Hakim Warrick prepared for new season

In today's Commercial Appeal, Grizzlies beat writer Ron Tillery has an article titled "Grizzlies' Warrick ready to run". Here's what Warrick had to say:

"I'm looking forward to this season because I think the opportunity will be there for me. It's going to be an up-tempo system. Coach said he wants us to get out there and run," Warrick said after working out with several teammates last week in FedExForum.

A good, positive article that should get most fans excited about the upcoming season. Be sure to read it if you haven't already.

Edit by Zack (9/17/06, 9:48am)...

I wanted to throw a little bit more out there on Hak.

In particular, two things in the above mentioned Commercial Appeal article caught my eye.

The first was Hak's mention of working on his mid-range game.

"We got a lot of shots up, working on my mid-range game," Warrick said. "I'm trying to become a more polished player from 15 feet."

Something very similar to this was said last offseason about Hak working on his mid-range jumper. Did it help? Yes, I think it did.

In 05/06 Hakim shot 44% from the field (in only 10 mpg). In 06/07 Hak shot 52% from the field in increased minutes of action. From those numbers alone, that shows that Hak's practice paid off.

But there is more to it if one looks at stats provided by 82games.

In 05/06 Hak shot just 27% on what 82games labels as "Jump" shots. Not good. In addition, 16% of those jump shots were blocked (!) and only 37% were assisted.

Compare that to 06/07 where Hak shot 41% on jump shots, with only 4% getting blocked and 61% being assisted.

Looking at the 82games stats, it is easy to see how much Hak improved his mid-range game between his rookie and sophomore campaigns. He almost doubled his percentage of made jump shots. But more important, he got less shots blocked and let the shots come more naturally in the flow of the offense evident by having more be assisted shots.

The next point that raised my interest was Iavaroni mentioning that Hak would be asked to pass more and specifically mentioned the hand-off pass.

"He has to be versatile enough to make that mid-range shot and be a confident passer," Iavaroni said. "He needs to be a confident dribble hand-off guy. That's big in our offense. (Frontcourt players) in our offense have to be able to make decisions."

How well will Hak do given more responsibility passing? I'm not sure. Last year, particularly when Pau was hurt, Hak regularly would shoot almost anytime the ball came his way in the post. On top of that he averaged almost 2 turnovers per game last year.

Being asked to pass more will most likely challenge Hak to raise his overall game, not just his ability to score from inside and out. Keep in mind Griz fans, this is Haks 3rd coach in as many years. If he doesn't immediately show Boris Diaw like passing skills in Iavaroni's system, just be patient. He might just find that next offseason will be devoted more to passing and less on scoring.

Class in Session with Chris Wallace

Every now and then you get lucky in life. Sometimes it is not answering the phone in time only to have it be a sales call. Sometimes you find a quarter on the ground. Friday it was playing a long shot and winning big.

Some friends of mine from the Memphis Grizzlies message board and I decided to get together and talk about the Grizzlies summer and what our expectations were for the coming season. On a whim I sent an email to new Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace and invited him to join us. I didn't really expect a reply. If I got a reply it would probably be from his secretary saying he couldn't make it. I didn't expect a reply saying "thanks for the invitation. I will meet you there."

And he actually showed up!

So there I was with (real names withheld to protect identities) Memphis Slim, Spartacus, Grizzman, Stubbylegs, MoneyShot and Mr. Toad when in walked Chris Wallace talking on his cell phone. Now I don't know what he was saying on the phone (I imagined he was telling Phoenix why Shawn Marion wasn't a good fit on the Grizzlies but I have a vivid imagination) but he hung up the phone and walked up to our table and introduced himself. No shyness. No pretense. No air of superiority. Chris Wallace is definitely not Jerry West.

For the next 2 hours Chris Wallace educated us on his vision of the world of basketball. He answered all of our questions. No holds barred education from someone who really knows what he is talking about. To say it was enlightening would be an understatement. It was like that favorite teacher in college who kept you enthralled during the entire class. I only wish I had thought to bring paper to take notes.

Here is what I remember from the conversation.

The first question was straightforward. I asked Chris this question: The Grizzlies have assembled a lot of pieces this year almost like a jigsaw puzzle but what do you see the picture looking like Mr. Wallace? His answer was a simple "I don't know." He then explained that his job is to raise the overall talent level of the team without destroying the chemistry that already exists. He is excited about the potential of our point guards. He believes we will be a better three point shooting team. He thinks our big men will improve the defense. Most importantly he said this team wants to be faster but not at the expense of defense.

He said the only players likely to be guaranteed starting spots are Pau Gasol (without hesistation) and Mike Miller (a slight hesitation there but I may be reading too much into that). He talked about why he went after Darko and how much he expects from him (a lot by the way). He explained why he went to Argentina but didn't make a serious attempt to sign Nocioni or Varejao (way too expensive for any increase in talent over Darko). Most interesting he discussed how he values players. He explains what he looks for in draft picks and free agents and how he views value. He reference the 6 to 5 difference compared to a 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 difference. Basically he saw the differences between Darko and Nocioni and Varejao as maybe a small difference in player skill but a large difference in the cost to acquire them. He can be satisfied if he doesn't get the better player if the cost is right. I am explaining it poorly but he made a lot of sense when he talked about it.

He talked about how Rudy Gay and Tarence Kinsey were promising rookies but he needs to see more from them this year. He believes they will show it as well. He talked about his concern about rookie playing the point and his concern about Damon not being physically able to play but he also said he was impressed with Damon's professionalism. He has been to see Stro and expects him in Memphis next week to start working out with the other players in town (and he said a lot of players are already in town). He talked about Pau, Juan Carlos Navarro and Darko playing in Europe (and mentioned he is still holding his breath until the last two games are played). He discussed Darko's outburst against the ref and how the Serbian culture and the timing of the question played into this. He wasn't pleased with what Darko said, but related that Serbia was at war recently, these international games mean so much more outside of America and the players are very emotional. The press fired questions at him immediately after the game and he would have said something very different if he had been given 10-15 minutes to cool off. Basically he said that you have to understand things are different over there.

He then broadened the conversation to the NBA in general. He talked about how the NBA is attempting to build a league where teams and players are associated together. Garnett was in Minnesota for 12 or so years, Paul Pierce in Boston, Kobe in LA, Patrick Ewing in NY, etc. Sure there will be trades made but the idea is to build a league where teams and stars are associated with each other. It does make it harder to become a champion but it builds fan loyalty. He talked about the importance of chemistry from the team. He gave the example of Boston when they went to the Conference Finals and how their team had basically been together for three years and how that knowledge played as important a part as the talent of the individual players.

I am leaving lots out and I am sure that the people that were there will fill in many of the blanks but the most interesting thing for me was that Chris Wallace was there. I told him it would be 3 or 4 people plus myself. I didn't imply that the people were interested in buying season tickets or upgrading their seats. He came because we wanted to meet him and he wanted to get us as enthused about the team and future as he is. If anyone is concerned that Chris Wallace isn't the right man for the job let me clearly state that in my opinion he is the right man. He understands that Memphis is a large small town, rather than a small city, and that we appreciate a more personal connection with the team.

The Grizzlies most likely won't win the NBA Championship this season. The team may not even make the playoffs but in Chris Wallace we have a man in charge who wants the Grizzlies to be an integral part of the city. That is more important right now after 5 years of disconnect.

Thank you Mr. Wallace.

Update: Welcome TrueHoop readers!

Around the Horn

I got a slew of quick hits and links for ya.

My goal is keep the Grizzlies as the main subject around here. But with little Grizzlies news (and only little more NBA news) to talk about I still find myself plenty saturated with sports. I echo what Spartacus said.

So I thought I would take a look at what is keeping my attention around the sports world. Hold on.

--The Patriots scandal has me fired up. And I think I am extra fired up because it is coming on the heels of the NBA ref scandal and the MLB steroid scandal (among a number of other sports scandals in cycling, racing, etc). Cheating and breaking league rules to gain a competitive advantage is not fair for the fans. I feel the amount of time I spend watching and discussing sports is wasted if the athletic competition is not on a level playing field. I'm there to see gifted athletes compete against each other honestly. I understand every team and player pushes the limits of their league rules. But I would hope when warned, they quit, and when caught, they graciously take their punishment without excuses. Back to the Patriots, I think they got off easy. Peter King, Dr. Z, and Mark Clayton agree with me. I would have liked to have seen a suspension for Belicheat. Especially in light of Wade Wilson getting 5 games.
--Greg Oden is out for the year (see below). Good news for the Grizzlies. I'm sorry to see that happen to him, though. And I don't feel very bad for the Blazers. I'm still resentful for getting #4 (instead of #2, haha). But I'll shyly admit the news didn't surprise me (wink, wink). Even without Oden though, I think the Blazers will be better than predicted. Probably better than Seattle and should-have-been #1 pick Kevin Durant.
--Which reminds me of the oh so obvious Bill Simmons article that has been posted. The Sports Guy is saying I told you so, of course Durant should have been the #1 pick. I do like his story about seeing both Oden and Durant walking down the halls at the ESPY's and how Durant glided down the hallway, while Oden staggered like 50 year old Fred Sanford.
--Enough of all of the Patriots and Oden stuff. Do you know what is really consuming my sports addicted mind? Here is a hint. Yep, that's right...
--Titans vs Colts. Noon. CBS. First home game. Defending champions. Divisional rivals. Peyton Manning. Vince Young. I am about to explode with excitement. My homer tendencies have probably blinded me. I see a Titan win. I am totally convinced. VY is not always the prettiest and most polished quarterback, but there isn't a football player in America that I trust more when a play needs to be made. Especially in big games. And this game is big. Last year the Titans played the Colts (or Clots as I like to call them) close, splitting the season series with both games decided by a 3 points or less. But that was without tag team champion cornerback Pacman Jones (2nd best cornerback and best return man in the league, IMO). I'm curious to see how the Titans new cornerbacks, former Colt Nick Harper and sophomore Cortland Finnegan, fare against Harrison and Wayne. I'm pretty confident that the Titans can win the battle between the tackles. Haynseworth will be good and pissed after his $5000 fine. The Titans have one of the most under-rated offensive lines (read this story about Roos, it is good). I like the combination of LenDale and Chris Brown. My prediction is Titans 17 - Colts 13.
--Around the NFL...Why can't the Ravens and Bears fix their offensive woes...Romeo needs to start Brady now...The Giants just have the look of a team ready to implode...In week 1 I was surprised by the amount of teams that looked worse than expected...I'm taking the Chargers against the Pats...Packers over the Giants...and Eagles over Skins...
--Some turmoil surrounding the Memphis Tigers of late. Players in a brawl and making it rain. Recruits decommitting. But I still see them being the best team in the country for most of the year and am excited about seeing them at the Forum this year. Maybe even a few Tigers-Grizzlies Saturday double-headers.
--After the opening week loss to Ole Miss, I have no idea what to expect from the Memphis Tigers football squad this year. And I'm worried about 3 games in 11 days.
--How are your fantasy teams doing? Right now my best fantasy move has been taking Andre Johnson as my #1 WR in all my leagues.
--In College Football news, I'm looking forward to the USC-Nebraska matchup Saturday night. --Put me down for Nebraska pulling off the upset.
--In MLB news, looks like the Cardinals won't push past the Brewers and Cubs.
--In Nascar news, my money is on Smoke to win the Chase.
--What sports blogs do you like to read? These 4 get a lot of my attention. Profootballtalk. AOL Fanhouse. True Hoop. All of the blogs under the SBNation banner. And in that spirit, let's take a cruise thru the sports blogsphere and see what is out there...
--Mike Conley reports that pick-up games at the Forum at heating up. I'm pumped for next season. Bring on training camp.
--Hakim Warrick reports that he is still getting his legs when playing Madden '08. Did I say that I'm pumped for next season?
--I'm enjoying the the Chris Wallace radio segments with Chris Vernon. In case you haven't heard, I'm pumped about next season. Go Grizzlies!
--I echo Henry Abbott at True Hoop about former Tiger Shawne Williams arrest. Why do it in the car? Keep the illegal drugs at home.
--Whoa, this thing is getting long. Let's quit there. Enjoy a weekend stuffed to the brim with sports. Cheer for the Titans.

Edit....a big WOW regarding the post above by Chip...much props to Chris Wallace...and Chip for getting it set up and informing us about the discussion that occurred....I can't believe I missed an opportunity to meet Chris Wallace...

Greg Oden to miss entire season

Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Oden is lost for the season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his knee today.

Obviously this is very bad news for both Oden and the Portland TrailBlazers. It appears that Portland will be on the receiving end of yet another high lottery pick next offseason which will be the third straight year for them, having drafted Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Oden the past two offseasons. This will do nothing to quell the comparisons to Sam Bowie that have been floating around, which is unfortunate for Oden and the fanbase, as they are completely off base. If anything, he's more like their most recent #1 overall pick -- Bill Walton.

For Grizzlies' fans, this has to be cause for a sigh of relief on two counts. First, that the Blazers won't have that dominant force in the middle in those 3 games this season. Secondly, and more obviously, that the Grizzlies won't be haunted by recollections of players like Bryant "Big Country" Reeves and Michael Dickerson, who came into the league with lots of potential, but whose careers were cut short by injuries.

Since the draft lottery, the question has been hanging over the city like a dark cloud: What If? What if those ping-pong balls had given the #1 overall pick to the Grizzlies instead of Portland? Well, since hindsight is 20/20, we can now say "Thank Goodness" instead of "What If". Even if Oden returns to his pre-injury condition and develops into that dominant center that was his predicted future, at least Grizzlies' fans won't have to spend the next season playing the Waiting Game, as the fanbase in the Pacific Northwest is now forced to do. I wish Oden and that fanbase the best, but I'm glad that I'm not in their shoes right now.

Update: Ron Tillery agrees with me

Expectations of Improvement

During the 2002-03 season the Memphis Grizzlies improved from 28 wins the previous season to 50 wins. That altered the perception of the Grizzlies from one of the worst franchises in professional sports to one with a bright future. With Jerry West heading the front office, Hubie Brown teaching the team concept and a cadre of young talented players the future looked promising.

That 22 game improvement was the best in the league that season and one of the top 15 team improvements since the 1973 season. It has been argued many times that the 2002-03 season did more to hurt the franchise the benefit it. Fans expectations were raised, player egos were inflated and pressure from the front office increased. These are not good combinations but that s a discussion for another day.

What I want to look into is how often a team improved more than 20 games twice since 1973.

The greatest single season improvement was San Antonio's 1997-98 season. The Spurs improved 36 games that year. The previous year David Robinson was injured and played fewer than 10 games that season. Also injured for significant periods of time were Chuck Person, Charles Smith and Sean Elliot. The perennial playoff team fell to 20 wins after making the playoffs every year since 1988. The Spurs won the lottery that summer and drafted Tim Duncan. The 1989-1990 season turned around with the arrival of David Robinson. Drafted two years earlier as the #1 pick in the draft Robinson joined a rebuilding Spurs franchise ready to make a big step forward. The 35 games improvement was the best in league history until the 1997-98 Spurs season.

Phoenix made the top 10 list twice as well. In 2004-05 they rebuilt the team with the Steve Nash signing, Quentin Richardson signing and Amare Stoudamire draft pick. The previous year Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway and others were sent packing in a house cleaning in around the all-star break and those moves helped the Suns improve from 29 wins to 62 wins. That was the 3rd best improvement over that time frame. Phoenix also made the list in 1988-89 improving 27 games. The major difference was the arrival of new coach Cotton Fitzsimmons. He arrived after three years of missing the playoffs and turned the team around immediately improving from 28 wins to 55 wins that year. The previous season was known in Phoenix as the year of the trades. Over 24 hours in mid-February the Suns traded away Ed Pinckney, William Bedford, Larry Nance and Mike Sanders for Eddie Johnson, Armon Gilliam, Kevin Johnson, Mark West, Tyrone Corbin and Cleveland's 1st round pick in the upcoming draft. Throw on top the signing of Tom Chambers as a free agent and the team was totally remade. The draft brought in Tim Perry, Dan Majerle, Steve Kerr and Andrew Lang.

The Chicago Bulls also made the list twice. The team improved 25 games during the 1995-96 season when Michael Jordan returned from a two year hiatus to play baseball. The 25 game improvement took an already playoff bound team (47 wins) to the pinnacle of basketball excellence when the Bulls won 72 games in a season. The other great turnaround was the 2004-05 Bulls team that improved 24 games with the maturation of the Baby Bulls. New coach Scott Skiles turned the inexperienced team into one of the more dangerous squads in the NBA heading into the playoffs that year. That draft had brought in Ben Gordan, Luol Deng and Chris Duhon to join Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler and Kirk Hinrich to form a talented young squad of players. The Bulls were 4-14 in mid-December when things started to click (starting in Memphis against the Grizzlies). The Bulls were at .500 by the all-star break and finished with 47 wins that year.

Now the Grizzlies face a similar challenge. Can the team that played so pathetically last season in winning only 22 games make another 20 win turnaround this year? What did these previous teams have in common with the current Grizzlies?

Injuries played an important role in both of the Spurs turnarounds and injuries had a major factor in the Grizzlies demise last year. New coaches were a part of the San Antonio, Phoenix and one of the Chicago turnarounds as well. Marc Iavaroni is the new head coach in Memphis. Quality drafts played major roles in all three teams improvements and Memphis' drafting of Mike Conley Jr plus the signing of Juan Carlos Navarro (a previously unsigned draft pick of Washington) could have major impact going forward. Finally, free agent acquisitions had a big impact on many of the teams turn arounds and Darko Milicic's signing not only meant the Grizzlies acquired a talented young player but filled a need as well.

Many similarities from previous teams making big turnarounds are in place in Memphis right now. A new Coach, players returning from injuries, promising draft picks and free agent moves have all been major parts of the significant turnarounds in the past. That doesn't mean the Grizzlies will definitely improve 20+ games this season but there is plenty of reason for optimism this year.

Six on Six

The Grizzlies franchise is going to embark on their 13th year of existence on October 31st.

The previous twelve seasons were split evenly between Vancouver and Memphis. Six years spent in both cities.

1995-2001 The Vancouver years:

In Vancouver the team was called the worst professional franchise in all sports. The Vancouver Grizzlies were a laughing stock around the league. They won 15 games their first season, 14 games their second season, 19 games their third season (their lone season outside of last place) and 8 games in the strike-shortened 4th season before busting out to win 22 and 23 their last two years in Vancouver. That means their best season was one game better than the Grizzlies last season in Memphis!

Their overall record in 6years above the border was a dismal 101-359 for an overall winning percentage of 21.9%. The team had 5 head coaches, 2 GM's, three owners and two mascots. Originally the Grizzlies were supposed to be called the Mounties but the Royal Canadiam Mounted Police refused to allow their name to be used in such an manner. Wise choice in hindsight.

So instead the basketball minds in Vancouver chose to name the team after a creature who is asleep during most of a basketball season.

And you wonder why the team wasn't more successful?

The franchise chose to give away their #1 pick in the draft that produced Carmello Anthony, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Kirk Hinrich in exchange for Otis Thorpe despite Thorpe telling everyone who would listen he didn't want to be in Memphis. They drafted Steve Francis despite his repeated comments stating he would never play for Vancouver. Francis never did and the subsequent trade left Vancouver with no talent but some heavy contracts. Way to go Guys. It takes an enormous amount of ineptitude to simultaneously lose the present and the fuure of the franchise that way.

2001-the present:

The Memphis years began with a cleaning of the house. Gone were Shareef Abdur Rahim and Mike Bibby, In were Jason Williams, Shane Battier, Paul Gasol and Memphis native Lorenzen Wright. Nearly gone (and never to make an impact on the city) were Bryant 'Big Country' Reeves and Michael Dickerson. Within a year GM Billy Knight and Head Coach Sydney Lowe were gone as well.

The first 5 years in Memphis the team won 23, 28, 50, 45 and 49 games. The team reached the playoffs three times. The team had its first all-star representative when Pau Gasol played in the 2006 all-star game. The team won hardware for Coach of the Year, Executive of the Year, Rookie of the Year and 6th Man of the Year during that span.

Even with last season's disappointing 22 win season the franchise still posted a record of 217-275 over the six years in Memphis. More than double the wins the franchise managed to win in Vancouver. The franchise has been rebuilt again and should be improved again this year with the addition of Mike Conley Jr, Juan Carlos Navarro and Darko Milicic not to mention the healthy return of Kyle Lowry.

Now the question is does it matter to Memphis? But that is the subject for a different blog.

Overpaid/Underpaid

Dave Berri, one of the masterminds behind Wages of Wins has three very interesting posts regarding who is overpaid and underpaid in the NBA using his own special brand of metrics. Naturally, many of the "underpaid" players are still on their rookie contracts, but it is an interesting read, nonetheless. Check out the three links below and draw your own conclusions, as we will be referring back to Berri's work throughout the season.

Overpaid in 2006/07

Underpaid in 2006/07

The Exploitation of Shaq

Working Out With Kyle Lowry

Bill Ingram of Hoopsworld.com caught up with Kyle Lowry and has a great article about his summer workout routine here. Here's a brief excerpt:

"There's so much you've got to do. He tells you about foot work, speed, intensity, and he pushes you to the point where you've got to go like you play every day. These guys have these jobs for a reason. He's seen it, done it all, and watched it all, so he knows exactly what you have to do to address your weaknesses and even improve your strengths."

Read the full article -- especially if you have lingering concerns about Lowry after last season's wrist injury.

Wait and See?

In an article in Sunday's Commercial Appeal, Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley made this statement about this season's ticket sales:

"We're not burning down the fences -- that's for sure," Heisley said, regarding the poor showing at the FedExForum box office. "Going well would be that we're significantly increasing our ticket sales, and I haven't heard that we are."

Upon reading that article, AOL's The Fanhouse's Tom Ziller had this to say in a blog post titled "Memphis Not Excited By Grizz, Also Crazy":

It could be posturing from a reluctant owner, but Michael Heisley told the Memphis Commercial Appeal all the reforms his basketball team made have not translated to increased ticket sales this summer. If Heisley's truthful, this is sort-of depressing for me, as Memphis is probably the most interesting team in the league going into the season.

I understand the reason that Ziller is questioning why exactly fans of this new-look team haven't come out in droves to secure their place to witness one of the most intriguing teams of the upcoming season. After all, having been a frequent observer of the "slow-it-down, bore you to death" style of Mike Fratello for two seasons, almost anything would have to be more entertaining and the hiring of Marc Iavaroni, most recently of the Phoenix Suns, would be enough to send most basketball fans into an excitement induced frenzy. However, this is Memphis, and in Memphis you have to prove yourself...often more than once.

When the Grizzlies first moved to Memphis after flaming out spectacularly in Vancouver, they were not an immediate sellout hit, averaging around 14,400 fans the first year while in the Pyramid. However, they were soon over the 15,000 mark as the hiring of Hubie Brown introduced not only an entertaining brand of basketball, but the concept of winning consistently, leading to the magical 50-win season in their third year on the banks of the Mississippi River. Of course, this led to unrealistic expectations, since the Grizzlies had skipped over several steps that most young teams would have normally taken in becoming a playoff team. The jump from 28 wins to 50 wins was both a blessing and a curse in that regard.

After three trips to the playoffs and three unsatisfying sweeps, the fanbase began to complain about the style of play, the coaching, the talent level of the team and everything else you could think of, right down to the price of BBQ nachos and the choreography of the dance team. Then came Pau Gasol's injury and the Season from Hades that was the 2006/07 NBA season. So, you'll have to forgive the casual fans if they don't buy what Heisley's selling just yet. I, for one, am immeasurably excited by this team's potential in terms of talent, athleticism and growth possibility for the future. But I understand why others are hesitant to jump on the bandwagon -- they feel like they've been burned before, so I can wait for them to have things "proven" to them. I won't have to wait long though, because the bandwagon is going to fill up quickly and then it won't stop for the stragglers to find room.

Sports Overload

This is something of a random post, but I'm just about to crack. Let's review my TV viewing over the past few days:

Thursday: Louisville vs. MTSU -- absolute scoring bonanza

Friday: U.S. Open
NASCAR Busch Series race

Saturday: Miami vs. Oklahoma
Alabama vs. Vanderbilt
West Virginia vs. Marshall
Nebraska vs. Wake Forest
Oregon vs. Michigan
Fresno State vs. Texas A&M
Florida State vs. UAB
South Carolina vs. Georgia
Hawaii vs. Lousiana Tech
LSU vs. Virginia Tech
U.S. Open Women's Final
PGA - BMW Championship
NASCAR Nextel Cup race
UFC 75 - highlighted by Quentin "Rampage" Jackson vs. Dan "Hollywood" Henderson

Sunday: Titans vs. Jaguars
Panthers vs. Rams
Redskins vs. Dolphins
Chargers vs. Bears
Cowboys vs. Giants
U.S. Open Men's Final
PGA - BMW Championship
Braves vs. Nationals

Needless to say, I've been living a sports fan's dream life the past few days. And I've still got Monday Night Football tomorrow to look forward to! It is entirely possible that my head will explode when basketball season starts. Training camp alone might be enough to push me over the edge.

Darko Act I

Memphis, meet Darko Milicic.

You might have missed his initial press conference this summer. You probably wish you would have missed this story too.

Darko Milicic, the Grizzlies top free agent acquisition and 7 foot Serbian center provided his Memphis fanbase with quite the opening act.

Darko Act I featured a profanity laced tirade directed towards the refs after Serbia lost to Greece. It was, of course, in Serbian. It was not only directed at the refs, but also their families. It was nasty, viscous, appalling, inappropriate, and whatever other negative descriptor that comes to your mind. I'm leaving it up to the reader to find the translation for themselves. Google.

Naturally, Chris Wallace didn’t like what he read. I don’t like reading what he said. No sensible person would approve of what he said.

That's why it is embarrassing to admit that when I first saw the youtube clip of Darko's outburst, I was smiling and enjoying myself. Sure, that was mostly because I do not speak Serbian and had not yet read the translation. But still. My first thoughts was that if we didn't catch lightning in a bottle, we might have caught venom in a vile. And isn't that what we have always wanted next to Pau?

This isn’t the same Darko I remember. Admittedly, I did not see Darko play much in Orlando, being restricted only to the few Grizzlies games he made an appearance in. Still, this isn’t the same Darko I remember sitting on the end of the Pistons bench wearing a bandaid on his ear. This Darko is big. This Darko is mean. This Darko is pissed.

Wait. I need to remember what he actually let himself say to a bunch of reporters after a heartbreaking overtime loss. It probably can't be stressed enough that he needs to control his emotions better. He was unprofessional. Right or wrong, we expect players to play hard during the game while pushing their emotional level to the brink without going over, then after the game, be calm, professional and display role model type sportsmanship. When players do go over the edge, whether during or after the game, we then frown upon it to varying degrees. This situation isn't any different.

But screw it. I’m a homer and I don't want what looked like a great offseason tainted right now.

I want this to be a glimpse into a mean Darko who will be the teams enforcer that we’ve always wanted next to Pau (minus the vulgar content about the refs and their families of course). Someone that won't let the Mavs tip out a missed free throw in the closing minutes of a playoff game. Someone that makes opposing guards think twice before driving the lane. Someone that won't stand for Mike Miller to be elbowed in the throat (provided they aren't on the bench and it is a crucial playoff game).

Darko's low rumblings during his initial press conference reminded many Griz fans of Drago from Rocky IV. I'm not sure how this latest incident changes that comparison. Maybe a juvenile Drago.

Darko Act I: Young Drago gets mad

(Aside…Ever since Darko's press conference this summer I have had the idea that Darko would make a perfect pro wrestler. He is already known by a single name (I doubt most casual fans know his last name). He is big. He is mean. And he apparently gives pro wrestling quality backstage interviews after getting screwed by the refs. Maybe him and Pacman could be a tag-team.)

Update: Slam Online has a take on the subject.
Update 2: The always-entertaining Bethlehem Shoals weighs in.
Update 3: FIBA fines Darko $13,770.
Update 4: Chris Sheridan with a hilarious comment:

Speaking of the Serbs, by the way, we invite those not easily offended to seek out a full translation of Darko Milicic's rant against FIBA referees last week. Let's just say the rant is so vicious, we will no longer be accepting nominations for this year's version of the Tim Duncan I Hate FIBA award. In fact, we'll go so far as to say Darko's rant will set the standard for ref-bashing for decades to come. Yes, it was that bad.

Sean Deveney interviews Marc Iavaroni

You can check out the whole interview on Yahoo! Sports. Here's a brief snippet:

SN: I want to talk about your point guards. You are young at the position. And Damon Stoudamire is 34. What level of discomfort does that give you?

MI: We'll have to see. Younger players, you have to be patient. We'll help them, but we want them to make tough decisions under fire. We are not going to spoon-feed these guys.

SN: Are you approaching the point guard spot as an open competition?

MI: I think I have to. To have credibility, I have to tell them what we see as their strengths and how we are going to use them and let them go out and play.

SN: One of the negative things that has hung over the team is whether Pau Gasol has asked for a trade. Have you been able to address that head-on?

MI: Yeah, after my press conference, I was on a plane within 48 hours to go meet with him. It was well worth it. I listened to him, he listened to me. We came out of it knowing we would have very good communication.

I thought it was a good "cover all bases" interview from Sean Deveney (admittedly not one of my favorite sports writers) that touched on some key issues without delving too deeply into any hot-button topics. A nice introduction of Coach Iavaroni to the fans....even if his name is misspelled in the headline.

Navarro to miss 1st round of European Championships

From Yahoo! Sports:

Spain will be without shooting guard Juan Carlos Navarro for the first round of the European basketball championships because of a muscle tear in his right leg.

"This is really a setback, having really worked hard over the past month," said Navarro, who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA. "But I'm not worried. We've got enough players to replace me."

Navarro will miss Spain's Group A opener against Portugal, as well as matches against Latvia and Croatia.

On Sunday, Toronto Raptors guard Jorge Garbajosa was cleared to play with Spain after recovering from leg and ankle injuries.

Before Grizzlies fans get worried about another injury affecting a season in light of Pau Gasol injury in the semifinal of the World Championships last summer, this injury seems to be minor and he should be 100% healthy by training camp.

In other news, Mike Miller played well for Team USA in helping them to resounding victory in the FIBA Americas tournament. However, it seems likely that Miller will not be part of the Olympic team next summer, as other "bigger name" players will be healthy at that time. That's unfortunate, since Miller provided the one thing that other American teams had lacked in recent international competition: outside shooting. If replaced with Dwyane Wade, the team will be left with Michael Redd as its lone "designated shooter". That could allow teams to once again collapse on the lane and force the Americans to have other, less capable players fire from the perimeter. Time will tell if this potential switch will come back to haunt USA Basketball.

Is Miller worth it?

I agree with PMI about Miller being overpaid. 9 million a year is too much for player that's inconsistent, unreliable, chokes in the playoffs, and basicallly doesn't know how to step up his game when needed.

from Lincoln Mark LT on the Memphis Grizzlies Message Board

When I read comments like this I wonder what people are thinking.

Mike Miller was just selected for the USA basketball team that qualified for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He was one of 12 players selected from the entire country to be on that team. Not only that but he was the lowest paid player on a veteran's contract on the team. Was he the best player on the team? No, he was probably closer to 12th than 10th but he was still good enough to be selected. After all he did finish up with the 7th highest scoring average on the team despite playing the 2nd fewest minutes.

Not bad for an overpaid, inconsistent, unreliable, chokes in the playoffs player who doesn't step up his game when needed.

What is sad is that these comments are being made by one of the people who should be most enthusiastic for Mike. He was acquired for Drew Gooden and Gordan Giricek after all and neither of those players will ever be selected for the USA national team backup squad much less the national team. Of course Giricek isn't a USA citizen but if he was he wouldn't be selected anyway.

Miller has given Memphis everything he has for the team. He throws his body after loose balls, he plays 3 positions when asked and never complains. He plays hurt. He has one of the sweetest outside shots in the game.

He isn't the type of player that creates his own shot but he is the type who will punish a team for not giving him respect. Most importantly he is a Memphis Grizzly. He's one of us. He deserves better from the fans.

August 2, 2005 - A Day to Remember or Forget?

August 2, 2005 was a strange day for most Memphis Grizzlies fans. That was the day that Pat Riley and Jerry West partnered up with a few other GM's in the largest trade in NBA history. Gone from the Memphis Grizzlies were Jason Williams and James Posey, two players who were on the expensive side, from the Grizzlies 50 win season of a year before and in was Eddie Jones, an extremely overpaid and over the hill player.

What was the catch? Had West totally lost his mind? Was he senile? Was he rewarding Riley for his success in L.A.? Surely the Grizzlies were not trading away two important players in their primes from the Grizzlies back-to-back playoff teams for an ancient player.

Miami went on to win the NBA Championship that season and, while the Grizzlies did win the 2nd most games in franchise history, they were swept out of the playoffs again without winning a single game.

In the 2006-07 season, Eddie Jones complained about injury after injury before finally getting bought out of his huge contract and re-signing with the Miami Heat. Abruptly his troublesome injuries were behind him too. It appeared that not only had Memphis traded away the final pieces for an NBA title, but they had nothing to show for it after 18 months while Miami was holding all of the players and a world championship as well!

But nothing was the most important part of the trade as far as Jerry West was concerned.

‘Nothing’, as in the Grizzlies had ‘nothing’ in salary cap issues this summer. ‘Nothing’, as in the Grizzlies had ‘nothing’ in the locker room stirring up trouble and undermining team direction. ‘Nothing’ as in the Grizzlies had nothing holding them back from remaking the franchise and moving forward again after apparently hitting a wall as far as improvement was concerned.

Jerry West was convinced that the team as it was constructed would never improve beyond a 1st rd playoff exit. Something drastic had to be done. And he did about as drastic a trade as one could imagine changing things around.

Most trades take years to evaluate on who actually won or lost. The reasons for trades can be different and the time frame can radically alter the end result of a move. Right now Miami has seen the total benefit of the trade. They won one world championship (mostly in spite of JWill and Posey not because of them). Now the Heat are looking to re-fill the void from Posey’s signing with Boston while searching for a replacement for a suddenly old Jason Williams.

Memphis on the other hand signed Darko Milicic with their free cash. The release of Eddie Jones gave rookie SG Tarence Kinsey court time to develop. The need to fill the PG position allowed the drafting of Mike Conley and Kyle Lowry.

The Heat wanted to win now and did. The Grizzlies wanted to rebuild the team and eliminate the cap overhand that was costing the franchise millions in Luxury Tax every year. The Grizzlies have accomplished what they wanted from the trade and they did it with only one bad season.

So far the trade is still slanted in Miami’s favor, but as teams continue to pass over Miami in the Eastern Conference and Memphis grows younger, faster and more talented it appears to be only a matter of time before August 2, 2005 will be the day Memphis fans point to as the beginning of the Memphis success story.