Professional and College Basketball Forums banner

The Grizzlies could win it all...

10K views 204 replies 38 participants last post by  GNG 
#1 ·
...**** it, I'm going to say it. And this is not just about tonight, I was thinking this while I was watching the Heat game.

I was gonna say some hokey shit like "they're as good as anybody when they want to be" blah blah...but I'll put it like this:

The West is now wide open. The Thunder are not going to be the same team...they are not head and shoulders any more...the Lakers have defense/bench issues (like last year), the Spurs are liable to suddenly show their age just like last year...the Grizzlies can exploit all of that and are on the same level if not number 1 if you ranked them all.

They're a tough, smart, defensive minded team with an all-star wing, two all-star low post players, a quick point guard who can shoot, solid depth and solid coaching. No small ball (though they could probably do it sometimes if they wanted to).

The Heat can be beat if you have the right size on the court. The Heat won't be able to take Randolph and Gasol off the court like they managed to do with Perkins, essentially making the Thunder play their game which they couldn't do. Randolph and Gasol are too dangerous in the low post.

The Grizzlies are going to hit you in the mouth and make you grind with them, and they have the personnel to pull any game off down the stretch. They have Tony Allen who's probably the most disruptive wing defender going. Rudy Gay is underrated and a super complete wing.

I don't know if anyone feels the same way, but coming into the season (like last year) I looked at the Grizzlies like one of those tough out teams that builds narrative for the Thunder or Lakers in their quest to the finals...but that roster is as good as anyone in the West and they have the matchups to beat the Heat. Their challenge will be beating the Thunder and/or Lakers.

I'm not saying they're my pick, it's way too early for that, but this is kind of a revelation for me so I'm going to share it...my list of teams that I could conceivably see winning it all (barring a major top tier injury) grew: Heat, Thunder, Grizzlies, Lakers. And then the Lakers not really I just say it because they have too much talent to ignore.

And all that said it's a testament to Wallace and whoever else has been building in Memphis because they were a laughing stock and Zach Randolph was rapidly approaching cancer status.

The comparisons to those Pistons are actually there when you look at it...a bunch of underestimated players who are coming together to prove themselves...Marc Gasol was looked at as a throw in in the Pau Gasol deal...a former Blazer forward with exceptional talent and ability to be the guy but can't get his head straight...a very good wing player from UCONN...Tony Allen...I'm going to shutup now but I like these guys and I actually hope they can steal a ring.
 
See less See more
#114 ·
Tell him I said what's up buy this site back from VS

I wouldn't take Gasol over Gay. Gasol's overall value might be a little overstated because of the dearth of really good back to the basket players in the league but I would consider building around Gay before Gasol easily
 
#140 ·
I wouldn't take Gasol over Gay. Gasol's overall value might be a little overstated because of the dearth of really good back to the basket players in the league but I would consider building around Gay before Gasol easily
Let's put the argument about whether or not Memphis needs a wing guy who you can isolate at the end of games to score to the side for a minute. Can you at least admit that you were wrong about this?
 
#115 · (Edited)
You can't pay a 17/6 guy who had reached his potential in his given situation $18 million per year in the Memphis market, especially when he shoots 40 percent from the field (sub-30 from three) and takes the most shots on your team, both in games and in fourth quarters. Memphis' bread-and-butter has always been pounding people with the Randolph-Gasol tag team and moving the ball.

What was our record after November? What was our assist rate before the trade? What is our assist rate since the trade? What were offensive numbers after November? What are our offensive numbers after the trade? Offensive numbers in fourth quarters? These are all rhetorical.

This team had a hot start, but it wasn't winning a title with all the evidence that followed. Given the matchups, it may not have made the second round. Rudy Gay does a lot of good things, but you don't see many truly successful teams whose leading scorer and (by far) most prolific shooter is as inefficient as Gay has been the last two years, while providing very little else besides scoring, on a massive contract no less.

I don't argue that Gay is a better player than Prince, and Memphis may even be better when Gay is totally focused and going as hard as he possibly can, as compared to having Prince totally focused and going as hard as he can. The difference is that you can count on Prince to do that almost all of the time, and you just can't with Gay.

I guess we'll see at the end of the season when this in inevitably bumped again.
 
#116 ·
Grizzlies are a really good team that could probably put together one championship season, although I'd bet against it before I bet for it. The operative word is could I guess. Too many things have to go their way. I thought they were at their best without Gay, but one could argue that is simply because Randolph was at his best. As an OKC fan, I don't fear them like I used to. If Randolph gets to making unreal shots again, Gasol gets his post game going, they move the ball around well enough and those threes start dropping, they're dangerous. We'll see.
 
#117 ·
Sounds like a lot of ifs.
 
#121 · (Edited)
I know that Rudy Gay is the awesomest player alive and a bonafide offensive superstar that makes every team he's on better (or so I've been told, usually with a snide remark that I must be some sort of idiot that never watches NBA basketball to think otherwise), but apparently my eyes might not have been deceiving me...

Grizzlies Better Without Gay?

Tom Haberstroh said:
By sending Gay and his woefully inefficient play packing, the Grizzlies saw an opportunity to put the ball in better hands. Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley can score, but oftentimes they were shut out as Gay flung up errant jumper after errant jumper. (Sorry, Toronto fans.)

The cleansing has yielded a much healthier offense without Gay, scoring 105.3 points per 100 trips down the floor since the trade. That's up from a pre-trade rating of 100.1 points per 100 possessions, which was 22nd in the NBA at the time.
After their slow start which had the R-Dres crowing, Memphis has won 14/15, only losing to Miami on the road. Their defense, which was already good, has improved since replacing Gay with Prince. But the real kicker? Their offensive efficiency since they "dumped their superstar for nothing" is amongst the ten best in the NBA, whereas they were 22nd in the NBA previously and winning games only via their defense. So, yeah, score one for us "idiots that don't watch the NBA". Apparently we're seeing things while "not watching" that the "superfans" are missing.
 
#122 ·
I hope Gay does better in Toronto but I think its obvious that at the Grizzlies it wasn't working out. Gay is someone who needs shooters around him so he can attack the rim.

When Zach was out he played pretty damn well but with Zach and Marc clogging the paint he has had no room to create.

Memphis are a tough inside out team Gay did not fit in. Its that simple.

I think with Parker out. Grizz could get the 2nd seed. But they 1st need to beat the impossible to beat nuggets at their home.
 
#123 ·
The problem is that he's not exactly a great attack the rim player, either (unless you consider Jeff Green a great attack the rim player). He's a volume scorer and not a great one to boot. I think the Grizz are legit contenders now that they're going to grind opponents down on offense while still having a legitimately great defensive squad. With Gasol/Randolph I think they can give the Heat a run for their money.
 
#124 ·
Apart from his rookie year and this year his FG% has been over .45 That's a good percentage.While scoring close to 20ppg.

He has been taking too many jumpers. He just hasn't had the room to get into the paint IMO.

In Toronto too there are no shooters especially now Andrea can't hit a three to save his life.... I am still of the opinion it was a good trade for the Grizz. But I am not writing off Gay as a future All Star.
 
#126 ·
First of all I don't even know why I'm replying to you because all you do is use lame names and exaggerate what people are saying, but anyways let me try to discuss this:

Say what you want about his inefficiency I just have a problem seeing them winning a title with no one on one wing player. You're going to need that down the stretch. Randolph is good but you can crowd the post and he's not athletically superior enough to just make those X-Factor plays you need.

You always need that player that scouting can't contain, and Gay isn't top tier like Melo/Durant or anything, but he's better than a lot of guys off the dribble.

I guarantee they will miss that element in some close games and that will be the story.

Regular season is one thing, you deal with some necessary evils if long term it will help you beat playoff defenses and scouting.
 
#127 ·
And this is my thread, how could you try to say I was shitting on them and then try to act like you're leading the charge of supporting them with "I think Randolph/Gasol can give the Heat a run for their money..." FOH I already said that.

I said they became a worse playoff team based on that Gay move and I maintain that. Part of my initial presentation of saying they could win it was Gay, without him I don't see it. If they prove me wrong so be it, but I think they'll miss that dynamic.
 
#130 ·
And this is my thread, how could you try to say I was shitting on them and then try to act like you're leading the charge of supporting them with "I think Randolph/Gasol can give the Heat a run for their money..." FOH I already said that.

I said they became a worse playoff team based on that Gay move and I maintain that. Part of my initial presentation of saying they could win it was Gay, without him I don't see it. If they prove me wrong so be it, but I think they'll miss that dynamic.
They weren't winning a title with Gay either. There's half of this season and all of last season to support that.

Having a shot creator like Gay is nice when he isn't shooting 40 percent overall, stopping the ball and dominating the offense. But that's what was happening.
 
#128 ·
I'm glad people are finaly jumping on the "Gay doesn't really help the Grizzlies much" bandwagon. I was saying that when they played the Thunder in the playoffs a couple years ago and people thought it to be outrageous. They are at their best running their offense through their two offensively gifted post players.
 
#133 ·
If the Spurs/Warriors beat the Grizz, does Dre get to stay since Westbrooks injury played a factor?

Archivist?
 
#138 ·
When the **** did the Grizzlies get Prince??

Edit: Oh wait that's right he got traded there...nvm.
 
#146 ·
In Dre's defense, he ridiculed Memphis after they traded away Gay. He predicted they would lose without him. That prediction Jamel quoted is from November and Dre ripped Memphis later on when the trade went down.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top