Counting Down the Five Worst Teams in the Western Conference – Memphis Grizzlies

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Counting Down the Five Worst Teams in the Western Conference – Memphis Grizzlies

November 5, 2008

Kyle Lowry and Rudy Gay

Kyle Lowry and Rudy Gay Photos Credit: Icon SMI

The Five Worst Teams in the Western Conference:
5) The Memphis Grizzlies
4) The Minnesota Timberwolves
3) The Sacramento Kings
2) The Oklahoma City Thunder
1) The Los Angeles Clippers

What a glorious time of year. The holidays are just around the corner, basketball is in full swing, and hopes are high in NBA cities across the country. Well, some NBA cities. Not these. At a time of year when power rankings are ubiquitous and everyone is debating which teams are the best in the league, ETB takes a few days to check in with the five worst teams in the Western and Eastern Conference.

Today, the fifth-worst team in the West…

The Memphis Grizzlies

2007-08 Record: 22-60, 14th in the West
2008-09 Salary: $44,706,020

The Good:

By far the brightest ray of hope in Memphis is 22-year-old Rudy Gay. Coming into just his third NBA season the forward out of Connecticut looks like the real deal. Gay has as much natural talent as any player in the league and at 6-9 he shows fantastic versatility on both end of the hardwood. He can run the floor, get up to challenge shots and score in every possible way. There’s no question he has the tools to be a legitimate superstar. Gay’s offense, defense and maturity have shown consistent improvement and he could be an All Star as soon as this season.

The Grizz also feature a trio of talented young guards in Mike Conley, Kyle Lowry and O.J. Mayo. Mayo is by far the most promising, and the rookie oozed star potential in the preseason. It will take the 21-year-old a year or two to adjust to the league, but it’s not hard to imagine Mayo and Gay developing into a high-octane pairing. Mike Conley is also projected to be a strong starter in the league with a high basketball IQ and an intense demeanor. The third guard, Kyle Lowry, has the look of a solid backup point guard – quick and aggressive with good hands and solid defense.

Up front Darrell Arthur and Marc Gasol have been surprisingly productive big men in the early going. Gasol is a legitimate seven-footer who prides himself on his defense and seems capable of averaging a double-double at this level. How many young bigs are even capable of the 26 and 17 line he dropped on the Warriors the other day? At power forward Arthur has rebounded well while playing with toughness and energy around the basket, though his offensive skills are limited.

The bad and the ugly in Memphis after the jump…

The Bad and the Ugly:

Outside of Gay and Mayo, who on this roster can be counted on to be plus players in the NBA?

Hakim Warrick is developing into a mediocre ‘tweener who struggles to get consistent minutes because of matchup problems. Arthur and Gasol don’t figure to be big performers on the offensive end. Javaris Crittenton shows flashes on offense, and I like the kid, but we have little reason to believe he can be a rotation fixture at this point. Darko Milicic has proven completely impotent and inept in every opportunity he’s received in the NBA.

Memphis thinks (hopes) Mike Conley is their PG of the future Perhaps most disconcerting, the undersized Conley has yet to assert himself. He doesn’t have the look of an aggressive point confident in his abilities – and perhaps rightfully so for a player who has shot 42.% FGs and 73% FTs with just over 4 assists and 9 points per game in his short career. Conley is an intense player, maybe to a fault. He doesn’t have the cool demeanor or swagger you look for in a floor general, getting visibly frustrated already this season. I’m not sure I see a future franchise point guard here.

Memphis also has a complete lack of veteran leadership. Rudy Gay is already the leader of this team, but he’s still just a kid. In the place of leadership they have big-contract losers like Darko Milicic, Antoine Walker, Greg Buckner and Marko Jaric. Those are four of their five highest-paid players. If I’m a Grizzlies fan, I want Antoine the Turtle far, far away from my youngsters – as in off the roster.

Mike Conley Jr. Photo Credit: Icon SMI

Finally, one of the most enduring problems the Grizzlies face is location. Memphis remains one of the most unattractive destinations for premier talent in the league. Nobody wants to play there, players may not want to stay there, and that’s a big deal. Just look at Cleveland. The Cavs lucked into the most talented player on the planet, a hometown boy even, and they may not even be able keep him. Can Memphis keep Mayo and Gay for the long haul? And can they lure in the necessary complimentary pieces?

The Five Worst Teams in the Western Conference:
5) The Memphis Grizzlies
4) The Minnesota Timberwolves
3) The Sacramento Kings
2) The Oklahoma City Thunder
1) The Los Angeles Clippers

8 Comments »Posted by Andrew Thell on Nov. 5, 2008 at 11:51 pm in ETB Articles, NBA

8 Responses

“Arthur and Gasol don’t figure to be big performers on the offensive end.”

27 points in his third game? Gasol has a wide offensive repertoire and can grind more than the elder.

Addtionally, is Detroit some sort of paradise? Am I missing out on the beaches, the culture? If you pay players and build a team that can win, the agents will come.

Grizzlies are much better than advertised.35 wins this year. Book it.

They’re definitely a bottom 5 west team, but you guys are off a bit. Conley’s still developing and is improving quite a bit with each game.

You’re spot on with Darko.

Posted by: Matt Moore on November 6th, 2008 at 12:47 am

I’m not sure where the Detroit comparison is coming from. That team has a long and proud tradition of basketball success (NBA titles in 1989, 1990 and 2004, six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances, the best GM in basketball). Memphis has never been out of the first round. Detroit has a metro-area population of 4.5 million, Memphis checks in at 1.2 million. It’s apples and potatoes.

I wouldn’t put too much stock in this season, but that said, where is the improvement each game for Conley? He’s at 6 points, 3.5 assists and 0.8 steals on dismal 32.1% FGs and 16.7% three-pointers for the year. That’s significantly worse than last season for him, a year where he actually REGRESSED significantly after the All Star break (which the splits bear out). He could be a solid player someday, but you just can’t say he’s “improving quite a bit with each game” right now. He’s not, and it’s cause for concern.

For Gasol, it was a great game. I scooped him up on my fantasy squad and gave him credit in the article. But it’s one game, we need to see more.

Posted by: Andrew Thell on November 6th, 2008 at 1:43 am

Matt, I think you’ve had one too many beers.

Posted by: Brian Spencer on November 6th, 2008 at 2:00 am

Interesting observations. I think you are being a bit harsh on the city of Memphis however. I have to agree that Memphis isn’t a Chicago, New York or LA type of place but there is also no state income tax here which means players keep a larger portion of their paychecks. The cost of living in Memphis is far below the levels of other NBA cities as well. Money means more than city population for these guy’s careers and they get to keep more in Memphis than anywhere else.

Memphis’ basketball history isn’t great (as you said they haven’t won a playoff series yet or even a playoff game) but they did manage to make the playoffs three successive seasons not to long ago. The team is rebuilding on a three year plan. Conley has started the season slow but no one expected the team to be 2-3 at this point of the season either so he is doing something right. The team is starting 3 rookies, a 2nd yr player (who missed 29 games his rookie season) and a 3rd year player. Their starting ages are 20, 21 (as of yesterday), 22, 20 and 23. No one in the league has a younger starting five. The first players off the bench are 22, 23 and 25 (Lowry, Milicic and Warrick).

The future looks brighter than the present in Memphis and development of the young players is obviously a huge part of the expectations Memphis fans have for their team. Walker’s contract will not be renewed this season and neither will Greg Buckner’s. Darko’s contract expires after next season. They have the lowest payroll in the league, a huge amount of cap space available to recruit free agents and an owner who has shown a willingness to spend money on the team in the past. The question now is have we seen all that Darrell Arthur, Marc Gasol and O J Mayo have to offer after 5 games or can they develop into better players. Has Conley shown all he has after 57 games and only 20 years of age? Can Gay round out his game to be more than just an offensive scorer? If the answers are yes then Memphis is a threat 2-3 years down the road. If not then Memphis will struggle mightily.

Posted by: Chip Crain on November 6th, 2008 at 10:37 am

Monsignor Chip-

Your concerns are duly noted. The assignment, that I admittedly set for myself, was to discuss the five worst teams in the West and then to detail the good, bad and ugly. I totally agree with you on the youth and financial flexibility points – they have both in spades, and I could easily have played those up more in the Good section.

No hate or ill will intended, I actually enjoy watching the Grizz. So it’s not personal – in fact, up next on the docket are my beloved and hometown Minnesota Timberwolves.

Thanks for reading though and weighing in with some solid, well-reasoned opinions. We always appreciate it.

Posted by: Andrew Thell on November 6th, 2008 at 10:49 am

Say Chip, what are the odds Lowry becomes the starter in Memphis this season? After last night I think we can say, for right now at least, that he looks more prepared to contribute this season than Conley.

Posted by: Andrew Thell on November 6th, 2008 at 10:58 am

let me guess the remanding teams, the clippers, thunder, and kings. i don’t know which order they are gonna be in but they should be the 3 worst in the west

Posted by: Ace on November 12th, 2008 at 5:42 pm

*Points to nose*

You’ll just have to wait and see. We’ll announce number three first thing tomorrow morning.

Posted by: Andrew Thell on November 12th, 2008 at 6:11 pm