<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">There are older teammates either languishing on the bench in dapper suits or at home knee deep in rehabilitation from surgery. But second-year forward Hakim Warrick can honestly say that he's never felt out of the Grizzlies' mix even through his roughest times this season. "It's so crazy. In the NBA you really never know," Warrick said. "But I'm confident I'll be a Grizzly for a while." Warrick's buoyancy off the court sure matches his confidence as of late on it. The reliable scoring punch in reserve is something the Griz hope continues tonight when they visit Philadelphia, where Warrick played high school basketball at nearby Friends Central High School. "Hakim is an absolute NBA offensive player," Griz interim head coach Tony Barone Sr. said, adding that he's committed to giving Warrick more consistent minutes. "He's been in-between with minutes. He's in-between positions. He's not a five. He's not a four. He's not a three. But he's a scorer. He has the ability to score on all kinds of players." The coaching staff no longer worries about whether Warrick is playing at a tailor-made position. Warrick did his part by manufacturing a string of efficient offensive outings. After starting the season as a clear Plan B to life without an injured Pau Gasol and then having his role diminished during the confusion of a coaching change, Warrick has again found a serviceable niche in the rotation. He re-emerged over the past two weeks as a scoring threat off the bench with the same potency he showed early in the season as the team's starting power forward. He has provided instant offense, evident by his 22-of-37 field goals while averaging 14 points over the past four games. "Coach told me to go out there and be aggressive as if I'm starting," Warrick said. "It was tough for a while. I was second-guessing myself a little too much. I wasn't being as aggressive as much as I was without Pau. The coaches sat me down and told me that I had to continue to make plays and be aggressive. I know what to expect now." Warrick and his bosses seem to have made it over the "tweener" hurdle. The concern with Warrick being too lanky for the post and not versatile enough to handle small forward isn't as great as whether he can play extended minutes alongside Gasol. Offensively, the combination works because both players can score consistently from 17 feet to the rim. Defensively, Warrick is hardly the beefy big man capable of taking care of the dirty work that isn't expected of Gasol. "You try to balance him playing with Pau," Barone said, adding that Warrick's combination of length, quickness and athleticism keeps management excited about his potential. "He can be an outside threat with Pau. He's certainly an inside threat with other guys. He's worked on his defense but he's slim. So physically he gets beaten up defensively. He has to use his quickness rather than physical strength to defend people." Playing next to Gasol is something Warrick now understands works best in small doses. "You just have to play off him," Warrick said. "I don't see why we can't (play together) especially since Pau is such a versatile player. He can play inside and outside. We both do a good job of running the floor." </div> Source
Nice article. I thought Hakim would be going nuts sitting on the bench whilst we're losing, but his attitude is surprisingly good. He's got a big future, especially if Sookie leaves at seasons end.
