Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies:

The Memphis Grizzlies are a lot like the San Antonio Spurs in that they are great but almost boring in their great consistency. The Grizz are built around superstar center Marc Gasol whose defense and effective offense makes him one of the better all around players in the league. Gasol might be the best center in the league and can do just about everything on offense and defense. Mike Conley is the most underrated point guard and has been for some time. Conley is a great distributer, a good spot up shooter and a more than solid defender. Z-Bo is one of the last true double double big man left in today’s NBA and will look to bounce back from a poor playoffs. Tony Allen is still one of the best perimeter defenders and will continue shutting down superstars even if he can’t shoot. The Grizzlies knew that they lacked shooters and acted accordingly, adding Courtney Lee midseason and Vince Carter in the offseason. The Grizzlies also get back Quincy Pondexter who missed much of last season due to a tarsal navicular stress fracture in his right foot. Tayshaun Prince looks like he’s done being a productive NBA regular and the Grizzlies will hope to keep him off the floor as much as possible. This Grizzlies team is as deep as it has ever been, as they finally have shooters to complement their bigs.

Question: Will the Grizzlies ever be able to make a title run?

Gasol (above) is ready for his first title

It seems like the Grizzlies always disappoint in the start of the regular season, only to make a run at the latter end of the season. Then they look great in the playoffs and people start to ask the question, “is this the year?” only to see the Grizzlies get bounced. The Grizzlies beat the Spurs in 2010 and took OKC to 7 games in the Conference semifinals. They looked strong in 2011, only to lose to the Clippers in 7 games. In 2012 the Grizzlies beat the Clippers and OKC but then got swept by the Spurs in the Conference Finals. Last year, they went toe to toe with OKC before losing in 7 games. So why will this year be any different? Marc Gasol and Mike Conley are in their prime, this will probably be Z-Bo’s last year of relevance and they now have a full season of Courtney Lee, Vince Carter and Quincy Pondexter. The Grizzlies may never win the championship but they’re contenders even if I think they’ll snag the 8^th spot in the playoffs.

X-Factor: Vince Carter

Carter (above) takes his talents to Memphis

            I was a little blindsided when VC signed with the Grizzlies. I thought he would’ve returned to the Mavs or signed with his old team the Raptors. Carter didn’t make the easy choice and sign with a team like the Spurs or OKC. He chose the Grizzlies, which makes a lot of sense in terms of roster fit. Carter looks like he’ll log a lot of minutes and jack up a lot of three’s. Carter has totally reshaped his career as he is no longer the superstar highflyer he once was. Carter is strictly a jump shooter who can still find ways to score. There is a possibility that Rick Carlisle was the reason for Carter’s resurgence but he won’t be asked to do much more than shoot for the Grizzlies. Fortunately, shooting is something Carter does really, really well.

Best Case: Carter adds a new dimension to the offense, Conley and Gasol show that they are still the most underrated tandem in the league.

Worst Case: Carter is a product of the Mavs system and the Grizz suffer key injuries.

Bold Prediction: Zach Randolph averages less than 17 points a game.