What do you want to see the Griz do this offseason? -It appears that both starting point Jason Williams and solid backup Earl Watson are on their way out. Who should the Griz bring in as their replacements? -Stromile Swift will likely skip town for a fat contract elsewhere. Should the Griz use their 1st round pick on a replacement in the post? I think that the Griz need to improve at the point, and now seems like the time to do so, as Williams seems to want out and Watson is an unrestricted free agent. They also could stand to upgrade at the 5 spot. While Lorenzen Wright is more than serviceable, it would be wise for the Griz not to overuse him and bring in a capable replacement for Swift. As to Memphis' cap situation, here is an article from NBAdraft.net <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">2005/06 Memphis Grizzlies Payroll: $60.5 million 2005/06 Estimated NBA Salary Cap: $45 million Roughly: $15.5 million over cap While Memphis doesn't really have any one player that is grossly overpaid, they do have a lot of players that simply make too much money for their production.</div> source It appears that Memphis will lose some of its depth next year, but with smart moves in free agency, the trade market and the draft, they could upgrade enough that they won't suffer for the inevitable losses. So, what do you want to happen, and what do you think will happen?
I'm not a Grizzlies fan, but they should look to draft a center with their 1st round pick. Andrew Bynum is a nice option. He has the size, hands and footwork to be a solid center in the NBA, and if they could pick him up, he'll get minutes by backing up Wright. Hopefully with his size in the middle, Gasol will eventually average 10 RPG (hasn't even averaged 9 RPG). I personally would rather keep Watson over Williams but I don't know if they can. They need to trade away Williams with a swingman (Miller or Cardinal). If they could get a PG with an expiring contract, along with a veteran frontline player, then I would pull the trigger. The hot rumour right now is the J-Will for Cassel trade, which I wouldn't mind if I was a Grizzlies fan. If they could get Kandi's expiring contract in that deal, and possibly get the Wolves to take on Miller in return (not sure they would), then I would see it as a solid trade for both teams. That would give Bynum time to work on his game in the NBA level in practices and give them a few minutes on the court. He could fill in as a backup if Lorozen or Kandi go down. PG: Sam Cassell/FA/Burks SG: Shane Battier/Dahntay Jones SF: James Posey/Brian Cardinal PF: Pau Gasol/Brian Cardinal -C: Lorozen Wright/Kandi/Bynum Hopefully Gasol can play more than 32 minutes this year and evenutally, which means Cardinal won't play much at the PF spot. My plan seems kinda wacky since they don't have a solid backup PG or PF...Hopefully they can fill one or both of those voids in with their MLE.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Banks:</div><div class="quote_post">I'm not a Grizzlies fan, but they should look to draft a center with their 1st round pick. Andrew Bynum is a nice option. He has the size, hands and footwork to be a solid center in the NBA, and if they could pick him up, he'll get minutes by backing up Wright. Hopefully with his size in the middle, Gasol will eventually average 10 RPG (hasn't even averaged 9 RPG).</div> I agree with you that they should look at Centers in the draft, but in my opinion there are only two Centers they should look at. There's Andrew Bynum, as you said, but after reading his alleged "My Space" online I have to question the kid's maturity. He may be a bigger project than the Grizzlies are bargaining for. The other Center out there is Frye, but the chances that Frye slip to #19 look slimmer and slimmer every day. The lack of height in this year's draft has made him a hotter commodity than he should be. Now I know you're probably thinking, "What about Johan Petro?". Well, to be honest the reports on Petro make him sound exactly like Stromile Swift. They say he is an athletic freak and great shot blocker with an amazing winspan, but he lacks effort, motivation, and defense. The inconsistency because of a bad work ethic and the lack of defense are exactly what the we went through with Stromile Swift, and I don't want to go through it again. After Center, our biggest need is a Point Guard. However, I'm not a real big fran of either John Gilchrist or Jarrett Jack, and given the depth of Power Forwards in this draft, I'd rather take a Power Forward. Besides, Brian Cardinal can only last as our backup Power Forward for so long. I think that the Grizzlies should take a look at Sean May, Wayne Simien, Ike Diogu, Ronny Turiaf, and Randolph Morris in that order. The first four are big men who really excelled on the collegiate level but will probably be passed over because they're two or three inches smaller than the average NBA Power Forward. However, history has shown that a 6-8 or 6-9 Power Forward can get by in the NBA if they're bulky enough and know how to position themselves well. It's just the skinny 6-8 Power Forwards that don't have as much experience in the post, such as Hakim Warrick, that usually don't succeed. At #19 we could get the next Zach Randolph or Carlos Boozer with one of those guys. I also added Morris onto that list simply because the potential factor. His stats weren't that impressive from his Freshman year, but that was because he chose to go to one of the elite programs in college basketball history. I'm sure that if he went to a school like Memphis or Georgia then he'd be putting up some great stats. Also, Pau Gasol only averaged about seven and a half rebounds per game this season because of the rotation the Grizzlies used. It has nothing to do with his help in the paint or his skill and ability. I'm sure that if he played on a team like Boston or New York, then he'd be averaging around ten rebounds per game if not more. As for Earl Watson, I really like him myself, but Jason Williams is simply the better basketball player. If it weren't for the style the Grizzlies play and the disagreements that Williams constantly has with the coaching staff, then I believe Williams could be an All-Star caliber player. He's absolutely amazing in a transitional game. Also, he ranks twenty-sixth in career assists per game, over Mo Cheeks, Fat Level, Steve Nash, Jerry West, and Larry Bird. Besides, I'm not so sure that the Grizzlies will be able to resign Earl Watson this summer. There are going to be a lot of teams willing to offer more money than we will be; teams desperate for a Point Guard. As for the whole Jason Williams for Sam Cassell rumors, I'm not a fan myself. If you throw Michael Olowakandi into the mix, then it's a whole nother story and I'd probably like the deal, but so far I've just heard that it would be Jason Williams for Sam Cassell straight up. While Cassell may be the more talented player, my primary concern is his age. Jason Williams is entering his prime, and Cassell's career is rapidly declining. My other concern is their contracts. Cassell's contract runs out after next season while Williams keeps going until 2007. Some people may look at that extra cap room as a good thing, but I believe Cassell makes only about 6.5 million per year, which is not a lot of cap relief for a great player like Cassell. I'm not a huge fan of your idea of just throwing Mike Miller into the deal either. While I've probably been his harshest critic over the last few years, I have to admit that he has impressed me. He averaged about thirteen points, four rebounds, and three assists per game, which is very well in the limited minutes the Grizzlies played him. He also shot 43% from three point territory, which was the fourth best percentage in the NBA this year, and 51% from the field, which was the seventeenth best percentage in the NBA this year and was the best field goal percentage from a Shooting Guard. All in all, he was probably our second or third best player this year, depending on where you'd rate Jason Williams. Besides, involving him in a trade may be more complicated than you think, as Miller is a Base Year Compensation player. Also, like I said earlier, it has never really been a question of "Can Gasol play more than 32 minutes?". Rather it has always been a question of "Will Fratello allow Gasol to play more than 32 minutes?". Rumor is that they are abandoning the whole '10-man rotation' concept though and going with the more tradtional seven or eight man rotation. There is also a rumor going around that they will trade Pau Gasol once his new fourteen million dollar contract kicks in, which is a move I really support. Gasol has always been a great player for us, but has has always been a great liability on defense as well. I want to try to make a run at Zach Randolph and Jason Kidd. If we went after Randolph, we'd essentially be getting a more physical and more defensive minded Gasol who is about the same age. If we went after Kidd, we could trade Jason Williams and someone else off with our draft pick for a legit Power Forward like P.J. Brown, and then we'd be in the race for the championship all of a sudden. Lastly, I'd like to get rid of James Posey. I don't know what happened to him, but his statistics in just about every category went down. Most noticably, he went from fourteen points per game to eight points per game, and he also went from shooting 48% from the field to shooting an awful 36% from the field. He also didn't bring the same intensity on the defensive end of the floor, which is what made him the star player on the Grizzlies last season. I think we should ship him off while he's still worth something, because at the rate he's going, he'll be the 12th man by next December.
lmao at the myspace thing. When I say hopefully Pau can avg. over 32 MPG, I mean hopefully he gets to plays over 32 MPG. He definitely has the skill to play around 38 MPG. West gave him the massive contract knowing that he'll probably get around thatmany minutes, so I'm counting on him player around that many per game. The reason I added Mike Miller in there instead of the Poseys or Battiers, is because he has the higher value of them. Adding him into the deal will give him them more of a chance to get Kandi. Both Cassell and Kandi will have expiring contracts after next season, so with them off the books, they will be able to sign some marquee FA's, especially the 2002 1st round class. Amare, Nene, Dunleavy(Miller is better than him IMO), Prince and Krstic are some of the players that will be available from that class. I didn't see no more than 7 regular season games of the Grizzlies (some of which he missed), so I couldn't really evalute his progression and talent level. If he's the player you claim him to be, then I take your word.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Banks:</div><div class="quote_post"> The reason I added Mike Miller in there instead of the Poseys or Battiers, is because he has the higher value of them. Adding him into the deal will give him them more of a chance to get Kandi. Both Cassell and Kandi will have expiring contracts after next season, so with them off the books, they will be able to sign some marquee FA's, especially the 2002 1st round class. Amare, Nene, Dunleavy(Miller is better than him IMO), Prince and Krstic are some of the players that will be available from that class. </div> Actually, I believe that Battier has more trade value than Mike Miller. He's a player that every GM wants to have on their team. He's a 'glue guy' that can make you a contender for a championship. You also have to remember all the charity and community work that Shane Battier does. As a former sportsmanship award winner, he's probably one of the five most charitable players in the NBA. Every team would love a player like that, and the city of Memphis would hate to lose him. He probably has a bigger fan following in Memphis than Pau Gasol and Jason Williams combined. Besides, I wouldn't trade either for the Kandiman. Over the years he has really proven to be nothing more than a mediocre NBA big whose value is really overrated because of the lack of decent Centers in the league. Last year he only averaged six points and five rebounds. If I were the Grizzlies, he'd be the last player I'd want, especially at the cost of Shane Battier or Mike Miller. The cap is intruiging, but I don't think there's anyone out there that would be better than Mike Miller and Jason Williams combined. In the end it would be very selfdefeating. Let's be honest, Memphis is one of the last places a hot NBA Free Agent would want to come. They'd end up with some mediocre player like Nenad Krstic which would make the whole process they went through with Cassell and Olowokandi a wash. I think this franchise's best chance at success is through trade and draft.
