3SoB Sunday Chronicle 1.27.08

Welcome to the latest edition of our Sunday Chronicle, where the previous week will be reviewed, the upcoming week will be previewed, and a few more things added in there for your reading pleasure. All pictures are from games duing the previous week.

Shown is the Grizzlies only tipoff seen by a national audience this season. (Getty)

Rudy Invited to Dunk Contest, Adopts Grassroots Approach

Everyone knows by now, Rudy has been invited to the Dunk Contest held over NBA All-star weekend. He is one of four contestants, joining reigning champion (and upcoming FA who wants a trade) Gerald Green, should-of-been winner Dwight Howard, and former globetrotter Jamario Moon. Rudy has come up with an innovative approach towards the NBA Dunk contest. Rudy is asking fans to send in their best dunk to YouTube. He will pick his favorite and replicate it as one of his dunks during the contest. I think it is brilliant. For a small market team with a horrible record, national publicity for the Grizzlies is usually lacking. Rudy's campaign was a nice way to have Rudy (the best, or 2nd best sophomore in the NBA) and the Griz get some good publicity (case in point). The move seems even better when taking into consideration that the fans will help decide the winner.

Shades of Blue Week in Review

Power Rankings - Griz have an average of 25.875 with a high of 25 and low of 27.
Mid Year Perspective - Halfway through with the season, how has the season been and how's the rest of the season going to play out?
2008 NBA Draft Preview Part I - MemphisX breaks down the draft with Grizzlies needs and fit taken into account (hint, OJ Mayo is #1).
Rebounding - The Real Story - Chip explores what is causing our recent increase in rebounding numbers.
The Price is Right (about Damon's buyout) - Chip breaks down the latest numbers thrown around in the Damon debacle.

Griz Week in Review

An animated Iavaroni during the overtime win against the Clippers. Many fans in the arena looked and felt the same way. (Getty)

The Griz went 2-2 this week and 2-1 at home. The overall record now stands at 13-31 and only a mere 12.5 games out of the 8th playoff spot.

The week was a wild, wild ride. From the euporia from mauling (thanks, AP) the Bulls on national tv, to getting embarrased by the great Hedo in front about only 150 people, to losing Conley and Pau to injuries (oh ya, Stro too), to evidently buying out Damon, to playing the single worst quarter of basketball this season, to a spirited 2nd half comeback, to a hard fought OT win against a medicore Clippers team.

104-90 Win vs Chicago
85-112 Loss vs Orlando
93-104 Loss @ Washington
125-120 OT Win vs LA Clippers

Best Game of the Week That Didn't go to Overtime: Grizzlies completely dominate the lifeless Bulls.

Mike Miller drives past one of Pau's many rumored trade partners. (AP)

SoB recap.

The Grizzlies jumped on the Bulls early and controlled the game with a double digit lead for the last 28 minutes. Four Grizzlies posted a double-double, with Micheal Conley getting his career high in assits with 10. Miller was probably the player of the game and the Griz displayed an entertaining, efficient and productive running game. A 4th quarter alley-oop dunkathon was particularly satisfying. The Bulls looked particularly bad, with an absolute insane reluctance to take the ball inside and instead relied on a bunch of brick jumpers. The Bulls were bad, the Griz were good. And during our only nationally seen game of the year on a day celebrating Martin Luther King Jr's remarkable legacy, the Griz shined in the national spotlight and dumped on one of the NBA darling franchises. This win felt especially good. Mr. Sam Smith, eat our shorts!!!!

Best Game of the Week that Included an Overtime: Lowry and Gay lead Grizzlies past a small Clipper team.

Al Thornton touches Rudy to make sure he is human while Rudy destroys the Clips for 34 spectacular points. (Getty)

Herrington's live blog/recap.

I can't believe the Griz actually pulled out an overtime game at home. The game was a blast to watch. NBA TV pulled the game from the schedule due to the overall level of suckiness displayed by both lottery-bound teams, leaving many in Memphis unable to watch it (thanks to internet links, many still did). All the people around the country and the city that didn't watch this game missed out on a great battle between two sucky, injury depleted, lottery-bound teams (wait, the LA owner thinks the paper Clips still have a shot at the playoffs...haha)

Pau Gasol didn't play (and wasn't at courtside). Micheal Conley didn't play (and also wasn't at courtside). Stromile dressed out, but I think he has some sort of typical Stro injury preventing him the joy of knowing that Iavaroni could have choose him to sub in for Darko, but picked Hak instead. And Damon was inactive, in street clothes on the bench and seemed very happy. I also saw him giving some goodbye's to Grizzlies employees.

Kaman didn't play for the Clippers, leaving them with the likes of Aaron Williams and Josh Powell in the post. That is playoff inspiring combination there. That didn't last all that long actually, as Tim Thomas played center for the Clips for most of the 4th quarter while a SG or SF played PF. This caused Iavaorni to sit Darko and match the Clips in this super small-ball lineup.

The Clippers whole offense is based around identifying the biggest mismatch and then posting those players up. All of their players can operate efficient in the post, even the guards, no make that especially the guards. This game, the Clips went at Navarro, posting JC up with Cuttino Mobley. Over and over again. Navarro fought his butt off for position. I was impressed with his play. Likewise, Tim Thomas posted up Hak repeatedly in the 4th quarter. Hak also played admirably given Hak's reputation as a wet tissue on defense.

Lowry and Rudy played inspiring games tonight. I don't think that can be stated loud enough. Rudy was flaming hot to start the game, as he sparked a remarkable 36 1st quarter points. He was a one man wrecking crew, scoring on a variety of isolation drives and pull ups. Rudy scored a career high 34 points to go along with 12 rebounds. He probably should have had over 40 points.

Lowry, being the only real PG active, followed up his high energy play against the Wizards with a stunning performance against Brevin Knight and Sam Cassell. Lowry scored a career high 21 points, got to the line in bunches (didn't make them in bunches though), but it was his 8 rebounds and just 1 turnover that was the real key to his success against the Clippers. Lowry played solid defense against Cassell too, while playing part of the 4th and all of the OT with 5 fouls causing him to be iso'd a number of times.

The play of the game came from Lowry in overtime with 40 seconds to play. Down by 1 point, the offense breaks down (again) and Hak ends up taking a wild turnaround jumper as the shot clock expires. Lowry skies over Tim Thomas (there is a downfall to playing him at center) for an amazing offensive rebound and put back. Awesome! That one play epitomized how Lowry willed the Grizzlies to victory over the Clippers.

The refs were horrible tonight. Really, really bad. My seat was close enough to tell them about it (and tell Maggatte how much he sucks too). Dunleavy got a technical after a crazy play directly in front of me went with no foul called. Take a look, what a picture!

Darko is showing off a move that might replace the patented lefty jump hook. (Getty)

Recaps of the Remaining Lottery-Odd-Increasing Losses:

Grizzlies-Magic SoB recap.

Dwight Howard was held in check, but Hedo Turkoglu went off (more on that below). The good thing was that virtually no one was in the arena to see the home blowout.

Grizzlies-Wizards CA recap.

With Pau Gasol nursing a sore back, the Grizzlies start lethargic. Mollases in January type of lethargic. The sloth like start produces 9 freaking 1st quarter points. Ugh! And then to top it off, Micheal Conley goes down with a horrible looking injury. Lowry goes all 2006 and leads a spirited comeback while amassing 13 points, 10 assists and 5 steals.

Weekly Awards

Player of the Week: Kyle Lowry
The Great Lowry was the most active and spirited Griz player for the Wizards and Clippers games. His offensive rebound and put back won the Clippers game. And with Conley out, we need more of this type of play from Lowry.

Kyle Lowry finishes a layup while trying his hardest to spark a Griz comeback. (Getty)

Griz Killer of the Week: Hedo Turkoglu
26 points and 6 of 8 from deep in the Magic rout of Memphis.

"It's up and it's good for 3!" Long Ball Bomber of the Week: Rudy Gay
Rudy 12-22
Miller 11-25
Navarro 10-24

Other Top Griz Stories from Last Week

Conley and Pau Injured
Pau's back injury is likely mild and he is listed as day-to-day. Pau will be back anytime. But it is the Conley injury that is worrisome. It looked really bad at the time. Tillery is reporting that it is a "chest/rib contusion" and the X-rays were negative. Still, with a shoulder injury that was a tear that went without surgery, seeing him injury that side of his body again is nerve racking. I think this one could keep him out longer than people expect.

Damon's Buyout Complete
The odd breakup is now nearly complete, as two reports have surfaced saying a deal for Damon to buyout his current contract has been agreed upon by both sides. This comes after a weird week where Damon's agent even threw some harsh words towards the Griz and particularly Heisley's attorney Stan Meadows. Tillery has most of the details of the buyout and even relays that Damon left a voicemail message with Heisley thanking him (for, um, letting him buy his way from the bottom of the trash heap to presumably the top of the league with the beloved Celtics). Marc Stein at ESPN adds in his report that the Griz wanted to holdout for a trade, but found the offers underwhelming. The easy money bet is that Dontrell Jefferson, a training camp participant and NBADL player for the Dakota Wizards, will be joining the Griz shortly.

Midseason Report

We've made it over the halfway hump of the season. The Griz finished the first half of the season 12-29 and only 2 games better than last year. Chip, Spartacus, and MemphisX have given their 1st half impressions and 2nd half expectations. The CA polled the public for grades for the Grizzlies (ugh). And Herrington trumped everyone with his optimistic and astute mid-season report. Here are some of my thoughts...

I'm disappointed about the 1st half of the season. While I seemingly imitated a 10 year old girl at a Hanana Montana Concert, I (think I) predicted the Grizzlies to finish 6th in the West. Ya, right. That was right on the mark. About as accurate as a Chicago Bull's jumpshot. So, knowing my high expectations, I can be nothing but disappointed. However, there is a lot of optimism and hope in with that disappointment. The draft picks of Conley and Gay give the Grizzlies a bright, very bright future.

The pessimism I do have about this team going forward involves my belief that a 40-minute a night core of Conley-Miller-Gay-Pau is not a winning combination. I think the first half of this season was further proof of that. Basketball can be about who has the most talent, but it is also a team game where the 5 players need to fit together and play above their collective talent suggests. The Conley-Miller-Gay-Pau core, with whoever as the role players around them chomping up the few minutes remaining, is just not ever going to be a serious contender, even with my expected bright futures for Gay and Conley. I'm convinced this team needs a shake up in order to force the best working pecking order out of our players/team.

Why do I think we are barely above last years pace at the half-way mark?

1. Coaching
2. Defense
3. Leadership

I probably can't be more pleased with the play of Rudy Gay so far this season. Most claim he is the 2nd best sophomore this year, but I think he can make a good case for being the best, and certainly has more potential than Roy. I think Rudy probably should have been the #1 overall pick in his draft class. Toronto and Charlotte in particular, goofed by not taking Rudy. Rudy was suppose to be the surefire #1 pick in January of that year, but the scouts over-thought themselves by June and 7 teams missed out.

Mid-Season MVP: Rudy Gay

Best Game: Dec 19th Victory Over Spurs; Rudy Nails Game Winning Shot over Duncan

Mid-Season Griz Killer MVP: Chris Paul

Griz Killer Honorable Mention: LeBron James and Travis Outlaw

Griz Week Ahead

Navarro knives through the lane against the Clips. The Griz will need all the production they can get from Navarro coming up against the high-powered Mavs, Nugs and Jazz. (Getty)

The Griz have 3 tough home games slated for the week. I was excited about the 5 home stand until I saw Dallas, Denver, and Utah were 3 of those 5 games. I expect all 3 games to be shootouts. I predict no one scores in the double-digits this week. I also predict Pau will play against the Mavs, while Conley will not play at all during the week.

Monday vs Dallas
Do you think the Mavs think about how much their 1st round sweep of the Griz set the course for trading for our new superstar-in-the-making Rudy Gay? The matchup of the game might be Rudy vs Dirk if Iavaroni goes small and let's Rudy play major minutes at PF.

Wednesday vs Denver
Denver visits the Forum for a partial home game as the Memphis crowd loves AI. I hate the Nuggets and if we can only win 1 game in the coming week, I hope it is against the Nuggets.

Saturday vs Utah
The pick-and-roll machine comes to town to inflict severe damage to the Griz. As I have talked about until my fingers wear down, the Griz are downright horrible at defending the pick-and-roll for most of the season and Utah might have invented the pick-and-roll. Deron Williams is probably more likely than not to have a career game. Watching AK-47 try to check Rudy will be fun.

I Can Be Sam Smith Too; A Pau Gasol Trade Idea

Just a quick hypothetical, RealGM fueled trade idea involving our favorite trade-idea whipping boy, Pau Gasol. Ok, so we have been told more than once now by Tillery, that Atlanta and Billy Knight have a standing offer for Pau. I am intrigued by this because I like both Al Horford and Josh Smith. Anyway, here is my idea:

Pau and Navarro
for
Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Lorenzen Wright (!), Ty Lue, 2008 2nd Rounder

Ren and Lue are both expiring contracts. Actually Lue could help us at PG right now. But clearly the centerpiece of the trade is Pau for Josh Smith. I think Josh Smith will turn into a beast, particularly in a system that allows him to take poor shots, but will relish him for his defensive ability. The expiring contracts and not needing to re-sign Navarro, should open up enough cap room to sign both Josh Smith and Josh Childress to extensions. Smith and Childress add solid defenders to the rotation. This trade banks on Josh Smith morphing into a stud, which I think is a bet worth taking. Next year's rotation could look something like this:

PG: Conley
SG: Miller
SF: Gay
PF: J.Smith
C: Darko
Bench: Lowry, Mayo, Childress, Hak, Stro

Damon's Buyout Nearly Completed

According to the Commercial Appeal, the Griz have agreed on the framework of a buyout for Damon Stoudamire that could be announced today or Monday. Given Conley's uncertain status, expect them to find a PG from the D-League or free agent pile as soon as this occurs.

Update (3:15 PM) ESPN is carrying the story now, so it appears come Monday Damon will be on his way out.

3SoB Sunday Chronicle 1.20.08

Welcome, Shades of Blues readers! I hope you are having a great Sunday morning. If you are waking up in Memphis this morning, go get another cup of warm coffee or cocoa and crank that heat up, because IT IS COLD outside.

This is the 2nd edition of our Sunday Chronicle, where the previous week will be reviewed, the upcoming week will be previewed, and a few new things that popped up over the weekend will be discussed. And also, a few choice Getty images will be crammed in here and there to liven things up.

Rudy Gay dressed in his Sunday's Best. (Getty)

Damon Buyout Coming Soon

Reported on Saturday by both Chris Sheridan of ESPN and beat writer Ron Tillery, Damon will probably not be on the roster come this time next week as a buyout is expected. Go read both articles linked. However, I will also summarize the key details given in both below.

From Tillery:
-- A buyout is more likely than a trade.
-- The Grizzlies first offer was an 80% reduction in next year's salary (whoa!!) and Damon's camp will likely counter that.
-- According to Tillery, "Stoudamire is hopeful that he can sign as a free agent with Boston"
-- The Grizzlies had a trade offer on the table for Damon, but turned it down because it put Damon in a "undesirable situation" and that Heisley's preference is to get Damon to a "winner".
-- Talks should heat up on Monday with Heisley making a rare Memphis appearance because of our MLK game

From Chris Sheridan of ESPN:
-- Suns, Celtics, Heat, Raptors, and Nuggets have all inquired about Damon's services.
-- Sam Cassell's uncertain situation with the Clippers is impacting Damon (because I assume all of those teams would prefer Sam to Damon).
-- Buyout like soon, but a trade is still a remote possibility.

Ok, here is my take on this. I have long thought a buyout with Damon was inevitable, whether it would have been in pre-season (my preference), mid-season (what will happen), or after the season. I appreciate Damon's tenure in Memphis. I think all Griz fans would have loved to know what could have happened if he wouldn't have gotten hurt. Maybe a playoff win?

As for the latest details. I think the Suns and Celtics are clearly the most logical teams for him to sign with. He will probably have his decision as to which team he prefers before his contract is officially bought out. The Celtics can give him the most playing time, while the Suns let him go back home and play for good friend and former teammate, Steve Kerr. Either way, if the Griz can get an 80% reduction (or payback, whatever the correct term is) on his contract next year, that is pretty good I think.

As for the turned down trade. My guess is NY or Miami. Both places look pretty undesirable right now to me.

Griz GM and Assistant Coach on The Chris Vernon Show

I do not hide my fondness and respect for Chris Vernon. I love listening to his show every afternoon. He's the cream of the crop when it comes to local AM sports radio hosts. And as it relates to the Griz, he does an exceptional job covering and promoting the team while being a voice for a significant fraction of Griz fans. During the season, much of Verno's show is usually devoted towards the Grizzlies and Eric Hastletine and Chris Herrington are regularly guests.

Each week Verno has a segment with Chris Wallace that I highly recommend (you should also catch the Thursday Grizzlies Power Hour). This week's Wallace segment can be listened to here. Some highlights.

Chris Wallace says that for the rest of the season he wants to see continued team and individual improvement. The individual improvement comment was interesting because Wallace mentions the young guys "creating value". I like the GM to think like this. He knows that improving this team is the most important thing and if the guys currently on the roster can improve and become part of the "core, then great, or if some guys improve and allow the Griz to get better trade value, then great too.

Wallace was asked why we are 10-28 (at the time) and repeats the same thing most fans say. We have a hard time winning close games and are not playing good defense. He mentions youth, but doesn't want to use that as an excuse. Wallace also acknowledges that the team must get tougher, more physical, could use more experience (but not at the expense of talent) and "still has a ways to go".

Verno again prodded Wallace to make a major trade to shake up the team. Wallace says it has to be the "right move", but he has been in contact with a lot of teams. Phones are buzzing around the league, but most is just "tire kicking". Wallace says he will not be timid or hesitant or nervous if the "right deal" comes along. Chris Vernon thinks he should see these deals to give an outside opinion if any of the current deals are the "right deal". Wallace jokes he can hire Vernon be the "Executive Director of Transaction Analysis". Great idea!!! Verno can be Chris Wallace's Gary Colson. Wallace also mentioned that if a good trade proposal is presented, that him, the Head Coach and the Owner all must approve the move.

Grizzlies assistant coach Ron Dubois was also on the show this week.

I mention this because Verno read an email question I sent in about the Grizzlies poor pick-and-roll defense. Coach Dubois did a great job of answering the question. By now most readers of this blog know my thoughts about our p-n-r defense. Dubois says that against bad shooters, they tell the guard to go under the screen and against good penetrators they tell the guard to go over the screen. For instance, against Chris Paul, the guards were instructed to go under because Paul had only hit 15 3's before that game and then went on to hit 5 against us. I asked about what I call "passive" play by the bigman on p-n-r defense. He says they instruct the bigman to play "zone" against the guard and bigman, so that he can help out on either one, depending on what happens. I call that passive, because what ends up happening more times than not is the bigman doesn't help on the guard and also gets out of position to stop the bigman from rolling for an easy layup. My personal opinion is that this philosophy is hurting the Griz. I would like to see the bigman hedge hard on p-n-r defense and let the other 3 guys worry about helping on the bigman rolling to the basket.

Chad Ford Thinks Darko is a Bust?

Just a quick item. Tom Ziller at AOL Fanhouse reports that ESPN's official European player promoter, Chad Ford, has admitted that Darko is a bust in an ESPN chat. Wow! Does this mean Ford is admitting that he was wrong too? Darko may be a bust compared to his draft status and draft class, but he still has the potential to have a solid NBA career as a starting center.

Shades of Blue Week in Review

-- The Curse of the Spanish Cast
-- Looking for Leadership
-- Interview with Eli Savoie of Sports56
-- Power Rankings
-- Interview with Brian Windhorst, Cleveland Cavs Beat Writer

Be sure to check out those interviews. Original interviews like the ones Chip and Spartacus posted this week is what really makes this blog great. That Power Ranking post is pretty damn good too. And the Curse post was picked up by TrueHoop!

Griz Week in Review

The Grizzlies again went 1-3 this week. Luckily the Sonics came to town to let the Griz break a 5 game losing streak (3rd 5 game losing streak of the year...ugh). The Griz now sit at 11-29 and 13 games out of the 8th playoff spot. The Griz also have an average of 25.375 in the latest round of power rankings.

Quick Rundown
99-100 Loss versus Lakers
124-132 OT Loss versus Cavs
124-100 Win versus Sonics
87-105 Loss versus Bobcats

Lakers game...The Grizzlies should have won this game. Plain and simple. The refs were absolutely horrible (more on that in later). This was the last game of a 3 game road trip, all losses. The Lakers lost emerging star Bynum to a knee injury. Pau's stat line was notable:

21 points, 18 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 blocks

Cavs game...LeBron goes for 51 in this OT home thriller. It was such an exciting game to attend, although I admit no one sitting next to me thought the Griz would win when the game was up for grabs in crunch time. The Griz lose close games and everyone knows it. Rudy's stat line was notable:

30 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

Sonics game...If only we could play these guys (or the Twolves) every game. Seattle is awful. Rudy sat out sick and Bobby Jones got the rare start (because Casey was already put on the inactive list or else CJ would have started....whew, we dodged a bullet there). All B.Jones then did was earn himself a second 10-day contract with his career game in almost every statistical category. I think very few people saw this game, the crowd attendance was pathetic. B.Jones stat line was notable:

20 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1 block

Bobcats game...Just when things were looking up after the Sonics game, the Grizzlies show virtually no energy and even less defense in a loss to the BET Cats. Mike Miller, who the coaching staff say is our best defender, was out with back trouble. Thus, Gerald Wallace and Jason Richardson were just too much for Rudy Gay and Bobby Jones and J-Rich became the latest SG to have a season high against our poor perimeter defense. I don't think anyone's stat line is worth mentioning because everyone sucked, but here is Rudy's because of his steals:

17 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, 1 block

Other Stories from the Week

The Refs Suck!
In the closing minutes of the Lakers game, the refs blew, in my estimation, 3 huge calls against the Griz. First, they called a foul on Kyle Lowry on a fast break dunk attempt by Lamar Odom. Odom looked to have an easy breakaway, but Lowry came from nowhere to block Odom cleanly. The ref blew the whistle as soon as he saw Lowry going for the block. Next, with the scored tied, the refs called a phantom foul on Rudy Gay on a Kwame Brown dunk (which he missed). They say Rudy hit Kwame on the head, and he might have grazed him, but if he did it wasn't enough to call a foul on, IMO. But if the refs aren't going to allow that kind of contact in the closing minutes, ok, so be it. But wait. With the game on the line and 7 seconds left, Kyle Lowry drives to the hoop and gets hammered by Kwame Brown and NO FREAKING FOUL IS CALLED. Ridiculous. If the previous play is a foul, then that is too. Many Griz fans were irate and emailed Ronnie Dunn to let him hear about it. Surprisingly he emailed back. Unsurprisingly he defended the refs. He is paid to defend whatever the refs do. Go here to read Dunn's explanation.

Coach Iavaroni feels like every Griz fan felt during the Lakers game. (Getty)

Pau Most Likely to be Traded? Trade Possible With Suns?
In a surprising development this week, the Griz and Suns have been mentioned together many times this week as possible trade partners. And get this, a Pau for Amare trade is what is rumored. Wow! Talk about getting my hopes too high. We go from only being able to get a bunch of crappy bench players from Chicago to being able to get an All-NBA player. Sweet! It started with Chris Sheridan saying that NBA executives believe Pau is the overwhelming favorte to be the biggest name traded before the deadline and then causes Griz fans to faint by mentioning Pau/Hak for Amare AND the Hawks 1st rounder. But we weren't done with unsubstantiated rumors about Pau and Amare. Tony Mejia at CBSsports also writes about Amare and says some in the Phoenix organization wants to move him and then mentions Pau as a possible player Amare could be traded for. But we aren't done yet. This comes from a Phoenix messageboard. A huge rumored trade of Pau/Miller/Hak/Damon for Amare/Diaw/Banks/Atlanta Pick. Again, wow! Here is the link. I gotta admit, if Pau is going to be constantly tied to trade rumors, these Phoenix ones are much better than the crappy Chicago ones. Amare >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ty Thomas.

Bobby Jones Earns 2nd 10 Day Contract
A big night against the Sonics earned him the contract renewal and I hope he is signed for the rest of the year.

Bobby Jones scores one of his 20 points against the Sonics in a career game. (Getty)

Misinformation about Casey Being Released (h/t to Verno for clearing it up)
Earlier this week I found a mention on the RealGM forum of some Euro announcers saying that Casey Jacobsen would be released and that his old German team would sign him again. I posted this on the grizzlies messageboard. And then Verno again shows how great he is. He sees my post and contacts Chris Wallace and then relays the information to me that Casey is still on the team and hasn't and won't be released. Could that train of events have any possibility of happening that quickly in any other NBA city? I think not. Being a small market has it's perks.

No Player Has Started Every Game This Season
Rudy Gay and Mike Miller both sat out a game this week. Now nobody on the team has started every game. And only Navarro and Lowry have played in every game.

Weekly Awards

Player of the Week: Bobby Jones
It might have been only 1 game of greatness - statistically Pau Gasol probably should have been the Player of the Week - but the fans desperately needed Jone's gutsy performance at home against the Sonics.

Griz Killer of the Week: LeBron James
Anyone disagree?

Long Ball Bomber of the Week: Juan Carlos Navarro
17-30 Navarro
12-23 Miller
4-14 Gay

Dunk of the Week: Rudy Takes Flight Against Cavs

Getty

Griz Week Ahead

Games this Week:
Monday vs Chicago
Wednesday vs Orlando
Friday at Washington
Saturday vs Clippers

Grizzlies on National TV for Martin Luther King Game
Monday the Grizzlies host the Chicago Bulls in the annual MLK game at a weird start of 4:30. In the past, this game has been very well attended (last year was more than 18K in a season where only 12K was the average). This game has so many story lines. It is the Griz versus Bulls for goodness sake. The team that covets Pau more than any other. It was also after this game last year (against the Suns) when Pau met with Heisley to ask for a trade (and then prompt Jerry to get mad and leak the info to the New York Post).

Dwight Howard Might Go for 40/20?
Last game against the Griz (an improbable road win for the Griz), Howard had 30/21. If, no when, Howard actually does get 40 points and 20 rebounds in a game, there is a good chance it is against the Griz.

Can Kaman One-up Howard?
The last game against the Clippers was utterly forgettable and might have been one of the worst overall Griz performances of the year. With the way Kaman abused Darko that game, Kaman may have a legitimate shot at being the Griz Killer of the Week over favorite Dwight Howard.

Lastly, make sure and read HoopsHype Sunday morning. Trade (talk) season is in full swing and there will sure to be Griz players mentioned in many papers around the country.

Possible Damon Buyout?

According to Ron Tillery in this morning's Commercial Appeal, the Grizzlies are working on a buyout for the 34-year old point guard.

A more pressing issue is with veteran point guard Damon Stoudamire, whose agent publicly said his client wanted a trade or contract buyout if the team doesn't intend to play him.

Stoudamire was recently replaced in the starting lineup by rookie Mike Conley. The veteran's issue isn't that Conley received a promotion; rather, that he's suddenly not playing.

Heisley understands, which is why he's working with Stoudamire on a buyout that could be finalized any day if the 13-year veteran is willing to forgo part of his future earnings.

"Damon wants to play. He's at the end of his career and I understand that," Heisley said. "He's been an outstanding teammate, leader, captain and person."

Well isn't that interesting. Wasn't it Heisley that said that he wasn't going to buy out any more players after doing so with Eddie Jones last year? Nice little flip-flop there when it looks like it might save him a few bucks.

Here's what I suggested to a few people yesterday for the betterment of the team. Activate Damon, put Kyle Lowry on the Inactive List and let Damon backup Conley for a few games. Lowry has obviously hit the "rookie wall" and could use a little time off to regain his bearings and recharge his batteries. The team could use a PG who has a perimeter shot that is actually perceived to be a threat. It is a win-win situation for the team.

Over on The Fanhouse, Tom Ziller has some poignant thoughts about the matter that I recommend checking out.

Damon Speaks

While Chris Wallace admitted before the game that he still hasn't spoken to agent Aaron Goodwin, it appears that Damon Stoudamire spoke to the fine folks at Hoopsworld.com prior to the game.

"As a professional you have to always stay ready," Stoudamire told HOOPSWORLD. "You never know when your number's going to be called so therefore you have to always be ready. You want to keep yourself prepared mentally to play, stay and shape, and just be ready. That's what I try to do every day as I got out there and prepare for whatever might happen."

Stoudamire's "do whatever it takes" attitude doesn't seem to fit with Goodwin's claim to the Memphis Commercial Appeal that his client's demotion to the bench was "unacceptable." So what's the real story?

"I think that's why we hire those type of guys," Stoudamire said of his agent. "So they can be the bad guys, so to speak. So I just kind of let him do all the talking. For me, I'm just trying to go out there and, like I said, work hard, keep my condition, make sure everything is tight whether I'm playing here or somewhere else. I'm going to be ready to play. That's my whole mindset right now."

Stoudamire may pay Goodwin to speak for him, but he has plenty to say for himself. When asked if he wanted to play for the Grizzlies, Stoudamire said, "I want to play [with] whoever's going to let me play. I just want to play basketball."
------------------
If winning means going to the bench, the Grizzlies believe Stoudamire will take the move in stride. Head coach Marc Iavaroni is not concerned with Stoudamire's efforts in wake of a demotion -- "We've talked about it. I'm not worried about it at all," Iavaroni said -- and values Stoudamire's contributions to the team.

"Damon's been great from training camp on," he said. "He's helped the young kids by the way he's conducted himself, also by his talk on the court and in the locker room."

Conley is grateful for what he has learned from Stoudamire. He credits his "good buddy" for his progress during his rookie year and swears there is no tension between the two.

In other words, I can stand by my earlier stance that Aaron Goodwin is a typical agent and Damon isn't a troublemaker. I still hope that the Grizzlies can get something decent in return (expiring contract & 2nd round pick or a young player stuck on the bench) and agree with owner Michael Heisley's stance that a buyout is unacceptable....although I suspect we have different agendas when reaching that conclusion. I just hope that this doesn't drag out and become a distraction for a young team that seems to be finding itself finally.

Links: Damon Fallout, Conley Blogs, Gasol Rumors/Wishlists, Staxtacular '08, NBA Blogger Award Ballot and All-Star Team

We've already covered the Damon trade demand from top to bottom and side to side. Now let's take a look at the fallout.

Kelly Dwyer has some good thoughts about the situation and the future direction of the team over on Yahoo's NBA Experts Blog, along with a mention of our little old site. Thanks KD!

Chris Vernon also has a take on it, although in his typical way, he is less than complimentary of what he perceives to be "whining".

Predictably, fans of teams around the league needing a PG upgrade or depth (like Cleveland) are posing scenarios to acquire the former Rookie of the Year.

In related news, Michael Conley updated his blog to talk about his first career NBA start and admits to being nervous.

ESPN's Daily Dime jumps on board with the "Chicago could really use Gasol right now" movement:

Team that needs to make a move, or else
The Chicago Bulls. Their two best players are Ben Gordon and Luol Deng. Both are up for contract extensions, both are unsigned. Scott Skiles has been fired.

What this team needs now is to develop an identity, which can be helped by getting an interior scorer and go-to guy. Getting Pau Gasol would be a great move for them, a face-up shooter who can complement their tremendous perimeter players. Seems like they have a glut of young big guys like Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah who do the same type of things.

To follow that up, over on RealGM, there is a piece by Patrick J. Austin where the title really says it all: Grizzlies Need to Move in a New Direction: Deal Gasol. The highlights:

Change is never easy. It’s always a scary and unpredictable proposition, but one that is ever present in life. People cling to what they know for fear of what’s “new and unknown.” The Memphis Grizzlies are currently facing this grim reality. They are a franchise in flux mired in another disappointing season and cellar dwellers in the most difficult division in the NBA.

However, the cold hard fact of the matter is that Gasol has not elevated the Grizzlies to a competitive level, despite the team emphasizing his talents and making him the focus of the offense for the majority of his career in Memphis. The organization saw flashes of a superstar player in Gasol’s earlier years and tried to make him the face of the franchise and go-to guy on the court. He repaid them by demanding a trade this past off-season and is nagged by various injuries. Moves were made to try and appease Gasol including using a chunk of cap space to sign a complimentary big man in Darko Milicic and dealing away a first round pick for Gasol’s good friend, Juan Carlos Navarro. Neither move has made the team markedly better and Gasol has not put up better numbers.

I believe the trade below would be perfect for both teams…

Grizzlies acquire:
Tyrus Thomas
Ben Gordon
Joe Smith
Chris Duhon

Bulls acquire:
Pau Gasol
Brian Cardinal
Juan Carlos Navarro

In other words, it is a rehash of what has been written by many people in many different places, including by our own bloggers here. I'm just curious why it is that we have to trade with Chicago in all these scenarios. Sure, they need Pau the most, but they really don't have what we need the most in return, IMO.

Are you ready for Staxtacular '08? In case you don't know what that is, here's a brief explanation from the link provided:

STAXTACULAR returns on Friday, March 7, 2008!
The city's wildest "soul-shakin' throwdown," hosted this year by Brian and Danielle Cardinal, Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay and Mike Conley from the Memphis Grizzlies, is back, bigger and better than ever--and now YOU have the opportunity to buy tickets before they go onsale to the public!

Call 901-261-6385 now to purchase your tickets before they are available to the public. Tickets are $150 each, and as always, all the proceeds will benefit the life-changing music education programs of the Stax Music Academy.

Sounds like a great event, as well as benefitting a good cause.

Over on Hardwood Paroxysm, they have released the NBA blogs that will be voted upon for various awards, as well as the First and Second Team All-Stars. Our fair blog did not make the cut for any of the categories and it would be fair to say that I'm disappointed. Nay, not disappointed -- OUTRAGED!!! After all, how many other blogs have sat down over chicken wings with their team's GM? How many I ask!?! If that's not enough to get you some recognition, then I don't know why I roll out of bed at noon every day to update this blog. We even got shut out of "Rookie of the Year" because of some technicality based on the fact that we posted a couple of times late last season about Greg Oden and the draft. Well that's not right and I refuse to stand for it! Give me my internet award right now! Sorry....just had some righteous indignation left over from yesterday's Damon post and had to get that out of my system.

In all seriousness though, everyone go over there and look at all the great blogs/websites that were nominated in preparation for the voting which will take place in April.

Blog/Website of the Day: The Basketball Jones

Damon's Agent: Trade him or release him

From the Commercial Appeal:

Grizzlies veteran point guard Damon Stoudamire will seek a trade or contract buyout, his agent said Thursday.
Stoudamire was removed from the starting lineup in favor of first-round draft pick Mike Conley. Stoudamire was on the inactive list for the Grizzlies' victory Wednesday over Indiana. Aaron Goodwin, an experienced NBA agent with a star-studded client list, called the decision to relegate Stoudamire to an insurance player at the point unacceptable and disrespectful.
“For the Grizzlies to demote Damon because of his age and because of the team’s record is unacceptable,” Goodwin said. “They’re going to have to do right by Damon — move to get him out of there or restructure his contract so he can be bought out. Mr. Heisley is a good, compassionate man. But we’re not going to sit back and watch Damon’s career rot.”

Sorry I was late with the news -- I was returning a movie to Blockbuster that coincidentally enough had a co-starring role for Damon Stoudamire's agent, Aaron Goodwin.




Yeah, that's what I think of Goodwin at this point. I'm not saying that Damon is innocent in what transpired, but if there is one thing that I do know, it is that agents only care about the bottom line. Most of them barely care about their clients and none of them care about the teams their clients are employed by. So why would Goodwin release this strongly worded statement that surely makes it impossible for the Grizzlies to get anything but trash in return for Damon? In my opinion, it is because he wants them to release Stoudamire, thus paying him for the remainder of his contract (that Goodwin has already collected his 10% for), allowing Damon to sign for the veteran's minimum with a contender (Boston, Cleveland, L.A.), which will pay him another fee, in addition to "proving" that he gets what his clients want when they want it. I despise agents for this reason, as if there aren't already enough other reasons to hate them.

There are plenty of potential deals in which to acquiesce to Damon's preference, either him alone or with another player (Stro or Hakim, perhaps?) to get something worthwhile in return. What I actually find amusing is that in all likelihood, this demand has done little to Damon's value in a trade one way or another. He'll still garner an expiring contract or a player that doesn't fit another team's current or future plans (say...Mickael Pietrus?), so all this has done is made public what everyone already knew. Either way, I appreciate what Damon has done for this franchise as a veteran influence and still marvel at the recovery he has made from a career-threatening knee injury. I'll miss his big shot capability and his refusal to accept the losing culture that had crept back into this franchise. That's all though. I don't echo Heisley's sentiments in "hoping he can win a championship", because the only team I want winning a title is my own. The rest of the NBA can sit on it and rotate for all I care. That goes for "The Boston Three Party", too. Nobody "deserves" a championship. You have to earn one as far as I'm concerned. So in closing, take care Damon and get the hell outta here. Take your scum-sucking agent with you.

Zack's Viewpoint

Updates included below...

Micheal Conley started last night and looked great, while Damon was inactive. Today Damon's agent has went public with a trade and/or buyout demand. Coincidentally, the Griz are in Boston tonight, who happen to need a PG. Linkage:

Grizzlies veteran point guard Damon Stoudamire will seek a trade or contract buyout, his agent said Thursday.

Stoudamire was removed from the starting lineup in favor of first-round draft pick Mike Conley. Stoudamire was on the inactive list for the Grizzlies' victory Wednesday over Indiana. Aaron Goodwin, an experienced NBA agent with a star-studded client list, called the decision to relegate Stoudamire to an insurance player at the point unacceptable and disrespectful.

Unacceptable and disrespectful? Wow! Also in the article, owner Micheal Heisley has some interesting quotes. It might also be a good time to remind readers how Damon was quoted yesterday in the Commercial Appeal:

"It was to be expected," Stoudamire said. "They have to see what Mike can do. He's a very capable player. I'm happy to see him get a chance. It's something everybody's looking forward to -- you know, to see how he plays.

And here comes the odd part. Awesome Memphis radio host, Chris Vernon, reports on his radio show that he called GM Chris Wallace this afternoon after hearing the news. Chris Wallace said the Verno phone call was the first time he has heard about it and has yet to talk to Aaron Goodwin or Damon about it.

Personally, I think we should have done something with Damon in July or August, but I digress.

More details to come later.

Chipc3's Perspective:
I think Damon is probably embarrassed about his agent going public. However he hired the man to represent him and he deserves any backlash caused by that decision. He can't take back what has been done but the idea that his agent would go public with this just shows how self-centered agents are. It's sad to see what could have been a great hire by the Grizz denegrate to this level.

Having said that there is absolutely no way the Grizzlies should buy out his contract. Conley or Lowry could get injured and we would need Damon if that happened. If a trade can be arranged that gave the Grizzlies a 3rd string PG with an expiring contract then the team would be foolish not to pursue it but to buy him out means his salary is still charged against the cap this season and next season. Memphis needs that cap space to re-sign Navarro or pursue other FA's. By buying him out it may save money for Heisley but needlessly hamstrings Wallace and Iavaroni from building the team that they want on the court.

Sorry Damon but the team should not buy out your contract and you should be the adult your age implies you are and do what is best for the team not yourself.

Friday Morning Update (by Zack):

Some more info has been added to the Commercial Appeal article. Heisley says that he has no intention of a buyout:

"It's not my preference," Heisley said. "I'm not going to be constantly buying out people's contract so they can go play somewhere else for nothing. I did that with Eddie Jones and I told everybody that's not going to happen again."

I know Chip made the case above against a buyout, but I disagree and think a buyout is probably the best and easiest solution. But let's not dwell on that right now.

The next bit of interesting news regards Damon saying he believes he will not again be in a Grizzlies uniform. He says all the right things and expresses the right attitude if that is the case:

Stoudamire sounded as though he's conditioned his mind to be in Memphis although he's hopeful something can be worked out by the Feb. 21 trade deadline.

"If something happens, it happens," Stoudamire said. "It'll probably be a lot of people thinking (a trade) will happen, but I don't know. I'm here and I have to do my job and be a soldier around here, and try to help in different ways rather than on the floor.

Even though he seems convinced Dec. 30 at San Antonio was his last appearance in a Grizzly uniform, Stoudamire promised that he won't disrupt the team in the locker room or on the bench.

"I've got to keep working as if I'm playing every day," Stoudamire said. "The wrong thing to do right now is not work. You've got to keep working and stay professional through all of this."

This is a case of good cop, bad cop, where Damon is able to say the right things and then let his agent be the Jackass. Either way, this is an interesting story to watch unfold.

Friday Morning Update II (by Zack):

I have a ton of work to accomplish this morning, but I wanted to include this in this discussion as well before I try to force myself to quit talking Grizzlies and get some real work done.

Ron Tillery has graced us with a Memphis Edge post about Damon. Tillery needed to be objective in his earlier 2 articles and not show favoritism to someone that has clearly been one of his favorite Griz players. But the Memphis Edge post allows him to be more subjective and opinionated. He makes the case that this is a business decision, not a basketball decision.

Not every detail will become public in this saga. But here’s one: I’m told that Stoudamire’s contract calls for him to play in 55 games and average 20 minutes this season. If Stoudamire doesn’t, he’ll receive roughly 50 percent of the $4.65 million he’s due for the 2008-09 season.

So don’t think for a second that this is PURELY a basketball decision.

Tillery also implies that Damon has been TOLD that he is now only the emergency PG. This does not sit well with the great Ron Tillery.

If this was simply a basketball decision, then Conley would start and Lowry would be the third (insurance) point guard instead of Stoudamire at this point and time. Lowry, off the bench, has played the most minutes at point but he’s regressed defensively. Lowry makes the same mistakes (see: turnovers) over and over and his decision-making is poor.

Lowry is an excellent energy guy in an Earl Watson mold. But he’s not starter material. Frankly, Iavaroni lost the majority of those seven games by three points or less in large part by staying with Lowry at the end of games.

Stoudamire is a stabilizing force, a leader and a decorated NBA veteran who doesn’t deserve to be treated like this. The Griz can and should go to a youth movement. But Stoudamire has earned the right not to want to watch.

...

Is it ridiculous for a 13-year veteran who is serviceable after coming back from a serious knee injury to want to play with another year left on his contract?

I can not state how much I disagree with Ron's stance. We should have went with a Conley-Lowry PG combo starting October 31st, not January 2nd. While Lowry has not shown the improvement many (including me) had wanted to see this year, he is still, in my humble opinion, playing as well or better than Damon. And with the potential to get better that will only come by actually playing, the decision to have Lowry be the primary backup instead of Damon is an easy one.

I find the opinion that the Griz have lost so many close games because Lowry played in the 4th instead of Damon to be laughable. I don't think anyone is saying that Lowry is starter material, rather I am saying that he is a better option than Damon now and in the future to play behind Conley. But really, I think anyone that follows the Griz expected Ron to jump to Damon's defense on this one. And he did.

Links: Damon's Charitable Efforts, Rudy's Improvement, Kelly Dwyer, Blues Music, Hollinger, Tight Pants

Fresh off of the Grizzlies feed in the sidebar comes the news that Damon Stoudamire will take 100 children on a Christmas shopping trip to Sam's Club next week. According to Grizzlies.com, photos of the trip will be available on December 14th. As always, it is great to see members of the Grizzlies organization doing their part to help out the community.

The Bleacher Report lists Rudy Gay amongst its "Polished Gems", players they feel have improved their games the most.

Kelly Dwyer (formerly of SI.com, now with Yahoo! Sports) listed last night's contest with Houston as his "Game to pay attention to". KD seems to have a good grasp of what the team is trying to do right now. I wish I was able to look past the disappointing losses and do the same.

The Blues Foundation reports that the Grizzlies are looking for help in finding blues music to use on Blues Night on January 30th. Send your ideas to The Blues Foundation.

John Hollinger has a new toy. Don't know how accurate it is but it should put the 'playoffs now' people in a tizzy. Hollinger's PER Ratings are up as well and you will never guess who the two Grizzlies are rated in the top 50 of the league.

This is about a week old, but it is still good stuff. FreeDarko is calling for a return of the tight pants that dominated the NBA landscape until Air Jordan appeared.

Website/Blog of the day: Hardwood Paroxysm

Links: Mike Miller Likes 3's, Damon on NBA TV, Conley out with shoulder injury 2-3 weeks

Following Pau Gasol's lead earlier this year, Mike Miller will be giving away 333 tickets in person on the same night that 3,000 Mike Miller Team USA jerseys will be given away.

Prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors at FedExForum, fans will have the opportunity to pick up tickets to Saturday’s game from Miller himself beginning at 4:45 p.m. in the Grand Lobby. There will be a limit of two tickets per person.
“I’m proud to have represented my country this past summer and help the United States men’s basketball team qualify for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing,” said Miller. “I felt a great deal of pride putting on a Team USA jersey, and I’m excited to share that feeling with Grizzlies fans Saturday night.”

Last night, Damon Stoudamire was interviewed by NBA TV's Rick Kamla and Frank Isola. You can see that interview on NBA.com. It was an interesting exchange as it seemed that the hosts wanted Damon to say something that would make it seem like he wanted to leave Memphis, but Damon responded like the savvy veteran that he is.

Injury news: It is being reported that Michael Conley will miss 2-3 weeks with a posterior labral tear in his right shoulder. (Source: ESPN.com)

Links: Identity, Turnovers, Growth, Damon a Buyout Candidate?

A variety of issues to survey in today's Links.

First up is Kenny "The Jet" Smith's take on the Grizzlies on Yahoo! Sports titled "Some teams still searching for an identity":

With a new coach, a new GM and added personnel, the Grizzlies are who they are. The Western Conference is just too deep and too strong for a team trying to find its way. The Grizzlies have a dominant low -post player in Pau Gasol, but his dominance extends to only one end of the court. The backcourt is either a bit too young (Mike
Conley and (KyleLowry) or a bit too old (Damon Stoudamire). They are a team that will have to improve by trade.

Hmmm...that sounds a lot like what Chip and I have been saying since before the preseason. But what do we know?

Over on Grizz Blogs, Graham Kendrick made an interesting statistical observation in the latest edition of Musings from Media Row:

Memphis, Charlotte and Seattle have a combined record of 4-14 (.286). San Antonio, Orlando and Detroit have a combined record of 16-4 (.800). Why am I grouping those teams together? Memphis, Charlotte and Seattle have the three highest turnover averages in the NBA. San Antonio, Orlando and Detroit have the three lowest turnover averages.

Obviously, the turnovers are a concern for this young Memphis Grizzlies team and is something that Marc Iavaroni is sure to address with the team.

In yesterday's post on Pete's Perspective, play-by-play man Pete Pranica talks about the growth of this Grizzlies team and the struggles they have had so far. He has some great insight into the team and I highly recommend reading everything he posts.

Over on Rebuilding Year, they had a roundtable discussion about who the early buyout candidates are and not so surprisingly, Damon Stoudamire dominated the conversation. There was some good back-and-forth, with both sides represented very well. No matter what you think about Damon's place on the team, I suggest reading what they have to say.

News and Notes: Captains, Inactive List

A couple of newsworthy items to inform everyone about.

First, the Grizzlies have named their captains for this upcoming season. From Graham Kendrick's blog today:

Marc Iavaroni announced that the team has named three captains for the upcoming season: Pau Gasol, Mike Miller and Damon Stoudamire.

That is great to hear, as I love the fact that they are putting Gasol in a visible leadership role, rather than simply calling him a leader and expecting it to mean something.

The other item is that Brian Cardinal and Tarence Kinsey will both begin the season on the Inactive List. (NBA.com)

A lot of fans are puzzled by this, given how well TK played last year, but I think it is probably a combination of some lingering issues from his shoulder injury (suffered during Summer League), as well as how well Casey Jacobsen played in preseason. The most common complaint of fans has been that Andre Brown should have been on the list instead, but given that we open the season against the San Antonio Spurs, I want as many frontcourt players available as possible. With Cardinal going on the list, it made sense to make the other player a swingman.

Why Trade Mike Miller?

Just read Tom Ziller's post on AOL's The Fanhouse titled Valley of the Most Likely: Mike Miller's Gonna Get Traded. I'm a big fan of Ziller's work on The Fanhouse, Sactown Royalty and Ballhype, but I believe that he is off-base here. I know a certain poster on the Grizz Message Board that just named Ziller his new idol, so it is all a matter of opinion, I suppose. Here is his reasoning for Miller being traded:

But with a slew of point guards and a nice backup in Tarence Kinsey, Memphis could certainly handle life without [Miller]. Shedding his three remaining years for an expiring contract and some youth could make Memphis serious players in free agency against next summer. Miller's in his prime; the Grizzlies aren't. By the time Memphis gets there, Miller will be done. It makes sense for them to build toward a target... even if it means letting a valuable player go.

If this team were three years away from being a playoff team, then I could agree with his assessment. However, I don't think they are that far away from a return to the postseason, so I have some serious concerns about this potential trade.

He's not a star and he makes less than $10 million. But no potential hill-topping player whispered this preseason can offer what he does: Elite shooting. Miller would be a boon to almost any team fighting to join the Holy Troika; you think Kobe Bryant wouldn't love to have a fearless gunner like MiMi behind him? How about Utah, who desperately needs two-guard help (unless Ronnie Brewer is truth... which might be the case)? Cleveland and Miami would each love to add some scoring punch in the backcourt, and Miller returning to Orlando could give Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis just the help they need. Even New Orleans, who has Peja Stojakovic and Morris Peterson on the wing, could benefit from Miller's game.

If Mike Miller is such a valuable commodity, then surely the Grizzlies can get more in return for him than an expiring contract and a young player/draft pick. If they are just going to trade him away for cap space, they could very quickly find themselves in the purgatory that the Atlanta Hawks have dwelled in for the past decade. They traded away solid players for a chance at cap space and draft picks...and never made any progress towards a return to the glory days of the 80's. In the process, they have fostered a losing culture that they are just now beginning to pull themselves out of. Memphis cannot afford to go down that road, especially in light of their current attendance problems -- something they have in common with the Hawks. Going younger, younger, younger doesn't solve anything. You have to have veteran leadership to nurture that young talent and guide them; otherwise they have to teach themselves and you wind up with guys who never fulfill their potential.

This team needs stability in order to develop chemistry and regain the winning attitude that carried it to the playoffs three seasons in a row. Trading away a player who is a key cog in their rotation for virtually nothing in return doesn't help to achieve those goals. It isn't like Mike is a 12-year veteran that has toiled for his entire career in the hopes of a title and this is his opportunity to win a ring, so the team "does the right thing" and gives him away for 10 cents on the dollar. If anything, Damon Stoudamire is the most likely Grizzly to be traded this year, given his frank comments to an Arizona reporter/blogger this summer and the fact that the team has two young, talented PG's on the roster in the form of Michael Conley and Kyle Lowry.

Should the Grizzlies explore trade possibilities that can result in the acquisition of a true game changing player? Absolutely. Could Miller be part of that deal? Sure, why not? But to trade him away because he might not be "part of the future" while he is currently in his prime when there are other players that are definitely not part of the Grizzlies plans (Damon, Stro) on the roster would be foolhardy and short-sighted, in my honest opinion. If Miller is to be traded, it should be for tangible talent, not the pipe dreams that cap space and draft picks are made of.

Links: Previews, Michael Wilbon, Free Damon!

Some quick notes for you as you get ready to start your weekend.

There's an......interesting, I guess is the word, preview from Dave over on Blazer's Edge about both the Grizzlies and the Hornets. I'll let you take a look at it because I'm not sure I can really say that much about it without laughing out loud.

Speaking of previews, yesterday Michael Wilbon predicted that the Grizzlies would win 50 games. While I recognize Wilbon as more of a sports expert than I am, I think everyone wants to know what he was smoking when he came to that conclusion. I believe that some of the mid-tier teams in the West will falter, allowing the Grizzlies to improve significantly from last season's disaster, but more than doubling their win total? That's a lot to expect.

This is especially true if you are already seeing the same problems creep up yet again, as they have season after season in Memphis. That's what MemphisX sees in his review of the team's two preseason games on Grizzlies Nation.

This is going to be the 7th season in Memphis and not once have we been considered a playoff lock and we are still left to hope for potential and talk about what ifs. Frankly, I don't think I can stomach another 82 games of watching a team in which the majority of the playing rotation does not understand what it takes to make game winning plays on a nightly basis.

Finally, it appears that Damon's legal issues are no longer hanging over his head. Kim Smith of the Arizona Daily Star reports that a deal was reached in Stoudamire's Tucson marijuana possession case that stemmed from an incident in July 2003.

The marijuana and paraphernalia charges will be dismissed against Stoudamire if he does four things within the next six months. First, Stoudamire must give the
University of Arizona’s athletic department $45,000 in scholarship funds for needy and at-risk youth who want to participate in Lute Olson’s and Joan Bonvicini's basketball camps.In addition, Stoudamire must submit two negative drug tests, avoid any criminal convictions and report any arrests, Chalk said.

Of course, if the Kim Smith reporting this looked like the Kim Smith I immediately thought of, this would probably be a bigger story. It would definitely be on ESPN News.

There's your news for this Friday morning. Check back later when I'll post the first installment of our Roundtable Discussion from two weeks ago. Also, don't forget about the Grizzlies' Annual Open Practice, which will be held at the FedEx Forum tomorrow (Saturday) at noon. Admission is free, so this is one more great opportunity to see the Boys in Beale Street Blue before they see NBA action on Monday night.

Links: Mighty Mouse, Bloggers vs. Mainstream Media, Mike Conley Jr.

There's a short piece on Damon Stoudamire from the Toronto Star today titled Mighty Mouse still flying with Memphis. Stoudamire was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in 1995 and became the Rookie of the Year. Here's a quote from the column:

Whether it was the financial madness of owners in a post-lockout NBA or a watering-down of the on-court product that has allowed him to stay a starter for more than a decade, Stoudamire has easily surpassed his early goals. He's probably made close to $100 million in his career. He's been in the Western Conference final with Portland and will lead an intriguing Memphis team this year while teaching his eventual replacement, Mike Conley, the tricks he learned from Alvin Robertson, Ed Pinckney and John Salley on those early Raptors teams.

I found a very interesting piece on AOL's The Fanhouse today via TrueHoop discussing how some bloggers have garnered press passes to NHL games over the past few seasons. In this post, Eric McErlain (of the great hockey blog Off Wing Opinion) discusses the way he got his start in gaining access "behind the velvet rope" with the Washington Capitals and was accepted without any qualms or labels. However, in this new venture by the New York Islanders, they have purposefully segregated the bloggers from the "regular media" and made it a point to label them, thus ostracizing them. McErlain also touches on the SI.com piece that covered the debut of the "Blog Box", as well as taking some justified shots at anonymous hockey blogger Eklund. Read the whole post to draw your own conclusions. I'll be busy trying to figure out how to acquire a press pass from the Memphis Grizzlies.

Last, but not least, Happy Birthday! to Mike Conley, Jr. He turned 20 today.

Links: DIME Magazine, Kenny Smith

There was a nice recap of the loss to Unicaja on DIME Magazine today. They had some interesting insight into the Memphis Grizzlies young players, particulary their critique of Rudy Gay:

Rudy Gay is so freaking athletic and could be so good, it’s a shame he isn’t better. Think about it: physically, Rudy doesn’t have anything Kevin Durant doesn’t have (maybe the long-range accuracy), but he probably won’t ever be a superstar like KD can be because Rudy simply doesn’t go hard all the time. He made some amazing plays yesterday — crazy dunks from all over the place, and one block where he looked like Mike Powell jumping out at a three-point shooter — but there were also times when you could see Rudy start to drive, then blow an opportunity because he didn’t want the contact. If Rudy needs a “Don’t do this to your career” manual, he should look down the bench at Stromile Swift …

I think that's the fear that many fans have about Rudy -- that he'll never fulfill his potential...or possibly even come close.

Kenny Smith is the new NBA expert for Yahoo! Sports, taking the spot vacated by Steve Kerr who is now employed by the Phoenix Suns. He posted his predictions for the Eastern and Western Conferences. He has the Grizzlies finishing 9th in the West, which is the second highest position I've seen in all of these previews so far.

9. Memphis Grizzlies – They improved their team by adding Mike Conley Jr. However, the best improvement comes from just being healthy. Pau Gasol is arguably the second-best power forward in the West behind Duncan, and don't underestimate Damon Stoudamire's value.

Those are pretty strong words that he has to say about Gasol when Dirk Nowitzki -- you know, the reigning MVP -- still plays in the West, as well as Carlos Boozer, Shawn Marion and Elton Brand. Let's hope The Jet is an accurate prognosticator.

Lineup and Rotation Still Unknown

After more than a week of training camp, Coach Iavaroni gave the team a day off. The time hasn't been long enough to determine who is starting and who will make the primary rotation. Iavaroni said that no lineups have been determined.

"Is anything shaking out right now? No," Iavaroni said. "We haven't played any games. That's where we'll decide who is going to start and how we'll rotate, and have combinations. I'm going to sit down with the coaches (today) and decide which direction we want to go."

Iavaroni has said that nobody except for Pau has a guaranteed spot in the starting five. It seems reasonable to expect that Miller and Rudy will start at the wing positions. How the rest of the rotation shakes itself will be the most interesting aspect for the remaining time in training camp and preseason.

My favorite position battle is at the point. Right now I think the starting spot is Damon's to lose. During the Blue and White scrimmage, Damon started on the same team as Pau, Mike and Rudy and played really good. Tillery reported that during last practice, Damon was on the same team as Miller, Gay, Pau, and Darko. Those five are probably the consensus starters right now for most Griz fans. Looking at the pictures taken during practices, Damon usually has the same color jersey on as Pau, Rudy and Mike. That is why I believe that the starting point guard spot is Damon's to lose.

However, everything will most likely change once the Grizzlies start playing other teams. On Tuesday afternoon (Memphis time), the Grizzlies open up preseason games playing Unicaja. Chip thinks that Damon, Mike, Rudy, Pau and Darko will start and I agree with him.

I still think that within the first month of the season (if not by opening night), Mike Conley will be the starting point guard. Conley's ability to play and push the team to such a fast pace will earn him Iavaroni's trust. Right now it may look like a now-healthy Damon has the upper hand, it is still just a matter of time before he gets passed over. Damon understands this.

Even though Damon might be the favorite to start at PG and Conley looks to be the most competent contender, Kyle Lowry should not be counted out. I fully believe that as long as Lowry is healthy, his tenacious defense and knack for making big plays will force his way to the court, especially in the 4th quarter. I predict that Kyle will become the biggest fan favorite this year for his gritty, bulldog style.

The backup wing position is another competitive battle (assuming Miller and Rudy start). I have no idea who will come out on top between Navarro, Kinsey and Jacobsen. Kinsey is the worst shooter of the three, but a better defender. I also have a feeling that if Damon or Lowry finds themselves third on the point guard depth chart, that either of them could see some spot minutes at the 2 if Iavaroni chooses to go super-small (Damon for his shooting and Lowry for his defense and ability to get to the rim). That could hurt the court time available for Navarro/Kinsey/Jacobsen. Working in the other direction is the possibility of Rudy playing some at the 4, opening up more minutes for the Navarro/Kinsey/Jacobsen trio.

There is one prediction I do feel confident making regarding the Grizzlies position battles. Stro will not be apart of it. Like clockwork, Stro already has a knee injury. Although minor, I have a feeling this will be the start of a string of small nagging injuries for Swift.

Edit (10-8-07, 3:55 pm): Check out Chris Herrington's take on Camp Battles.

Blue and White Scrimmage Recap

(Copyright 2007 NBAE. Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

I thoroughly enjoyed the Blue and White Scrimmage today. The crowd was larger than I expected and probably more people were there than showed up for the open practice last year.

I think I should say who won, but truthfully, I don't remember looking at the scoreboard more than once or twice. I think the White team won. They played two, 10 minute periods.

Here was how the teams were split up, with an (s) designating who started for each squad.

Blue:
--Mike Conley (s)
--Casey Jacobsen (s)
--Mike Miller (s)
--Hakim Warrick (s)
--Pau Gasol (s)
--Juan Carlos Navarro
--Andre Brown

White:
--Damon Stoudamire (s)
--Tarence Kinsey (s)
--Rudy Gay (s)
--Stromile Swift (s)
--Darko Milicic (s)
--Brian Cardinal
--Dontell Jefferson
--Kyle Lowry (didn't play)

I don't remember seeing the other training camp invitee play (Kasib Powell). Chris Wallace just mentioned on the Chris Vernon Show that he has already been waived.

The most memorable part of the scrimmage was everyone holding their breath when Mike Conley went down. It was only a charlie-horse in his thigh. Here is a picture I took when Conley was getting looked at on the bench after he went down. You can see the trainer messaging the thigh.


Here are some of my random observations. Most Griz fans echo similar thoughts (messageboard thread on scrimmage).

--Neither team really played at full speed.
--Rudy can still dunk.
--Casey can shoot.
--Miller wore sweat pants. yuck!
--Darko has a nice lefty baby hook shot.
--Navarro (called "instant-grits" by his teammates) showed off his running tear drop in the lane...nice.
--Rudy played the 3 and 4.
--With Kyle out, Navarro and Kinsey had to run some point.
--Players were conscious of not trying to hold the ball for very long (one of the points of emphasis from Coach Iavaroni). This unfortunately led to some careless turnovers, but that's alright. This is still a work in progress.
--Kinsey missed Stro for an alley-oop. TK7 (my nickname for him) immediately acknowledged that he missed it, but Stro still pouted and loafed after the fact. Reactions like that are going to get him sat on the bench this year. He needs to just keep playing and not dwell on things like that.

Now I want to talk a bit about Conley vs Damon. Damon looked good physically. Clearly more healthy than last year and could be potentially better than he was when we signed him. But, unlike many of my fellow Griz fans (and probably chip and spartacus too), I still see him as a point guard best suited for a half court team and not what this team needs to ignite a fast paced offense that is spurred using ball-hawking defense. Conley plays the point more like I envision the team needing. When Conley penetrates, he is great at keeping his dribble and leave as many options open as possible. Today Damon picked up his dribble a little earlier than I think he should have a few times. Damon showed off a great stroke today (clearly he is light years ahead of Conley in terms of shooting). While Damon looked healthy physically, I still have my doubts that he will be anything but average on defense. But enough of that. Both point guards looked good. Damon probably surprised people with his health and play. I'm glad Conley only has a thigh bruise and wish we all could have seen Lowry (the soon-to-be fan favorite) play today.

I also want to discuss some of the stuff we are doing on offense for fans that couldn't make it to the scrimmage. We are using more on-ball screens than in the past. In addition, when our bigs are in the high post, they are handing the ball off to a curling point guard often.

Here is a breakdown of one of the common half-court sets we used:

1.) PG passes to the right wing, then goes and picks for the PF on the left lower block.
2.) Either the PF gets the ball on the right lower block, or more likely, the ball is passed to the C at the top of the key.
3.) Then the left wing goes down and picks for the PG who is now on the left lower block.
4.) The PG pops out to the left wing off of that screen, then curls around the C for a hand-off pass.
5.) From there, the PG penetrates and makes something happen.

The Blue team ran that exact play to start the game and Mike Conley penetrated and found a diving Pau for an easy dunk. Nice.

Finishing up, here are some links. Wes at 730ESPN has audio from the scrimmage. Yahoo has pictures from the scrimmage.