their frontcourt.
C: You’ve got to face facts though. The Red Sox have the best record in baseball. The Patriots are a dynasty that’s gotten better. It’s obvious that it is a New England type of year. It’s happened once before where one city held all three major sports crowns at one time. It was a “Tiger Slam”, not a Bobby Jones Slam, as it spanned two calendar years, but they were all in possession at one time. It was the Knicks, Jets and Mets in 1969-70. Boston/New England has a really good shot at doing that this year.
Z: I’ve got to stick with the Central Division and go with the Pistons.
C: You’re not taking the Knicks? Interesting that nobody is taking the Heat. We haven’t even talked about Orlando.
S: They have to get an upgrade at PG. Jameer Nelson is not the answer if you want to go far in the playoffs.
C: They have an interesting situation where this coming summer all three of their PG’s will be free agents...and they have no money.
Z: They’re not talking with Nelson on an extension right now either.
S: They realize they have to get an upgrade, so they might be in the market for one of Houston’s 8 PG’s.
Z: What about the Cavs?
C: I don’t believe that they will be able to re-sign both Andersen Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic, which makes them weaker right off the bat. Larry Hughes is still fragile and Big Z is getting older by the second. Drew Gooden is getting more and more confident, which is always a bad thing. LeBron James can only do so much. It was a fluke run last year. Let’s face it—how many times can he go out on a court and score 29 of the team’s last 30 points, including 25 straight? That was probably the best individual performance I’ve ever seen in an NBA game, and I’ve seen Dominique Wilkens and Larry Bird’s battles, and I saw Michael Jordan a hundred times. That game was the best effort by a single player I’ve ever seen, and it shocked Detroit so much that it cost them the series.
Z: And I think this is in spite of the coach not really utilizing LeBron in the best way. I never really liked what he’s done with LeBron to this point. Against the Spurs, he really took it to them in the post early in the first game...and then they never went back to it. I really question their coach more and more every time I watch them.
S: If you remember, it was about halfway through this past season, there were rumblings that LeBron was unhappy and thinking, “Hey, maybe I need a new coach here”. Then, all of a sudden, they go on a run, make the playoffs and the rest is history. That problem still remains though. I think that’s what is going to hold Boston back, as well. Doc Rivers is a (cue Bill Walton) H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E coach. He was a horrible coach in Orlando.
C: He got them to the playoffs.
S: And what happened then? They blow a 3-1 series lead against Detroit that began the futility that is Tracy McGrady’s quest to surpass the first round of the playoffs. Speaking of T-Mac, what do we think about Houston? Best offseason in the West?
Z: I think so, and I can’t believe that that package includes Stevie Francis.
C: That’s the key. I question whether or not they truly had the best offseason outside of Boston. I’ll play devil’s advocate here. They have something like 16 signed PG’s, right?
S: The only team with more is Portland, because they insist on getting one thrown in with every trade they make.
C: Yeah, but Portland hasn’t signed them all—they just own their rights. I mean, how do you see Steve Francis, Mike James, Rafer Alson and the kid from Oregon, Aaron Brooks, working together? That’s four PG’s and not nearly enough playing time to go around.
S: First of all, forget about Brooks. He’s a non-entity this year.
C: But he was a Summer League All-Star!
S: Point taken. Rafer Alston—they’ll find a way to either trade him or waive him.
C: Then you’re still left with Mike James and Steve Francis.
S: Which is OK if you’re bringing Steve Francis off the bench as your 6th man, saying “Hey, go out there and score”.
C: And Steve Francis is willing to accept that role.
S: I think if you let him know “We don’t want you to do anything but score”, I can’t imagine him not being OK with that.
C: Has he ever felt any team thought otherwise?
S: That’s just it. If he’s in the starting lineup, you can’t have him doing that. He has to be a playmaker/facillitator to get Yao Ming involved in the offense, first and foremost. That’s one thing I still don’t think they’ve grasped as the key to their success.
C: How does Yao fit in with Rick Adelman’s typical style of play? Again, everyone agreed that he’s a great hire...but is he the right hire for that team?
S: I think there are still a lot of questions about that, although his history with big men who can pass well—Divac, Webber, Miller—says that he’ll “work things out” just fine.
C: Then there’s McGrady. Has he ever made it through a season without injury concerns? And then we’re going to put him in an up-and-down the floor style of play with his bad back? You’ve got a 7’6” sloth at center. Let’s face it, he’s incredibly talented, but he is not fast. Big Jake beat him down the court for pete’s sake. Then you’ve got T-Mac and his back, Bubble Butt Bonzi and then Shane, who isn’t a speed merchant. And you want to play an uptempo pace?
Z: They might have the highest ceiling and the lowest low.
C: Exactly. I don’t really know what to expect from this team. As they get closer to the playoffs and realize that they’re destined for 3rd in the division...or maybe even 4th.
S: I don’t know. I could see them moving up to 2nd behind Dallas.
C: San Antonio breaks?
S: No, the Spurs realize, much like the Lakers did, that you don’t have to win 60+ games every year. You just have to make the playoffs and then take care of business. All they have to do is make the postseason.
C: Especially if they make the playoffs and then play Houston in the first round, because that’s a guaranteed win. LOL
Z: With Houston, I think the best recipe for success will be to have McGrady as the de facto PG. Even if he doesn’t bring the ball up the floor, in the half-court sets, he has the ball in his hands and makes the decisions.
C: That could work, because none of their PG’s are really pass-first playmakers. Of course, then you have McGrady and Shane......and backing them up, thinking he’s more talented than they are, unhappy Bonzi.
S: I don’t like having Rafer Alston on that team. I don’t like Bonzi on that team, because he’ll do what’s best for Bonzi at the expense of everyone else. The one thing that I think makes this the best offseason for them was getting Luis Scola. That move, by itself, the acquisition of a consistent low-post presence to put next to Yao is a tremendous upgrade over a Juwan Howard or an undersized guy like Chuck Hayes.
C: So, just so I’m clear, we’re saying their great move is bringing in a rookie international player?
S: Yeah. Well that, and bringing back Mike James and Steve Francis. Again, with all respect to Marc Stein’s rankings, I put us a close second in the West with the moves the Grizzlies made this offseason. I look at Seattle’s moves and just don’t see how their moves fit together.
C: I don’t see Seattle’s moves doing anything substantial for them for the next 24 months.
Z: I agree. While you can look at their moves and say, “Wow great moves”, in reality what they did was trade away proven talent now for potential in the future.
C: Potential at the same position with Durant and Green.
Z: Kurt Thomas was a nice pickup, as well as the additional draft picks that came with him.
C: That was a nice move on the Sonics part.
Z: Let’s say you make the same trade that Seattle did. Do you take Jeff Green at # 5 with Durant already being take at # 2? There’s a slew of choices at # 5 and you take another SF.
S: That’s exactly what we talked about the other day. How do you not take Corey Brewer, Brandan Wright or Yi Jianlian? Do you think Yi would have balked at being in Seattle?
C: Of course not. Jeff Green is the one guy I thought fit poorest alongside Durant.
Z: Didn’t I read that they’re going to play Durant at SG?
S: Sure did. A 6’10” SG that's the size of a # 2 pencil.
C: Well, you can’t play him under the basket.
S: You can put him at SF where his height still gives him an advantage over most guys. He’s not a physical player at all, though. It’s funny, because right now he’s looking more and more like Rashard Lewis....the guy Seattle just shipped out of town for a conditional 2nd round pick. I still cannot believe the contract that the Magic gave him.
--End Part 1--

Airport Arrest Still Unresolved for Memphis PG

This caught me by surprise today.

Today on AOL Fanhouse, there is a post by Matt Watson (who links to Dime Mag) that mentions Damon Stoudamire's 2003 misdemeanor arrest while trying to sneak a little herb onto a plane is still unresolved. The most startling point Watson makes is that Stoudamire could spend up to 180 days in jail in Washington for a violating a previous plea bargain in another case. Uh, oh. One would hope it is common sense not to wrap any illegal narcotics in aluminum foil before passing through an airport metal detector. That should be especially true if one is still on probation for an earlier incident.

I must mention that all of this happened before Damon's tenure in Memphis, which makes it all the more troubling that if the situation isn't resolved and any subsequent legal action is taken against Damon, the Grizzlies could be hurt in the process.

I think the likely outcome of this will be for the judge to either throw the case out (it's good to be rich and famous), or the prosecution striking another plea deal with Staudamire that would result in no jail time. Still, the situation needs to be monitored for future developments.

Trouble in the Desert

Wow!

The tensions between Shawn Marion and the Phoenix Suns have been simmering on the back burner for a few years now. Well, that unwatched pot finally started to boil today. In an Arizona paper, Matrix said this morning that it is "Time for me to move on".

Marion is fed up with another summer of the Suns considering to trade him. Marion is irked that the team is not willing to talk about a contract extension. After eight years in Phoenix, Marion wants to leave the Suns and has let the team know in recent weeks.

"I'm tired of hearing my name in trades," Marion said by phone from his Chicago home Tuesday night. "I love my fans in Phoenix but I think it's time for me to move on."

Marion holds a player option after this year where he can void his contract and become a free agent. Logic tells us that he would be stupid to walk away from 17 million next year since he probably couldn't get close to that much per season next year on the open market. Still, Marion was hoping the Suns would negotiate a contract extension with him this year where he was reportedly looking for 3 years at a astronomical total of 60 Million.

All those previous rumblings of disharmony in the Suns locker room and jealousy between Marion and Amare look very credible now.

What will happen next? Stay tuned. The same publication quoted above speculates on possibly trading Marion for AK47 or Lamar Odom. From a Grizzlies perspective, I'm hoping whatever happens of this weakens the Suns and doesn't improve another Western Conference team in the process. Though my money is on Nash smoothing things over. But one thing is clear. Steve Kerr now faces his first real test of being a NBA General Manager.

Update (9-27-07, 11am):

Here is some recommended reading on the Marion trade request...

First, TrueHoop's take which pulls together alot of the past events and important articles regarding Marion and the Suns.

Second, Bill Simmon's take, which not surprisingly includes him saying he say this coming last year.

And I'll add that it is looking like Marion will show up Monday and be the last Sun to arrive for camp.

New Gameshow: Name that Owner!

As Chip, Zack and myself were wrapping up our roundtable discussion on our predictions for the NBA and the Grizzlies (coming soon to a blog post near you), an interesting topic came up. Through a roundabout way, we began questioning why it was that owners who are in the news are typically the "bad owners" in the NBA. There are some exceptions, with Mark Cuban (Mavericks) and the Maloofs (Kings) being the two most obvious examples, but by and large, if people know the name of your owner, chances are he's not in the upper echelon of ownership rankings. Who are the owners of the Spurs, Suns or Pistons? Anyone know? Bueller?

Let's take a look at the owners most serious NBA fans can name right off the bat, excluding the two we already mentioned. George Shinn (Hornets), Donald Sterling (Clippers), Clay Bennett (Sonics), James Dolan (Knicks), Jerry Buss (Lakers), Herb Kohl (Bucks), Glen Taylor (T'Wolves), Michael Heisley (Grizzlies), Jerry Reinsdorf (Bulls), Larry Miller (Jazz) and Paul Allen (Blazers). For a full list of NBA owners, go to the list compiled by the always helpful Hoopshype. Of the guys on that list, which ones own teams that (1) belong in the upper half of the NBA, (2) haven't allowed incompetence to remain in their organization and (3) haven't suffered as a result of the owner's insistence in either meddling in basketball issues or being in the news for the wrong reason? Well, by my count, we can take Herb Kohl, Larry Miller, Paul Allen and Jerry Reinsdorf off that list using that criteria, although Reinsdorf only gets a pass because Jerry Krause is perceived to be at fault for the dismal years the Bulls suffered through after their dismantling following the second three-peat. Ok, so now we have a list we can dissect.

George Shinn (New Orleans Hornets) -- #1 on my list because he has worked hard to set the bar high in alienating fans in not just one, but two cities. He's willing to spend money, which is something others won't do, but he's also a thorn in commissioner David Stern's side, having forced a move from Charlotte after doing his best to convince fans not to show up to support the hometown team. He's the poster boy for Bad Owners.

Donald Sterling (L.A. Clippers) -- He's finally decided to start spending some money on his team, after decades of feeding off the fact that not all of the actors/actresses, agents, power brokers, wannabe's in Los Angeles could score tickets to the Lakers and partook of the Clip Joint in order to see the NBA in action. It's hard to feel too sorry for Clippers' fan, with it being so blatantly obvious that Sterling was a cheapskate, but that doesn't exonerate him from being a bad owner. Especially when he commits the cardinal sin of becoming newsworthy in a tabloid sense.

James Dolan (N.Y. Knicks) -- You know what, just read this...and this...and this...and this. David Stern would love to throw this guy out of the league for all of eternity -- I can guarantee that. That doesn't even cover the incompetence he's allowed by his last two GM's either. Wonder if he'll manage to outlast Isiah in New York?

Clay Bennett (Seattle Supersonics) -- Has shot near the top of the "Bad Owners" rankings with his abrupt about-face concerning the Sonics' remaining in the Pacific Northwest. It went from a statement of hope last September to the current turmoil of a possible move to Las Vegas, Oklahoma City or who knows what other location he might come up with. Nothing like lying to an entire region with a straight face to cement your place among the most reviled in NBA ownership.

Jerry Buss (L.A. Lakers) -- So far, he has meddled in team affairs and been featured in the news for bad behavior. But, unfortunately, it would be impossible for him to alienate his fanbase, so we'll have to settle for two out of three, I guess. I don't know that he's a bad owner, per se, but he's been visible for all the wrong reasons, which is bad for an organization.

Glen Taylor (Minnesota Timberwolves) -- He doesn't make the gossip sheets and he stays out of team affairs as much as possible, so he's this close to being a good owner. But, alas, he continues to allow Kevin McHale to run basketball operations, which has been steadily dragging this franchise down, eventually costing the team its star player -- and subsequently its drawing power -- this past offseason with the trade of Kevin Garnett to Boston. McHale should have been fired long ago, after the Joe Smith fiasco, but Taylor continues to employ him, allowing his incompetence to flourish, because he doesn't think there is someone better out there. That's unfortunate for the fans in Minnesota, who deserve more than the mediocrity they have been given for the majority of their existence.

Michael Heisley (Memphis Grizzlies) -- If you're reading this blog, you were probably waiting for this entry in particular. Heisley used to say and do all the right things, from being visible at the games in his courtside seat to allowing his basketball personnel to make decisions and spend money where necessary. However, when he decided to limit Jerry West's authority in terms of player acquisitions and trades, he stepped over the line that owners should recognize as a necessary boundary. Then he announced the team was for sale and allowed a farcical offer to seem legitimate before allowing the NBA to shoot it down, throwing a wet blanket over an already dismal season. He has faded to the background for now, but something tells me that once the team shows some success again, he'll announce the team is on the market again, creating uncertainty throughout the organization for another season. I hope that is not the case, but experience tells me to expect something along those lines.

I would have added in the Atlanta ownership group, but their fans have suffered through enough horrors without me detailing it, so for once, I'll pull a punch. I think we've been able to illustrate that well-known owners are far-too-often known for the wrong reasons in today's NBA. If you're a fan of one of the teams I've listed above, just know that I feel your pain. If your team wasn't listed above, consider yourself one of the lucky ones, as you don't have to deal with the issues the rest of us face as fans of teams with bad owners. Count your blessings and hope that your owner remains in the background, signing the checks, but allowing his basketball people to make the decisions he pays them to while keeping them in line, and doing his best to stay out of the news and off of Sportscenter.

Mark Price Shoots Straight

Marc Iavaroni said in his WHBQ56 Radio that Mark Price was working out with our point guards this off-season.

My first thought was GREAT! Mark Price was a damn good shooter and is considered the best point guard the Cleveland Cavaliers ever had in their history (unless you want to consider LeBron James a point guard of course). He was part of the highly successful Cavs teams of the 90s that included Brad Daughtery, John 'Hot Rod' Williams, Craig Ehlo and Larry Nance. They were generally recognized as one of the best teams in the league during the Chicago Bulls run and Mark Price was among the best point guards in the league. Why shouldn't we hire Mark to work with our guys?

Then I remembered that not every ex-player is a great coach. Is this just a publicity stunt or what? I am usually a little skeptical after all. So I did a little digging.

Mark is currently partnered up with Suwanee Sports Academy in Atlanta, Ga where he has the Mark Price Basketball School. The premises have 100,000 sq ft of area and 7 full sized basketball courts. Mark has a special program he runs called the Mark Price Shooting School where he holds clinics for high school players to teach them fundamentals. He utilizes the NOAH Shooting System that measures the arc of shots. That combined with the DartFish Technology system can really break down a shot for a player and show him what he is doing wrong and how he can improve.

Does it work? I don't know. I was told that 5 NBA teams utilize the Suwanee Sports Academy to help them so someone thinks it does.

Mike and Kyle didn't actually go down to the SSA campus however. I was told that Mark Price came up to Memphis to work with them here instead. I don't know if he brought the machine or the computer program with him.

So what do I know?

I know that Mark Price learned to shoot from his father. That is the same father who taught Gary Bowen how to shoot free throws. Who is Gary Bowen you ask? Gary Bowen was the first, and as far as I know, only coach in the NBA who is specifically charged with teaching players how to shoot free throws. Dallas has finished in the tops of the league in FT shooting since he was hired. I don't think that is just a coincidence. I know that Mark Price wants to increase his representation with the NBA and so wants to make a good impression every chance he gets. The people I talked with in Atlanta said that while their emphasis is on younger players Mark wants to focus on the pros. His work with Lowry and Conley is important for him to build his reputation.

And his work with Conley and Lowry is very important to the team. If our players can improve their perimeter shooting then the team will be far more dangerous than expected. Apparently Rudy Gay just missed the practice because of a scheduling conflict but the idea that the team is taking a professional approach to improving their shooting is very encouraging.

I don't know who to thank for bringing Mark Price to Memphis but I sure do like the way that person is thinking.

Links: Marc Iavaroni Interviews and ESPN Grades the Offseason

Memphis Grizzlies head coach Marc Iavaroni was on Sports 56 this morning with George Lapides and Geoff Calkins. Iavaroni talks about what he expects from the team heading into training camp and for the rest of the season. Go to their website to hear the interview in its entirety.

Looks like Ron Tillery is finished with his offseason, as he's found time to interview the new GM and the new coach of the hometown Memphis Grizzlies in the past week. I hope this won't affect his preparation for the Babe Draft. Click here to read his Q & A with Iavaroni.

Bethlehem Shoals of AOL's The Fanhouse read the interview above and has an interesting take on Iavaroni's view of his current point guards versus the man/myth/legend that is Steve Nash. He wonders if this could result in a bumpy relationship with Mike Conley, Jr. as a result of expectations being too high and not leaving enough room for him to grow and mature...you know, like it took Nash a few years to get comfortable.

Marc Stein released his Western Conference Offseason Grades today, to follow up his look at the Eastern Conference over the weekend. He has the Grizzlies at #3 in the West, behind Houston and Seattle.

Only a small handful of teams had a more fruitful offseason than the Grizz, whose new brain trust (general manager Chris Wallace and coach Marc Iavaroni) has already generated some new hope after drafting Mike Conley, signing Darko Milicic and trading for Gasol's close friend Juan Carlos Navarro.

Overall, a very complimentary review of what the Grizzlies' front office has accomplished this offseason.

Preseason Predicton Confusion

This time of year everyone has opinions.

Joel Brigham at Hoopsworld.com predicts the Grizzlies will flirt with 50 wins and return to the playoffs. A combination of a healthy and motivated Gasol (apparently averaging 21 pts and nearly 10 rebounds last season was accomplished without Gasol being motivated), promising new players, a new coach and improvement from the returning players and the propensity for people to overlook Memphis will create a symmetry of success.

On the other side of the fence we have David Berri and his Wages of Wins statistical work that suggests that while Gasol and Miller will be strong players again that the combination of players who are sub-standard and/or inexperienced will drag down the overall team effect. Mr. Berri also believes that coaching has far less to do with outcomes than most people believe. Having read much of what Mr. Berri has written it is difficult to argue with the logic of his assumptions. His prediction is a better year than last but not a playoff contender or even pretender. Some improvement but still a bad team.

In the middle you have people like Phil Partington at Suite101, an on-line open posting magazine (I have no idea what that literally means by the way). Mr. Partington believes that Memphis will be one of the most improved teams in the league this season but still fail to reach the playoffs. His prediction fails at one level. He predicts a 13 game improvement and a final record of 38-44. Apparently English Composition is his forte, not math. 13 wins only brings the Grizzlies to 35 wins Phil.

Where do I stand on the upcoming season? I have looked at the team's point guards, wing men and interior players and I see talent at all three spots. Far more talent than we have had in total at any time since the Grizzlies came from Vancouver. However I also feel the team has the look of a 3rd year expansion team. The team has talent and some experience but is lacking cohesion and chemistry. It will probably develop during the season but in a difficult conference and the most difficult division there isn't time for slow starts and team building. I also have a bad feeling about the trip to Spain during training camp. This team needs to spend time bonding on the court not in a plane and traveling over the Atlantic Ocean twice in a week takes a heavy toll on your body, even if you are a professional athlete. That disruption puts the team behind the 8 ball right off the bat.

I have serious qualms about rookies playing the point, especially when they aren't score first point guards. Granted Kyle Lowry had an awesome start last season but he also played select minutes and very few games. Mike Conley and Lowry have no outside shot and teams will be able to play off them daring them to take outside shots. Until they hit those shots with regularity they will find it difficult to create mayhem in the paint.

Our perimeter players are strong but Rudy Gay needs to become more consistent and use his ability better. Summer league showed both what Rudy is capable of and what he is content on doing. He needs to be the dominant player that his physical ability says he should be and not the disappearing act he so often was in college and last season. Navarro and Kinsey should have an interesting battle for minutes off the bench and if Rudy isn't careful TK may just beat him out of minutes allowing Miller to play more at his natural small forward position.

The real mystery is still the interior. Pau Gasol will be the leading scorer and rebounder on the team again. He should average 20+ points and possibly reach the elusive 10 boards a game as well. That is definite. Everyone else comes with question marks. Can Darko be more than his previous four seasons in the NBA have shown? Can Hakim play defense well enough to justify court time? No one questions Hak's offensive ability and speed at the power forward position but last season he gave up more points than he scored. Will Stromile Swift play? Can Cardinal return from another knee surgery? Who is Andre Brown?

The Grizzlies are a team with many questions and a broken training camp schedule. That means a slow start to the season the way I look at it. Things should become better as the season progresses and the team's depth will pay dividends during the dog days of the season. Unfortunately it won't be enough to even reach the fourth spot in the division and fifth place teams don't make the playoffs in the Western Conference.

I expect between 33 and 36 wins, a bright future but a lottery pick next year. Sorry Washington but you will most likely have to wait at least one year to get our #1 pick.

Update: NBA Glue says not to sleep on the Grizzlies.

2005 Lottery Pick No Longer a Clipper

During the 2005 NBA Draft, three players fell further than expected: Danny Granger, Gerald Green, and Hakim Warrick. Those three ended up going 17th, 18th, and 19th, respectively.

One reason the Griz were able to snag Hak at #19 is because the Clippers fell asleep at the wheel and drafted Yaroslav Korolev at #12. Here is what the Sports Guy had to say at the time in his annual running draft diary:

8:44 – Did you enjoy the Elgin Baylor Era? The Clips took Mike Dunleavy's guy (Yaroslav Korolev) at No. 12, signifying Elgin's inevitable move upstairs that came about eight years too late. We'll remember Elgin as a Hall of Famer, a veteran of the lottery process, and the guy who said about Shaun Livingston's progress last year, "It might take a season, it might take half a season, it might take a year." Farewell, Elgin. Farewell.

(And just for the record, as a Clippers season-ticket holder, consider this my formal complaint that they passed on Granger for some Russian dude who can't help them for three to four years. I'm sending my second installment of my payment plan to the Clips right after I dip it in golden retriever urine.)

I bring this up because last week the Clippers announced they have rescinded their contracted offer on Yaroslav Korolev, the 12th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. Only 2 years after being a lottery pick, Korolev will be lucky to make an NBA roster this year.

I take satisfaction in seeing other NBA teams blow a draft pick, espicially teams in the West drafting ahead of the Grizzlies. (This year the laughs on you Portland....hahaha....just kidding....sort of)

One goal I have while blogging during the upcoming NBA season is to introduce Griz fans to other blogs around the net that cover a specific NBA team. This seems like a good opportunity to do that for the Clippers. Clips Nation covers the Clippers on SBNation. Needless to say, ClipperSteve doesn't seem thrilled with what transpired with Korolev:

1. They wasted a lottery pick on a guy that no one else would have taken in the lottery
2. They wasted a roster spot on a guy who wasn't ready.
3. They did nothing to develop the guy.
4. They didn't leave him in Europe.
5. They could have drafted for immediate help.
6. They could have drafted for spectacular potential.

So, Elgin, thanks for helping Hak fall to the Grizzlies in 2005. With Brand out, I'm sure Hak could have been useful this year.

More Linkage

There is a preview of the Grizzlies over on Hoopsworld.com by Joel Brigham. Chip has promised me a post about it, so all I'll do is link to it for the time being. Check it out so that you can see what kind of expectations others have for the Grizz.

Former Grizzlies' GM and Pacers' head coach Dick Versace announced that he will be running for Congress. SI.com has the details:

Versace said he will tour the district in a 28-foot motor home called the "Common Sense Express" after he formally announces his intention to run for office at a news conference in the next couple of weeks.

I could make a cheap joke at his expense here, but I'll pass for now. Feel free to take up the slack in the comments section, though.

Links Worth Clicking

Here are a few things worth checking out:

Marc Iavaroni did a conference call with NBA.com (click for the full transcript) today, covering topics such as the trip to Spain, Juan Carlos Navarro and competition at the point guard position. A solid interview from the Memphis Grizzlies new coach. Here's a snippet of what was said:

Q: At the point guard spot there is a lot of competition this year. How are you going to handle playing time with the training camp?

A: There is competition at several spots, particularly the four spot, between Gasol, Hakim Warrick, Stromile Swift and Brian Cardinal; the two spot between Mike Miller, Tarence Kinsey and Juan Carlos; and also the point guard spot you mentioned. So the players have been advised during the summer through numerous phone calls and a letter that we do want to defend and run, and the guys who come in top shape are going to have an advantage. And this system is going to see who has been most serious about their preparation and I have always felt that the ones who are the most prepared are going to shine. No one is going to be handed the keys. Certain people will have more experience in Memphis and in the NBA, but there is certainly no given, expect maybe Pau should start. I think it's just a question of where he'll start. I think that Mike Miller has in the past started but you know he may feel more comfortable coming off the bench, but other than that I don't think we have many set in stone decisions that have already been made.

Coach Iavaroni also did an interview with local station FOX Memphis (Channel 13), which you can see video of by clicking here.

Over on ROCKETS.com, staff writer Damien Pierce has a preview of the Southwest division, which he says remains the NBA toughest. It's a good overview of the division that has produced 4 of the past 5 Western Conference champions. Here is what he has to say about the Grizzlies:

Quick Take: Pau Gasol got some help. After finishing last season with the NBA's worst record, the Grizzlies vastly improved their supporting cast. Darko Milicic gives the Grizzlies someone who can team up inside with Gasol, while Juan Carlos Navarro is a seasoned veteran who should boost Memphis' offense with his shooting and passing. But in order for Memphis to make the leap from the lottery to the NBA playoffs in one season, the Grizzlies need some of their young stars to grow up fast. Their first-round pick, Mike Conley, is a promising point guard, but he'll be running an NBA offense for the first time. Rudy Gay must also raise his play in his second season.

Player to Watch: Juan Carlos Navarro. Pau Gasol's close friend from Spain will make his NBA debut this season. He'll bring some much-needed scoring and passing.

If we miss anything noteworthy, be sure to let us know by e-mailing us at three_shades_ofblue[at]hotmail[dot]com or by leaving us a comment.

And the Hits Keep Coming

Just a word of thanks to some more media markets giving out little web page some serious props. Call it a Verno Bow for the self-promotion if you like.

Wages of Wins mentions us as the lead-in for their review/preview of the Grizzlies season. This web site is an excellent source for statistical analysis of players and other interesting information. They were so kind they even added a link to our web site from theirs.

Unfortunately the preview of the upcoming season wasn't as kind. Brutally honest perhaps but not kind. Unfortunately it is difficult to argue with their reasoning either. David Berri believes that it is unlikely that Darko Milicic will progress from a below average performer during his first four years in the league to an above average performer in his fifth. Sure there are exceptions but we are talking about statistics here and if you roll the dice enough you will eventually get them to land on top of each other but I wouldn't want to bet that happens on the next roll.

What makes matters worse is that they accurately predicted last seasons performance. To quote the preview

Does this mean Memphis cannot have a “good” season this year? As we note in the book, whether something is “good” or “bad” depends upon your point of reference. If your reference point is the top teams in the West, Memphis will probably have a “bad” season. If your reference point is the Vancouver Grizzlies, then Memphis will indeed be “great” in 2006-07.

Last season Memphis won 22 games. One fewer than the best season ever in Vancouver.

I hate it when stats don't lie!

The Commercial Appeal also referenced our web site today with the mention of our meeting a Buffalo Wild Wings with Chris Wallace and the subsequent TrueHoop commentary about the rarity of a GM doing something like that. If I might make a suggestion Ron Tillery, before describing the people's reactions at the meeting you may want to interview at least one person in the group who was present. Just a small piece of advice.

These references joined with the kind words from Chris Vernon, Blog-A-Bull and others really has our website feeling some love heading into the season. Even if our beloved Grizzlies aren't getting as much.

Thanks to all of our readers for checking us out. Especially that one reader from Auckland, New Zealand. If you ever get to Memphis we have to get together!!!

Position Battles - Interior Players

Sorry to take so long to get around to this article but frankly it is the most difficult and with the Chris Wallace meeting and the Joey Crawford story I was somewhat distracted.

Why some may ask are the interior players a more difficult section to write than the Point Guards or Wing Players? Surely this area is the most experienced a pre-determined of the lot.

Actually it isn't that simple. After Pau Gasol there is a lot of confusion on who will play and where. Darko Milicic was the big free agent signing of the summer and at 7 feet, 285 pounds the first legitimately sized big man the team has had to put next to Gasol. Hakim Warrick is more of a tweener forward than a true interior player, Stromile has never lived up to his potential, Brian Cardinal is a broken down shell of the player who was over-paid three years ago and who in heck is Andre Brown anyway?

Well there is a lot more confusion than people expect at first glance. Can Darko play an all-out up tempo game? Can Warrick control the ball well enough to to run the break? Has Stro matured? Has Cardinal's most recent knee surgery cured what ailed him for the last two seasons? Is Andre Brown a diamond in the rough or just a dirty rock?

So many questions and so few answers.

The Interior Players-

Pau Gasol: The Bearded One had a strong summer performance in front of the home crowd until the FIBA Finals against Russia. A turnover, 4-9 FT shooting and a missed shot in the last 5 minutes killed Spain's chances for their first European Championship. Another meltdown in the final minutes of a big game for the Spaniard is tough to swallow. Real stars don't collapse in the pressure of the bright lights. How emotionally frustrated Pau will be this year should be interesting to watch. The good news for Pau is that, despite never having a true big man to relieve pressure under the basket, he has been remarkably consistent and now he is joined by his good friend Juan Carlos Navarro. With the combination of two new Europeans one -of whom is a legitimate big- should help this be Gasol's best season ever. Throw on top a return to the fast paced game he prefers with new coach Marc Iavaroni and a return to the all-star game may not be outside the realm of possibilities.

Darko Milicic: He has had a troublesome summer as I talked about previously. What I didn't talk about previously was his previous season and playoff performances. Darko was never able to wrest full time duty away from Tony Battie last year averaging only 23.9 mpg. He did use that time efficiently however scoring 8 ppg, grabbing 5.5 rpg and getting 1.8 bpg. In the playoffs those numbers changed to 28.8 mpg, 12.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 1.0 bpg. So he played more, scored more, rebounded less and blocked fewer shots. Now granted, he was playing the Pistons in the playoffs. Darko's best month of the year was in February when he averaged 30.3 mpg, 11.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg and 2.1 bpg. However, his minutes fell in March and April when Orlando made their push to the playoffs averaging fewer than 24 mpg over that time. Why? What is it about Darko, a former #2 pick in the draft, that he can show so much potential but fail to deliver on a consistent basis?

Stromile Swift: Speaking of a former second pick in the draft failing to deliver on a consistent basis, I present you Stromile Swift. Who has been a bigger disappointment in his career, Darko or Stro? Stromile is in an option year of his contract. He can opt out next summer and play the free agent game again. That alone should suggest a bigger year from him than last seasons dysfunctional 54 games. Stro somehow managed to average 7.8 ppg and grab 4.6 rpg last year while blocking 1.1 shots in only 19 mpg but the lack of production seemed far worse during the year. Stro is emotional and maybe the shock of playing for the Grizz again combined with Mike Fratello and his mother's stroke was too much to handle. None of that explains the falloff in February, March and April last season when he should have adjusted to being back, his mom was healthy and Fratello was gone. This could be near the end for Stro as he has a coach who should bring out all the positives of his game. Up-tempo should really benefit Stro, but the crowded rotation means inconsistency won't be tolerated any more.

Hakim Warrick: He is facing the all important 3rd year of his NBA career. If a major step forward is going to be taken this is statistically the year he should show it. And it isn't like Hakim didn't start making those steps last season. His scoring improved from 4.1 ppg to 12.7. His rebounding improved from 2.1 to 5.1 per game. His minutes improved from 10.6 to 26.2 mpg. So basically his scoring tripled, his rebounding doubled and his minutes improved by 2.5. What does this tell us? If you play more you will get more stats but it doesn't mean you really improved your play. Hakim needs to really improve his play this season and that means improved defense, better understanding and functioning in the offense and a more physical play. Most important is defense. Much of the criticism of Gasol's defense last year was when Warrick lost his man and Gasol came over to help, only to have his man left wide open. That cannot continue. Warrick also was the final option offensively too often. Not because he was the last option but when he got his hands on the ball he never let go. Warrick has to prove he can play the 4 similar to Boris Diaw who included everyone in the offense while playing good defense.

Brian Cardinal: Did you hear that TV is bringing back the Bionic Woman...and Memphis is bringing back their $6 million Dollar Man. Unfortunately our man is not any better than the show. Many people forget that Brian Cardinal had another knee surgery last spring. Will this surgery finally cure what has ailed him since his first year in Memphis or is the damage too severe? At this point no one knows for sure. One thing for sure, Cardinal may be able to be rebuilt, but he won't be faster, jump higher or shoot more accurately than before. At best Brian will be the 5th interior player on the team or the 3rd small forward. He definitely is smart enough to play the game, but physically I don't believe they can give him the ability to stay up with the speed and height of the game today.

Andre Brown: If Cardinal is the $6 million dollar man, then Andre Brown is The Shadow. Everyone has heard of him but no one knows what he looks like, has seen him play or know anything about his past other than wild rumors of his dominating lesser talent in South America (actually the NBADL but what's is the difference). At 6-9 Brown should push Swift as the backup big man and could actually pass an uninspired Swift. Brown was described by Chris Wallace as being a hard worker who is content with his role on the team. In other words he won't complain if he sits on the bench in street clothes but has to workout with the team every morning. Apparently that role didn't sit well with Alexander Johnson. If Brown outplays Stro then we could have a physical player to band underneath with a bargain basement price. If he doesn't then we have a hard worker who appreciates the opportunity.

So what is going to happen? Gasol and Darko will become the Ivory Towers on opening night. Warrick could be in the running for sixth man of the year if he improves his defense and his passing. Swift is a big question mark while Cardinal and Brown should rarely appear in anything beside street clothes and warmup suits. I would go so far as to say that if anyone sees what number is on Andre Brown's jersey this season then something has gone terribly wrong.

The big picture depends on Darko. Can he finally break out of his underperformance and become a valuable contributor on a team. The Grizzlies paid him to be there big man. Gasol will do about 20 and 10 like he always does and Warrick should excel in the running offense so whether or not the team can win will depend on Darko being the big man that the city has longed for since 2001. If Darko averages 10+ ppg and grabs 7+ rpg to go along with his shot blocking then Memphis will be tough to stop inside and probably much tougher to score on as well. That frees up the perimeter players to press more on the perimeter which means more opportunities to run. If Darko isn't able to provide that type of production then it will be more difficult to play the pressing defense Iavaroni has said he wants to play and everything else slows down.

Slowing down is not something that most Grizzlies fans want to hear about this team.

Free Agency Fallout

Fans love the frenzy that comes with the offseason. Trades are made, draft picks are scrutinized, free agents are pursued and hope is renewed. This is more true in the NBA than in any other sport, as they tend to have the most active market of any professional sport in America. While the fans love it, the players likely have a different feeling altogether in association with the uncertainty that the offseason brings.

For example, what is Phoenix Suns forward Shawn Marion to think when there are trade rumors swirling about, with the most likely destination being Utah? Or how about Cleveland Cavaliers big man Anderson Varejao and swingman Sasha Pavlovic, who have yet to be offered contracts by the team, despite interest from other teams during the initial free agent period? It appears they'll be re-signing, but when?

Then there are the ramifications of what happens when a team signs one free agent at the expense of re-signing one of their own or having to trade away a player to free up minutes or avoid the luxury tax. Let's take a look at a few situations where that occurred this summer.

Boston Celtics: Traded for Ray Allen, giving up Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and the #5 draft pick (SF Jeff Green) to the Seattle Supersonics.

Seattle Supersonics: They acquired three SF's (Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Wally Szczerbiak), effectively paving the way for Rashard Lewis to leave town, which he did in in a sign-and-trade to Orlando for a conditional 2nd round pick.

Orlando Magic: They signed Rashard Lewis to a monstrous free agent contract (6 years, $110 million), so they had to bite the bullet and withdraw the qualifying offer to Darko Milicic, rather than even attempt a sign-and-trade because they couldn't take back any additional salary.

Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies then signed Darko to a 3 year contract and waived forward Alexander Johnson. Johnson later signed with the Miami Heat, who we'll hear from later.

Milwaukee Bucks: They re-signed PG Mo Williams to a extension, which then led restricted free agent G Charlie Bell to decide that he wasn't needed in Wisconsin any longer. So Bell signed an offer sheet with the Miami Heat.

Miami Heat: Signed Charlie Bell to an offer sheet, leading to speculation that oft-injured PG Jason Williams will be moved, for the purposes of playing time and luxury tax implications. Finding a new home for J-Will could potentially save the Heat millions this season. Perhaps he'll go to Atlanta since Milwaukee just signed Royal Ivey to a contract.

As you can see, transactions in the NBA can have a domino effect that can affect multiple players and teams and lead to many other transactions and deals being made. This was just a small sample that really started with just two teams each making a move, but it involved 6 teams and might not be finished yet. I could go on and on with every transaction made this offseason, playing connect the dots, but I think I've made my point. This is also another thing to consider when factoring in just how difficult it must be a GM in the NBA, when you never know how the Butterfly Effect will touch you.

Despite 'Average' Play, Miller Represents

Most Griz fans are well aware that 4 current players participated in international, Olympic qualifying tournaments this year. Shades of Blue has reviewed the play of Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro for Spain and Darko Milicic for Serbia (and his, um, performance).

I’m going to delve into Mike Miller’s play for Team USA.

Of the 4 Griz players, Miller had the least impact on his team. This was, of course, due to Team USA being composed of nothing but top tier NBA players at least 3 of whom are future Hall-of-Fame players.

Despite his limited role, I don't want to take anything from Miller. I thought just being invited to the try outs said a lot about Miller as a player and by itself was a high honor. Miller was originally on the bubble to make the team. Just before cuts were finally made, I read arguments on both side regarding Miller's status. Here is what one prominent NBA writer wrote:

Since Miller is considerably less mobile than Redd, there's no strategic reason for him to be given a uniform.

Though Mike DeCourcy made a much better argument for his inclusion.

If I asked you to find the single essential member of that team by perusing that list (of 15 invitees), would you come up with the right guy? Would you recognize that the U.S. absolutely needs Miller to be an important part of this team?

In the end, Nick Collison, Kevin Durant, and JJ Reddick (why was he even invited?) got cut from the 15 man roster and Team USA (correctly) kept Miller.

Miller competed mostly with Michael Redd and Tayshaun Prince for reserve playing time at the wing. In the Las Vegas tryouts, Miller shined while Redd was off. For the most part, the opposite was true during the 10 FIBA games. Miller and Redd were the resident 3-point specialist, with the two leading the team in 3-point attempts. Below average 3-point shooting was identified as one of the weak spots in the last Olympics.

Speaking stats, Miller averaged 7.9 ppg and 38% on 3-pointers. The 38% was by all accounts a disappointing number. It is about 2 percentage points lower than his NBA career average despite the 3-point line being closer. In comparison Redd's numbers were much better (which is who everyone will compare Miller with because likely one of the wing players is going to get bumped to make room for another big come '08). Redd averaged 14.4 ppg on 45% on 3-pointers.

Though I must say, although Redd averaged more points and shot better from beyond the arc, I think Miller is a better overall fit for Team USA. I think Redd forces too many shots. Miller is at his best being setup for open catch and release 3's against either a zone or trailing the break. Team USA has plenty of players that can force shots.

What grade would you give Miller for his 2007 Team USA performance? The consensus seems to be 'average'.

ESPN's Sheridan gives Miller a C+:

Had his best game of the tournament Saturday with four 3-pointers and 14 points, but was erratic in the games before that and shot only 43 percent overall, 37 percent on 3s. Can't see him having any chance of making next summer's team unless injuries make Michael Redd and/or Joe Johnson unavailable.

SI's Chris Mannix gives Miller a C:

He was brought on board to shoot threes, and when he couldn't do that effectively (38 percent), he lost his usefulness. Expect Wade to snatch Miller's spot next year.

Looks like the conventional wisdom will be that Mike's Team USA roster spot is as good as gone next year. Regardless, I'm proud to see a Grizzly on the team, even if he underperformed. Miller represented the Grizzlies well (and I'm extremely happy he came away unhurt). We have been told that Iavaroni's system needs good 3-point shooters and if Miller was good enough at that skill to be selected for Team USA as a 3-point specialist, my guess is he is going to follow up this summer with the confidence and opportunity to have a career year in the NBA.

Lead the Way

In a recent Q&A session with Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson had the following exchange:

What does Dirk Nowitzki have to do this year to improve on an MVP season?

Dirk can get better, and there are some things that Dirk can improve in that may not be basketball-related. It may be leadership-related. Dirk can get better on and off the court. And that's why I've been stretching him. He's the reigning MVP, and if he's not willing to be stretched by his coach, then he never would have improved. So he's willing to be stretched. And his stretching may not be necessarily on the court, but it may be in the area of leadership, and we're willing to help him get better in that area.

In case you didn't catch that, allow me to spell it out for you: Avery Johnson believes that Dirk hasn't been the leader of his team to this point. Here's what Mavericks blogger Tim McMahon had to say in response to this:

Dirk's off-the-charts work ethic sets a tone for this team, but he does not have a take-charge personality. Not sure how that's going to change a decade into his career.

The reason that I bring this up is because I see yet another parallel between Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol. Both players have been recognized as the best players on their respective teams for several seasons and have the stats to back up that claim. While Nowitzki has had more postseason success (arguably due to a far superior supporting cast to this point), their careers have followed similar arcs as two of the premier international players in the NBA today. However, with the levels of success that both of them have achieved, there has been a widespread perception that even though they are the best players on their teams, they are not their team's leader.

I realize that you can lead a team in many different ways. There is the obvious example of being a vocal leader who not only encourages teammates and exhorts them to raise their level of play, but also criticizes them when necessary and is someone who commands the respect of his entire team (example: Steve Nash). Next, there is the clutch leader -- the guy who takes control of a game, demands the ball when a score is needed and relishes pressure (example: Kobe Bryant). Then, there is the consumate leader. He is the player who does both things listed above and finds ways to win games, even if it means letting others take the big shot (example: Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan). There have been times over the past two seasons that Dirk has been either a vocal leader or a clutch leader, but not consistently enough for him to be considered a true leader of his team. When he criticizes his teammates ,it always seems to be in the wrong manner, often by using the media to deliver his statements, which creates problems in the locker room. In the same way, Pau has hit game-winning shots for his team and has encouraged his teammates in tough situations, but has also been quoted in Spanish newspapers (some of questionable repute) asking for a trade or complaining about the supporting cast the front office has provided. These are not the traits of a true consumate leader (you listening Kobe?), because what that does is create disharmony amongst the team, the organization and the fans. By doing things in this manner, Pau and Dirk have undermined their own leadership of their teams.

As ChipC3 said to me earlier today, a team without a leader is like a foot without a big toe. Without the big toe, it is impossible to even maintain balance, much less walk in a straight line. For the Mavericks and Grizzlies to reach the full potential of their respective talent levels, someone will have to step up and captain their ships. O Captain! My Captain!