Straight Outta Vancouver

All Falls Down: Nuggets Kill Grizzlies in 4th 125-108

2010-03-14T16:01:18Z

The Denver Nuggets showed the Grizzlies what they're missing from their bench last night, as J.R. Smith scored 30 points in 28 minutes. J.R. 'Swish' was shooting straight bananas, 10-16 from the field and 7-10 from deep. That's the nature of the beast; he gives you this type of ethereal shooting in about 1 in 10.

Too bad it happened to the Grizzlies, because this one was competitive for the first 3 quarters. The Grizz led by 6 at halftime, then were tied going into the 4th. Zach Randolph and O.J. Mayo both kept the Grizzlies afloat, going for 22 and 25 each. Marc Gasol had a nice night, too, with 17 points, 7 boards, and 6 assists.

Rudy Gay and Mike Conley were uncommonly awful, though. Marcus Williams played close to as many minutes as Conley and was way more effective in his time (13 points and 6 assists in 21 minutes compared to 6 points and 2 assists in 27 minutes). Rudy Gay just looked way too tired to mess with Carmelo Anthony, who thoroughly dominated him in every aspect of the game en route to 24 points.

When the Nuggets started running in the 4th none of those stats mattered, though. Smith, Chauncey Billups, didn't matter: they all killed us from deep. Once the floodgates opened there was nothing the Grizzlies could do. Memphis's starters were tired from the big minutes, and they didn't have anybody on the bench to bail them out.

P&T Breaks Down the Marc Gasol - Zach Randolph Alliance

2010-03-14T01:48:03Z

P&T Breaks Down the Marc Gasol - Zach Randolph Alliance

And I quote: "I'm recapping last night's festivities for Seth because there was a question of Talmudic precedent that required his immediate attention.

All I can say is that I know the Memphis Grizzlies don't have the best frontcourt in the league but where do they rank? Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay? Them boys can ball."

GameThread: Denver Nuggets at Memphis Grizzlies

2010-03-13T23:06:43Z

I missed a game last night for the first time in a long time but there's no way that I won't catch this one.

The Denver Nuggets and the Memphis Grizzlies are both explosive, top-heavy teams with excellent individual ball-players. If there is any matchup that borders on spectacle, it's this one (Golden State - New York Knicks doesn't border on spectacle, it truly is a mockery).

Rudy Gay versus Carmelo Anthony is sure to dazzle, and I'll be excited to see how many hidden 'bows fly between Kenyon Martin and Zach Randolph. Got to love the dynamism of a Mike Conley and Chauncey Billups match-up, and Marc Gasol and Nene are undoubtedly the two most underrated centers in the game.

Get excited everybody, this could be one hell of a showdown.

GameThread: New York Knicks at Memphis Grizzlies

2010-03-13T01:52:52Z

Chat amongst yourselves, I'm late yet again, my bad. Was playing ball and we just kept running another, another, and another game.

Looks to me like Sam Young and Rudy Gay are going especially wild in NYC, but the whole team's doing their thing. Grizz are shooting 53% to the Knicks 39%, so I'd like to see them break this one out before half.

Ronnie Brewer took another giant step toward what looks like his imminent return when he played in...

2010-03-12T16:03:14Z

Ronnie Brewer took another giant step toward what looks like his imminent return when he played in a full-contact, 3-on-3 game Thursday on the Grizzlies' FedExForum practice court.

Brewer has said that his partially torn right hamstring is healing ahead of schedule. He's officially missed three weeks today, and I'd probably put the target date for his return at March 16 when the Griz host the Chicago Bulls.

How Much Better Can the Bench Be: Hasheem Thabeet Edition?

2010-03-12T13:30:48Z

More photos » Elise Amendola - AP

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When I wrote the first half of "How Much Better Can the Bench Be," it was clearly conceptualized as the bench needing a solid injection of talent on the wing and down low. Of course the wing was Ronnie Brewer, who's now only about a week from returning, and I assumed that the big to step up would be Darrell Arthur.

At that point Hasheem Thabeet had been replaced by Hamed Haddadi who, while a step up from the Thabeet I remembered, wasn't exactly a knight in shining armor. So if anyone was going to put in some killer minutes backing up Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, it would have to be Darrell Arthur.

But after last night's 26 minute, +25 performance, I'm not so sure any longer. Could Hasheem Thabeet be the savior that the Grizzlies need, since Darrell Arthur looks far from even just matching last year's mediocre play?

There's something about the concept of playing two centers at once that's a magical idea to the purists of basketball. Centers often theoretically contribute, after all, more than any other player on the court. They shoot an incredibly high percentage, finish well and create their own offense in the post, and are the largest defensive obstacles in the game.

We know that the reality of playing two centers often looks more like an advent of cinema Keystone cop film. They just look awkward: fighting over the same quality post positions, going up for the same rebounds, drawing two help defenders in to clutter the paint, and both biting on the same fakes.

Theoretics at their finest hour.

Last night we saw a rare glimpse of theoretic heaven, though. As the age old adage goes, "It's a hell of a lot harder to shoot over two 7 footers than one." The Celtics sat outside and took bad jumpers while Marc and Thabeet held down the paint using fear to block more shots then their gangly arms.

Could Hasheem Thabeet be the Grizzlies key big man off the bench? Last night he really looked like he could fill about 8-10 minutes for Z-Bo and another 8-10 for Marc, which saves Haddadi and Arthur just a handful of minutes to scrap over.

Would having Hasheem Thabeet as the unquestioned super-sized substitute be a good thing, though? Well that's an entirely different question.

Looking at Thabeet statistically, it's actually quite clear that the big guy isn't nearly as bad of a player as we've easily confused him for. Hasheem sports an offensive rating of 117 (!) and a defensive rating of 104. Surprised? As well you should be.

Now obviously this is in a limited sample size, but I would argue that the human eye and evaluation mechanisms are at least equally, if not more, prejudiced against a small sample. How does the stat-head's saying go? "You can watch a single game much better with your eyes, but stats can watch all the games."

This effect is likely multiplied on Hasheem Thabeet. He's so far under the critical microscope because of the great play by more flashy point guards like Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry, that we're watching more for the impossibly stupid plays that Thabeet makes then the shot alterations and tipped rebounds. And it certainly doesn't help one bit that the kinds of plays Thabeet excels in, namely defensive ones, are already often statistically forgotten.

Admittedly he does have obvious, true flaws. I've gone on at length about these in the past, but I'm willing to repeat for the sake of clarity and fullness of argument. Thabeet is still scared of contact on screens, releasing way too early. He still is a poor post-scorer, of course. He'll still foul way too often (not too often for 18 minutes, though). His defense against excellent ball-movement, such as last-second passes, etc., is still bad. I'm not convinced that his attitude is excellent or even existent.

But he does have true advantages, too. His offensive rebound totals are excellent, especially since the majority of his minutes were logged with Zach Randolph next to him. He shoots a great percentage, especially compared to Haddadi. He blocks 8% of all freaking shots when he's on the court.

Furthermore, I'd like to submit that Thabeet's advanced statistics might be truer than the reports our eyes send us because of something I'll call "The Yao Effect." The Yao Effect is, simply put, that we constantly believe the game should be easier for the big fellows on the court just because they're big. In other words, we don't really recognize how excellent a player like Yao Ming is because all we see is that he's 7 feet and 6 inches tall. In our minds it's like, "Duh. Of course he's good, he's huge. Shit, he should be doing more." Dwight Howard suffers this very same fate.

Perhaps Thabeet's predicament is actually more like D12's. He is tremendously athletically gifted for his size, and so we assume that he should be just ripping down boards, slamma-jamming every pitch-pass, and swatting 10 shots a game.

Problem is, that's not quite how coordination works. I'm 6 foot 4 inches tall and I can barely cross behind my back. I'm forced to play power forward or center in almost every rec-league game of my life. I only have slightly above average body control for a big man, and I'm a foot shorter than Hasheem Thabeet.

As much as the game is made easier by being taller, I suppose it's also probably complicated by being enormous. So when we see Hasheem Thabeet do some really, really awkward things, it stands out for us; it shouldn't stand out, that's just how tall people move.

Back to the advantages, though. By being enormous and having both quicks and hops, Thabeet causes a lot of problems on the defensive end that we never see. We do see him hitting his head on the rim trying to block a shot or him making a late (or wrong) rotation, but we don't see teams never getting into the paint or not getting layups. Why? Because Thabeet's presence made them never happen.

After watching last night, I'm fully convinced that Coach Hollins should be playing Thabeet at least 18 minutes a game every single game. The Grizzlies defense looked lock-down good with him on the floor. You might argue that it was just one game, I'd argue it appeared to be fully within what his underlying statistics would expect.

Don't take this as a totally apologist stance on Thabeet, because I still would vastly prefer to be writing about Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry, or Brandon Jennings starting and Mike Conley playing 6th man. But truly, depending on what stats you go by, Hasheem Thabeet is clearly valuable to this Grizzlies team.

Still, he will have to convince Coach Hollins that a single bone-headed play doesn't mean that he needs to sit the rest of the game (what game doesn't Marcus Williams make a stupid in) because -- using, or in spite of, his size and athleticism -- Hasheem Thabeet seems capable to contribute more than we've ever seen before.

What Fight?: Grizzlies Hammer Boston Celtics

2010-03-11T14:02:52Z

More photos » Elise Amendola - AP

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Last time the Grizzlies played the Celtics, they pushed them hard but ended up losing in the 4th quarter. That game was before most people realized how improved this team was, so the game recaps were filled with Boston's players spouting off lines about how this team was so improved and had a bright future.

Welcome to that future. Last night the Grizzlies ran the Boston Celtics out of the gym, their own gym no less, winning by 20 and leading the entire game.

Rudy Gay, who led all scorers with 28 point and 8 boards, got to give the respectful complement this time:

"It wasn't about them. It was more about us," Gay said. "When you look at their lineup you have to respect them. They have three Hall of Famers."

If anybody should be complemented, though, it's Hasheem Thabeet. In his second game after returning from the D-League (he DNP-CD'd in the first), Thabeet was practically the Grizzlies 6th man. He saw 26 minutes of court time and, even though his counting stats weren't impressive, had a +25 for the game for a reason. 'Our Favorite Mistake' was playing solid defense and offense, using his length to change shots and tip boards.

Sam Young and Marcus Williams also added a spark, dropping 27 points to make up for Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol not really getting involved in the offense (combined 20 points).

This was just a fantastic win for the Grizzlies, there's not much to say but that you've got to respect the Celtic's lifetime achievement awards.

GameThread: Memphis Grizzlies at Boston Celtics

2010-03-11T01:07:36Z

I've just been terrible about getting these gamethreads up in time lately, huh?

Oh well, it's here now. The Grizzlies are stunning the Celtics so far, up 21-12 with the 1st quarter almost over. This has been real ugly so far, besides some real nice play by Sam Young right now.

Anyhow, this would make 10 in a row on the road, which would be awfully impressive. Let's hope.

Ugly as Sin: Grizzlies Hold On To Beat Nets 107-101

2010-03-09T03:49:11Z

More photos » Mark Weber - AP

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Not that there were many fans on hand to watch the Grizzlies play the league-worst New Jersey Nets, but the ones that were there should ask for their money back.

The Grizzlies were without Zach Randolph, who's quickly becoming a fan favorite, and it showed. The starting unit looked ugly at times, with DeMarre Carroll and Darrell Arthur platooning to fill the power forward spot. They just didn't seem fully comfortable despite New Jersey's poor defense.

Not that the D-Bro's played bad. DeMarre had an impressive but horrible looking 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals, earning himself a nice 25 minutes. And Darrell scored 7 points and had 3 boards in 18 minutes of play, which isn't awful either.

Defensively, this game could not have been worse, though. The Grizzlies had a solid 10 steals on approximately 100 gambles (not a real stat). Obviously both teams scored over 100 in this one and, quite honestly, I don't think it was the good offense that got Courtney Lee his 30 points.

A win is a win, and the Grizzlies will certainly take a win after losing 8 straight at home, but it would have been nice to see the Grizzlies look good against the worst team in the league. Instead they looked, merely, just a bit better than the New Jersey Nets.

He's Back: Grizzlies Recall Hasheem Thabeet

2010-03-09T01:50:32Z

More photos » Lance Murphey - AP

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After a fruitful stint in the Developmental League, Hasheem Thabeet is going to be back with Memphis Grizzlies tonight.

Thabeet was playing with the Dakota Wizards for 6 games, and over that time the Wizards were 5-1. He averaged 13.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, and a solid 3.17 blocks per game. Those stats might not seem fantastic, but Thabeet wasn't starting initially and only averaged 31 minutes per game.

The Grizzlies homepage obviously painted his time in the D-League as picture perfect:

The 7-3, 267-pound center, who led the Wizards to a 5-1 record, scored a D-League career-high 19 points on Feb. 28 at Fort Wayne and grabbed a personal-best 18 rebounds on March 5 at Tulsa. [...]

The 23-year-old rookie is averaging 2.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.16 blocks (second among first-year players) in 50 games with the Grizzlies.

Obviously that's not the whole story, though. Like everything in the world, there's a more nuanced view. Get over the jump for the close coverage, mostly relying on Ridiculous Upside's excellent coverage.

My source for all these is primarily Ridiculous Upside, as I'll admit that I didn't manage to find the time to watch all of Thabeet's D-League adventures. I'm also drawing a bit on the Commercial Appeal, although it means very, very little to me in the scheme of things since Tillery whitewashes stories as bad as the Grizzlies's homepage.

Anyhow, here's what Scott Schroeder summed up nicely:

He is who we thought he was: A big, raw, potential-laden rookie with a lot of developing left to do.

Fully agreed. Hasheem Thabeet's time in the D-League did absolutely nothing to surprise me, just like Scott. We already knew all these things about Thabeet:

Good rebounder because of his size, bad rebounder for his size: You watched the games and saw the same exact Hasheem Thabeet you saw in the NBA. It's easy to assume that Thabeet wasn't rebounding fundamentally because he was being lazy against D-Leaguers, but that's just been his game so far. Whether he's supposed to be boxing out Dwight Howard or B.J. Mullens, Thabeet hasn't really gotten it done. He still sports a great rebound rate (he's averaging 10 rebounds per 36 minutes in the NBA), just like he did in the D-League. But it's hard to not want more, since he's got Yao Ming size with D12 hops.
Good shot-blocker, bad defender: Just like his rebound rate, Thabeet's got a solid block rate in the NBA (4 blocks per 36 minutes), but he's not a good defender, per se (especially since he's also averaging almost 7 fouls per 36 minutes). The same thing was highlighted in the D-League: He would show on guards too often, allowing them to either hit his man or go up just for contact [more common at the NBA level]. He's got to figure out the game much, much better before he'll be a defensive force.
Not good at offense, ever, at all: Thabeet didn't play that well offensively, at all. If you're 7'3" tall, you should practically automatically score 14 points in 31 minutes. That's putting in all your offensive rebounds, which should be automatic when you can dunk by raising your hands in the air. The Wizards tried to post Thabeet up occasionally in the games I saw, but his footwork is bad and he didn't get great position to begin with anyhow. He was, however, more effective then you'd be led to believe when catching alley-oops. His hands might be bad, but the kid can out-jump anyone.
He's pretty freaking lazy: Scott chalked up Thabeet's laziness to playing in the D-League. I'm not so sure. In my opinion Hasheem Thabeet just doesn't have that will to be excellent. Those Nike commercials that show Carmelo Anthony shooting 100 turnaround jumpers from the same spot seem cliched until you see Melo drain one in the game. I don't think Thabeet stays in the gym for 10 extra defensive rotations, and probably even less jumpers, to get much better. He just seems too down to earth. Dwight Howard is that way too, that is until he's in the game and elbowing Samuel Dalembert in the face.

Obviously it's still way too early to call Hasheem Thabeet's career quits, but these are both fundamental and enormous flaws. At this point in his career, his #2 selection notwithstanding, Thabeet should be much better at every single one of these things. He just isn't advanced enough to play in the Association right now.

But I'm not convinced he should be in the D-League. I didn't see a shred of anything new, a shred of any improvement, while Thabeet was with the Dakota Wizards. Obviously 6 games isn't indicative the the D-League experience. I don't think that experience is what he needs, though. Thabeet needs teaching, and that's hopefully what he'll get from NBA-level players and coaches.

GameThread: New Jersey Nets at Memphis Grizzlies

2010-03-09T00:36:17Z

Beware the fox blockin' shots on guys with dreadlocks

Last time the Grizzlies played the Nets, they gave them quite the scare. New Jersey, led by Brook Lopez and Devin Harris, dominated the Grizzlies in the first half, but the Grizz tightened up defensively and clearly woke up on the offensive end as well.

The Grizzlies have lost 8 games in a row at home, it's turning into quite the curse, and the league-worst Nets are going to give them a great chance to sweep the series and get back to the winning ways in Memphis.

Where's Home: Grizzlies Lose to Spurs 102-92

2010-03-07T16:41:27Z

More photos » Lance Murphey - AP

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It wasn't that long ago that the Grizzlies couldn't be beat in the FedEx Forum, winning 11 straight at home. But fans haven't seen much out of them lately, the Grizzlies have now lost 8 straight games in Memphis.

Nobody knows what's wrong, though Coach Lionel Hollins might have an answer:

"We have played a different caliber of teams away than we have at home," Hollins said. "We just haven't been able to raise our caliber of play. We execute better on the road. We make a better effort and better decisions on the road. At home, we haven't been able to do that. We get a little frantic and the ball doesn't move."

Another answer also might be playing against the New Jersey Nets tomorrow, but if the Grizzlies play the way they did in the stretch last night they might not be able to close out the league's worst either.

The Grizzlies shot just 43% with lead scorers Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay struggling, putting up just a combined 28 points and 13 rebounds. Considering that's normally the kind of line that Z-Bo alone can post, it's easy to see why the Grizz struggled. Fortunately O.J. Mayo did his best to keep us in it; he scored 23 points in the loss.

But the real problem was the bench. Hamed Haddadi continued to play well, though his stat line was nothing special. Marcus Williams (-13), Darrell Arthur (-9), and Sam Young (-11) allowed the Spurs bench -- admittedly made up of mostly starting caliber players like Richard Jefferson, Manu Ginobilli, and DeJuan Blair -- to just obliterate them.

Tough loss, but if I can make a few pointers:

O.J. Mayo is so future Ben Gordon (offensively) that it's not even funny at this point. You wouldn't even be able to tell the two apart if OJAM didn't have his peculiar finger-roll layup. The problem with being Ben Gordon is that you can single-handedly shoot your team into a game, but your teammates need to be ready to rebound and play defense without getting many touches. The other problem is that if you're not on, there's a going to be some serious issues (see: the Grizzlies games since the break).
Marcus Williams has really struggled out there lately. He picks up his dribble way too early, he doesn't know when to shoot, he telegraphs too many passes. Ronnie Brewer can't come back fast enough, because I think the Grizzlies have to figure out what O.J. can do at PG with Marcus's minutes.
Marc Gasol and Hamed Haddadi is such a solid center rotation for the future. Can someone please explain what we're supposed to do with Thabeet again?
Zach has started shooting 3's again, and I'm extremely worried. He's not an efficient 3 point shooter, especially because it takes him out of the offensive rebounding box. Whatever sets Hollins has been drawing up to iso Z-Bo on the perimeter, he needs to erase them, now.
DeJuan Blair has the potential to be the ultimate Chuck Hayes. His hands are fast and excellent. The smarter he becomes, the better he'll be. Blair could be the best big-man-ball-thief of all time if his knees survive 10 years.

GameThread: San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies

2010-03-07T01:57:36Z

Sorry for the late post everybody, running a little bit behind today.

Anyhow the Spurs are on the end of a traveling back-to-back, while the Grizzlies have had a day's rest. It should be a good one, at the time of this posting the game's tied 30-30.

Look out for the George Hill and Tony Parker combo to rip apart the Grizzlies oftentimes lacking interior defense, unless Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo can contain their drives on the perimeter.

How Much Better Can the Bench Be? Ronnie Brewer Edition

2010-03-06T03:12:30Z

More photos » Steve C Wilson - AP

Will Ronnie Brewer get a chance to smother Kobe again in the playoffs? (AP Photo/Steve C. Wilson)

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Just before the trade deadline, I was pretty confident that the Grizzlies were about to be completed. Darrell Arthur was set to return from injury, and management seemed dead-set on trading for a 6th man to replace Sam Young and a few million dollars in cap space saved by buyouts earlier in the season.

Darrell Arthur is back, and the Grizzlies have Ronnie Brewer on the roster. As we all know, though, that doesn't mean much right now. Arthur is still playing like he's injured and isn't offering much, though he seems to be sporting a more refined game, and Ronnie Brewer's hamstring is still being tied back up.

But Arthur should turn things around at some point, he definitely has the talent to be a role player, and the Memphis Commercial Appeal is reporting that Ronnie B. is almost back:

The 6-7 guard/forward sounds as if he is on pace to fully recover from a partially torn right hamstring three weeks from the day he was injured.

That means Brewer likely could resume full-contact basketball activities around March 12.

The question, then, is: What are the Grizzlies going to get from these two guys once they round back into shape in the upcoming weeks? In this first part of the series, I'm taking a look at what contribution we can expect from the injured Ronnie Brewer.

Here's the spit on Ronnie Brewer: he's not really the scorer that the Grizzlies were looking to get in a trade. Of course he can score, though. His efficiency is very high at 53% eFG%, which compares favorably to other 6th men and super-subs like Louis Williams (53%), Shannon Brown (50%), Jason Terry (50%). Statistically, you could make the argument that he probably should shoot even more.

Of course Sam Young scores fairly efficiently, too. He's got a 48% eFG%, which is definitely tolerable, and he's shooting from outside on about 6% more of his field goal attempts. That means he stretches the defense more, theoretically. But in reality neither is much of a threat to space the defense.

Young is shooting about 1 time every 2.6 minutes, while Brewer has shot 1 time every 3.8 minutes on his career. That might not seem like a big difference but it's a full 3.4 shots per 36 minutes, which would boost Brewer's shots per minute by a significant 32%.

That tells me that it's very possible that Brewer won't exactly plug right into Sam Young's role in the offense. In fact the biggest worry is that Brewer was assisted on 74% of his baskets last season. Those assists were coming from Deron Williams, who I hear is a decent passer. Whether Ronnie can get those looks in Memphis remains to be seen, and nobody wants to see him taking more jumpers.

I would venture to guess that Brewer's offensive success will vary greatly depending on what kind of units he sees time with. He'll probably shoot well with O.J. Mayo on the floor with him, and even better at small forward with both OJAM and Mike Conley spreading the floor and passing. In a unit with Marcus Williams, though, why wouldn't the defense just collapse on the two guards who shoot more like Dwight Howard than Ray Allen.

Overall it's really difficult to predict that Sam Young would outperform Brewer offensively. Sam Young's offensive efficiency is a terrible 103 (points per 100 possessions). Ronnie Brewer's has never been below 110 (this year) and is 116 on his career. I see him posting something like 108 on Memphis, for the reasons above, but it's possible that he adjusts.

To describe it for those that aren't big advanced stat-heads, that means Ronnie Brewer plays offense only a bit worse than O.J. Mayo, about the same as Rudy Gay (albeit with much, much lower usage), and a bit better than Mike Conley (with similar usage). So if he's primarily taking Sam Young's time and backing up Mike's minutes (moving O.J. to point), he's an upgrade. Yes, Grizzlies fans, we now have an actual boost off the bench.

The best part is that Brewer isn't even known as an offensive player. His real benefit is on the defensive side of the ball. Ronnie is an absolute ball-hawk, averaging 2 steals per 36 minutes over his career. Sam Young averages 1 steal per 36 minutes. That's doubling the Grizzlies steal opportunities. And his career defensive rating of 107 would be tied for the best of the Grizzlies who play major minutes (with Marc Gasol); Sam Young's 112 defensive rating is about as bad as it gets.

A defensive rating of 107 (allowing 107 points per 100 possessions) is exceptional for a shooting guard. Ray Allen has a career defensive rating of 109, Stephen Jackson's is also 107, Brandon Roy and Joe Johnson's are both 110. The only shooting guards I could find with better defensive ratings were Kobe Bryant (105), Dwyane Wade (104), and Andre Iguodala (106). When you compare him to other players, it's clear: Ronnie Brewer is a near-elite defender.

I suspect that having Brewer around as a defensive stopper is going to have a profound effect on the Grizzlies. The Grizz are currently 23rd in the league defensively, with a team defensive rating of 106.9 (this is not related to player defensive efficiency). If Brewer's playing around 28 minutes per game, the Grizzlies defensive efficiency could improve to something like 104 or 105.

If that happens the Grizzlies will have about even offensive and defensive efficiency. A team with slightly better than equal efficiencies and therefore a positive point differential is, understandably, right around the middle of the league. Sadly, it doesn't look to be enough to put the Grizzlies up and over the Portland Trailblazers, who's +3 differential has them stuck in the 8th seed.

Bringing Ronnie Brewer off the bench is, most likely, not going to pull the Grizzlies into the playoffs at this point. The gap between the Grizzlies, Houston, and New Orleans and the 7th-8th seed is fairly large, and will be difficult to close even with Ronnie Brewer providing his defensive skills. The situation isn't hopeless, but even with Brewer back, I'm not too hopeful either.

GameThread: Memphis Grizzlies at Chicago Bulls

2010-03-04T23:59:25Z

Is it just me or do the Grizzlies have a ton of back to backs this season? After beating an ice cold New Orleans team at home the Grizzlies are booking it to Chi-town for this game against the suddenly red hot (by the East's standards) Chicago Bulls.

Derrick Rose and the new and improved Mike Conley is obviously the key matchup here. I wouldn't be surprised to see O.J. Mayo guarding Rose at times, since Hinrich isn't much different size-wise and is an easier matchup for Mike, but when Conley's on D-Rose he has got to keep him out of the paint.

Taj Gibson and Brad Miller probably isn't the frontcourt to stop the Grizz, though, so even if Rose has his way with Conley, the Grizzlies still have a huge size advantage. Look for them to try to bang it inside even more than usual, especially since Vinny Del Negro isn't exactly a master of defensive scheming.

The Mike Conley Praise Post

2010-03-04T18:14:12Z

More photos » Bill Haber - AP

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For as much as I rip on Little Mike, and as often as I call him the worst starting point in the league, I have to give props when he comes up big. I don't like to say it, but it's true: Mike Conley has been playing pretty damn good basketball lately.

So if anything can keep the Grizzlies playoff dreams alive, it's the fact that Mike Conley has looked great on the offensive end lately. Yes, I said it. Mike Conley has looked great for more than a game or two. He's put together a legitimate run of rock solid games.

Here's why Mike Conley's playing better (offense):

Knocking down his three's again: Conley's been shooting better when he gets wide open jumpers, which he still sees regularly since he's close to the only Grizzly that a defense can cheat on (O.J. Mayo's slump might change the rules a bit).
He's passing in the lane: This is not only causing his assists to skyrocket (and Marc's dunks) but is also giving him way more space to take his own shot. Defenses used to be able to collapse on Conley in the lane and he would usually turn the ball over or just reset the offense, now he's finding the open man before the defense has collapsed, but after it's shown.
He's breaking more often: Mike's steals have been way up in February and March; he's at about 1.8 steals per game now, compared to well under 1 steal per game in October and November. Out on the break Mike has a shot to use his one exceptional ability: his speed with the basketball.

If Mike Conley can transform into a legitimate offensive threat, as he has been lately, it might not mean that his stats will skyrocket. Other players need shots more than he does. What it does mean, though, is that Mike will be more efficient then ever and so will the Grizzlies offense.

Consider when Jason Kidd learned how to shoot the 3 pointer in Dallas. His stats didn't jump off the page, but you can't just double off him anymore, because he'll beat you. That has made players like Marion, Dirk, and Terry much, much better.

The same thing can happen in Memphis. If Mike Conley can become a scoring threat, this team will regain its offensive swagger. Not because Mike's making up for Marc and O.J. losing their shots, but because nobody will have to work as hard to get a good look.

Free At Last: Grizzlies Finally Beat Hornets 104-100

2010-03-04T18:10:38Z

Layne Murdoch - NBAE/Getty Images

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Before last night the Hornets had just beaten the Grizzlies in both their games this season, but the Grizzlies are officially off the snide.

This game was yet another thriller between the Southwest rivals, with the score tight practically the entire way. It wasn't a normal Grizzlies game, though, as Rudy Gay got just 11 shots (for 15 points but 6 assists) and O.J. Mayo continued his second half struggles (5-13, 13 points, 3-7 from the free throw line). Instead Mike Conley was the unlikely hero, scoring 26 points with 7 assists and 5 steals.

Of course Zach Randolph (23 points, 11 boards) and Marc Gasol (12 points, 10 boards) both kept their consistent pace despite facing a solid Hornets frontcourt in All-Star David West and defensive stud Emeka Okafor. And the bench also kept up its slightly better play, combining for 15 points.

The real reason the Grizz picked up this win was because of near picture-perfect final minute execution (and a 29 foot 3-point banker from Z-Bo), though, as the fantastically interesting blog NBA Playbook recounts:

With around 30 seconds left, the Grizzlies and the Hornets were in a tight game. The Grizzlies were up by 1 point with the ball on the side. They were able to execute, meanwhile, the Hornets who got the ball down 3 were unable to. That turned out to be the ballgame.

- (note: hit the link, the value of NBA Playbook isn't their quotables, but their frame-by-frame breakdowns.)

Winning last night means that the Grizzlies pass the Hornets in the standings, moving into the dreaded 9 seed and 4.5 games behind Portland and San Antonio. After this win the Grizzlies playoff dreams aren't dead, though the post-season remains a long-shot.

GameThread: Memphis Grizzlies at New Orleans Hornets

2010-03-04T00:35:12Z

Meant to represent ESPN cutting the NBA game tonight.

No NBA on the back end of ESPN's Wednesday double-header this week, but at least we've got this game to watch. The Grizzlies and Hornets have gone at it in two very entertaining games this season, even though the Grizzlies have lost in both of the thrillers.

The key matchup has to be between the frontcourts. Mike Conley has been playing better as of late, but Darren Collison has been a force. O.J. Mayo has really played poorly lately, which I think is a large reason why the Grizzlies haven't gotten many wins lately, but Marcus Thornton is a similar type of guard in terms of size and athleticism, which is normally a good matchup for Mayo.

Obviously the Grizzlies have the advantage down low on paper, but tonight they're going to have to make that count if they want any shot at evening up the season series.

GameThread: Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies

2010-03-02T00:29:19Z

After winning 10 games in a row at home, it's clear that the Grizzlies feel like they've been spoiling their hometown fans. They haven't won in Memphis in exactly a month; the monster upset over the Lakers on February 1st was their last winner in the Forum.

The Portland Trailblazers aren't going to roll over to end the losing slide, either. Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and company are winners of 3 of their last 4 and trying to break into the West playoffs despite losing both Greg Oden and his backup Joel Pryzbilla.

Because of their missing bigs, the Trailblazers used to be a great matchup for the Grizzlies, but Portland added Marcus Camby at the trade deadline. Andre Miller and Roy have significantly more size than either Mike Conley or O.J. Mayo, though Rudy Gay does match up well against Nicholas Batum and Martell Webster.

But most obvious problem for the Grizzlies is depth. The Blazers run deep, with Rudy Fernandez, Jerryd Bayless, and Webster giving them a huge punch off the bench. Darrell Arthur and Hamed Haddadi will need to run all over Juwan Howard and Jeff Pendergraph to make up for that bench.

TheKnicksBlog.com Interviews Zach Randolph

2010-03-01T17:15:20Z

TheKnicksBlog.com Interviews Zach Randolph

Nice little snippet of Zach getting interviewed by the guys over at TheKnicksBlog.com. Listen to it all if you want, or fast forward to about the 8 minute mark to listen to Z-Bo.