Trick or Treat? 10/09/2009
 
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Is it that time of the year again?  Already?!  Yep!  Halloween is three weeks away.  The decorations are in full force, and I may have consumed a couple pounds of candy this week because it is everywhere.  Maybe you thought I was talking about the NBA preseason kicking off, and the Grizzlies getting underway.  Actually, Halloween and the Grizzlies may have more in common than you think.  Besides the fact that Zach Randolph most likely eats loads candy apples as if it is Halloween every day (I know, I know.  He has lost the weight, but I am not stopping with them just yet).

Originally, Halloween was considered a celebration that had to do with the boundary between the living and dead being nonexistent for a night.  Or something along those lines.  It has since been commercialized into a trick or treat, haunted house, scary movie celebration.  Not to say I do not enjoy all of those things.  It has just been transformed into something it was not by America and the media.  The same is true of the Grizzlies.  Heading into this offseason, the Grizzlies were anything but important to the national media.  The Grizzlies made a few “questionable” acquisitions, and suddenly they have much more attention.  We catapulted to the top 10 in the league in tickets sales.  Not only are the Grizzlies’ fans excited for the season, but the nation is excited, too.  
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MMMM...
Why did Halloween and the Grizzlies gain popularity?  They introduced fun.  Halloween added some candy, costumes, and scare factor to the mix.  The Grizzlies added something for the basketball fan’s sweet tooth in Iverson.  They threw in the fun when coach Hollins implemented the up-tempo offense.  The Grizzlies definitely added the scare factor this offseason.  The Grizzlies did a little bit of trick or treatering in Detroit and Los Angeles.  We will find out if the Grizzlies got some delicious candy, or if that old stingy guy gave us a rotten apple.

Randolph may or may not break a fellow teammate’s eye socket.  Is he going to pass when he needs to this year?  In years past, giving the ball to Zebo was like throwing a donut at Grady Jackson.  It was not coming back.  He needs to adjust his game if there is any chance of this team succeeding.  Rudy, Mayo, and Iverson are going to need their fair share of shots.  Scary.
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With Iverson hurt, it is not likely he will get the starting nod entering the season.  How do you think he will handle that?  Not to mention that no one knows how good he is going to be.  Is this going to be anything close to the Iverson we know, or are we going to be watching the ghost of Iverson? Frightening to think about.

 Is Thabeet going to be a walking zombie on the court, or will he catch onto the offensive and defensive schemes?  Through the first couple of games in the preseason, he has shown improvement from his Vegas summer league showing.  Nevertheless, he has still been lost many times on both ends of the floor.  I understand that he is going to take a little while to develop, but he needs to improve in these areas if he is going to have an impact this year.  I’m so startled! 

The Grizzlies offseason decisions were controversial.  However, Grizzlies’ fans are finally entering into the season with hope. All of the candy is sitting in front of us.  I say dig in!  Let’s enjoy this feeling.   Do not worry about the bellyache/losing record that may ensue in the morning.  I do not know when Memphis fans will be able to feel this excited for an upcoming season again.  Therefore, I am enjoying what we have now, even if it means I wake up in the morning with a candy hangover.