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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. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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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.
 
 
This is a sweet little highlight video put together for the Grizzlies' preseason games.
 
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.
 
 
This is probably a little bit easier to answer with Iverson's hammy injury.  But, I have heard some differing opinions still. 
 
 
I got this from ESPN.  Legler doesn't say anything that hasn't already been said by the national media.  He did make a Thabeet to Mutombo comparison, and said that Mutumbo wasn't even close on athletic ability compared to Thabeet. 
 
 
From what I have heard, Sam Young absolutely took over in the 4th quarter.  Trey Gilder was 3 of 4 from behind the arc, and check out Hasheem's block in these highlights.  I hope we see more of that.
 
 
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Chris Vernon just tweeted - @ChrisVernonShow Iverson havin press conference right now-- announcin he is out 3 weeks-- partial hammy tear

3 weeks from today is opening night versus the Pistons.  Hopefully, he can recover quickly from this injury and be back in time for that.  Either way, I think this solidifies Mike Conley in the starting line up for the start of the season.  He has been outplaying him through camp from what I have been hearing, but now there will  be no opportunity for Iverson to win the job. 

I was really looking forward to seeing Iverson in action.  It would have been especially nice to see how the team was meshing before the games started to matter.