I think West's moves have a reason, and that is giving more minutes to main role players such as gasol, e.jones, etc. If this finally happens next season might be Gasol's and Miller's breakout year. What do you think?
I don't see how we're going to give more time to Mike Miller by bringing in Eddie Jones, and I sure as hell don't want Eddie Jones to start over Shane Battier or even take up his time. We also brought in not one but two starting caliber Point Guards. Really, the only position where we don't have a legit backup is Center, so I don't think Jerry made those trades to clear up room to give more playing time to the core players. I think he just wanted to get rid of all the trouble makers and bring in some mature, veteran players. I don't necessarily agree with that though. With Jason Williams, James Posey, Bonzi Wells, and Stromile Swift/Earl Watson as possible Sign-And-Trade bait, I'd expect a lot more from trades this offseason than Bobby Jackson and Eddie Jones. It may actually have a good effect on our chemistry though. Who knows, this could be Gasol or Battier's breakout year.
The direction of the team is curious, especially considering Jerry West will likely retire after this season. He has gone on record saying he wanted to bring class and veteran leadership to the team. I think he accomplished both through the draft and via trades, giving this team a nice balance of veterans and young players. In college the most dangerous teams are ones with a lot of Seniors or players ready to leave early. They are dangerous because it's their last shot at winning a title and finishing their career on a positive note. For the likes of Bobby Jackson, Damon Stoudemire, and Eddie Jones, they are all in the twilight of their careers and would like nothing more than to win a title. The Grizzlies lost some youth, but they also rid themselves of chemistry issues. Whether it was the coach's fault or the players fault, the sides could not co-exist and moves had to be made. The Grizzlies did manage to keep their core of young players (Gasol-Miller-Battier) together in the process and surrounded it with some nice role players. The pressure right now is going to be placed on Pau Gasol this season. He's already getting it from his new teammates, and without any replacements in the frontcourt, the Grizzlies are making it his responsibility to produce consistantly. He's capable of having a breakout season, and if not then the Grizzlies will have to wait until 2007 before more options become available. Another big question mark is Lorenzen Wright. Is he going to be a team cancer all season long ala Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell in Minny last year, or is he going to play hard in a contract year ala Erik Dampier.
