| NBA Previews - MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES |
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| Written by Chip Crain |
| Thursday, 08 October 2009 04:58 |
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Well today is the day everyone has been waiting on. 3 Shades of Blue reviews the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the blogosphere's league wide review of all 30 NBA teams. So without further fanfare here is 3 Shades of Blue's review. Team Name: Memphis Grizzlies Last Year's Record: 24-58 Key Losses: Darko Milicic, Quinton Ross, Greg Buckner Key Additiions: Allen Iverson, Zach Randolph, Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll, Sam Young 1. What significant moves were made in the off-season?Signing Allen Iverson is the most significant off-season move the Grizzlies have made since trading for Pau Gasol and drafting Shane Battier the summer of 2001. Iverson brings star power never before seen in the Bluff City. Iverson also came as a bargain which means Memphis didn't have to give up much to acquire him (renouncing the qualifying offer rights on Juan Carlos Navarro who is signed long-term in Spain). Iverson is not the player he was just a few years ago but he is still a bigger draw than anyone in a Grizzlies uniform has ever been. The Grizzlies also traded for Zach Randolph in what has to be considered a bargain move as they traded Darko Milicic to New York for Quinton Richardson and then traded QRich for Randolph. Randolph brings legitmate scoring and rebounding to the front line for the Grizzies which has been needed since the Pau Gasol trade. The Grizzlies draft was highly rated as well as the team acquired Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll and Sam Young to add talent to a Grizzlies bench that was a major weakness last season. 2. What are the team's biggest strengths? The Grizzlies are talented now at all five starting positions and off the bench. Not many if any teams can claim to have six players who scored at least 30 points in an NBA game last season. O J Mayo, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph and Iverson are all capable of having huge nights at any time. Mike Conley and Marc Gasol will need to find a way to get shots in the offense but are capable of scoring whenever teams forget about them as well. The Grizzlies are also deep now with a backup capable of playing solidly behind all 5 starters. If Iverson can swallow his pride and allow Mike Conley to start ahead of him then the Grizzlies will have a world class scorer coming off the bench to join defensive specialist Hasheem Thabeet as well as solid role players in Darrell Arthur, DeMarre Carroll and Sam Young. 3. What are the team's biggest weaknesses? Experience and chemistry loom large as potential problems for Memphis. Outside of Iverson (34) and Randolph (28) no other player expected to contribute this season has celebrated their 26th birthday. Rudy Gay has only been in the league 3 seasons, Mike Conley and O J Mayo are both 21 yrs old and Marc Gasol is starting his second season in the league. The bench, assuming Iverson insists on starting, would consist of Conley, Young (24), Carroll (23), Arthur (21) and Thabeet (22). This team has some dominant personalities in the few veterans and some youth who will have to become veterans in their mental outlook very fast. Chemistry is the other big issue. Memphis now has four players in the top 20 of the league in field goal attempts last season. The players have to realize that to enhance the team's record the players have to sacrifice their games for the good of the team overall. Can AI, Z-Bo, Rudy and O J play team ball and sacrifice their own shots to hit the open man? That hasn't been the situation for most of these players throughout their careers. Things will have to change fast for the season to not be a disaster. 4. What are the goals for this team? 5. How can the Grizzlies keep everyone happy and productive with some many strong personalities on the team? Allen Iverson says this season is personal. He wants to prove he can still be the AI of his rookie year. He won't be happy coming off the bench (although he did say you wouldn't notice it on the court). This is the man who is supposed to be the leader? Can AI become a true leader, sacrificing his game for the betterment of the team? Zach Randolph says he's found a new maturity after the birth of his child but apparently that wasn't enough motivation last year to prevent him from getting into trouble in LA. It wasn't enough to prevent him from punching Louis Amundsen in a game either. Is he really reformed or just relaxed during the off-season? Memphis won't be that good if Randolph is unable to play in 30 or more games. Gay is up for an extension at the end of the summer but doesn't appear to be getting what he wants right now. Playing team ball this season with the upcoming summer free agency period looming will be difficult for Rudy. Most players look to pad their individual stats the season before free agency. If Rudy is asked to lower his personal numbers how will he react. O J Mayo has already been publicly asked if he would surrender his starting role for Allen Iverson. Mayo answered in the affirmative but that is a question and not reality. And why would the coach ask him that in the first place? Isn't Mayo supposed to be the future star of the team? Why would any team building for the future want to put their 21 yr old star on the bench in favor of a beat up 34 yr old who had back problems last season? The Grizzlies also have the Marc Gasol-Hasheem Thabeet controversy that is on the back burner. After Gasol's promising rookie campaign the Grizzlies used the second overall pick on a center. That could become a problem as well on many different fronts. So the Grizzlies have plenty of issues to overcome and a very short time to figure the answers out. The team opens the season against playoff contenders Detroit and Toronto before starting the first of two five game road trips to the West Coast in November. Young or not the Grizzlies have to grow up fast this season. Other Grizzlies Previews: |
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