The Growl

Here is the big question.  Is it possible for these players to coexist and succeed?  Some people think it can happen and some think there is a better chance of David Kahn being named GM of the year.  Many people, especially non Grizzlies fans, think the team will implode. They think worst case scenario.  That scenario includes; Iverson not starting and he sits out because he ”hurt” his back, Mayo and Gay are upset about their touches, Randolph punches Gasol, Conley loses his confidence, and Hasheem ends up being The Happening.  While others think this is going to be best case scenario.  Iverson proves himself to still be a star, Mayo and Conley develop into more complete players, Gay erupts this season, Randolph turns into a saint, and the Grizzlies go to the playoffs.  These wildly differing opinions are what make these decisions so controversial.

I believe these decisions can turn out to be positive for the organization.  Maybe not best case scenario, but the Grizzlies are going to improve.  This depends heavily on the players cooperating and coach Hollins using them correctly.  In order to better illustrate how this team can work, I looked for a successful team that is comparable to the team the Grizzlies have assembled.  It was not easy to find a comparable team, and you may not agree with the team I have chosen.  By no means am I saying that we are going to be as successful as the team I chose, but I do think that the Grizzlies have the same make up.  That same make up can definitely translate into more wins.  Check back later this week for the comparison post.  Until then, feel free to leave your own Controversy Chart decisions in a comment below.

Simply put, he wants to win.  Yes, he said it is personal and he has something to prove.  Is there a better way to prove something to the haters than helping the Grizz get some wins?  I'm still giddy about this signing.  I mean I am sitting here less than an hour before opening weekend kickoff posting things on it.

This video was posted by pennyccw on YouTube. 

Allen Iverson tweeted this morning. "God Chose Memphis as the place that I will continue my career. I met with Mr. Heinsley, Chris Wallace and my next head coach Lionel Hollins".

There have been varying opinions on bringing in Iverson.  I have loved the idea since the beginning.  I was caught off guard the day that SportsCenter reported Iverson was expressing interest in Memphis.  This almost resulted in me choking on my Lucky Charms.  Iverson brings in a garbage bag of negatives and they are starting to pile up.  He has probably upgraded to a Force Flex bag.  But, the positives he brings in still makes him The Answer for Memphis.  

Iverson is going to help Memphis win games this year.  The Grizzlies could not have asked for a better scorerb coming off the bench.  He will be the leader of a young reserve unit and get a bucketload of touches.  His minutes are going to be high whether he is our 6th man or if he starts.  Those minutes are going to be shared with Conley, but he is also going to snag some minutes from O.J. Mayo.  Which is a good thing.  Mayo needs more minutes on the bench.  It was obvious he was exhausted by the end of last year and his play declined as a result.  Iverson is going to get minutes where he did not get them in Detroit.  He was benched near the end of games often times.  This is the part of the game that he wanted to be out there the most.  I envision Iverson out there instead of Conley in crunch time.

If Iverson does start it is not the end of the world for Conley.  This is a one year contract, and Conley can learn from a future hall of famer.  By now he should be assured that he is the Grizzlies' future point guard.  They didn't take Rubio, Evans, or Flynn in the draft.  They didn't sign Sessions or Nate Robinson because they didn't want to have anyone to compete with you.  Instead, they brought in a veteran superstar for one year who can teach you some things about the game. 

How often do we have the opportunity to bring in a future hall of famer, who also fills a need, and makes our team better?  Well, I would say about once every 14 years for the Grizzlies organization. 

I have been wanting A.I. since the beginning, and I feel the exact same way about it.  If this deal was offered to us last year for this price we would have jumped all over it.  How much really changed from his stint in Detroit.  That was the wrong fit for him.  In Memphis, the rotation of Mayo, Conley, and AI will be much more effective.  Any two of those players can play together at the same time.  Iverson's arrival in Memphis could do more for Memphis in the long term than you would suspect.  He can help develop the Grizzlies' young core for the future, but also have an effect on future free agents. 

Maybe, just maybe, Iverson coming to the Grizzlies will make other free agents think differently about Memphis.  "If Iverson did it then maybe it's not so bad", "maybe Memphis is basketball hell".  I know he did not have other options, but it could still make Memphis look more attractive to free agents.  Either way I am excited to have him in Memphis and I am even more excited to get this season underway.

Here are some articles from this morning.
Geoff Calkins - "welcome to the nuttiest basketball show on earth"
Straight Outta Vancouver - Allen Iverson Confirms Deal
Chip Crain - AI Didn't Stand for Artificial Interest After All
SLAM - "Allen Iverson to Memphis"
Points in the Paint - Worst Case Scenario Video with Iverson
Dime Mag - Allen Iverson Signs With Grizzlies

Henry Sherrell gives an in depth look at what fantasy basketball owners can expect from Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo.  Henry was recently featured on Ball Don't Lie
Make sure to check out FourPointPlay where you can get great fantasy basketball tips on all NBA teams along with a look at other Grizzlies' players.

The Grizzlies aren't the most talented NBA team kicking around, but this season they are going to be one of the best for fantasy basketball nerds to over analyse during the off season and groan over come November. All five of the presumptive starters, together with a wildcard coming off the pine, will have fantasy value this year. This includes the good, such as Rudy Gay's membership of the 1-1-1 club, and the bad, which would be anything Zach Randolph related but specifically his love of the three point shot. Whatever happens, because many of their players will be on fantasy teams in your leagues, lets take a more in-depth look at two of the probable higher picks, Rudy Gay and O.J Mayo. 


Rudy Gay 


Rudy Gay, a 3rd year player out of UConn, has been the go-to-man in Memphis for the past two years, and is earmarked as a potential star of the NBA.  Unfortunately, playing for a team as unsightly as the Grizzlies doesn’t get you a lot attention and Gay perhaps does not get the recognition he deserves. Rudy enjoyed a break out season in 07-08, averaging 20 points, 6.2 rebounds, and an amazing 1.7 threes, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks.  As such, he was drafted rather early by most fantasy coaches last season.   


Unfortunately, 08-09 was not as kind to Rudy and his numbers slipped across the board despite playing the same amount of minutes (37mpg).  Although he still produced some pretty good numbers (18.9ppg, 5.5rpg) and just narrowly missed out on the 1-1-1 club (by 0.2 blocks), I’m sure most were expecting the kind of improvement usually associated with young, up and coming stars (a la Kevin Durant).  But here’s the good part, because of his slightly lackluster season last year, Gay should slip under most people’s radar in this year’s draft, allowing you to sweep up one of the NBA’s most exciting young talents.  Let me explain.  


From a fantasy perspective, Rudy is the kind of player that I love.  He’s a small forward who not only scores, but also grabs you a steal and a block a game.  When your fantasy team gets blocks and steals from a number of sources rather than just a Dwight or a CP3, it makes your team much more well rounded on a week-to-week basis.  Or if you’re lucky enough to already have a stealing or blocking monster (or both, a la J-Smoove) your team verges on becoming unbeatable in that category.  So while Rudy may have been slightly down on these numbers last season, I believe that he will once again grace the 1-1-1 club (perhaps he’ll take Francisco Garcia’s seat). 


Furthermore, the guy has numerous fantasy benefits besides his raw stats.  Firstly, he’s as sturdy as they come, missing only 8 games in the past three seasons.  There’s nothing more frustrating than having an injured fantasy superstar on your bench and getting beaten every week, knowing you can’t drop him.  Secondly, as the main offensive weapon in Memphis, Gay is going to get big time minutes every night.  I mean who wouldn’t get 37 minutes a game when your second-string SF is Sam Young, come on.    


However, the main reason that I’m getting genuinely excited about Rudy Gay this season is the fact that he has packed on a whopping 20 pounds of lean muscle during the off-season.  And while he wasn’t smashing cartons of raw eggs, Rudy was working on his ball handling skills and back to the basket play.  To me, that means only one thing: Rudy is getting himself a post-game, nice.  This will no doubt turn him into a defender’s nightmare as he can still drive or shoot past bigger small forwards, and can now post-up smaller SF’s. That means higher percentage shots, more free-throw attempts and more points, which means more fantasy wins for you and me.  Everyone’s happy.  So while there shouldn’t be any questions as to whether Rudy Gay should be getting the ball on the majority of the Grizzlies’ possessions, this may not be the case.   


Rudy Gay plays alongside a player who took more shots than any other rookie last year, more shots even than Rudy Gay himself.  O.J Mayo.  And to compound this problem, Memphis have added notorious black hole, Zach Randolph to the mix.  Unfortunately for a player trying to make his mark on the league, Gay is now going to have to fight for his shooting opportunities and may have to strip the ball from Z-Bo if he’s going to get his 16 shots a game.  If the Grizzlies can make Randolph understand that he is not a reincarnation of Ray Allen (unlikely), and make sure that Rudy is the center-point of their offense, Gay should come good on his ‘superstar in the making’ potential.      


So although everything is in place to stunt the growth of Rudy Gay this season, mainly Zach Randolph, I expect him to assert himself as a fantasy stud this year.  Most fantasy rankings have Gay in about the 4th round, which I think is about right, but if you’re willing to take a chance on him finally arriving on the scene in a very Durant way, consider taking him in the 3rd.  I mean, he’s only 23 and has definitely not reached his ceiling yet.  Also, Gay will be a free agent in the summer of 2010 and will want to boost his market value this season.  If he busts, expect no less than the numbers he was producing last season.  But if he does indeed bring it in 09-10, expect 20+ points, 48%FG, 6 rebounds, 5 or 6 FT attempts, and VIP membership to the 1-1-1 club.   
 


O.J. Mayo 


Apart from a funky first name, Ovinton J'Anthony (O.J.) Mayo has the package of goods to be a fantasy machine come 2009-10. Drafted at number three in the 2008 draft, Mayo exploded onto the scene with a November to remember in 2008. In 15 games he knocked down 23 points at 48%, along with over two three-pointers, 5 boards, 2 assists and over a steal per game. Chuck in his ridiculous free throw percentage and the kid looked like he was rookie of the year in waiting. Unfortunately for Mayo and the Grizz, this production took a serious hit throughout the rest of the season and he ended up with 18/4/3 with 1.8 treys and a steal per. This is still a very solid rookie season. Grizzly fans will quickly point out this is a young team which is still learning the ropes and how to gel. This is true. With that in mind, lets look ahead for what season 2009-10 holds in store for Mayo as the Grizzles young players look to fulfill their potential and what impact roster changes will have on his game.  


For a start, you don't have to worry about his minutes. Mayo is going to be a rock for this franchise at the two spot for awhile. The one thing you do have to worry about if you take him in the draft is his field goal percentage and the impact of his teammates will have on his production this season. 


Picking the right shot is hard for any NBA player, except the all conquering shooting guard. Any shot will do. Mayo fancies himself as one of the purest two's out there and will jack up the ball as soon as it hits his hands or try to create his own offense leading to another attempt. At 15.6 field goal attempts per game, Mayo had the most shots attempted of any rookie in the last five years apart from Kevin Durant. This is quite amazing given that Rudy Gay is also on the team. Mayo needs to learn how Conley gets him the ball in conjunction with the space of the court. Not any shot will do, especially when you only shoot 43% from the field and when you play the most minutes during the season of any player. In 2009-10, you can expect this field goal percentage to trend upwards or Mayo won't be getting his hands on the rock like last season. He has shown that he can shoot well with those early November numbers but this needs to translate into long term vision. As a projected mid 4th round pick, you should want at least 45% on over 15 attempts give this is a shooting guards bread and butter. This would be nice, but I can't see it happening this season. The reason? Zach Randolph.  


Rudy Gay and Mayo combined for over 35 attempts per game last season, easily leading the Grizzles. Randolph's history is littered with an amazing number of field goal attempts. Over 7100 in fact. In six of the last seven seasons, he has demanded over 16 per game. Greedy little boy. This is the sole reason why Mayo's number will decrease. It's not a good reason, because the Grizzles should be focusing on the development of their young core but it's still going to happen.  


So, final predictions for Mayo. If he goes as projected in many drafts in the 4th or 5th round, you will want at least 20/4/3 with over two threes and a steal. I'm not that high this season, even with a jump from his rookie season. I'd take in the 6th and expect 17/3/3, 44% field goal percentage, with a slight increase in free throw attempts and maybe an uptick in steals. Not bad for a developing shooting guard stuck on a mediocre team but not 4th round material.  


We want to thank the guys from FourPointPlay for taking the time to do this post.

I really wanted to post this video, but embedding is not allowed by the owner of the clip.  I don't know if you have ever came across this clip, but it will get you jacked.  This is the Grizzlies'  intro before game 3 in the 06' playoffs.  It may bring back memories.  I guess it could depress some fans if they feel we are lightyears away from reaching the playoffs again.  Either way click on this link.  It's going to make you feel something.

Hey guys.  Back to school.  I am sorry if the posts do not occur as frequently as they used to.  This is my last semester before student teaching so I am going to be pretty busy.  I'll make sure to at least get something up 2 or 3 times a week.  During the summer I had a job that basically required me to just show up and sit down in front of a computer for 7 hours.  I could just be on the site all day.  There was little effort on my part, but in return there was little pay from the employer. Seeing as how it was the most cake summer job of my life I wasn't going to complain.  Anyways the free time was nice while it lasted.  Now, on to some other things.

You need to check out the NBA blog Basketbawful.  It's awesome.  Today's feature is the "pickup word of the day" - injury faker.  He gives the definition of the word in dictionary form.  This site is loaded with great things like these.  This summer he started telling his college story named "Livin' Large".  His roommate played on an unamed D1 basketball powerhouse at the time.  This story starts at the beginning of his freshmen year and goes through all of his drama with his roommate, friends, and girlfriend.  It is extremely entertaining and will provide reading material until December.  It is a 24 part series.  If you want to check out part 1 here is the link, but I am warning you are going to be hooked.

Chip, at 3 Shades of Blue, has started a 5 part series on what has to happen for the Grizzlies to have a successful season.  These are going to be interesting.  Part 1 focuses on the comparisons between the Grizzlies rebuilding process to that of the Trailblazers. 

Grizzfans owner, Jenkz, tweeted that Version 2.0 would be completed by Monday.  So, make sure to check that site out.

Straight Outta Vancouver has something up on the Grizzlies recent target...Brent Barry?  Yes we need someone who can shoot coming off the bench, but I prefer that the person coming off the bench does not have to use a walker to get to the scorer's table. 

Oh and the scores for the new Grizz Quiz were better than I thought they would be.  The average was a 58.7%.  If this is the percent people were getting without cheating then I am impressed.  The questions were pretty tough.  If you want to take the quiz still click here.  You can see if your above the average.  Alright that is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.