Memphis Grizzlies Thread

[mattyj]

im really going to follow the Grizz closely this season...specially now theyve signed Darko

Darko
Gasol
Gay
Miller
Conley Jr

Lowry, Kinsey, Swift, Warrick...thats a hell of a team!

[Anthony15]

Grizzlies had some good moves in the offseason, primarily getting Conley. I still don't quite see the Grizzlies as 8th seed, I think they'll battle it out at the end with Hornets and Warriors, but imo Warriors will get 8th seed again.

[-BHZMAFIA-]

[b]It's official, the Grizzlies have reached an agreement with Navarro. They only had to give up a protected 1st round pick for him. Not sure if its top 3, top 5, 10 or 15 but its a pretty good deal. He is a great shooter and considered one of the best international players. The only links and articles I got are from Spain though.[/b]

[Andreas Dahl]

Great move by the Grizzlies I'm starting to love their setup now that they've signed Darko, Conley and Navarro. Too bad they lost Battier though (And wasn't able to get Nocioni instead).

[Sauru]

yeah the griz could be a fun team to watch next season. there is alot up in the air though, alot of room to go from a great team to a complete bust. darko,conley, and now navarro are all uncertains. if they all work out then memphis has a real good team and could make some noise, if they dont work out however then its a big bust and someone loses thier job.

[_marsal]

So what happens now with Damon Stoudamire? Oh and btw, a great signing by the Grizzlies.

[CERVANTES]

Will they use Navarro as sixth man, with Miller, Rudy and Him playing the same amount of time? I hope they do, because Navarro is better than people thinks. I'm spanish but if you know me a bit you know I usually hate european players, but dude, that guy rocks.

Anyways... MUYAYO RODR

[-BHZMAFIA-]

So what happens now with Damon Stoudamire? Oh and btw, a great signing by the Grizzlies.

More than likely Stoudamire will remain on the team. He will be the teacher for Lowry and Conley. I agree with Sauru about all the uncertains, but if everything goes well they will definitely be in the playoffs. I can see them getting around the 6th or 7th seed right now. I would like to see how the first 10 games of the season plays out before I can make a strong prediction though. I believe there is no doubt that Conley will perform as well as people expect. Darko is a little 'iffy' right now, but I would have to see him during the first few games to determine that. As for Navarro, I think he will easily because a very productive player off the bench.

I think Navarro will be coming off the bench with Conley or Lowry (whichever one starts), Warrick and Kinsey. I don't know how Iavaroni will work it out, but it looks like they are definitely 9 deep easily and all those players can do big things on any given night. I know I really underestimated Chris Wallace though. I thought it was horrible that Memphis got him as a GM, but he came through his first off-season. There's no telling how good the moves are until we see production, but as for now, I believe they are great and I considered it the best offseason for the Grizzlies.

[cyanide]

Looking at the current Grizzlies roster, they have a very nice team with depth. Should be interesting if they can click and contribute right away. From what I've heard, Iavaroni is a very good coach. He was the man the Raptors were primed to get before Mitchell got lucky.

[jmsc]

I think that Navarro can be All-Star, in next year if Grizzlies can be a win team. Navarro is the top talent player in FIBA, more than Ginobili and Jasikevicius, is my opinion.

Navarro can make a lethal tandem with Gasol like Barcelona and Spain (the last World Champion in Japan).

My five for the season:

Conley
Navarro
Miller / Gay
Gasol
Milicic

I think that Memphis return to PlayOffs, and can be a win one round with this team. And can play a "showtime" basketball, like Suns last season.

[Sauru]

ok calling navarro an all star is one hell of a stretch. i mean the guy may come in and be a big help but to expect him to be a all star in his first season is a bit much. that seems to be the big thing around here latly, thinking a foreign player is going to come in and dominate in his first season.

[-BHZMAFIA-]

ok calling navarro an all star is one hell of a stretch. i mean the guy may come in and be a big help but to expect him to be a all star in his first season is a bit much. that seems to be the big thing around here latly, thinking a foreign player is going to come in and dominate in his first season.

Yea, if anything he would be a big help off the bench his first year. At the earliest the first part of the season. It will take sometime for him to adjust to the NBA game, but I will expect him to be an affective player nevertheless. Plus, you also have Kinsey who I believe will still be recieving a solid amount of PT next season after the way he performed last year. I would think he would play during the 4th quarter most of the time alongside Pau to see both of them work a 2-on-2 game during crunchtime.

[cyanide]

It's kind of like Anthony Parker. Parker was two time Euroleague MVP before being brought to the Raptors. He didn't end up an All Star, but is a very valuable player on the Raptors. I can see Navarro filling a similar role.

[Clock]

Nvarro's situation is different than Praker's.In his prime in Europe AP was a better player than Nvarro (and still is now of course) , and was also in a better team... Also Parker is American which is a big advantage for him after playing a long time in Europe; Navarro doesn't have this... My next point is that AP already played in the NBA. although he didn't play a lot due to an injury, He is still more experienced than Navarro..

"La Bomba" is a great player and hopefully a good fit for the Grizz team..

[-BHZMAFIA-]

THE DREADED CVERNON.COM EXCLUSIVE: THE PARTICULARS OF THE JUAN CARLOS NAVARRO TRADE

I have been told that this is how the Navarro deal shakes out...

Memphis recieves J.C. Navarro

Washington will recieve a first round pick from the Grizzlies (contrary to what has been reported, I am told that this is how it will break down)
I will try to make this as simple as I can, but it is a little tricky

'08 if the Grizzlies select 20 or further down, it goes to the Wizards (top 19 protected)
'09 if the Grizzlies select 17 or futher down, it goes to the Wizards (top 16 protected)
'10- '12 the Grizzlies pick is lottery protected
'13 - the pick is top 12 protected and if it has not been given, cash considerations will be given to the Wizards.

I love the way this shakes out for the Grizzlies and it is much more comforting than the reports that it is simply a lottery protected pick that they are giving up, etc.

It's a little confusing, but I like how it all panned out. I see them probably getting the Grizzlies 09' picking 17 or lower.

[Sauru]

so all the griz gotta do is suck for several years and they get to keep thier pick, not a bad deal lol

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Last Updated: Aug 13th, 2007 - 08:04:45

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Grizzlies: Not So Bad
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By Joel Brigham
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Aug 13, 2007, 07:57


Here’s a news flash about the Memphis Grizzlies: they aren’t bad.

They weren’t really that bad last year either, just unlucky. Pau Gasol’s injury during the FIBA World Championships dug a hole for the team that they never really were able to pull themselves out of, and once Tony Barone was named interim coach the entire NBA nation knew that the organization had pulled the plug on their own drain, probably to try and land Greg Oden or Kevin Durant.

Obviously that didn’t work out, and this season the Grizzlies aren’t bad again, even without Oden or KD.

What some are forgetting is that this is a franchise that won 49 games in 2006, 45 in 2005, and 50 in ’04. Gasol was the driving force of those playoff teams as well, and he did it with much less experience.

He’s 27 this year, creeping into his prime and leading a team full of extremely promising young players. Rudy Gay is one of the most talented athletes in the league, Mike Conley was the best point guard prospect in this year’s draft, and Hakim Warrick may be one of the more underrated players out there. And let’s not forget the offseason acquisitions of Darko Milicic and Juan Carlos Navarro—both of whom are expected to develop into something special with the Grizz this season.

The team is young, talented, and deep, and certainly capable of winning 45+ games again this season, even in the tough Western Conference. There’s absolutely no reason people shouldn’t expect Memphis to squeeze themselves into the West’s playoff picture considering the kind of heat they’re packing now.

It’s like hitting the “Reset” button on the old Nintendo Entertainment System when you knew things going awry; it’s always nice to get that fresh start. The 2007-2008 campaign will be exactly that for Gasol and Grizzlies. The team had some nice momentum going before last season, and Pau’s pullback on trade demands should be a strong indication of how confident he feels about his squad.

There’s promise in the air in Tennessee because the Grizzlies aren’t bad.

But then again, they really never were bad in the first place.

Last Updated: Aug 13th, 2007 - 13:57:36

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Ingram: Time to Dismiss All Gasol Trade Rumors
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By Bill Ingram
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Aug 13, 2007, 11:22


When Chris Wallace made the move from Boston to be the Memphis Grizzlies' new general manager one of the first things he did was reach out to disgruntled power forward Pau Gasol. Gasol was in Spain at the time, but even over the phone Wallace was able to quickly connect with his new star player. Gasol, who was all but demanding a trade a few months earlier, made it clear that he wants to win. That's exactly what Wallace moved to Memphis to do.


"My conversations with Pau have been very positive," Wallace recently told Basketball News. "He wants to win and be in that type of environment and we're going to provide him a winning environment. We think he's going to thrive in Marc Iavaroni's system because he's such a versatile and skilled offensive player. His talents are going to be accentuated to the highest degree. We're going to get up and down the court and everything we're going to do will feed into his strengths."

Indeed, Coach Iavaroni knows exactly what to do with big men, especially when they're surrounded by a deep pool of talent like that in Memphis. He worked wonders with Amare Stoudemire during his time in Phoenix and the Grizzlies have every reason to expect a similar result. Having outstanding young players like Hakim Warrick, Rudy Gay, and Kyle Lowry will help, though perhaps not as much as adding the premier point guard of the 2007 NBA Draft: Mike Conley, Jr. Add that cast of players to one of the league's top shooters in Mike Miller and you're certainly putting together a playoff production.

The most important piece, though, came through free agency. The one thing Gasol has been insistent upon is that he needs a true center on the block to play with and to play off of. To that end the Grizzlies went after and landed former second overall draft pick Darko Milicic. Milicic isn't exactly Yao Ming, but he is among the top center prospects in the league. It's believed that playing with Gasol and Conley will help Milicic realize the potential that the Joe Dumars saw in him when he drafted him for the Detroit Pistons.

In short, the Grizzlies have a solid playoff team; a team that will likely be a championship contender when this group of young players has had a year or two to mature and grow together. Pau Gasol couldn't ask for a better situation, and he's ecstatic with the moves his team has made this summer. Chris Wallace has done all of the right things to make his team competitive and to keep his star player happy. Read all the rumors you want, but Gasol simply isn't going anywhere.



Bill Ingram is Executive Editor for Basketball News Services, powering HOOPSWORLD.COM, SWISH Magazine, and The Basketball News Report. He is a member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association and primarily covers the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs.
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NBA Rumors: Sonics Owners Never Planned to Stay?
Aug 13, 2007
• Did the new Sonics owners always plan to leave Seattle? • Pau Gasol could still be moved • Chicago to make another run at Kobe? • Okafor working on an extension • Nets still after JO? • much more inside...
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Two positive articles about the Grizz from Hoopsworld. All the reason to think that Memphis will be in the playoffs this year.

[[Q]]

they probably arent playoff material this year with a deep and talented western conference, but they're almost there.

their team is gonna be sick next year though. i wouldn't mind playing as them in Live 08/2k8.

Gasol
Milicic
Gay
Miller
Stoudamire
-----
Conley
Lowry
Warrick
Kinsey <- he was pretty sick last year
Swift?
-----
Jacobsen
Cardinal

[McDwyane]

Bartow named president of Grizzlies: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=A ... &type=lgns

[-BHZMAFIA-]

they probably arent playoff material this year with a deep and talented western conference, but they're almost there.

their team is gonna be sick next year though. i wouldn't mind playing as them in Live 08/2k8.

Gasol
Milicic
Gay
Miller
Stoudamire
-----
Conley
Lowry
Warrick
Kinsey <- he was pretty sick last year
Swift?
-----
Jacobsen
Cardinal

No Stoud in the starting lineup though. Also, there is more news that there is a chance Sasha Pavlovic could sign with Memphis. NY, Portland, Dallas, Detroit and Memphis are the 5 teams that he is looking at, but he said that Dallas and Memphis is where he would rather be. He is waiting for a concrete offer in Memphis. Interesting that Memphis are also looking to add him as well. It would more than likely have to be through a sign and trade probably, but I'm not sure if they can use the MLE on him or not. I don't see Memphis giving up anybody for him though other than Stoudamire. This came from a Serbian newspaper.

http://www.mtsmondo.com/sport/vesti/text.php?vest=67466

[Fresh8]

Mafia and other grizz fans, you guys are gonna be good this season. You will love Juan Carlos Navvaro. Not only because he's close with Pau Gasol but also because he's a crazy good shooter and big time player.

Article

I'm pretty excited he's finally moving to the NBA.

C: Gasol
PF: Milicic
SF: Gay
SG: Miller
PG: Navarro - He can play a bit of the one but I don't know if Memphis will let him start straight away nor will he play there. But he can play there... it's just that the Grizz alreayd have Lowry/Conley

That's going to be a really versatile scoring lineup and they will hold their own on defence. Looking good!

[McDwyane]

I hope Sasha signs with the grizzlies.I would like to see him play at memphis.

[Fresh8]

This is actually the first season preview I've written. I'm intending to write one for each team. I'm not sure how good a job it is but I hope it's competent at least. Hope some of you Memphis fans can help read it and see if you agree or not.

Any feedback is welcome Mafia would be my best bet for someone with a good opinion but I havent seen him on lately...

06-07 Team Record: 22-60

Most Likely 07-08 Starting Lineup:

C: Darko Milicic
PF: Pau Gasol
SF: Rudy Gay
SG: Mike Miller
PG: Juan Carlos Navarro

Who To Have On Your Fantasy Squad: With Darko alongside him, Pau Gasol will probably have the best and most efficient season of his career this year. Expect him to get better looks which means better efficiency from the field. He might average rebounds in double digits and his assist numbers might rise back to the level of 4.6 a game like two seasons ago. He will get his fair share of blocks and should easily average 20 points a game.

Most likely Team MVP:...

Memphis Grizzlies Season Preview