Last night, we got an email from Eric McMahon, aka "Grizz" the mascot of the Memphis Grizzlies who is currently battling Hodgkin's lymphoma. He reported that he is doing well with his treatment, which should last another 4 months. He hopes to be back in time for the open of next season. We continue to pray for his full recovery and wish him the best as he enters the last few months of treatment. Get well soon Eric -- we're all pulling for you!
Over on ClipperBlog, they have listed some of the best ways to identify a bad team. I'd say more, but I'm slightly agog after reading this magnificent post that should be printed out and framed.
There had been some talk about a group of Grizzlies fans showing up to the game with paper bags on their head to protest the moves of owner Michael Heisley. Well, in Milwaukee, a group of Bucks fans actually did it. BrewHoop has the story with some great pictures as evidence.
Basketbawful gives some of the participants in the Grizzlies/Bobcats game a mention while reviewing last night's NBA action.
On a final note, this is a sad day for all of us here at 3SoB. If this is true, where am I going to get all the useless information that isn't fit to wipe my backside with?
Blog/Website of the Day: Need4Sheed and the video of Jason Maxiell emasculating Tyson Chandler
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Links: Grizz Update, Bad Teams
Monday, March 17, 2008
Post Game Thoughts: Memphis vs. Charlotte - 3.17.08
Boy it feels sweet to be at a Grizzlies victory and the pre-game party was pretty tasty as well. Not just a victory either but a blowout win where the team came together and really played as a team in the 2nd half to completely thwart a talented opponent. Sure Charlotte has only 25 wins and is not threatening to grab a playoff spot in the weak Eastern Conference but any team with Jason Richardson, Gerald Wallace and free agent in waiting Emeka Okafor is not a team to overlook either.
If anyone was wondering who was going to be the on-court leader of the Grizzlies down the stretch should have had those questions answered tonight. Mike Miller played huge tonight from hitting big baskets, to grabbing rebounds and basically putting the team on his back and refusing to allow them to succumb to an early deficit. He played like a man who wanted to prove he is deserving a spot on this summer's Olympic team. He was that big last night against a pretty good player in Jason Richardson.
Juan Carlos Navarro can't be forgotten in the victory either. Despite being held in relative check in the 2nd half Navarro made many defensive plays to disrupt the Bobcats offense (yes I said defensive) and his 12 points in the first half kept the Grizzlies in contention when it seemed no one else could make a basket. Navarro ended up leading the Grizzlies in scoring with 21 points but it was the first half where he was most impressive.
Darko Milicic played a decent game. He shot the ball poorly including attempting to lay the ball in to often instead of just dunking the ball which resulted in one particularly embarrassing block by Gerald Wallace but he kept being aggressive offensively and drew some important fouls in the 2nd half. If Darko could hit free throws he would have been far more important in the final outcome. Still his 10 pts and 11 boards were a big aid in the 2nd half run.
Hakim Warrick didn't start which not only surprised me but the announcer as well. Hak had a decent game off the bench however and he his scoring helped the bench provide a scoring punch that was needed. Free throws hurt Hak's overall game as he was only 5-11 from the line.
If anyone had told me before the game that Rudy Gay would be in foul trouble all night and only score 8 points I would have assumed the Grizzlies would be blown out. Instead Rudy contributed in other ways holding Gerald Wallace to only 10 points and dishing out 4 assists. Rudy also was more vocal tonight than I have seen him in a while which I believe contributed to other players taking the lead offensively. He seemed to be encouraging his teammates to be more aggressive and not look to him so much. I don't know for sure if that was the case but the way Miller, Navarro and Hak took over seemed to make that impression valid.
Charlotte looked tired after playing yesterday in Cleveland. That doesn't explain the poor shooting from Jason Richardson and Raymond Felton however. Their combined 7-32 shooting had as much to do with the Bobcats defeat as the Grizzlies offensive heroics. Matt Carroll, a dangerous shooter for the Bobcats, was held to only 2 attempts and he failed to hit either one. Thank Juan Carlos Navarro for that ineffectiveness.
The Grizzlies now head to Minnesota to face the TWolves and another opportunity to put together a winning streak. The effort tonight should make that trip more encouraging.
Thanks to Joe Murphy and Getty Images for the great photos of Mike Miller and Rudy Gay. Chipc3 took the dance team picture at the Downtown Party. Everyone missed a great event there. Chris Wallace spoke and took questions (the man is a masochist the way he stands up there and takes questions), the Dance team made appearances and the food (Shrimp, tenderloin sandwiches, spicy chicken, chips and dip plus desserts) were fantastic. Another opportunity lost for those of you who didn't attend. The Grizzlies did it right this time!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Memphis vs. Charlotte - 3.17.08
Join the Grizzlies for Downtown Night.
Memphis is coming off a close loss to Golden State that showed evidence of the team "getting it" as they reach the home stretch of the regular season. They had active hands on defense, found open players on offense and played with intensity and determination, even when down by double digits late in the game. If they can build upon that throughout the remainder of the season, it would give fans that much more hope for better results next year.
Charlotte gave a valiant effort against the Cleveland LeBrons, but came up a little bit short in the end. That dropped the Bobcats to 3.5 games out of the 8th position in the Eastern Conference. After winning 5 in a row, they have now lost 3 straight and will need to get back on track if they plan on living up to preseason expectations.
Point Guards: Mike Conley vs. Raymond Felton
Raymond Felton has improved each season he's been in the league, as his scoring and assists have gone up, while his turnovers have gone down. Mike Conley didn't play exceptionally well against Golden State and saw most of his minutes go to Kyle Lowry as a result. He'll need to be on his toes if he plans on keeping up with Felton, who has been great since the team cut Jeff McInnis with the exception of a sub-par effort against the streaking Rockets.
Advantage: Charlotte
Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs. Matt Carroll
Matt Carroll has seen his minutes decrease with the return of Gerald Wallace to the lineup, and his performance has suffered as a result. He has played well against the Grizzlies historically, but that doesn't mean he'll break out of his mini-slump for this one. Miller also has a good history in this series, averaging 20 ppg against Charlotte. When Wallace comes in, expect to see Miller matched up with Jason Richardson fairly often.
Advantage: Memphis
Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs. Jason Richardson
Jason Richardson has been lighting it up since Charlotte brought him in over last summer. The most noticeable improvement has been in his perimeter game, as he is hitting over 40% of his 3-pointers this season. However, he's also prone to disappearing on occasion, posting more than a few sub-15 point games. Rudy Gay is still struggling with a sore left hamstring, which has hindered his production over the last few games. He'll need to be at 100% to battle Richardson and Wallace all night.
Advantage: Charlotte
Power Forwards: Hakim Warrick vs. Emeka Okafor
Okafor turned down a big money extension last summer and hasn't shown much improvement over last season as most of his numbers mirror last year's while his blocks are down almost a block a game. This is one of those matchups that make you cringe as a Grizzlies fan. Okafor is bigger, stronger and tougher than Hakim. Hak has a decided advantage in terms of offensive skillset, but Okafor will probably dominate him in all other areas while limiting Warrick's offensive output.
Advantage: Charlotte
Centers: Darko Milicic vs. Nazr Mohammed
Nazr has seen a decided uptick in his production since coming to Charlotte from Detroit in an early season trade. He was mostly ineffective off the bench in the earlier meeting between these two teams, but perhaps life as a starter will produce different results. It is unknown if Darko will play after missing the Warriors' game with a sore foot. With the frontline of Okafor/Mohammed/Harrington, the Grizzlies will need another big body to throw at them.
Advantage: Memphis
Benches: Memphis vs. Charlotte
Juan Carlos Navarro and Kyle Lowry have been big contributors the last few games. They'll need to duplicate the effort they put forth against Golden State if they want to keep pace with Gerald Wallace and Jared Dudley. Expect Brian Cardinal, Jason Collins and Javaris Crittenton to see playing time as well, while the Bobcats will probably give some minutes to Jermareo Davidson and Othella Harrington.
Advantage: Charlotte
Relevant blogs/websites/links:
Interview with the Enemy: BobcatsPlanet
Bobcats Bonfire
BobcatsPlanet
Queen City Hoops
Early Look at Free Agency
With the season all-but-over for everything except for evaluation purposes, I'd like to take an early look at some prospective free agents. Now without knowing draft position or which players we'll be keeping of our own free agents, it is tough to pinpoint who to really take an interest in at this time. However, even with that in mind, there are a handful of players that I think would be beneficial to the team no matter who they draft or re-sign. As a disclaimer, let me say that I'm not looking at any of the "big name" guys (Gilbert Arenas, Elton Brand, Monta Ellis, etc.) or any of the higher profile restricted free agents (Andre Igoudala, Luol Deng, Emeka Okafor, Josh Smith, etc.) for this post. These will be mid- to lower-level players that can contribute off the bench or as occasional starters when needed.
Mickael Pietrus - Warriors: The player known as "Air France" was heavily rumored to be on Jerry West's watch list prior to the 2003 draft, which led to the Warriors taking him at #11 before the Grizzlies pick at #13. Pietrus demanded a trade about a month ago when he wasn't getting any playing time in Don Nelson's free-wheelin' system in which he thrived last year. In fact, he even joked with the Grizzlies broadcast team, wondering "if Chris Wallace was in the building, because I'd look good in Memphis".
Pietrus is an athletic SG/SF (6'6", 215 lbs.) who is a capable defender, if prone to foul trouble on occasion. I blame that on Nellie's insistence on a gambling, hacking defensive style that produces turnovers at the expense of giving up hand-check fouls quite often. He's not a terrific outside shooter (career .352%) or free-throw shooter (career .660%), but he is a good slasher and defender, which the Grizzlies can definitely use at the swingman position.
Trevor Ariza - Lakers: Ariza is another athletic slasher with good size (6'8", 210 lbs.), although he has absolutely no outside shot, so the Grizzlies would have to retain Miller or Navarro to complement him when he's on the floor since none of the young PG's are capable perimeter threats either. He played well for L.A. before suffering a broken right foot, but there is some question as to how concerned they are about retaining him with the other talented forwards they have on the roster. He'd make a solid backup to Rudy for the next few years.
Josh Childress (R) - Hawks: Honestly, I want to sign him just for the hairdo. Ok, not just that. I like the idea of a 6'8", 210 lbs. G/F who has a .580 FG% this season. He could start at SG if the team decides to trade Mike Miller or fill in at both SG and SF positions off the bench.
Chris Duhon - Bulls: I know a lot of Bulls fans hate him, but he has a 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio this season. I'd love to have him as the primary backup to help the young PG's that remain on the roster. He's a smart player, if a little undersized (6'1", 185 lbs.) in today's NBA.
Eduardo Najera - Nuggets: The guy you love to hate....when he's on the other team. When he's on your team, you defend him with your last breath. Najera is the classic hustle player that does all the dirty work that nobody else thinks is worth their time. He's a poor man's Shane Battier, which the team has missed the last two seasons since Battier was traded to Houston. He's capable of playing either forward position and won't back down from anyone.
DeSagana Diop - Nets: Is he a starter? Not for a legit playoff team in the West, he isn't. But he is a solid defender and shot-blocker with the size (7'0", 275 lbs) to match up with anyone in the league. With only Darko and Jason Collins capable of playing center, he'd be a nice addition.
Louis Amundson (R) - Sixers: I can see the question forming on your lips right now - "Who?" I profiled Amundson in an earlier post and although he hasn't gotten much playing time for Philly this season, my opinion on him hasn't changed much. This 6'9", 225 lbs. forward is an energetic player with great athleticism and a knack for shot-blocking. He wouldn't see much PT here either, but in case you haven't noticed, we need to upgrade our bench so that guys like Andre Brown don't have to see the floor.
James Jones - Trail Blazers: A 6'8", 220 lbs. SF, Jones is familiar with Coach Marc Iavaroni from his time in Phoenix. He's hitting over 48% of his 3-point attempts this season. Besides, David Berri (Wages of Wins) says he's the key to Portland's success and that's good enough for me.
Bonzi Wells - Hornets: And this is where I lose most of you. Hear me out though. Bonzi (or "The Bonzi" in my house) is a solid scorer with an excellent post-up game. At 6'5", 210 lbs. you're not going to see him get pushed around by anyone either. He's not quite the defender he used to be, but he's still a good rebounder and a solid option off the bench.
Those are the players that I'd like to see the front office take a look at if they aren't going to go after any of the "big names" this summer. Chime in with your own thoughts on some of the lower-level players we should target this offseason to upgrade the bench.
Interview with the Enemy: BobcatsPlanet
In our continuing quest to educate ourselves about every single team in the NBA, we turned to Ziggy at BobcatsPlanet.com to learn more about the Charlotte Bobcats. He was kind enough to answer a few questions, which we greatly appreciated.
1. In the preseason, many of the experts were predicting that Charlotte would make the playoffs this season. They are currently 3 games outside of the 8th spot in the East. Do you think they can make up that gap or are they just not ready to make that leap yet?
I think that there is still hope. Even after two tough losses against the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets the Bobcats are 5-3 since they released Jeff McInnis. Waiving Jeff allowed Raymond Felton to get the bulk of the point guard minutes instead of being forced to play out of position as an undersized shooting guard. If they can continue their recent pace over the next 17 games, then its possible that they may be able to make up those 3 games and sneak into the #8 seed in the east.
2. Gerald Wallace recently returned from a concussion and told the coaching staff that he won't last much longer if they continue to play him out of position at the PF spot. Given the financial commitment they made to him in the offseason, will they have to move him over to his natural SF position, creating a time crunch at the wings among Wallace, Matt Carroll, Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley? Also, is this the best move anyway once Sean May returns to full health?
Its definitely in Gerald's best interest to play the SF position. Gerald has had 4 concussions since hes been a Bobcat along with a couple of other frightening injuries, If he continues to match up with guys that are 3 inches bigger and 30 pounds heavier then its only a matter of time before something bad happens again. With that being said, and despite Gerald's request to get away from the PF position, our coach had him playing PF minutes in his return game against the Mavs and in Friday night's game against the Rockets.
Playing Gerald at the SF does create a time crunch at the wing. Jason Richardson and Gerald Wallace should be the starters, but rookie Jared Dudley deserves minutes and you have to get Matt Carroll on the court also... And how does this all work out next season when Adam Morrison returns? It should be interesting, I wish I had the answer.
We're taking a wait and see approach on Sean May's return next season. Because of his knees, he has been able to play only 58 games in 3 seasons. He has to prove that he can keep his weight down and stay healthy.
3. Emeka Okafor didn't sign a long term extension this past offseason and will be a restricted free agent this summer as a result. Do you think the Bobcats will make it a priority to re-sign him or will they let another team sign him to an offer sheet and then decide whether or not to match?
This situation is troubling. Emeka was offered $13 million per year over the summer but he turned it down. I think that they will let another team sign him to an offer sheet, that would take some of the pressure off of the Bobcats as far as determining Emeka's market value.I also wouldn't put it past Emeka to not sign anything this summer which would allow him to be an unrestricted free agent next summer. At that point, he could seriously cash in.
4. What do you see as the biggest need for this team in the offseason?
Of all the questions, this is the easiest. We need better coaching.. Some of our coaching decisions this year have been bizarre to say the least.
* making a borderline D-League backup your starting PG for the majority of the season (Jeff McInnis)
* burying Walter Hermann on the bench early in the season
* repeatedly using a small lineup which forces Gerald to play PF
* until very recently not playing Nazr Mohammed and Emeka Okafor on the court at the same time
In a recent poll on our site, Sam's approval rating was a whopping 13%, and thats up from 6% prior to the Bobcats 5 game winning streak.
Postgame Thoughts: Memphis at Golden State 3.15.08
Well, the Grizzlies finally showed up for a full game, which was a nice change. Even though they got down by as much as 17 points, they were still within striking distance going into the last minute of the game. After a string of blowout losses, this was a very entertaining game for fans of both teams, although I'm sure Warriors' fans wanted an easier night after coming off a tough loss to Phoenix.
Let's take a quick look at how the Grizzlies did last night.
Mike Miller - I don't know what exactly it is, but Miller absolutely thrives when playing in Oracle Arena. He posted 19 pts, 13 reb and 6 ast in 38 minutes last night. His perimeter shot wasn't falling like it normally does (1/5), but he still managed to shoot over 50% from the field. He was also one of three Grizzlies to post a positive +/- rating on the night.
Kyle Lowry - I'll admit that I was absolutely dumbfounded when Kyle came out in the starting lineup alongside Mike Conley. But Kyle was a whirlwind of energy all night and kept Memphis in the game with his intensity and toughness. He had 5 assists and 5 steals with only 3 turnovers to go with his 12 points scored and was a big reason that the Grizzlies didn't just give up in the second half.
Hakim Warrick - Hak held his own against a bigger, stronger opponent while matched up with Andris Biedrins as he got the start at C with the foot injury that sidelined Darko Milicic. He led all scorers with 23 points and chipped in 7 boards, 1 assist and 3 steals as well.
Juan Carlos Navarro - JCN is a scorer. Last night he scored very efficiently, tallying 20 points on only 11 FG attempts. That's something everyone would love to see more of from the Spaniard.
Passing lane defense - The Grizzlies finished the game with 15 steals as the 6 players receiving the most playing time all recorded at least one. That's how you stay with a team that plays at a frenetic pace like the Warriors.
Rudy Gay - Even though he had a great night statistically (20 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk), you could tell that his hamstring injury was still bothering him as he didn't have his usual level of explosiveness. Hopefully, he won't push too hard and aggravate the injury.
Mike Conley - He looked like a rookie PG.....which is what he is. He struggled to cover the bigger Warriors he was matched up against on defense, but given what Baron and Monta have been doing to all opponents this year, I don't think that he played poorly at all.
Brian Cardinal - 8 points and 8 rebounds in under 18 minutes of PT?!?! Really? Maybe BC just wanted to remind Golden State fans what they were missing out on now that he is in Beale Street Blue. Yeah....I'm sure that's what it was.
3-point shooting - They shot 40% from beyond the arc (6/15), which ain't too shabby.
Assists - For the first time in a long time, half of their FG makes were assisted, as they recorded 20 assists on 40 made FG's.
They also kept the rebounding margin closer than expected (-3), won the turnover battle (+6) and even took (and hit!) more FT's than their opponent (21/29 to 18/26). In short, they did everything right except come away with the win. That should be a big positive for this young team and will hopefully lead to better play for the rest of the regular season.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Memphis at Golden State - 3.15.08
Golden State of Mind wanted our thoughts on the Grizzlies in the post-Gasol era and, as always, we were more than happy to offer them up. Go check out that Q&A for some further insight and analysis.
Memphis is a ship without a rudder, captain or destination at the moment. Many fans simply want this disastrous season to be over with so that they can focus on the hope that the offseason brings to every team looking to rebuild. The Grizzlies are in the midst of a 16 game road losing streak - their longest since they moved from Vancouver.
Golden State has won five straight against the Grizzlies and are on a 4-game home winning streak. They are maintaining their tenuous grasp on the 8th playoff spot, leading the Denver Nuggets by 2 games at the moment. They will need to take advantage of their next three games (Grizzlies, Kings, Clippers), if they plan on making any noise this postseason.
Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Baron Davis
BD has been on fire in the month of March, averaging 27.4 ppg, 7.6 apg, 4.6 rpg, 1.4 spg on .527 FG% in the last 7 games. He's even chipped in 4 blocks in the last 3 games. Mike Conley, on the other hand, has been facing the typical struggles that all rookie point guards deal with. The scary thing is, his stats are almost exactly what I predicted they would be in the preseason. Of course, all the rest of them were way off, but I'm going to bask in the glow of being right for a little while.
Advantage: Golden State
Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Monta Ellis
Monta Ellis has responded to March in much the same way as his backcourt mate. Through 7 games he is averaging 23.1 ppg, 7 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.9 spg on .550 FG%. This smallish SG (only 6'3") is lightning quick and has a great mid-range game to go with his prolific slashing ability. In other words, he's going to shred the Grizzlies' defense once again. Mike Miller has put up less than spectacular numbers in the last three games (all blowouts) and the fact hasn't changed that as #33 goes, so go the Grizzlies. He'll have to put forth a superhuman effort for them to even be competitive in this one.
Advantage: Golden State
Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Stephen Jackson
Captain Jack had been playing well prior to Thursday's loss to Phoenix when his shot seemed to leave him. If his perimeter game picks back up, Rudy could be in for a long night on defense. There is some concern that Rudy Gay is less than 100%, given that the Commercial Appeal reported that he pulled his left hamstring against the Suns, which he feels limited his effectiveness against Denver. If that injury is still bothering him, this matchup could get ugly very quickly.
Advantage: Memphis
Power Forwards: Hakim Warrick vs Mickael Pietrus
Now, on most teams Pietrus would be as much of a PF as Shaq is a SG. But by the Bay, anyone can play anywhere, which is why he gets the start here as far as we can ascertain. Pietrus has responded well to the increase in playing time over the last few weeks, which I find interesting given that Nellie didn't want to play him at all early in the season. Of course, Nellie is known for making unusual decisions and leaving people guessing. Hak will do what Hak does: score and rebound. He'll definitely struggle to defend Pietrus though.
Advantage: Golden State
Centers: Darko Milicic vs Andris Biedrins
Biedrins is a classic high-energy player, which is the classic example of what Darko has trouble with. In other words, expect Biedrins to get the best of him in blocks and rebounds, even if he doesn't score much. Darko's main role should be to block out any and everyone he can to prevent the Warriors from collecting easy second chance points.
Advantage: Golden State
Benches: Memphis vs Golden State
Al Harrington has been sent back to the bench (again, for reasons only Don Nelson knows), giving the Warriors another weapon off the bench as he joins Kelenna Azubuike, Brandan Wright and C.J. Watson as the primary scoring threats in reserve. The Grizzlies still don't have much coming off the bench for them, as they counter with Kyle Lowry, Juan Carlos Navarro, Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins.
Advantage: Golden State
Relevant blogs/websites:
Golden State of Mind
The City
WarriorsWorld
Ball Don't Lie - Warriors talk about their first cars
Commercial Appeal - Grizz seek talent like (Monta) Ellis
Tom Ziller (The Fanhouse) - Will Monta Ellis Leave Baron's Shadow?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Links: Evaluation, Nuggets Blogs, Blogger Ban
Empty the Bench has taken on the task of evaluating the teams that won't be making the postseason this year (a thankless job, if ever there was one). Yesterday, they tackled the Memphis Grizzlies. ETB didn't mince words or pull any punches, which is just the way we like our analysis: harsh and accurate. It is a great read that I urge all of you to take a look at.
Both Nugg Doctor and Fire George Karl are pleased with last night's win, if somewhat unimpressed with the opponent. Hard to blame them on either count.
I'm sure all of you bloggers out there have already heard about the Dallas Mavericks imposing a Blogger Ban on their locker room. We have read everyone else's responses to this point (Hardwood Paroxysm, TrueHoop, et al) and agree with much of what has been said. Of course, as it so happens, we here at 3SoB have been politely asked to refrain from contacting anyone within the Grizzlies organization after our initial sitdown with Chris Wallace, even as we continue to provide some of the best coverage of the team outside of the lone newspaper in town. We have abided by that, even as other teams give blogs more access that we have ever dreamed of requesting. I have no problem with teams protecting themselves from media outlets that would seek to release damaging information (true, false or otherwise) acquired from "insider access". In fact, I wholeheartedly support it. However, as has been pointed out, writers from the "established media" should be held to the same standards that they accuse bloggers of not reaching. After all, if I had a nickel for every Sam Smith or Peter Vescey rumor that never panned out, I could afford to do nothing but write this blog every day. The media landscape is changing and it is time for "media targets" to not only realize it, but to accept it and adapt accordingly.
Blog of the day: Pete Pranica (Grizz Blogs)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Denver Recap 3.12.08
Memphis started out playing like a team that wanted to make a statement. The statement ended up being that the Grizzlies are a terrible team.
After opening the game 14-2 Memphis couldn't hold the lead until the end of the quarter, being outscored 8-21 the rest of the way to trail 23-22. Memphis' cold streak continued into the second quarter when the team could only score 14 points. That means that after the hot start the Grizzlies 22 points the rest of the half. Denver scored 23 pts in each of the first two quarters.
When the Grizzlies finally refound some offense the game was over as Denver scored 38 pts in the third quarter to leave the fourth quarter for the scrubs. There were two positives to take from this game. First our scrubs were better than Denver's as we outscored the Nuggets 28-24 in the final quarter.
Second, when on vacation in Colorado and people at the sports bar find out you are from Memphis and cheer for the Grizzlies they will buy you a lot of drinks in sympathy. Too bad I only drink sodas! Now I will be up all night thinking about how embarrassed I was at the bar.
If you look hard enough there were some bright spots. Hakim Warrick had three assists. Juan Carlos Navarro scored 16 points off the bench. Mike Miller, Javaris Crittenton and Hak hit all of their free throws.
The negatives were Mike Miller leading the team in rebounding with Navarro second against the big front line of Denver (Camby, Kenyon Martin and Carmello). Rudy played only 18 minutes and failed to reach double figures for the first time in a long while. The team shot 35% from the floor, 20% from the arc and below 70% from the line and their offense was a bright spot. I lost count at 10 but there were a lot of dunks by Denver last night. You probably won't see them on ESPN but there were a lot. Darko only played 9 minutes but I didn't see him get hurt. In the recap they mentioned he hurt his foot.
All in all another pathetic effort and a unfortunate outcome. Denver has been promoting that the team only has 19 games left in the regular season and they are going to give each one of them a playoff effort. It would be nice to see that type of effort from the Grizzlies in one of their remaining 18 games.
Memphis at Denver - 3.12.08
Denver comes off a tough loss against the defending champs Monday night. The Nuggets are currently 2.5 games out of the playoff picture, despite the presence of a former MVP, the reigning Defensive POY and an All-Star by the name of Melo on their roster. That shows you how tough the West truly is this year. They will need to close that gap if Coach George Karl expects to retain his job without a fight this offseason.
Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Anthony Carter
Anthony Carter was signed as a stop-gap measure backup who was thrust into the starting lineup following Chucky Atkins' string of ailments this season. He has been decent in that role, even as his minutes fluctuate from game to game. Conley bounced back after a succession of disappointing games to post some solid numbers against Phoenix (10 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast) and he should see significant playing time in this one. Carter's veteran savvy should outweigh Conley's youthful exuberance.
Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson paced the Nuggets with 28 points against the Spurs, despite playing with a broken finger on his shooting hand. That's right Grizz fans, AI plays with a broken finger and we couldn't even get one former player out on the floor until "his lift" returned. Mike Miller played poorly against the Suns at the SF spot, but he should be able to take the smaller Iverson down to the post and get a few easy baskets. Of course, the diminutive guard's lightning-quick first step will cause #33 all kinds of problems on the other end, so expect a big night for the Nuggets' leading scorer.
Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Carmelo Anthony
The marquee matchup for this game (and quite frankly, probably the only truly interesting part of the game as long as the Grizzlies continue to play like it is still the preseason). Rudy was the lone Grizzly to post good numbers against Phoenix, so hopefully that will carry over to this game. Melo has played well since the All-Star break, even as his team struggles to get over the hump and back into the postseason picture, picking up his rebounding numbers noticeably. I expect Melo to get significant help in defending Rudy, while Rudy will be left on an island most of the time.
Power Forwards: Hakim Warrick vs Kenyon Martin
Kenyon Martin has been in the news for the wrong reasons the past few days. It would seem that there have been some questions about him receiving preferential treatment by the local police despite behavior and driving that didn't deserve it. On the court Martin has been inconsistent recently, leaving George Karl to wonder just which player will show up from one night to the next. Warrick, on the other hand, has been fairly steady since being inserted into the starting lineup, which made his move back to the bench last night somewhat surprising. Martin's hustle and intensity could intimidate Hak and throw him off his game, but if he utilizes his exceptional mid-range game, he'll draw Martin away from the basket and away from his comfort zone.
Centers: Darko Milicic vs Marcus Camby
Marcus Camby's scoring might be down this season (from 11.2 ppg last year to 9.2 ppg this year), but he's certainly not resting on the laurels of his DPOY award, as his rebounding is up 2.2 rpg (13.9 rpg - 2nd in the NBA) and his blocks are up 0.5 bpg (3.8 bpg - 1st in the NBA) from last year. Darko is coming off a poor shooting (6/15 FG) and rebounding (4 reb) night, which isn't good if you caught a look at Camby's stats above. To further complicate matters, when Camby does shoot, he has no problem stepping out to 18 feet, which will pull Milicic away from the basket on defense, leaving him in poor rebounding position. I expect Camby to double Darko in rebounds and blocks in this one.
Benches: Memphis vs Denver
Denver gets most of their bench scoring from the duo of Linas Kleiza and J.R. Smith, while Eduardo Najera takes care of all the "dirty work". Kleiza was positively on fire earlier this season, but has seen his shooting touch get a little shaky since the onset of a nagging ankle injury last week. Memphis relies on Juan Carlos Navarro for scoring/playmaking, on Kyle Lowry for defensive intensity and a change of pace, and Jason Collins for their own brand of "dirty work". Javaris Crittenton has also seen increased minutes lately, as the coaching staff evaluates the team in preparation for next season.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Power Rankings 3-10 & 11
Out of the basement by some. Quotes of the week:
"Any week that includes a win is a positive step for the Grizzlies."
"The Grizz have 20 games left. Prediction: They'll win two."
| Power Rankings for 10 & 11 March '08 | ||||||||||
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