'09-'10 Memphis Grizzlies Preview

[Warren G.]

<div><object width="420" height="339"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x2cmah_marc-cohn-walking-in-memphis_music" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x2cmah_marc-cohn-walking-in-memphis_music" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="339" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x2cmah_marc-cohn-walking-in-memphis_music">Marc Cohn - Walking In Memphis</a></b><br /><i>by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/classics007">classics007</a></i></div>


Franchise History
We begin in bucolic Vancouver, named by certain Canadian sympathizers as one of the most livable cities in the world. Its status as the third largest film production center in North America has even earned it the nickname "Hollywood North." The Grizzlies franchise, christened here in 1995, quickly became a hotbed for elite NBA talent. That is, if you have a flexible definition of "hotbed." The following are just a few members of Vancouver's Cavalcade of Stars:
Bryant "Big Country" Reeves, Mike "The Deadline" Bibby, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Michael Dickerson, Milt Palacio, Damon Jones, Steve Francis' vapor trail...




Peace, y'all!

Alas, Bigfoot isn't the only beast that leaves tracks in the Pacific Northwest. Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley bought the team and promised to keep it in Vancouver, then a season later, proceeded to do the Tennessee Two-Step right on down to Memphis. Fast forward through the Hubie Brown/Mike Fratello playoff era to last season. Head coach Marc Iavaroni (33 W - 90 L) was dismissed by Wallace exactly halfway through the season, replaced by Lionel Hollins. OJ Mayo finished second to Derrick Rose in Rookie of the Year balloting thanks to an 18.5/3.8/3.2 campaign. The Grizzlies handed the PG reins to Mike Conley by trading Javaris Crittenton to the Wizards for a future 1st rounder, then sending Kyle Lowry to the Rockets two months later. And in spite of the Blazers' public threat to sue any team who signed Darius Miles for the purpose of forcing Portland to add the remaining $18M on his contract to their salary cap, the Grizzlies bit the bullet.



Your 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies
Owner: Michael Heisley

General Manager: Chris Wallace
FUN FACT: In his press conference after being hired as Jerry West's replacement, Wallace said "I’m here to build a championship team." Wallace forgot to mention was that team was in Los Angeles.

Head Coach: Lionel Hollins (Arizona State)
NBA W/L Record: 31-72, .301
NOTE: This is Hollins' third stint coaching the Grizzlies; he ran the show as an interim coach in 1999-2000 and again in 2004. Hollins' successor in 2000 was Sidney Lowe, former Cavs assistant and JJ Hickson's head coach at NC State. Hollins' successor in 2004 was Mike Fratello, former Cavs head coach.

Assistant Coaches
Johnny Davis (Dayton): Davis has been an NBA head coach four times, including on an interim basis between Marc Iavaroni and Lionel Hollins.
Henry Bibby (UCLA): Needs no introduction, his gametes are legendary.
David Joerger (Moorhead State): Won multiple championships as an NBDL/minor league coach, has had 18 D-League players called up to the NBA in 4 years.
Barry Hecker (Frostburg State): I got nothin'.
Damon Stoudamire (Arizona): Hollins sought Stoudamire as a coach due to the team’s respect for the former Memphis player.

#|PLAYER|POS|HT|WT|DOB|FROM|YRS
11|Mike Conley|G|6-1|180|10/11/87|Ohio State|2
5|Marcus Williams|G|6-3|210|12/3/85|Connecticut|3
32|OJ Mayo|G|6-4|210|11/5/87|USC|1
4|Sam Young|F|6-6|220|6/1/85|Pittsburgh|R
55|Marko Jaric|G/F|6-7|224|10/12/78|Serbia|7
22|Rudy Gay|F|6-8|222|8/17/86|Connecticut|3
1|DeMarre Carroll|F|6-8|212|7/27/86|Missouri|R
|Trey Gilder|F|6-9|185|1/24/85|Northwestern State|NBADL 1
00|Darrell Arthur|F|6-9|225|3/25/88|Kansas|1
50|Zach Randolph|F|6-9|260|7/16/81|Michigan State|8
45|Steven Hunter|F/C|7-0|240|10/31/81|DePaul|7
33|Marc Gasol|C|7-1|265|12/9/85|Spain|1
15|Hamed Haddadi|C|7-2|254|5/19/85|Iran|1
34|Hasheem Thabeet|C|7-3|263|2/16/87|Connecticut|R

Depth Chart

Position|Starters|2nd Team|3rd Team
PG|Mike Conley|Marcus Williams|Marko Jaric
SG|OJ Mayo|Marko Jaric
SF|Rudy Gay|Sam Young
PF|Zach Randolph| Darrell Arthur|DeMarre Carroll|Sam Young
C|Marc Gasol|Hasheem Thabeet|Hamed Haddadi|Steven Hunter

Off Season
Additions:
Draft: Hasheem Thabeet - DeMarre Carroll - Sam Young

Zach Randolph – Acquired from Clippers for Quentin Richardson
Steven Hunter – Acquired from Nuggets for conditional 2nd round pick
Marcus Williams – Signed as FA
Trey Gilder – Signed out of D-League

Subtractions:
Hakim Warrick - Signed with Milwaukee
Darko Milicic - Traded to New York
Quinton Ross - Signed with Dallas
Greg Buckner – Traded to Toronto
Mike Wilks - Unsigned

Summary
Just a season after exchanging Gasols with the Lakers in the interest of cutting payroll, GM Chris Wallace unloaded Quentin Richardson's expiring $9.3M contract for the Sixteen Million Dollar Man, Zach Randolph. Memphis opted for length in the draft, choosing Connecticut pivot Hasheem Thabeet with the #2 overall pick. Thabeet gives Memphis an imposing defensive presence, though he'll need to work diligently on the offensive end in order to reach his potential. In DeMarre Carroll and Sam Young, the Grizzlies added a pair of hard-working forwards. Owner Michael Heisley renounced the team's qualifying offer to Hakim Warrick, allowing the athletic scoring forward to join the Bucks as an unrestricted free agent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A13PKLR-HyY
With a short guard rotation, Hollins might choose to play Randolph at either PG or SG thanks to his elite decisionmaking and sharpshooting abilities.



Quentin Richardson upon learning he's been traded for Zach Randolph. Thankfully for Quentin, he was traded only three other times during the offseason. The NBA, where hot potato happens.

A footnote to the offseason thus far - The Grizzlies refuse to confirm that they've made an offer to Allen Iverson, but Chris Wallace recently issued the following statement: "We have had a strong level of interest in Allen Iverson since the beginning of free agency and we have made that very clear to him."



Predictions for the 2009 Season:
30-52, 4th in the Southwest
This team looks like it has enough talent to climb out of the cellar in the Western Conference's Southwest Division, if only because of Houston's offseason faceplant. Rudy Gay spent the summer working with Memphis' strength coach, and should be a much more physical player at a weight of over 240 pounds. OJ Mayo and Marc Gasol each have a season of NBA experience under their belts. Hamed Haddadi, the developmental Iranian center, is making strides and could eventually be a solid rotation player a la Marcin Gortat. Mike Conley improved his production under coach Hollins, and the Grizzlies went 5-2 last season when he scored over 20 points.

All in all, this is a young team with quite a bit of potential. However, youth is sure to come with growing pains. And when the youngsters find themselves adrift in the NBA tides, they can surely depend on stable veteran leadership from Randolph, Steven Hunter, and Marko Jaric. Jaric certainly won't be preoccupied with other things...







Predictions for the 2010 Offseason:
The Grizzlies move back to Vancouver, spurred by LeBron James' newfound desire to play a key part in the Canadian film industry.

 

[Walter White]

You should stack the pictures instead of put them side by side so it is easier to read. But overall pretty good. Wow did they have a great draft. Also added good pieces to the team and got rid of trash. Great off season for them and even better if they stay away from AI. AI OR Randolph are great additions to the teams since they need an offensive punch but they don't need both. Personally they got the better of the two anyway. A low post offensive threat is even better.

 

[ChicagoCavFan]

23 wins. Solid.

Adriana is one of the beautiful creatures I have ever seen.

 

[Randolphkeys]

17 wins, featuring a tankfest to end the year with more ping pong balls. They should be a favorite for the Clippers Trophy during the draft lottery. I love the fact Haddadi has bounced from one red "God Bless the USA" state to another... I'd like to see an over/under poll on when Memphis starts calling him "The Iron Sheik."

 

[djlofi]

One team has to suck, that's why the NBA created the Grizz. Nice talent on paper, and I can see them rallying together under a unified knucklehead banner, but I'm going with history here: 30 wins or less. Watch them leap into the WCF when they get rid of ZBo...:chuckles:

 

[Karma]

This team has left many scratching their heads with some bizzare roster moves, particulary the past couple of seasons. The Randolph trade was horendous. In saying that they have a decent young core in Mayo, Gay, Conley, Arthur, Thabeet and Gasol to build from.

They'll have their night and upset a few teams, but nothing remotely close to anything consistent.

21 wins.

 

[Silky Smooth]

This team is a young up and coming team but they really are doing horrible in picking up Randolph, who has been known to kill teams.

 

[Snowblind]

This team does have a lot of talent, but getting a player like Z-bo can just ruin it for the young guys. If they get AI then, I have no idea what they are thinking, besides trying to get some more butts in the seats. Getting those players (although they are talented) will just cause chemistry problems. Hell, if the Grizzlies wanted a 20-10 guy they could of just went and traded for Boozer. Even though hes most likely gone at the end of the year, he is still better than Z-bo (some may argue that). If they actually traded/signed for solid veterans, they might not be a bad team. I hope that their coaching will be better this season also, poor coaching in the past years has really hurt the team and the players development.

They have a lot of talent...22 wins

 

[LondonCav]

Adriana Limaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I like the grizzlies, they have a good young core but the owners will no doubt ruin things for what could be a playoff team in a few seasons.

 

[-KingofKings23-]

If Adriana LIma would be my wife I put up 30, 10 and 10 every night. Marko Jaric you lucky bastard!

 

[williemayshayes]

17 wins, featuring a tankfest to end the year with more ping pong balls. They should be a favorite for the Clippers Trophy during the draft lottery. I love the fact Haddadi has bounced from one red "God Bless the USA" state to another... I'd like to see an over/under poll on when Memphis starts calling him "The Iron Sheik."

LOL, aren't all states "God Bless the USA" state...or are the blue states "Born in the USA" states, and the red states "God BLess the USA"?

Anyhow, I'm going to go against the grain a bit here, and give this bunch between 30-34 wins...I understand the Z-bo trade is horrible...but I think his negative impact will be minimal, given the fact that Randolph actually fills a position of relative need (not what can be said about his moves elsewhere, which IMO have contributed to his tomfoolery). And its been said multiple times on here that this squad has got a ton of young talent. I also love the Henry Bibby and Damon Stoudamire hires on coach Hollins' staff...it could pay some rich dividends on this team.

Give me an overachieving group of youngsters who win inspite of Z-bo. 34-48.

Oh, and give it 25 games for the "Iron Sheik" to make its way into M-town talk radio.

 

[Randolphkeys]

That's it, I'm giving away old school rep to the best "Haddadi: Iron Sheik" photoshop job. You have until I return from happy hour.

Go.

 

[jlj3184]

Too many shooters, not enough distributors - 27-55

 

[Scrote Squad]

ESPN's Offseason Buzz

What a fascinating experiment underway in Elvisland, where GM Chris Wallace seems to be channeling his inner Whitsitt. That would be as in Bob, architect of the Jail Blazers. For all the cracks about the Grizzlies and their minuscule crowds and threadbare budget, they seemed to be tilting in the right direction with a young nucleus of Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, Marc Gasol, Darrell Arthur and No. 2 pick Hasheem Thabeet. Then they dealt for the equally talented and troubled Zach Randolph and made an offer to the currently radioactive Allen Iverson. All that might lift them from second-to-last in scoring without moving them an inch in the standings.

To see which player is taking off, which is crashing to earth and which name you'll need to know for the 2009-10 season, you must be an ESPN Insider.

Trending up: Mike Conley

Last season: 14.27 PER
2009-10 projection: 15.41 PER

Now that the Grizzlies are committed to Conley, the question is how much he can repay their trust. Surrounded by two shot-hungry black holes in Randolph and Gay, Conley needs to continue developing as a distributor because he can't count on getting many kickouts for open 3s from those two. Additionally, he'll have to lock in more at the defensive end to overcome his size disadvantage.

Those caveats aside, Conley's improvement in the second half of last year was a major development, and at age 22, his elevator is still headed up. This year we'll probably get a better idea of where the ceiling lies. -- Hollinger

Trending down: Zach Randolph

Last season: 19.72 PER
2009-10 projection: 18.73 PER

The Grizzlies acquired Randolph in a baffling deal that soaked up most of their cap space and effectively neutered their pursuit of quality free agents. His brand of selfishness might be weirdly helpful for the Grizzlies since they finished 28th in Offensive Efficiency a year ago; a guy who can create lots of shots at middling accuracy has use in that situation. With Thabeet around to clean up Randolph's defensive mistakes, Randolph might not be as much of a liability on that end either -- much as his pairing with Marcus Camby worked out last season.

That said, it's hard to see what the end game is for Memphis. Most of the league considers Randolph a toxic asset, not least because he's owed $33 million over the next two years, and this isn't quite the veteran example that should be set for the Grizzlies' youngsters. He'll get his 20 and 10 most likely, but expect some problems along the way. -- Hollinger

Bucher's name to know: Marcus Williams

Being buried on the bench is not productive for most players, but it's a killer for one with weight issues and fragile confidence. Williams was stuck behind Jason Kidd in New Jersey, was shelved by coach Don Nelson almost the minute he arrived at Golden State last season and looked like a prime prospect to be playing overseas this fall. But a promising summer-league performance -- he was the assist leader -- earned him a contract with Memphis, where the starting point guard job is wide open. Even if he doesn't start, it's going to be hard to keep him out of the rotation. His shooting remains extremely shaky (33 percent in Vegas this summer), but if he can turn the corner the way he did at Cox Pavilion, he'll have plenty of draw-and-kick options. While keeping Randolph, Mayo and Gay -- not to mention A.I., if that happens -- all happy will be a challenge, it's also a chance to rack up plenty of assists. Betting on a turnaround would be easier with a better core of vets, since Williams has been highly susceptible to, uh, distractions in the past. -- Bucher

 

[Karma]

Is Iverson the answer to more wins? Let us know and vote!