<font color="Teal"><font size="4"> 2004-2005 Memphis Grizzlies Season Preview by Shooter</font></font> It was a revolutionary season of sorts for the Memphis Grizzlies. The 2003-2004 NBA campaign brought forward a promising future of immense potential and progress. How does a team follow a season in which it achieved a franchise-best 50 wins and made the playoffs for the first time in its nine year existence? How do you cap off a remarkable season that breathed life into a city that was before apathetic towards basketball? How do you respond and build a team under a man who came out of the broadcast booth and, at the age of 71, was the runaway champion for Coach of the Year? Apparently, by doing very little, as Grizzlies fans got the impression that general manager Jerry West is quite content with how the team is put together. Entering its tenth season, the Grizzlies will be sporting a new logo along with brand-spanking new unis; however, that is as big a change as they made. They made subtle moves that helped maintain the structure of the team (by matching a contract offer to center Jake Tsakalidis, as well as re-signing Lorenzen Wright) and improved their depth (signing free agent forward Brian Cardinal as well as drafting a pair of prospective rookies in Antonio Burks as well as Andre Emmett). But in a conference that welcomed the competitive New Orleans Hornets from the East, as well as being placed in a Southwest Division where every one of its members made the playoffs last season, the Grizzlies did nothing to counter the moves that peers Houston, San Antonio or Dallas even made this season. The Grizzlies, for better or worse, stayed put, and will enter this year with basically the same squad that was swept by the Spurs in last year?s first-round playoff series. Point Guard: I never thought I?d ever see the day where I would write that Jason Williams, the once enigmatic, spontaneous and wild point guard of years past, is now a stable, reliable point guard who is the leader of a playoff contender. Williams has now ranked among the top 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio the past few years, placing 4th last season at 3.62 assists per giveaway. Williams has also started playing defense as well (gasp!). He is learning how to stay in front of his man and never give up on a broken play. Offensively, he still puts up questionable shots but not nearly as many as he used to. He also still hangs around the 3-point line more than coach Hubie Brown would prefer, with more than half of his total shot attempts coming from behind the stripe. Overall, Williams is a master of pushing the tempo and passing, and his calmed, more effective game is evident in his solid stats of 10.9 points/game as well as 6.9 assists/game in less than thirty minutes a game. Williams is still Brown?s prized pupil, and both have done wonders for the other. Williams has changed his complete game for Brown, paying more attention to detail, defense and ball control; while Brown has let Williams be himself without being criticized or yelled at after every mishap. Williams? backup is the pesky and quick Earl Watson. Watson is the prototypical point guard who is skilled at running a team and playing the full-court pressure defense that Brown craves. Watson played in all 82 contests and averaged a solid 5 ppg and 5 apg in his twenty minutes of action. While he leaves a lot to be desired offensively (particularly his 24% 3-point ?accuracy?), he is a bulldog of a player who gives 100% in effort. The Grizzlies drafted point guard Antonio Burks, a local favorite out of Memphis. He will have a hard time making this squad, particularly at a position that is so stable at this point. Shooting Guard The 2-guard spot is a shaky one for Memphis, as they are employing a streaky shooter and a volatile scorer as a tandem. The Grizzlies? have an abundance of versatile guards and swingmen so there are a variety of interchangeable options that are available. Starting two-guard Mike Miller is a streaky offensive player who has nice skills but is maddeningly inconsistent. He possesses a nice all-around game, as evident in his 11 ppg, 3 rpg and 3 apg. He is the Grizzlies? most consistent 3-point threat, hitting 80 3s at a 37% clip last season, and he has continued to progress as a slasher and inside scorer instead of relying on the three-point shot as he did earlier in his career. However, Miller had a horrific playoff series, averaging a mere 7 ppg along with an anemic 35% field goal percentage. Miller must learn to step up in big games and assert himself more aggressively both offensively and defensively. Coach Brown found himself going to backup guard Bonzi Wells a lot due to Miller?s inconsistency. Wells averaged more points per game (12) in fewer minutes as well as fewer starts than Miller. He is one of the better post-up guards in the NBA, using his strength and athleticism to either post up smaller guards or go around taller ones. Contrary to Miller, Wells had an impressive postseason, averaging 11 ppg in only 23 minutes off the bench against the Spurs. He also shot 51% from the floor while snaring 3 boards a game for good measure. As he adapts himself more comfortably to the Grizzlies? offensive system (Wells was traded a quarter into the season last year), look for Wells to become one of the Grizzlies? most potent offensive threats while also threatening to take Miller?s minutes. Second-year guard Troy Bell stands 6?1? yet is not a point guard. He?s a scorer who?s used to shooting opposed to passing which correlates to a much harder transition in the NBA. There is no question he is a superior offensive talent, but he must show more patience and understanding in both pass and shot selection. The Grizzlies? drafted 6?5? guard Andre Emmett out of Texas Tech. Emmett has a shot at making the team, but needs to work defensively as well as on his outside shot. The Grizzlies could still use another pure shooter at the guard spot as it would be a stretch to rely on Miller as the lone pure gunner. Small Forward The Grizzlies are stacked at the small forward spot as well. They start things off with 6?8? forward James Posey, who in his first year as a Grizzly played extremely well. Posey posted averages of 13 ppg and 4 rpg while also shooting 47% from the floor, which is iconic in today?s shooting standards. Posey is the Grizzlies? most versatile perimeter defender. He plays the passing lanes extremely well and is well-skilled in closing out on shooters. Offensively, he is a nice slasher who thrives in the transition game but could afford a little more work in being a more consistent 3-point bomber. But that?s just nit-picking. As a backup, Shane Battier is the consummate professional. Battier plays hard-nosed defense and has worked hard to improve his outside shooting. Battier is extremely smart and knows how to play the game, but the Grizzlies would love for him to be a more viable option offensively. Second-year player Dahntay Jones only appeared in 20 games last season; however he possesses nice size (6?6?, 210) at the swingman spot and is a nice, athletic player who the Grizzlies see as a promising defensive specialist. It would seem like he would get more minutes this season, but unfortunately the Grizzlies are loaded at the swingman position so Jones would have to be astoundingly impressive in training camp to earn any significant time this season. Power Forward Now this is where the Grizzlies are strongest. The power forward spot. The Grizzlies boast arguably the most offensively talented power forward duo in Pau Gasol and Stromile Swift. Gasol is a flat-out impressive offensively talent, possessing an array of moves and fakes that never fail. He also has nice range on his jump shot so defending him is not exactly the easiest task. Gasol posted team-bests averages of 17.7 ppg and 7.7 boards a game while shooting 48% from the floor. He runs the floor well for a big man; however his one biggest weakness is his lack of toughness. He?s always complaining for fouls and still needs to gain more weight to be the defensive player that the Grizzlies know he can be. On October 1st, the Grizzlies did as was expected and signed Gasol to a multi-year contract extension. Swift was re-signed this year by Memphis to a one-year deal, and it was for a good reason: he is pretty good at playing the game of basketball. Swift is an extremely athletic player who can play both power forward and center. However, he is more comfortable at the 4-spot, where his 6?9? frame is not forced into defensive mismatches. He is a nice athletic player with scoring moves around the basket but could still be an improved rebounder. He was the second-leading shot-blocker on the squad behind Gasol, but has shown vast improvement and the future is looking very bright and promising. The Grizzlies? lone free-agent acquisition this summer was that of Brian Cardinal, a 6?8? shooter who hustles like none other. Cardinal hit 44% of his triples last season for the Golden State Warriors, and overall averaged 9 ppg and 4 rpg while posting great shooting overall shooting numbers (47% field goal shooting; 87% free throw shooting). He will be invaluable due to his ability to stretch defenses at the post position while also hustling for loose balls and scrapping for every loose ball. After all, he?s not nicknamed ?The Custodian? for nothing. The Grizzlies still have second-year forward Ryan Humphrey on the roster, who appeared in a mere two games last season. It?s unlikely he will have any real impact on the Grizzlies this season. Center Starting center Lorenzen Wright is a 6?11? jumping jack whose main purpose is to provide a boost of energy on both ends of the floor. Wright posted nice averages of 9 ppg and 6 rpg off the bench, but his athleticism in blocking shots and finishing alley-oops makes him a crowd favorite. Known for his screams and yells when finishing a satisfactory play, Wright inspires his teammates by doing the dirty work and giving his full effort while still being undersized. The Grizzlies chose to match the contract offer given to Jake Tsakalidis by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tsakalidis is a huge tank in the middle (7?2?, 290), which is necessary when playing the dominant posts of the Western Conference. He?s a hard worker, however didn?t show too much in the forty games he played last season due to injury. The Grizzlies are hoping he can provide a hard-working 15-20 minutes a game this year as a defensive beast in the middle. Overall All in all it was not a very progressive off-season for the Memphis Grizzlies. They did what was necessary in re-signing Swift and Tsakalidis while giving Gasol a much-deserved extension; however, they did little to upgrade or add new talent. They still lack a pure shooter and could use more help at the center spot. And when considering that they reside in a division that now includes powerhouses San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and New Orleans, the Grizzlies did little to accommodate themselves to their more competitive surroundings. Prediction: 45-37
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Ezra:</div><div class="quote_post">D'you write that?</div> yeh that was me...i wrote it for the JBB Writing Team
Things like "Power Forward Now this is where the Grizzlies are strongest," and saying that Lorenzen Wright doesn't start were two things that jumped out at me. You also seem to go to great depths, droning on and on about some guys (Mike Miller) and rattling off the names of all the scrubs, while completely omitting others, who actually contribute completely (Bo Outlaw) seems wrong to me. So does saying that they "still" lack a shooter, (while having Posey, Battier, and Miller, who all excel from three, as well as adding Cardinal who's also dead-eye) and that that is the team's weakness while not saying anything at all about how they're the worst defensive rebounding team in the league, and that's what they needed to adress ... just doesn't seem right. I'm not going to pretend to have read the whole thing but, oh well, do your thing, man. Whenever you express an opinion on anything, there's going to be someone who doesn't see things the same way. I know how it is. I wrote a season preview for the Grizzlies for SLAM Magazine, if you read The Links, you can probably see it sometime next week. I'd love to hear your criticisms of mine, too. You know, to be fair, and all that. Cheers!
Not a bad preview, but i cannot see how we'll go backwards. If we could win 50 games with Pau of 2003-04, we can only improve with Pau of 2004-2005.
Nice preview, Shooter. I realize that you're more of a Rockets fan than a Grizzlies fan, so I'll cut you some slacks for things like saying that Swift is better suited at power forward or that the Grizzlies are strongest at power forward. Once you look past those minor mistakes it was a good preview. Thanks for making it, Shooter.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">the Grizzlies are strongest at center.</div>He said that the Grizzlies were strongest at power forward, not center. Good preview, Shooter. It does go to great depths, but I also have to say that I agree with Ezra on some of his criticism regarding this preview. However, you're a fellow Rockets fan, so I wouldn't really say it's your fault that you got some parts of it wrong. Keep it up! PS: Sorry about snatching the Rockets preview btw, I know you would've wanted it.
