The Growl

Sorry it took so long for me to get ahold of these. 

Here is where we started the game from.  As you can see, another packed house at The Forum.

And...this is where we ended up.

Like I said, we just walked down there.  The first lady turned us back, so we went down the next entry spot and two younger guys were laughing and not paying attention.

Eric Gordon

Antoine!

This quiz covers you knowledge of the Grizzlies players acquired over the summer via free agency, draft, and trades.  I tried to make a little bit tough, but it is manageable.  No cheating and good luck!

Almost everyone can agree that drafting swingman Sam Young at pick 36 was a steal.  He was projected to go in the first round and just kept dropping.  There was another player of interest on the board at that time and many fans believe was an even bigger steal.  That player is Dejuan Blair, and most think he dropped because his ACL's have the durability of Yao's feet.  Once again the Spurs were able to add some value as they eventually landed Blair.  Both players had great Las Vegas summer league showings.  That has everyone antsy to see if Young can contribute in a big way this season for the Grizzlies.  I figured it would be nice to take an in depth look at Young to see what we can expect in the 09 season.
 
The History - Let's start with what Young did in college.  Are we going to see these statistics transfer to the next level?  In his senior season at Pitt he put up 19.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.0 spg, and .8 bpg.  Putting these numbers up in the most competitive conference (Big East) was very impressive.  But, will those statistics translate to effective bench play and numbers in the NBA.  We can't be so sure that they will, but it does not hurt that the majority of his scoring came from his ability to catch and shoot.  He showcased this talent often in summer league when he was able to drop 13.6 ppg and pulled 4.2 rpg.  A majority of those points came from hitting jumpers and taking it to the rack.  Young was 2 of 4 from behind the arc in summer league, but he shot 37.2% from that distance in college.

Intangibles - Young is a superb athlete with a good NBA body.  He has a great wingspan and at 6'6 he has good size for a shooting guard.   He will be a nice change as a defender when he gives Mayo a break.  His ability to lock down players in college came from his athleticism, body type, and pure grittiness.  Those are three things that Young will bring to the table day one.  The toughness and hustle is something the Grizzlies front office and fans craved.  Draft night was a start at getting that addressed when they selected Young and Carroll.

What He Needs To Work On - He needs to improve his shooting range.  We need someone that can come off the bench and shoot the rock.  The 3 point shooting off the bench is as reliable as Lindsey Lohan showing up on set on time and sober.  Young has the opportunity to be the scorer in that group if he can hit the shots off the drive and kicks and when the bigs pass it out to him.  He also needs to address his ball handling skills.  They are not terrible, but in order for him to be a threat off the dribble and in transition they need to be improved.

What To Expect - Can we expect Young to put up 15 ppg?  Occasionally, yes.  I expect his average to be around 9 a game this season.  The main thing I am looking for this season is his defense.  If he can come in and be a lock down defender on the perimeter he is going to be a key asset.  Some fans see him as our 6th man.  I could see this happening from time to time, but I would suspect that Thabeet will be that player.  Maybe, just maybe we will see Young get some time at shooting guard on the first team while Mayo is running the point.

I am interested to see if Young can make an immediate impact for the Grizzlies.  He has a great opportunity to be the leader of the reserve group and contribute heavily.  I am excited that we were able to snag a player in the second round that we can even consider contributing immediately.  Then again, the bench depth goes about as deep as the Grizzlies' fanbase, and whoever we would have drafted may have contributed immediately.

Here are some highlights of our newest backup point guard.  This a pretty good video, and we got some Tupac playing.  This video is from Clementime's Youtube Channel.

Well I got my hands on the sd card from the phone with the pictures, but they must have been saved to the phone.  I will make sure to get them up soon.

In Monday's post I brought up the Grizz game I attended last year.  We started out in the nosebleeds, but sneaked down to seats near the back of the Grizz bench.  We were stopped by an old lady the first time we tried.  She asked for our tickets.  We just walked away from her and over to the next entry place where there were two younger guys.  They didn't say anything at all and we just walked down.  Here is the surprising part.  I was with a group of seven and we found seven empty seats right next to each other!  Open seats in the Fed Ex Forum!?  What are the chances? 

Anyways, some pictures were taken with a phone and forgot about.  There are some pictures from up top and where we ended up.  I will get those posted tomorow once I have access to the phone and the computer equipment.

Like most college seniors my funds are limited, and it takes a little over six hours for me to get to the Forum.  So I have to be selective in which game I choose to make the drive for.  It involves a lot of planning on my part from the start.  For example, I would like to know in advance which classes will be skipped for the game I choose to attend.  This way I can save up my skip days in that class throughout the semester. 

Here are some things I have been thinking about.  Sorry if my thoughts jump around on this post.

This spring will be busy for me.  I will be student teaching, and I'm not allowed to miss any days unless I am deathly sick.  The spring semester is going to suck.  Basically I have to go to a game in the fall semester.

Do I want to get some nosebleed tickets and go to a couple games, or buy some quality tickets for one game?  I am most likely going to buy quality tickets for one game.  Even though last year me and my buddies bought tickets in the upper level and ended up pretty much behind the Grizzlies' bench.  We were so close I could see the pinstripes on Antoine's suit.  I feel somewhat guilty for paying fifteen dollars for the crappy tickets and getting that close, so this year I'll pay for those seats.

Do I want to go to a game that I think we can win, or do I want to see the likes of Lebron, Dirk, Duncan, or Melo?  Last year I went to the Clippers game.  It was fun watching the Grizzlies get the w, but it was sloppy and at times it was like watching an intramural game.  I prefer watching the game's best players even if the Grizz get worked.

I want to see Lebron play.  Brandi wants to see Shaq Diesel.  The fact that my girlfriend is even interested in watching sports with me puts the Cavs' game in December at the top of the list for now.  Even though I have a feeling she is more interested in getting hammered on Beale Street, but that is cool too.  Yes, the game is on a Tuesday.  Yes, final exams will be starting around that time.  Yes, I am probably not going to get to see a Grizz victory.  No, I do not really care about any of these things.  A chance to see Lebron, Shaq, and the Grizzlies!?  That is hard to pass up.  This is the only game I would make a weekday trip for.  If only I was still attending my Catholic grade school. December 8th is a holy day and we got all holy days off.  I would definitely be at the Grizzlies' game, but my mom would make me go to church on a holy day.  Wait, she can't make me go to church anymore! 

I was really hoping to go see the Grizzlies in Chicago, but it is on a Thursday in the spring semester.  There is always a great atmosphere at the United Center and I would enjoy seeing Rose and company.  But, I would not get off in time to make that drive.  It would have been interesting to get a perspective on a game when the Grizz were the visitors.  That would have made for a nice blog.

With that said here are my top choices.
.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers- Tuesday 12/8
2. San Antonio Spurs- Friday 1/16 (We will still be on Christmas Break)
3. OKC Thunder- Friday 12/11 (I want to see Durant, Westbrook, and all those other young guys)
4. Dallas Mavericks- Friday 12/4 ( Never seen Dirk, Marion, or Kidd play live)
5. Utah Jazz- Friday 1/8 (I'm a Deron Williams fan)

Which game are you most excited for?  Vote on the right near the top.
Here is the season's schedule if you have not seen it.

The Growl now have their own official logo.  Props to my lady for creating this.  Her style and creativity smokes my abilities. 

After I got some input from the readers via email comments I was able to choose a name.  The new name of the site is The Growl.  This name blows the old one out of the water.  Almost all of the suggestions would have.  Bloggin It Up on the Grizz was as original as Matthew McConaughey doing another romantic comedy.  Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and feedback.  Some of the name ideas were hilarious and are just too good to be put to waste.  When the messageboard forum is opened up on The Growl, it will be named the Fed Up Forum.  The other name possibilities could be used along the way..

Yesterday I asked for help in choosing a new name for the site.  I received some suggestions, and as I began to think more and more about it I came up with some of my own ideas.  I figured a list of the possible names would be helpful.  Comment on the ones you like or if you have more ideas.

These are the ideas- who they are from
Grizzentials- Ollerblueboy
The Growl- Ollerblueboy
The Grizzly Growl- Ollerblueboy
The Hibernator- J.R.
Grizzly Man- Darnell
Stay the F**k Up Out My Grizz-Nass-  Brandi, my girlfriend.  She is very creative and helpful to me in making this site look better.
Grizz Adams- J.R.
Fed-Up Forum-Brandi again.
Grizz-Ez- Grizzed Man

There are some good ones.  There are couple I don't get.  But, either way thanks for the help.