<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">You might see him diving for a loose ball. He'll stand in there and take a charge. He doesn't mind setting screens for his Grizzly teammates. And he loves crashing the boards. No, Shane Battier isn't returning to the Grizzlies. But second-year player Lawrence Roberts wants to be the next player to bring all the intangibles Battier brought to the Grizzlies. ''There's so many little things I thrive on and I love to do on the court,'' Roberts said. ''Kind of like Shane; he was that glue guy. I just love being out there and helping the team out in any way possible, whether it's taking a charge, diving for a ball, setting a screen, just anything. From anything physical, to anything tough. I see myself going in there and trying to be that glue guy, that Shane.'' With All-Star forward Pau Gasol out with a broken foot, and former center Lorenzen Wright playing for Atlanta, Roberts will get more than enough chances to prove he's ready for an increased role. Roberts, a 6-9 power forward who also backs up at center, was drafted in the second round last year out of Mississippi State by Seattle. He was traded to the Grizzlies for a pair of future second-round picks. He appeared in 33 games, averaging 1.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in 5.5 minutes. He played often early in the season, but his playing time decreased to virtually nothing. ''It was tough, honestly,'' Roberts said. ''Anybody that says it wasn't tough, in the back of their minds, they've got to be thinking about something else. It was tough not knowing what you did, or what you did wrong, or if anything. Early on in the season, Coach was trying rotations and you have a little confidence. That's taken away once you get sat on the bench and you're not playing any more. It was tough, but it's all a learning experience. Everybody was saying, 'Keep your head up and keep working hard and keep playing hard and things are going to work out in the end.''' </div> Source
