<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">And Saturday, he did his dry cleaning. And his grocery shopping. And his sorting through piles of mail. "All the things you have to do," said Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello, who has had quite the summer, when you think about it. First, he heard rumors that he might lose his job. Next, he had a come-to-Jerry meeting about finding more time for the young guys. Finally, he watched his team get blown up, remade and start to take shape again during the summer league season that just ended. "We have some interesting pieces," said Fratello, and that's an understatement. The Grizzlies blew through the summer league with a 6-1 record. Friends described Grizzlies president Jerry West as "giddy" over the young talent. Fratello isn't prone to giddiness. He isn't prone to smiling, necessarily, except after a particularly deft defensive switch. But between errands Saturday, he described himself as "excited," which is commendable, given what he's been through. The man has not had an easy ride in Memphis, starting from the moment he took over from Hubie Brown in late 2004. Brown had lost the Grizzlies at that point. The team was coming apart. Fratello somehow strapped it all together and guided the Grizzlies back to the playoffs. It was a remarkable job of coaching, but it didn't make him Hubie in anyone's eyes. Hubie was a blend of Yoda, Red Auerbach and your favorite grandfather. Fratello is a guy who grinds out wins. He proved it again last year, when he got 49 wins out of a group that couldn't rebound, couldn't run and didn't have anyone who could create his own shot. It's still hard to fathom how he did it. Forty-nine wins? From that team? John Willingham should investigate. But then came the playoffs and the three-sweep and the deluge of criticism. Fratello was too controlling. He was too distant. He didn't run enough. He didn't play the young guys. Some of which was true, by the way. Or, at least, the big boss thought so. "Hakim Warrick, if played, can be an excellent player," said West, when the season was done. "Lawrence Roberts can be an excellent player if played." If played. Ouch. Over to you, coach! So West and Fratello had a meeting, and West laid it all out: The team would be rebuilt around youth and athleticism. Fratello could either coach the young guys or talk about them on national TV. Fratello said he'd coach them. West said, good thing, because here are Rudy Gay and Kyle Lowry and Alexander Johnson, too. Then they all got together in the summer league, which is not exactly NBA ball. Scooter McFadgon scored 36 in one game for the Wizards this summer. Yes, that Scooter. There's a limit to how much it all means. But there's no limit to what a head coach can learn about his guys, about their possibilities and their limitations, too. The Grizzlies team was coached by the assistants. Fratello sat in the seat closest to the bench and took notes. "You start to look for combinations," he said, "things you might use down the road." Most summer league teams have one or two players who might be expected to contribute in the coming year. The Grizzlies had five. Warrick and Gay will compete for playing time at Shane Battier's old three spot. Johnson and Roberts will compete for time at the four. Right now, Lowry is the only option at point guard behind the recovering Damon Stoudamire. So, how did they look, coach? "Good," he said. Like we said, giddiness is not his thing. </div> Source
