Postgame Thoughts: Memphis vs. Denver - 1.30.08

Well, it was another game and another close loss as the dreaded "failure to execute in late game situations" demon reared its ugly head once again.



>No, I said "demon", not "Damon". Since we're talking about Damon though, word is that he'll sign with the San Antonio Spurs by the end of the week. The surprising portion of this news is that it will actually lower the team's average age. Back to demons now, like the one on the lovely Claire Forlani's top as seen here:



That's not a demon on her shirt you say? Well, it's not much of a shirt either, so sod off! She's far more appealing to look at than the box score of another loss. Fine, fine, here's your bloody demon.



Still speaking of demons, who let The Dark One out? 14 points, 16 boards and 5 blocks, neatly mimicking Camby's 13/19/5 line? A few more games like that and he might shake the ridiculous "bust" label he's been unfairly saddled with.



Well, Darko and Rudy Gay were the "good" tonight and Mike Miller was the "acceptable by that much" player. Now on to my new favorite target (and not just because I like to see Zack get all riled up): Kyle Lowry. The buzz going into tonight's game was his great play as a starter since Conley went down with an injury, posting averages of 17.0 ppg, 6.0 apg, 5.7 rpg, 2.7 spg and an assist to turnover ratio of 18-to-1 over the past three games (although Chip agrees with me that his turnover total is somewhat dubious). Well tonight Kyle scored (19 points on 8/17 FG, 3/3 FT), rebounded (4 boards), stole (2 steals) and........forgot that he was a point guard. He tallied 1 assist and 6 turnovers while having his shot blocked 4 times. Granted, Marc Iavaroni said during the postgame comments that he wasn't pleased with the team's lack of assists (12 for the game) and even made a pointed remark in Rudy's direction after saying that, but Kyle is the starting PG -- Kyle should be the facillitator for everyone else. I'll leave it at that, because I love the kid's tenacity and drive, but he has to start making better decisions with the ball -- especially in late-game situations.

I didn't say much about Navarro's good game on Monday, so I probably shouldn't mention his poor game tonight......but I'm an equal opportunity offender, so here we go! 2 of 12 from the floor, including 0 for 8 from behind the arc? Really? He made some plays elsewhere, recording 7 boards, 3 assists and a steal, but make no mistake about it, he's paid to score.

Defensively, the team played poorly again, allowing yet another team to shoot over 50%. That stat, combined with a turnover deficit of -5 helped negate a rebounding advantage of +12. Defense is something that is going to have to be addressed with this team, no matter what style of play they choose to play.

I'm gonna go drown my sorrows in an ice-cold Pepsi now.



Yeah, that'll do.

ChipC3's Perspective:
Another heart-stopping finish and another hart-breaking loss for the team that couldn't finish straight.

I don't know how to put a different spin on an outcome that was so familiar. Memphis is very close to being a decent team and with the youth on display last night the future is looking bright. It just doesn't feel like that right now.

Thanks to Ron Tillery for his rumored trade of Stro for Magliore. Not only is it extremely dated to be reported now (right after Stro's one game suspension) but it doesn't even make sense financially since the it doesn't adhere to the CBA rules. Next time get the story right before you write it in an article Ron. Little things do make big differences as a journalist.

Darko Milicic played like the big man the Grizzlies have dreamed he would be. At 22 he isn't too far gone in his career that he can't start putting up these kind of numbers consistently but he is getting close to the point when the fans start to associate him with Stro. He tantilizes you one night and then disappears for a few. Hopefully Darko can use the rest of the season to get his game on a more consistent level. We aren't asking for 14 pts and 16 boards against an elite defensive center every night but a double double every other night would be nice.

Kyle Lowry is exciting. You never know what will happen with him on the court. He can charge into the lane and explode past a defender and he can charge into a lane only to get his shot blocked. He can make a sweet pass to an open man and he can throw the ball into the stands. One thing is for sure, you never know what is going to happen when he is on the court.

Juan Carlos Navarro has officially become the refs whipping boy on our team. Rookies are routinely judged by a different standard than veterans by the refs but it is becoming an issue when Navarro has every call go against him. Last night he was run over by AI and given a foul. This has gone on all season for calls like that. It seemed to upset his shooting last night too. Welcome to the NBA rookie. Next year he should start getting those calls (or learn to just get out of the way of an NBA All-Star's drive to the hoop).

Rudy Gay smoothly led the team in scoring with 30 points, grabbed 8 boards and handed out 3 assists to tie for the team high in assists. That should say a lot about how the ball movement was working last night. Rudy also showed just how much more he has to work on his dribbling. That is the one area I think is his weakest vice. Rudy struggles creating shots on drives because of his ballhandling skills. I think Mike Conley knows a good camp for Rudy to attend this summer to work on that.

Even up 7 pts with 3 minutes to go it seemed like everyone knew AI would take over and somehow will the team to victory. Then he did. One can only hope that Conley was watching on how to take over a game at the end. That will be his role in the future as his speed and dribbling skills will enable him to break down defenses while still keeping an eye open for a teammate. Sure AI scored 30 pts but he also got 12 assists, many of which were 3 pt shots when AI got into the lane and then passed out to the open wing man. If Lowry and Conley can start doing that more often Memphis would be very dangerous offensively.

Defensively the team looked lost at times. I don't understand how the Grizzlies seem unable to grasp even rudimentary moves and defend them but I am not the coach. The best defensive plays came on dunk shots by J R Smith who clanged back to back attempts off the rim which led to quick baskets by the Grizzlies and changed the game. At that time Denver looked to be establishing themselves but those two plays got the crowd and the team back into the game.

Utah comes to town Saturday night. I wonder how close we can make this loss?



Special Thanks to Getty Pictures for the live NBA action shots.

Rudy, Conley, JCN invited to T-Mobile Rookie Challenge

Rudy Gay, Mike Conley and Juan Carlos Navarro were all invited to participate in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge during All-Star Weekend in New Orleans.

The participants in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam were selected by the NBA’s assistant coaches, with each team submitting one ballot. The head coaches for the Rookie and Sophomore teams will be the lead assistants from the 2007 NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs.

The T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam will be televised live nationally on TNT and also will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio, while NBA.com will make live audio available to fans in multiple languages.

ROOKIE TEAM ROSTER
Mike Conley - Memphis
Kevin Durant - Seattle
Jeff Green - Seattle
Al Horford - Atlanta
Jamario Moon - Toronto
Juan Carlos Navarro - Memphis
Luis Scola - Houston
Sean Williams - New Jersey
Yi Jianlian - Milwaukee

SOPHOMORE TEAM ROSTER
LaMarcus Aldridge - Portland
Andrea Bargnani - Toronto
Ronnie Brewer - Utah
Jordan Farmar - L.A. Lakers
Rudy Gay - Memphis
Daniel Gibson - Cleveland
Paul Millsap - Utah
Rajon Rondo - Boston
Brandon Roy - Portland

Memphis vs Denver - 1.30.08

Mike Conley Free Jersey Night!


Memphis continues their season long home stand against another team competing for a divisional title as the team tries to regroup from the beating Dallas inflicted on them Monday night. It may have been just a coincidence but it was hard to dissassoiate to correlation between Damon Stoudamire being freed from his purgatory of DNP's when he was waived and the total lack of effort by the Grizzlies Monday night. Pau Gasol is trying to play despite painful back spasms which are severely limiting his effectiveness. Mike Miller hustles but if he doesn't hit his first few shots, turns off the aggressive mode which the Grizzlies need from him. Even Rudy Gay has struggled with the moniker of Franchise Player put on him. Mike Conley is possible for this game and everyone is hoping he comes back quick but I somehow get the feeling it won't happen in this game. Kyle Lowry has been one of the few bright spots of late and that is despite his horrendous free throw shooting and inability to dive and dish effectively. Things have looked better in Memphis. Now Stromile Swift has joined the freakish story by getting suspended after the Dallas game.

Denver hasn't won on the road since January 4th against Minnesota. The Nuggets also come to town in a dog fight in the Northeast division. Utah, Portland and the Nuggets are all fighting for the top spot and it is quite likely one if not both losers will fail to even qualify for the post-season. That makes every game magnified in importance and also less likely that Denver will overlook the Grizzlies in this game. Throw in a 2 game losing streak to Southwest divsion teams in Dallas and New Orleans and the possibility of an 0-3 road trip has to be wearing on their minds. This will be the 3rd game in four days so fatigue has to be factored into the equation as well. Allen Iverson leads the Nuggets with always dependable Marcus Camby hitting the boards. The Nuggets are a little thin at forward with Nene and Carmello Anthony both battling differents problems but Linas Kleiza has stepped up and is starting to contribute in his role as back up scorer to Iverson with Carmello out. Carmello has been questionable the last two games. Anyone want to bet he recovers in time for this game? That would just be the Grizzlies look this year.

Point Guards: Kyle Lowry vs Anthony Carter
Anthony Carter has really helped the Nuggets out this season with his steadying play at the point. With Earl Boykins and Andre Miller gone and Former Grizz Chucky Atkins injured the team needed some stability at the point to free up Iverson to be the scorer he naturally is and Carter has allowed that. Carter's role isn't to score. He can hit shots however as he's shot 46% from the field and 35% from the arc this season. His main job is defense (1.44 spg) and assists (6.3 apg) and that he does well enough. Kyle Lowry is playing very well considering the excessive workload of the last two games (49 minutes against the Clips and 42 minutes against Dallas). His 8 total assists on 92 minutes is a bit disturbing but his 13 boards, 3 steals and only 1 turnover have been encouraging. What is disappointing is his 13-26 free throw shooting in those games.
Advnatage: Denver

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson stampeded his way to one of the starting positions on the NBA All-Star team. He deserved it more than T-Mac so I am happy for him. This also raises some interesting questions in this matchup. Is it better to be an NBA All-Star or a bench player on the Olympics team? AI was left off the invite list to last summer's FIBA championships which means he probably won't be on the Olympic team. Mike Miller made the team which means he should at least be asked to tryout again. Iverson is a scoring machine averaging 26.9 ppg on 45.4% from the field and 32.6% from the arc. He still averages over 2 steals per game (2.11) and at 32 yrs of age shows no sign of slowing down. Miller is 3rd on the Grizzlies in scoring at 16.7 ppg but should have little trouble getting his shot off over the diminutive AI. He will need to be careful with the ball however. Being aggresive shooting and taking care of the ball have not been strong points of Mike's game this season.
Advantage: Denver

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Linas Kleiza
Rudy Gay may hope he plays against Kleiza because the alternative is Carmello's return (which I still fully expect) but Kleiza is no pushover. He's not physically imposing or particularly athletic but he can get the job done. Rudy is putting together a good month but is obviously also looking forward to all-star weekend. It is a bit unfortunate that Ray won't be getting the time off because he has taken on a heavy load this year and there are still a lot of games left to play. Rudy will need to be aggressive in this matchup because it is one of the few that Memphis has the advantage in, assuming Carmello is still out.
Advantage: Denver

Power Forwards: Pau Gasol vs Kenyon Martin
Pau Gasol normally has trouble with more physical players like Martin but KMart's knee has prevented him from being the beast he used to be in the NBA. Of course Gasol's back has made him a shadow of the player he was earlier in the month. Gasol is still averaging over 20 pts and 10 board in January but he will need to pick up the pace to win this battle. Gasol will likely be traded off between Marcus Camby and Kmart in an attempt to wear him down as well. The problem for Denver is the lack of depth behind Kmart and Camby and Gasol's ability to get to the line. If Gasol can get the starters in foul trouble then Memphis looks surprisingly good in this game. The problem is that Gasol is averaging around 5 FT's a game in January and that won't get anyone in foul trouble.
Advantage: Denver

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Marcus Camby
Camby will not be seeing his former coach John Calipari on the sidelines this trip to town as the Tigers will be in Houston taking care of the Cougars we hope. That is good news because the last thing Darko needs is more motivation for Camby. Camby always seems to have huge games against the Grizzlies and their weak interior rebounding. While Darko doesn't grab the ball that often he usually prevents his man to get the rebound as well. Take away Camby's offensive boards and you take away a lot of his offensive effectiveness. Darko may not have Stro backing him up in this game so avoiding foul trouble is important as well.
Advantage: Denver

Benches: Memphis vs Denver
When a team has J R Smith coming off the bench, you realize this is a team that can hit you from many different positions offensively. With Carmello Anthony out with a bad knee and Nene out with cancer it does hurt the Nuggets bench but that doesn't mean the cupboard is bare either. Eduardo Najera is the exact player Memphis thought they were getting when they signed Brian Cardinal. The only real difference is Najera doesn't have bum knees and an insane contract. Also, while Carmello took off for the disaster on the Gulf, I doubt he will miss this game as well. Memphis' bench has been strong with Navarro and Hakim trying to compete but Bobby Jones looks like he won't be picked up for the rest of the season. He hasn't played at all lately and looks disinterested in the few minutes he has gotten. If Stro plays, and that is questionable with the suspension, and regains the level of play he exhibited before he twisted his ankle Memphis' bench will be stronger but it usually takes Stro a longer time than most to recover from these types of injuries.
Advantage: Denver

Relevant blogs/websites:
Pickaxe and Roll
The Nugg Doctor
Nuggets Hoops

Power Rankings 1-28 & 29

Added Hollinger of ESPN.  Avg. 25.9 All rankings either 25 or 27.
Mejia of CBS weighs in on who Grizzlies should draft.

Power Rankings for 28 & 29 Jan '08
Mouse Over GRIZZLIES LOGO to see COMMENTS (works best with MS IE)
Click on Grizzlies logo to go to team web page for each media's web site.
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