<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Of all the Grizzlies' stats through the first 17 games of the season, perhaps this one is the most deceiving: The Grizzlies average 19.6 assists per game and their opponents average 19.2. At first glance, the closeness of these figures suggest the Grizzlies are neither particularly good, nor particularly bad, at moving the ball around. At first glance, starting point guard Damon Stoudamire's team-leading 4.9 assists might seem a little on the low side. And Pau Gasol's 4.2 assists -- second on the team -- might inspire a double-take: Is that really right? "It's the composition of this team," says Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello, going on to explain the versatility of, well, just about everyone. Consider: Shane Battier can play shooting guard (two), small forward (three) or power forward (four), and even when he's playing the four the Grizzlies will use him as a passer. Mike Miller can play the two or three and may take the role of point guard (one) for a possession. Eddie Jones is a two and a three, Bobby Jackson is a one and a two, and Dahntay Jones is a two and a three. Even Stoudamire, though clearly a point guard, will some nights be a big scorer, too. And Gasol is a 7-footer with uncommon ball-handling skills and agility who demands double-teams. "There's so much mixing going on, and because Pau gets double-teams, he winds up being an assist man," says Fratello, who has seen this multi-ingredient recipe produce a 12-5 record heading into tonight's game with New Orleans/Oklahoma City at FedExForum. Though it's still early, Gasol is right now as dangerous an assist man at power forward in the Western Conference as there is this side of Kevin Garnett, who averages 5.1 assists. San Antonio's Tim Duncan, for instance, is averaging 3.3 assists. "Pau's doing a great job of taking what the defense is giving him," says Miller, in what has become a familiar refrain this season. "That's a sign of maturity and growth in his game." It's also a sign that the Grizzlies, who are coming off a franchise record-setting performance for 3-pointers in Houston, have conspired to create chaos for opponents. "When our best player is playing the way he is, teams don't know whether to double-team Pau or let Pau score," Stoudamire says. The complication is in the composition: There are so many shooters, so many guys who can move the ball from A to B to C to D. When the Grizzlies opt for a small lineup with Gasol on the floor, everybody is dangerous as a passer. "That's why our offense has become so fluid," Gasol says. It's also one reason Stoudamire doesn't have more assists. Often, he'll make a good pass that sets up a good shot. But the Grizzlies have become greedy. "Sometimes, another guy has got a better shot so we'll swing it one more time," Miller says. "Much of our offense starts with me, whether I'm in the post or with a pick-and-roll," Gasol says. "The ball comes to me and I start the offense from there. My teammates are shooting the ball so well it wouldn't be smart (not to pass it back out)." </div> Source
