I'm Still Here 11/17/2009
 
Hey all.  I am sorry for the lack of posts the past week.  I have just been ridiculously swamped with school, work, and coaching.  I just need to get through this next week, and I will be back to posting.  It is terrible timing, because there is a lot of things going on with the Grizz right now.  For one, they actually won a game against the Twolves.  But also the whole Iverson debacle and the Tinsley signing.  Which I am happy about.  Conley is just not cutting it, and I do not want to go the whole season with him as the Grizzlies starter and Marcus Williams as the back up. 

Anyways, I will be back to this next week.  I will try to get a breakdown in at some point this week also.  Thanks for your patience.
 
 
I have to get my two cents in on these new alternate jerseys.  They are hideous.  They remind of those Starter jerseys that people bought at Wal-Mart in the late 90’s.  I will say that I do like the trim on them, but the shiny stuff just isn’t working.
Picture
The classic Pippen Starter throwback. Similar to the new unis.
Maybe this will turn into a good thing.  Back in high school, we had 5 different jerseys.  We had our whites, alternate whites, greens, reds, and a grey one.  By far, the ugliest one was the reds.  But, we did not lose in them.  Before Regionals we realized that we were 6-0 on the season in our reds.  So, we decided we were going to let the reds ride all the way through the postseason.  That year we made it to the Elite Eight.  We beat some pretty good teams in those bad boys. 

On a side note.  Players like Sherron Collins (Kansas), Jon Scheyer (Duke), Bobby Frazier (North Carolina), and other various D-1ers were there in state with us.  I believe Derrick Rose was eliminated in the Super-Sectionals.  It was a fun time but, we lost in the quarterfinals to a team we had beaten during the regular season.  Now that I have relived the high school glory days we can move on. 

Point is the ugly red jerseys took us all the way to state that year.  My hope is that these baby blues can be the Grizzlies’ lucky charm.
 
 
Picture
In my Halloween post, I talked about my excitement for the upcoming season.  I am just going to enjoy it while I can, because who knows when I will be excited for an upcoming Grizzlies season again.  Here are 9 reasons why I am excited. (In no particular order)

1.       The Rookies

Carroll and Young have looked better than expected in the preseason thus far.  Even Thabeet has done some things at times that make me smile.  Carroll and Young have been playing so well that many fans want them in the starting lineup.  I have heard lineups like – Mayo, Young, Carroll, Randolph, and Gasol.  Not that I agree with these lineups, but I think all three rookies are going to contribute a lot this year.  And if Rudy keeps up his recent performances he might be looking over his shoulder at Carroll and Young.

2.       Iverson in a Grizzlies’ Uni

Allen Iverson in a Grizzlies’ uniform.  That just sounds crazy.  I am excited to see how this experiment works out this year.  There was a great piece on him last week from Scott Cacciola at the Commercial Appeal.

3.       OJ Mayo’s and Marc Gasol’s development

We might actually see a decrease in both players’ statistics, but I am looking forward to seeing how they have developed their game.  The acquisitions the Grizzlies made this offseason are going to mean fewer touches for Mayo and Gasol.  However, I am still excited to see how Gasol will fair with the weight he loss this offseason.  I also want to see if Mayo has developed a better all around game.  We have seen some flashes from both players in the preseason, but I want to see how they do throughout the entire season.

4.       Up Tempo Offense

It is just going to be more fun to watch.  We have the team for this style of offense.  This is also going to provide more shots for everyone, and that will keep everyone happier.

5.       The Team is Better

There is no question that the Grizzlies have improved from last year.  They made some controversial decisions, but none of them have made them worse than they were last year.  They had a successful draft overall, and their core from last year should so some improvement. 

6.       Randolph is Looking Good
Randolph’s play through the preseason has impressed me.  Not only does he look like he is in better shape, but he is playing hard.  Well, at least hard for Zach Randolph.  As expected, he is putting up some nice stats.  I am excited to seeing him carry this over to the regular season.

7.       Jaric and Milicic are Gone

Adios Marko and Darko.  So, no more Lima.  She was never at games anyways. 

8.       Fans in the Forum

The Grizzlies shot up to top 10 in the league in ticket sales.  Much of this is because of the Iverson signing, but I like to believe that Memphis is excited for the team in general.  The preseason has had the attendance of a Wham! cover band concert, but it is always like that in the preseason.  A packed house every now and then will be beneficial for the players and the city of Memphis.  What is even more exciting is that the Grizzlies can actually compete with everyone they play this year.

9.       It’s Contagious

Everyone is jacked for this year.  When everyone gets excited, it gets me excited.  We actually have something to look forward to.  The 3 year plan might not exactly be on track, but the Grizzlies are going to compete this year.  Heading into the offseason, no one believed that we could possibly make a push for the 8th seed in the playoffs.  That is best case scenario, and pretty doubtful, but it was completely unlikely in June. 
 
 
Picture
The Growl was featured on Yahoo's Ball Don't Lie today.  Just wanted to give them a shout out, and say thanks.  Here is the post that "started" at point guard.
 
Trick or Treat? 10/09/2009
 
Picture
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.  
Picture
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.
Picture
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.
 
 
Picture
Part 1 consisted of the similarities between the 04’ Pistons and this year’s Grizzlies.  I focused mostly on the statistical similarities.  Now we are going to look at some contrasts between these teams, and touch on some other things. 

When I wrote Part 1 I figured there would be a little bickering, but I knew I was not going to find a perfect match to compare this Grizzlies team to.  They are a mix and match of players.  They consist of rookies, up and comers, head cases, a future hall of famer, and random role players.  There are not too many teams comparable to that.  Here is some of the feedback I got from Part 1.
Comment from Grant at Blazers Edge "inevitably the numbers you show for your players are goin to drop when they are on the same team.  You have three players who are black holes in OJ, AI and Zebo.
Also, the Zebo/Sheed comparison is a little off. Detroit won with defense - Zebo has never played a lick of it in his life…” 

My Response “I don't think it is unreasonable that this starting lineup could average around 87 points a game. I could see a slight drop from Gay and Zebo, but I could also see an increase from Mayo.

It is true that those players are black holes, but I think Iverson and Zebo are at a point in their careers where they can change their styles of play. Coach Hollins has been reinforcing ball movement and teamwork through the start of camp. But, it all depends on what happens when during the games. As far as defense, you are right.”

Steve Kays From Life on Dumars made a couple of good points, too. 

NBAKays@TheGrowl“Yeah but Detroit's starters played D. And had a great coach.”

Agreed.  Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay are known for their lack of defense, and many of the Grizzlies’ have their own deficiencies on the defensive end.  However, the team has improved on defense this summer.  All three of their draft picks were great defensive players in college.  Specifically, Hasheem Thabeet.  He was one of, if not the most, dominant defensive player in the NCAA last year.  He was brought in to be a defensive presence down low, just as Ben Wallace was brought in to be the same via the Grant Hill trade.  Through the start of camp, coach Hollins and his staff have been stressing defense among other things.  So there is optimism that the Grizzlies defense is going to be stronger this year.  However, none of these draft picks have proved themselves to be competent defenders in the NBA and we do not know if the team’s defense is going to improve this season. 

As Steve pointed out, another big difference between these two squads is their head coaches.  The Pistons had legendary coach Larry Brown, while the Grizzlies enter this season with Lionel Hollins.  This is the first time he has begun a season as head coach.  Hollins has impressed me thus far, but he does not have anything close to the resume or coaching skills of Brown.  Brown is known to be able to handle players’ egos.  He is notorious for building team chemistry and has turned around many franchises.  As we all know, the Grizzlies have players with personalities and characteristics that are stressful for a coach to handle.  Can Hollins pull the team together and build anything close to the same kind of chemistry that the Pistons had?  Who knows? 
Picture
One thing that I think the Grizzlies do have on that Pistons team is depth.  Memphis added a much deeper bench this offseason.  Thank God!  Last year’s bench was pathetic.  Anytime you see Jaric and Milicic checking in at the same time you know there are some problems.  Here is a snapshot of the bench matchups. 

Lindsey Hunter vs. Iverson/Conley
Mehemet Okur vs. Gasol/Thabeet
Corliss Williamson vs. Darrell Arthur/Sam Young/Demarre Carroll
Elden Campbell vs. Hamed Haddadi
Chucky Atkins vs. Marcus Williams
Throw Ins – Bob Sura, Darvin Ham vs. Steven Hunter, Trey Gilder/Mike Taylor
I feel like the Grizzlies have the advantage. 

-Hunter was a solid bench player.  But, Hunter was not in the same league as Iverson or Conley. 
-I don’t know why I put the slash on Gasol and Thabeet because I am about 93% sure Gasol is going to start.  Gasol is better than Okur was at that point, and it is even hard to compare Thabeet to Okur because they are such different players.  Okur scores, Thabeet can’t.  Thabeet plays defense, Okur can’t.  –Arthur, Young, and Carroll have the edge over Williamson solely because of the amount of energy they are going to bring into the game.  I can see Arthur having developing nicely this year with less pressure on him.
-Haddadi thinks he is a legit NBA center, and he may be someday.  But, for right now he is nice 3rd string center to have on the roster.  He was more impressive than Thabeet at the Vegas summer league, and had played great internationally this summer. 
-Sorry “Ham Slamwich”, the rest of the bench is irrelevant. 

The Grizzlies’ players are entering this season with high expectations for the first time in a while.  However, the national media is not expecting anything too different from Memphis this season.  I am somewhere in the middle of these. My expectations are for the Grizzlies to get 35 plus wins this season.  It all depends on whether the team meshes and everyone is ready to sacrifice a little.  Most need to sacrifice their number of touches, but some have to sacrifice in other areas.  Randolph, like Sheed’, needs to lose some of his bonehead personality.  Conley, Mayo, and Iverson are going to have to give up minutes.  Gay is going to have to give more effort on the defensive end.  The Grizzlies have been working on all of these things through the first week of camp.  No one is expecting the Grizzlies to be as successful as the 04’ Pistons.  However, both teams have similar make ups at positions, and many of the players are entering a “something to prove” season.  The Grizzlies can have a successful season, but it is going to be a different kind of success than the Pistons.

*The Grizzlies do not have to make it to the finals for the season to be considered a success.  They just have to make around a 10 win improvement from last year, and provide some entertainment for the city of Memphis.  A year from now, the Grizzlies can have their sights set on making a push for the playoffs.   

Read Part 1
 
 
Picture
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.
 
Pics Coming Soon 08/21/2009
 
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.
 
While I Was Away 07/29/2009
 
Some big things happened while I was on vaca and at the work desk.  I had some thoughts on them, and…I’m feeling a list.

1.      The Grizz went undefeated in summer league.

It was sweet to see Sam Young and Demarre Carroll succeed in their NBA debuts.  I also enjoyed seeing some improvements from Darrell and Hamed.  Marcus Williams had some impressive games and showed the potential to take Jaric’s spot (we can only hope).  I don’t want to say that Hasheem was disappointing, because it is pretty much what I expected.  I agree with Chip’s thoughts on this.

2.      The Randolph deal went through.

I am happy with the way he has been talking so far, but we all know it does not matter until he proves he is ready to change.  I have a hope that he will turn his act around just enough.  Maybe in the way that Rasheed did with the Pistons.  I can only think of one reason he is going to do this.  Money.  He has 2 years left on his contract and there is no way in hell he is making that kind of money on his next one.  If he even wants to be signed for a decent amount, he is going to need to show improvement in his attitude, durability, and game.  I hope that Memphis is the place he chooses to change the perspective people have of him.  A.I. showed that with th economy and a bad perspective from teams it is hard to even get the MLE.  Which brings me to number 3.

3.      The Iverson Stuff

I am completely game for getting Iverson on the Grizz.  I think he has enough in the tank to make a huge difference on our team.  I know he is just another scorer who needs his touches, and we have plenty of those players.  What we do not have, nor have ever had, is one of the best 40 players in NBA history.  Let’s look at two things, he is going to be productive if he is used the right way.  He is going to get fans and support in Memphis.  We can do that for the mid level exception?  Are you serious!  Please get him.  It is a one-year thing. If it does not work out then how much worse off are we because of it?  Not much.  This is such a great opportunity for the team.  If we looked back one year ago, and this same offer was in front of us, we would have taken it in an instant.  We would have given into his demands too (he would start).  We would have traded Mike Conley and others for him.  Now, we don't want to hurt Mike's feelings or hurt his development.  People would have been bouncing off the walls if we had landed him.  The perception is the only thing that has changed in the last year with him.  His skills and what he brings to the table from fans has not. 

4.      SLAM Magazine is our new affiliate.

BIU is going to be featuring a “Slam of the Week” throughout the season, and we will be doing a “Great Slam” post throughout the summer from time to time.  If you have nominees that you think should be featured send me an email at ollerblueboy@gmail.com.  If you have a Youtube clip you can send that would be great.  These do not just have to be NBA slams.  They can be anything from high school, college, D-League, AAU, backyard ballin, streetballin, 3 on 3's, dunk contests, and anything else I forgot.  We are looking forward to working with SLAM magazine.   

Ok that’s enough.  Those are the big things.      

 
 
Back to Posting 07/29/2009
 
I am back to posting after this month long hiatus.  Sorry for the time away, but I had to deal with vacations and work the past month.  I was considering joining grizzfans.com as a contributor, but I didn't get to contribute during the last month based on my schedule.  It was nice of Jenks to allow me to join and I want to thank him.  But, I think having my own blog is nice.  This way I don't feel as bad if I don't get a post in for awhile, because it is my blog.  So, hopefully we can get back in a groove writing.