Power Rankings for 1-14 & 15

Check comment by Stein of ESPN about MM scoring and Griz wins.
Are there similar scenarios that are true of other Grizzlies?
 

Power Rankings for 14 & 15 Jan '08
Mouse Over GRIZZLIES LOGO to see COMMENTS (works best with MS IE)
Click on Grizzlies logo to go to team web page for each media's web site.
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Links: Hardwood Paroxysm is my homepage

Hardwood Paroxysm comes through with two fantastic posts this week. The first is a serious look around the league at what the value of a true scorer is with some quotes from your's truly. The second just might be the greatest thing they have ever done. Make sure to abstain from all liquids while reading it.

You've heard of Power Rankings, right? Well, meet the Powerless Rankings: East and West.

The Lodi News-Sentinel has a great article about Grizzlies assistant coach Ron DuBois who is in his first season with Memphis.

Jay Mariotti joins the rest of Chicago in pining for the services of Pau Gasol.

Bleacher Report is among those who considers this Memphis team a disappointment, listing them among their Early Season Flops.

The Idaho Press-Tribune reports that the Grizzlies have scouts at the D-League Showcase.

Sixers4Guidos has the latest Blogger MVP/ROY Rankings up.

Blog/Website of the Day: American Basketball Association of America

Chatting with the Enemy- Brian Windhorst

Brian Windhorst writes for the Akron Beacon Journal and has a well-respected blog about the Cavs on Ohio.com as well. He's sort of the Chris Herrington of Cleveland which means he provides insight into the team that most people don't catch except he doesn't review movies and writes more than once a month (we miss you Chris).

I was able to track him down by phone in the Atlanta Airport on the way to Memphis for tonight's game (he didn't know that he needed a restraining order) and talked for a few minutes about the Cavs and Mike Brown's new contract. Here is some of the comments I got down on paper.

3SoB: Brian, it is nice of you to take some time to talk to us. What do you think of the Cavs season so far?
Brian: The Cavs have had a false start of the season. It began with the Varejao and Pavlovic holdouts. Then LeBron and Hughes were both injured and the Cavs played the most difficult schedule to start the season. The team really lost the momentum they had coming out of the playoffs last year. The team has played well since.

3SoB: What about Varejao and Pavlovic. How are they doing after their summer of discontent?
Brian: Sasha isn't playing well. He doesn't have any confidence. He came back from his holdout out of shape and although he is in shape no he doesn't have any confidence. Frankly, the Cavs have the worst back court in the NBA. Sasha is shooting like 33% from the field and Hughes is about the same.

3SoB: Mike Brown just got a new contract and that raised some eyebrows around Cleveland and the league. Do you think it was a good idea to re-sign him now or not?
Brian: A lot of people don't think Mike is a good coach. They say that because he has LeBron as if they win despite him. Every great coach has had a great player. Phil Jackson wouldn't be thought of the way he is if not for great players. Pat Riley is the same. Fans look at Mike and only see his shortcomings. He did a great job against Detroit in the playoffs last year and that is when the team decided to re-sign him. It just took a while to get it done. It's hard to find great coaches and when you have one you need to keep him.



3SoB: There have been rumors that Memphis and Cleveland have talked about a trade for Damon. Do you believe there is any truth there?
Brian: Cleveland has no interest in Damon. They don't want small guards. Memphis approached Cleveland this summer about a sign and trade for Pavlovic but Cleveland wasn't interested.

3SoB: What is most remarkable about the Cleveland season so far?
Brian: Cleveland has 11 come from behind in the 4th quarter wins this season. They have trailed entering the 4th quarter something like 27 times. Obviously LeBron has something to do with that. He is big enough to drive the lane, can pass and hit the big shot. I don't know if Rudy Gay is big enough to drive into the paint like LeBron.

3SoB: What do you think of the Grizzlies so far?
Brian: I am disappointed in the team. I felt that coming out of the summer that they had some real strong young guards and the team would be more competitive. This team has to address some issues. I haven't really followed them that closely but from what I have seen it isn't good.

3SoB: I can't argue with that. Any predictions for tonight's game?
Brian: I can safely predict the Cavs will be losing heading into the fourth quarter.

Memphis vs Cleveland - 1.15.08

Special Ticket Offer: For the Martin Luther King Game on January 21st, the Grizzlies are selling Plaza 5, Plaza 6 and Plaza 7 tickets for $25 a piece. Club level tickets are $50 each and all Terrace level seats are $10. Call 205-1445 to take advantage of this offer. This offer is only good for today.

Memphis returns from a difficult stretch of games against the Pacific Division having played the Lakers, at Sacramento, at Golden St and at the Lakers all within 6 days. So instead of getting a few days off to recuperate and maybe a game against the Knicks, TWolves or Sonics Memphis gets one day off and then the defending Eastern Conference champs. Thanks Stu Jackson. Memphis left town with their heads between their legs and players pointing fingers. The team lost all three road games but should feel a lot better about themselves. Two heart breaking losses and a game where they could have rolled over but didn't showed the team has a spine which has been questioned all season.

Cleveland rode LeBron James to the NBA finals where they got run over by a great team. This season Cleveland has struggled with contract issues (Varejao and Pavlovic), injuries (Hughes, James and now Varejao) and frankly a shocking lack of depth behind LeBron. It would seem that LeBron should be able to recruit veterans at a lower rate like the Celtics Big Three did but that hasn't been the case so far. Cleveland hasn't played a game since January 11th so any bumps or bruises they have will probably be healed up pretty well. Thanks again Stu Jackson! Maybe they will have a rest hangover. Winning 5 of their last 6 games, The Cavs are one game above .500 right now which puts them solidly in the Eastern Conference playoff race. With a healthy team riding LeBron's back they should make the playoffs and then anything is possible.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Larry Hughes
There aren't many point guards starting in the NBA taller than Larry Hughes. The 6-5 steal monster knows passing lanes as well as anyone in the league and uses his long arms to get to balls others simply can't. If he could shoot he'd be deadly. Lucky for opponents Hughes is only hitting 36% of his FG attempts and 30% of his 3 pt attempts and he isn't shy about shooting either. As Hughes goes so go the Cavs as he averages 12 ppg on 43% shooting in wins but only 7 ppg on 22% shooting in losses. Conley is struggling to adapt to the NBA but his composure implies a great future. His speed can be incredible and he can hit the open jumper on occasion. He will need to be careful with sloppy passes around Hughes however.
Advantage: Cleveland

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Aleksandar Pavlovic
A 6-7 Serbian national, Pavlovic has the size to give Miller trouble shooting over him and the hustle to surprise you if you take him for granted but he isn't really that strong of a player. Hitting only 33.8% of his FG attempts and 28.4% of his long range shots tend to make him forgettable when discussing SG's in the league. Pavlovic has hit for double figures twice since Dec 3rd. Miller is playing some of the best ball of the season right now including a team high 27 points against the Lakers when he shot 11-16 from the field. Miller's main weakness has been defense and that shouldn't be a huge problem against Pavlovic. However, if Rudy gets into early foul trouble don't be surprised to see Miller on James and Rudy on Pavlovic.
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs LeBron James
Is there a better all-around player in the NBA than LeBron James? Back to back games against Kobe and LeBron will give Memphis fans a very real chance to compare these two great players. LeBron is 23 and seemingly bound for immortality. Rudy is 21 and listed as 30 pounds lighter than LeBron. Rudy has to stay out of foul trouble (and possibly ask his girlfriend and any cousins to miss the game) to hang with LeBron. LeBron averages 29.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 7.5 apg. He hits 48% of his FG attempts and if there is a weakness it is his 3 pt shot which he only hits 28.2% of the time but in crunch time I wouldn't bet against him. Rudy is a great player but LeBron is legendary.
Advantage: Cleveland

Power Forwards: Pau Gasol vs Drew Gooden
Drew Gooden was drafted 5 years ago by the Memphis Grizzlies but was traded during his rookie season for Mike Miller. Drew struggled his first few years in the league trying to determine if he was a 3 or a 4 and if he was supposed to be a scorer or a role player. Rumor has it he finally realizes he is a role player and a power forward. This season he is averaging 12.1 ppg and 8.9 rpg but only shooting 43.6% from the field so maybe he still takes too many bad shots. Gasol called out the team after the first Laker loss and has been a beast ever since. In the last three games since his comments went public Gasol has averaged 27.67 ppg, 11.33 rpg and shot 61.4% from the field. His 8 assists against the Lakers were a season high and the four blocks tied a season high as well. In 18 games since the end of November Gasol is averaging 20.5 ppg, 10.11 rpg and shooting 3.28 apg while shooting 50.01% from the floor. Maybe there was something to the stories about him being injured to start the season.
Advantage: Memphis

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Big Z is nearing the end of an up and down career. Having fought through numerous injuries and some terrible teams, Ilgauskas will turn 33 in June and one has to wonder how many years the big guy has left. Ilguaskas is averaging 13.1 ppg but that is on the lower end of his career average but his rebounding is at a career high. He's still able to block an occasional shot but he looks slower and slower every day. Darko is on the upside of his career. The 22 yr old finally has found a starting spot he can hold onto and is trying to make the most of his opportunity. He averages 2.7 bpg but still finds it difficult to score consistently and his free throw shooting is atrocious. Darko can not afford to get into early foul trouble either since Memphis has no one to match Ilgauskas inside outside of Darko.
Advantage: Cleveland

Benches: Memphis vs Cleveland
If there is one area that the Grizzlies could hold a decisive advantage it is off the bench. Daniel Gibson is the most reliable bench scorer for the Cavs but as a backup PG his 2.7 apg leave a lot to be desired and his strength matches up directly with Kyle Lowry's strength which is defense. Memphis looked hard at Anderson Varejao over the summer but felt the investment was too great for the upside potential. So far that has seemed to be a smart decision as Varejao wanted a lot more money than Darko signed for, missed all of training camp and part of the season holding out and hasn't progressed the way people expected this season. Still Varejao is a hustle player who's intensity will need to be matched. After those two the options dwindle fast with Shannon Brown, Devin Brown and Ira Newble being the main contributors. Memphis' bench has come back to life on the road trip with Lowry, Juan Carlos Navarro, Hakim Warrick all contributing at times and newly signed wingman Bobby Jones looking very good in limited minutes.
Advantage: Memphis

Relevant Storylines:
Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Brown was given a two year contract extension today.
Local reaction to LeBron's speeding ticket. (via TrueHoop)
LeBron speaks about his vehicular misdeeds. (Fanhouse)
Cleveland one of ten teams looking to trade? (TrueHoop)
LeBron's MVP candidacy. (via Yahoo! NBA Experts Blog)

Relevant blogs and previews:
Grizzlies.com Preview
Brian Windhorst (Akron Beacon Journal)
Pete Pranica's Preview
Cleveland Sports Authority (Preview)
Cavalier Attitude
Cavaliers Corner
Cleveland Cavaliers Blog
Hoopsworld Preview

Post Game Thoughts- LA Lakers

It is times like this that it is difficult to be an NBA fan. The team fights hard from a hole to pull even and even take a lead in the last minutes and the refs basically decided the game with a phantom call and a no call both going against the Grizzlies. I don't want to say that the refs are crooked but this one smells a lot like a job by the refs. I sure hope the league takes a hard look at funny betting lines in the game.

Pau Gasol played big all night and deserves a special note. Following up a 43 pt night in a tough fought loss in Golden St, Gasol had a career high in rebounds, 18, against the Lakers. Gasol also showed the team some leadership by not trying to force action himself but constantly looking for players with better shots while still scoring 21 pts on 10-16 shooting. His 8 assists led the team in that catagory as well. Throw in 4 blocks to make it another tremendous effort by Gasol. I just wish he'd call out the team more often if this is how he is going to respond.

Speaking of calling people out, I was one of the people suggesting Memphis play Damon and sit Kyle for a while so he could get his legs back. I am now suggesting we sit Rudy. I sure hope the results are the same because since those comments Kyle has returned to the way he played when he was a fan favorite. 7 pts, 6 assists, 2 huge offensive boards and two steals is the type of energy play we need from Kyle.

Rudy suffered another bad game and was the victim of the phantom foul call to actually foul out for the first time since Dec. 22 and the fourth time this season. Throw in 6 additional games were he was called for five fouls and this is obviously an area Rudy will need to work on this summer (as well as his dribbling skills). Despite the bad overall game Rudy did hit the late 3 pt shot that pulled the Grizzlies even with the Lakers. Regardless of the weaknesses it is obvious that Rudy is our big shot player for the next few years.

Miller torched the nets in the first quarter and didn't disappear in the fourth (as has been the case often this season) to lead the team in scoring tonight. So in the three game road trip Memphis was led in scoring by three different players. The RPM's (Rudy, Pau, Mike) are starting to flourish in Iavaroni's system. With Conley and Lowry's play improving things are getting fun in Grizz Town despite the record.

Juan Carlos Navarro made some huge shots but his biggest shots were two missed free throws. The refs made horrible calls down the stretch but you can't blame them for missed free throws. Twice on the road trip missed free throws cost Memphis wins. That is something the team needs to work on. Despite Memphis matching the Lakers for intensity and forcing action the free throw calls never came. LA shot 28 free throws to Memphis' 11. There is no way LA was more than twice as aggressive going to the lane.

Defense was an issue in the first half as was the benches performance but the defense and bench played well in the second half holding LA to 39 second half points and the bench scored 22 pts in the game. LA has one of the most productive benches but managed to only score 26 pts.

Memphis should be encouraged by the road trip. Sacramento, Golden St and LA in four days will test any teams mettle and Memphis' performance was admirable. The team never quit in any game and the scores reflected how hard they made some hot teams play to get the win.

3SoB Sunday Chronicle 1.13.08

Welcome to the first installment of what I hope will be a regular weekly feature. Sunday morning will be used to take a tour through the world of the Grizzlies. We will recap the previous week and preview the upcoming week. We will take the team's temperature and summarize the ongoing Griz storylines. From time to time, a Griz op-ed by one of the Shades of Blue Bloggers will be highlighted. In this week's initial offering, quite a lot of ground is covered, so let's get going.

Wait, while I still have your full attention. Be aware that the game preview for the Griz-Lakers game is posted, the game starts tonight at 8:30 pm.

Micheal Conley and Juan Carlos Navarro celebrating "Elvis Night". (Getty)

Recapping the Sunday Morning Commercial Appeal

Let's start with the local newspaper. Geoff Calkins has a mailbag column. Not quite Sports Guy quality, but Geoff's Sunday morning column is always a must read.

Marlon Morgan writes about our PG duo of the future learning their roles. Lowry discusses his latest apparent slump and gives some reality-based comments about his role for this team.

''Being the No. 4 pick, you know they're going to play,'' Lowry said. ''I knew that was going to happen, and I accepted the role. My role is to come off the bench with energy and play hard.''

Also in the article, Coach Iavaroni and assistant Coach Johnny Davis offer up some comments about the Conley-Lowry PG combination.

Rudy Gay Interviewed by Kyle Lowry for Memphis Sport Mag

I was at the Memphis Pizza Cafe this week and picked up the Memphis Sport Magazine. I tend to forget about this really good local publication. In the latest edition, there is an interview with Rudy Gay...with the wrinkle of Kyle Lowry asking the questions. You can tell the two draft-mates are good friends. The not-so-serious interview is packed with light-hearted teasing between the two of them. They cover a range of subjects including UConn vs 'Nova (of course), who's the best player on the team named Kyle, Rudy's new facial hair, the Memphis Tigers (and Jerrick, yes Jerrick Rose), Rudy's long list of nicknames, and best of all Mike Fratello! I gotta quote the Frat part:

Kyle: What do you miss most about Mike Fratello?
Rudy: That's a real quesion? Is that really the question? What's that?
Kyle: Next question

Ok...i'll also quote the part regarding Rudy's nicknames growing up:

Kyle: What were your nicknames growing up?
Rudy: Rud Boy, Big Truck, uh...what else they call me?
Kyle: Mr. Gay?
Rudy: Ha ha ha. Only in elementary school. Bones, Slinky...all those...Rudabaker...
Kyle: That's enough.
Rudy: Randy.
Kyle: OK
Rudy: Ronald.
Kyle OK!
Rudy: Slippin', The Kid, Young Fella', Yo' Daddy
Kyle: Next question.

The next time you are around town, pick up the magazine and read the entertaining interview. You can also go visit http://www.memphissport.net/, where you can probably find a digital version laying around somewhere.

Shades of Blue Week in Review

Just a quick reminder of the best Shades of Blue posts during the last week.
-- Gary Parrish Interview
-- Power Rankings
-- Roster Redundancy or Poor Evaluation
-- Chemacterility

Griz Week in Review

The Grizzlies went 1-3 last week (and have now lost 16 of 20...ugh)

Rundown:
101-94 Win versus Miami
101-117 Loss versus L.A.
113-116 Loss versus Sacramento
104-116 Loss versus Golden State

Miami Game...the week started off strong as the Micheal Conley honeymoon was still in full swing. The Grizzlies beat a suffering Heat team who have now lost something like 10 in a row. Man, do the Heat really suck. The most impressive part of this win was that the Griz won the game at the end (instead of losing it) by using a 9-2 run to close the game out after the score was tied with a few minutes to play.

Lakers Game...the suddenly surging Lakers rode on the back of Derek Fisher's hot hand to build an early lead and control the game from start to finish. A pretty low attendance number (something in 14K range) for a game involving Kobe...kindof surprising.

Kings Game...the Grizzlies should have won, but predictably lost in the waning seconds while keeping in tact the 18 game Sacramento road losing streaking. Fransisco Garcia's name can now be placed next to Brad Miller (x2) and Mike Bibby for clutch 3's that beat the Griz in Sacramento. The Griz had this game seemingly won with a few minutes to go and I'm sure many in Memphis went to bed thinking the game was in fact a W, but then the Griz managed to choke the game away in the last 45 seconds with Rudy Gay having 2 bone headed plays.

Warriors game...the hometown Warriors followed the Lakers game plan by getting out to a comfortable lead early and never looking back. Pau Gasol had a career night with 43 points and the bench did their part to put the game within reach when it was slipping away. But the guard driven Warriors were just too strong at home as Baron Davis almost went for 20/20. Could we really have gotten Baron for Shane years ago? That would have been nice.

Grizzlies Sign Bobby Jones
Maybe the biggest news not related to the Grizzlies losing again was that Chris Wallace has signed Bobby Jones to a 10-day contract. Bobby Jones played at U-Dub (Univ. of Washington) with current darkhorse MVP candidate Brandon Roy. Jones was recently released by Denver and is known to play solid defense at multiple positions. He got his first minutes against the Warriors and looked decent. Also noteworthy was that Verno, simply a hardworking radio host, broke this news before the Grizzlies beat writer.

Latest News on Damon
Shortly after Heisley says he won't be buying out Damon's contract, he is in town for some business and buying out Damon's contract might be on his to-do list. On the Chris Vernon show, Eric says that Damon most likely will not play for the Griz again and coming from him, that carries alot of weight. Damon was active for the Warriors game but did not play. Stay tuned for breaking news on this front in the next week.

Weekly Awards (9/6 to 9/12)

Player of the Week: Pau Gasol
Pau averaged 27 points and 10 rebounds in the 4 games this week including a breezy 43 against the Warriors.

Bench Player of the Week: (tie) Hakim Warrick and Juan Carlos Navarro
Hak found his way to the rotation ahead of the oft-injured Stro and scored 15 against the Lakers and 10 against the Warriors. JC scored 20 against the Warriors and 10 against the Kings.

Grizzly Killer of the Week: Derek Fisher
There were a number of applicants this week, all of them guards. Monte Ellis, Baron Davis, John Salmons, Derek Fisher, and Kobe Bryant. Fisher (26 points and only 1 total miss) gets the honor for being so efficient during his drumming of the defense-less Grizzlies and giving Micheal Conley a lessen in NBA point guard play.

Long Ball King for the Week: Rudy Gay
The Grizzlies live and die by the 3, so let's give some recognition to whoever shoots the best in the past week from beyond the arc. Here were the stats:
9-17 Rudy Gay
9-21 Mike Miller
7-22 Juan Carlos Navarro

The Youtube Dunk of the Week: Brad Miller over Darko
Click this link, and then watch the youtube clip of Brad Miller flying down the lane to dunk on Darko. If I figure out how to embed the clip myself I may do that later.

Griz Week Ahead

Jerry West Draft Steal versus Jerry West Draft Steal
The Logo was able to snatch Kobe away from Charlotte in much the same way he snatched Rudy Gay from Houston. The Grizzlies have to face the Lakers for the 2nd time in less than a week. I hope to see Rudy nailing alot of these beautiful looking jump shots.

(Getty Images)

Two Superstars Stolen From Memphis During the Lottery Return
LeBron James and Kevin Durant, both of whom should have been in Beale Street Blue if not for lottery night disasters, bring their respective teams into the Forum next week. Will Memphis show up to watch them play?

Another Week and Probably Another Pau Gasol Trade Rumor Out of Chicago
As we near the trade deadline, the non-stop trade talk heats up. A ridiculous amount of players have already been mentioned. And I'm sure there will be more Pau Gasol rumblings coming from Chicago this week. And I'm sure the rumors will be total garbage and idle speculation. With news of Noah getting into trouble, the Sam Smith trade idea will probably be Nocioni, Noah, PJ Brown (Sam isn't aware yet that he is sitting at home unemployed), and the United Center lead janitor.

On Tap:
http://3shadesofblue.blogspot.com/2008/01/memphis-at-l-lakers-11308.html
Tuesday vs Cleveland
Friday vs Seattle
Saturday @ Charlotte

Memphis at L A Lakers - 1.13.08

Memphis has gone from riding the good life before the first meeting between these teams to suffering the low after getting blown out by the Lakers at home, losing a double figure lead late to Sacramento to fall to 1-8 in games decided by 3 pts or less and then a difficult road game the next night at Golden St. It seems the Grizzlies can't get out of their own way. At 10-25 heading into the Golden St game Memphis is one of the 5 worst teams in the league right now and with their talent that makes no sense. Sacramento has no one healthy and has won 5 more games than the Grizz.

Los Angeles on the other hand looked like a team falling apart over the summer with Kobe demanding a trade because the team wasn't good. Right now they are possibly the best team in the Western Conference and definitely the hottest. Has Derek Fisher really made that big of a difference? Not really but he has had an impact. More important has been the general health of the players, the development of Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar, Ronnie Turiaf and the acquisition of Trevor Ariza. This has given LA and a strong starting lineup, taken a lot of scoring pressure off of Kobe and made their bench one of the strongest in the league. After sweeping two road games against Memphis and New Orleans by double digits the Lakers are very confident right now and Memphis is not.

Previous Game versus Lakers (5 days ago)
117 Lakers
101 Grizzlies

The game was decided in the 1st quarter, as Derek Fisher helped the Lakers build an early double digit lead and then coast to victory in Memphis. An interesting stat from the game; the Grizzlies hoisted up 93 field goals which ties a season high.

Recent Trends That You Should Forget About
-- Lakers have won 5 in a row and are 15-3 in their last 18 games.
-- Grizzlies have lost 3 in a row and are 4-16 in their last 20 games.

Matchups
For those that read Tuesday's pregame not a lot has changed but there have been some alterations.

Point Guards: Michael Conley vs Derek Fisher
There is no way that Derek Fisher will repeat the performance he put on in front of his mother in Memphis but that doesn't mean he doesn't still have the edge on Conley. After going 5-5 from long range and 9-10 in the game for 26 points he probably got into Conley's head a bit. It will be interesting to see how the rookie responds. Very few rookies start NBA games, even fewer at the point. I don't know of any rookie PG's who started without an outside shot so Conley is breaking new ground here to me. Fisher showed a lot of tricks from his bag last time but it is a pretty big bag and even if Mommy isn't in the stands this time expect Fisher to feed off of the home crowd in this game.
Advantage: Lakers

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Kobe Bryant
Mike Miller is really enjoying playing with a fast, pass first PG as he has averaged 20 ppg since Conley became starter. He was averaging 15 ppg before Conley. Conley's impact is being felt in more ways than just the point position improvement. Miller is a spot up shooter who needs penetration from the point to be most effective. He is getting that now and from someone who will pass it out once he gets in there. Not that it matters in this match up. Kobe is one of the best perimeter defenders when motivated. He is only superior on nights he isn't motivated. The interesting thing was Mike played Kobe well defensively last time. Another strong effort like that would be nice. Not likely but nice.
Advantage: Lakers

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Luke Walton
Luke Walton is a local crowd favorite and is considered the glue on the team. He makes everyone happy and does all the dirty work for the team. If Walton was a tad more athletic he would be far more appreciated league-wide. However he isn't more athletic and his all around hustle and determination can only take you so far. Defensively he is a liability against more athletic players. Rudy Gay is more athletic and has a lot of confidence in his game right now. Walton alone won't be able to contain Rudy and everyone knows it so expect to see Trevor Ariza getting extra minutes. Ariza didn't have a lot of success against Rudy either on Tuesday but he at least makes him work a little harder.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: Pau Gasol vs Lamar Odom
When Lamar Odom is healthy he is a 5 category player who can basically do it all. The problem has been he rarely has been able to play healthy. In his 9th season Odom has only played 80 games twice in his career and has made it to 70 games twice more. When healthy he'll score around 15 ppg, grab 6-7 rebounds, dish out 5 assists, get a block and a steal and basically make life miserable for whomever it guarding him. At 6-10 he is tall enough and strong enough to defend PF's but also has range like a SF. Gasol is scoring and rebounding just a shade below average this season and considering he started slow that is an amazing comeback. Gasol can be a beast to defend down low and has developed a nice 10-15 ft jump shot as well. He will have to be physical in this game however and not check for blood too often. Gasol played big against Miami and the Grizzlies will need a similar effort against the Lakers. If Odom shows up he should win the day but he doesn't always show up.
Advantage: Memphis

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Andrew Bynum
Andrew Bynum was the man-boy drafted to replace Shaquille O'Neal and continue the tradition of great LA Centers. The problem was he started slow and spent his first two seasons in a legendary coach's dog house. At one point Jackson challenged his desire to improve in the press. Now in his 3rd season Bynum has begun to realize his potential and is starting to be a major force in the triangle offense. So Jackson implies that it is only because he is in a contract year. Thanks for the vote of confidence coach. Of course that is better than what Darko Milicic got with his first NBA coach. Now on his third team Darko has had to battle injuries this season but has had big games against the likes of Tim Duncan and Yao Ming. Should be a great match between child stars who are trying to become all-stars. The difference is Bynum has more athleticism. Darko can block shots but he isn't aggressive enough around the hoop. Maybe the thumb injury is still bothering him but more likely he just prefers the lefty hook to a slam dunk.
Advantage: Lakers

Benches: Memphis vs Los Angeles
Memphis has altered their bench a bit after the first Laker game. Out is Stromile Swift and his consistent inconsistency. In is Hakim Warrick and his completely offensive focus. Lowry and Navarro seemed to come off the rookie wall against Sacramento but time will tell in that regard. Memphis signed a defensive specialist in Bobby Jones who should see time against Kobe in this game. LA's bench is young, athletic and full of promise and long on production (corrected text from Tuesday when I mistakenly wrote they weren't that productive). Jordan Farmer, taken right after Lowry in the draft has been moving slowly into the rotation and is benefiting from Fisher's experience. Vladamir Radmonovic isn't snow boarding anymore but isn't scoring that much either. Ariza is the wild card. When on he can be a very exciting player but he hasn't been on that much. Kwame Brown and Ronny Turiaf fill out bench players for the Lakers. Memphis' bench has the capability of being more productive but LA's bench knows their roles a little bit better than Memphis' and is a tad more consistent.
Advantage: Lakers

Rrelevant blogs/websites:
Forum Blue and Gold