Links: Darko Interview, Hakim Trade Rumor, Grizzlies Evaluation

Hoopsworld.com's Nikola Olic scored another interview with a Memphis Grizzlies' player -- this time with Serbian big man Darko Milicic. It is an intriguing look into the path that brought Darko to Memphis and how much he is enjoying having the opportunity to put his talent on display.

I ask about Memphis again, and how he elected to go out for lunch in uptown Dallas proudly wearing his Grizzlies outfit, looking like he just walked out of practice. In an uncharacteristic move, he started talking faster and louder, and even cracked a smile like the one we saw when he was introduced as a Memphis Grizzly in July.
"Now I'm in Memphis where I have the biggest chance so far of my career. The only thing I can do is work hard and play hard and take advantage of the opportunity. The best possible cure for my hangover from before is exactly what I have here in Memphis, the freedom to play and not be afraid of being benched. Every player likes freedom in his basketball. You have to know that you will not immediately finish back on the bench if you make a mistake"

For Hoopsworld's other Grizzlies' interviews, go to the Grizzlies team page.

According to ESPN, the Golden State Warriors have tried to pry Hakim Warrick away from Memphis by dangling young center Patrick O'Bryant. MemphisX covered this with his usual calculating style and seems to have deemed this an poor trade for the Grizzlies. I have to agree with him. As much as I would like to see the Grizzlies get another big body to further complement Pau and Darko in the frontcourt, I believe that they need a high energy guy (Anderson Varejao, Joakim Noah type of player) given their uptempo style of play more than a plodder. I also agree with X that a backup SF/PF would be preferrable to a soon-to-be free agent center that isn't likely to see any playing time.

There was a recap of last night's win over the Nets on wcbstv.com that I found interesting and had some good quotes from the Grizzlies.

"We were in a lot of close games this year and were not successful," Gasol said. "It comes down to us growing and improving in those situations and getting more confidence as a young team. I think we're finally getting it together."

Golden State Warriors interested in Hakim Warrick?

Our friends at Golden State of Mind uncovered a nugget of information in ESPN the Magazine[p. 124...3 Seconds]:

To get Andris Biedrins help inside, the Warriors have looked into stealing Hakim Warrick from Memphis for struggling center Patrick O'Bryant. Good luck with that.

Now it seems that most Golden State fans have a high opinion of the Grizzlies forward. In reality he has improved upon his production from last season, he is just doing it in fewer minutes so it appears that his numbers are down. Hakim Warrick has really improved his jumpshot out to about 18 feet and rarely goes into the spin cycle in the post that got him in trouble a lot last season. However, Hakim is still a blackhole. He only has 2 assists in 150 minutes vs. 9 turnovers. In the right situation, Hakim would be a good finisher and the Warriors would probably be a team in which he would thrive as he will be able to sneak around and take advantage of mismatches.

On the other side of the coin, Patrick O'Bryant is virtually an unknown to me. I liked him coming out of college but getting browbeat in the league can seriously hamper a players development. The Grizzlies are already rehabilitating Darko and two confidence projects might be one to many. O'Bryant has not shown anything in the league (I have never seen him play). He seems to foul to much to even stay on the court (13.2 fouls per 48). Add to that, he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

As a Grizz fan, I would not like this swap. I have no doubts that Hakim is not in the long range plans of Coach Iavaroni but I would expect a better return. I would prefer to get a small forward to back up Rudy.