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2010 NBA Draft: Five Predictions About Memphis Grizzlies Draft

A. Enslen Butler — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:40:28 +0000

With three first-round draft picks in Thursday's 2010 NBA Draft, NBA experts will be watching the Memphis Grizzlies. Some reports say that they could trade for New Orleans point guard Chris Paul. Others say they are looking for a higher draft pick. We do not know which are true or not. But I do have some predictions about the 2010 Grizzlies draft.

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2010 NBA Mock Draft: Philadelphia Wins by Choosing Second Overall

A. Enslen Butler — Mon, 24 May 2010 16:46:33 +0000

Now that the draft order is set and we know the Washington Wizards have the first overall pick, we can talk about who team's should select. Looking at the draft, it is surprising that there are not more quality point guards. Or guards in general. It is clear that this is the "Year of the Big Man" as there are a slew of NBA power forwards and centers with potential and question marks. After John Wall and Evan Turner, the next nine players taken could be power forwards or centers. Here is the latest 2010 NBA Mock Draft:

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2010 NBA Draft: Five Players the Memphis Grizzlies Should Consider Drafting

A. Enslen Butler — Wed, 19 May 2010 01:02:04 +0000

The Memphis Grizzlies will pick 12th in the upcoming 2010 NBA Draft. The Grizzlies finished 40-42 as they were one of the most improved teams in the NBA. However, the team does have some absolute needs. Memphis GM Chris Wallace said in an interview with Grizzlies.com said, "We have a variety of needs. We need to upgrade our point guard position and I'm not saying that as a knock on Mike Conley because we really like the way he played, particularly late in the year. We've got to build up the position as a whole in terms of the reserves we're going to have there next year. The team needs to be stronger in its three-point shooting capabilities." So let's talk about five players Memphis can take with the 12th pick in the draft.

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2010 NBA Mock Draft: Five Kentucky Players Go In First Round

A. Enslen Butler — Wed, 05 May 2010 00:11:52 +0000

Kentucky came up short in the NCAA Tournament, but they poised to win the 2010 NBA Draft. I believe that the Wildcats will have five players drafted in the first round, four in the lottery. With players deciding to stay in school or stay in Europe, a project like Daniel Orton have vaulted themselves into the lottery. Let's see who your team will be picking in this year's draft.

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Lionel Hollins Deserving of Three-Year Extension

A. Enslen Butler — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 21:39:19 +0000

I wrote earlier this season that Lionel Hollins deserved consideration for Coach of the Year.

Now, I am happy that Hollins has signed a three-year extension to remain with the Memphis Grizzlies.

He was coming to an end of an 18-month tryout as coach. There were some hiccups here and there. But Hollins has done a good job. Memphis was the second-most improved team in the league behind Oklahoma City this season as they finished with a 40-42 record this season.

Look at what he had to deal with this season; the Allen Iverson debacle, the demotion of the second-overall pick (Hasheem Thabeet) to the D-League, and an injury to your Comeback Player of the Year candidate (Marc Gasol).

Everyone has nice things to say about him. So why did it take almost three months of negotiation to get the contract signed?

It looks like he had the contract in hand for a couple of days and did not sign it until Thursday.

"Well, I haven't signed it, so you just have to take that for what it is,'' Hollins said to FanHouse.com about his contract before Monday's game at Denver.

The team hovered around .500 most of the year, beating expectations. So on-court performance was not the issue.

From his comments at the press conference in Memphis Thursday, you get the feeling that he was not thrilled with the money in the deal.

“After talking to Mr. Heisley I feel comfortable about accepting this contract,” Hollins said in the Memphis Commercial-Appeal . “It wasn’t all about money. This may not be the best contract I could have secured. But it’s still the most money I’ve ever made. We just go forward with the assurances that Mr. Heisley does want to win. That was a concern going forward. I’m comfortable going forward.”

The paper reported that he would be starting at around $2 million a year. I believe that would be a fair deal.

Because the team did not make the playoffs, Hollins will not win Coach of the Year this season. But he deserved to keep his job.

Note: Watch for the season wrap-up on the Memphis Grizzlies Report podcast later this week.

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2010 NBA Draft: An Early Look at the April Mock Draft

A. Enslen Butler — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:31:50 +0000

It is never too soon to talk about the NBA Draft. So here is my projection for the 2010 Draft. I have included players who have not declared their intentions. So there are players who could decide to return to school. I also did not match players to teams. But I did rank the top 30 players based on talent and/or potential. My list includes: five players from Kentucky, two players who played in this year's NCAA title game, and a player from a losing team.

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Decision Time: Five Big Choices Facing Memphis Grizzlies This Offseason

A. Enslen Butler — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:06:32 +0000

As the 2009-2010 season ends, the Memphis Grizzlies will enter a very important offseason. They have four of their five starters under contract for next year. They also have three first-round picks and two restricted free agents to resign or not. The team probably will not take my advice. But if they want to contend for the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoffs in 2011, they have to make some hard choices. Those choices can put them in the playoff hunt but near the luxury tax or they can cut payroll and give fans an additional reason to flee. Here are five choices they must make before the 2010-2011 NBA Season:

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Memphis Grizzlies Win Raises Questions about Boston Celtics’ Future

A. Enslen Butler — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:19:13 +0000

Surprised that Memphis rolled Boston on the road last night?

I was not.

Memphis went to TD Garden and beat the Celtics and their top-ranked defense, 111-91. It was one of those games that was not as close as it seemed.

In fact, Boston was never close.

They scored 12 points in the first quarter and were down by more than 20 at the half.

Surprised? You should not be.

Memphis is a good team in a tough Western Conference. If a team takes them lightly, they can blow you out at home or on the road.

Frankly, the loss says more about the Celtics than the Grizzlies. There are a lot of questions being raised about Boston.

"Because we couldn’t make shots, you could see us not running back on defense, getting down, and you know that’s the one disappointing thing about tonight and other games, is right now, our offense—our lack of offense—is dictating how we play defense," Boston coach Doc Rivers said to Boston.com. "And that’s disappointing.”

Are the Celtics simply too old to make another run for the NBA title?

Forget the NBA title, are they too old to compete with Orlando and Cleveland to make it out of the Western Conference?

Or, did they simply mail it in against a team that people still view as inferior?

You know that Celtics fans are asking themselves these questions.

On Wednesday night, a younger team took them to school. I admit I do not watch a ton of Celtics basketball, but there is a fine line between experience and "old legs."

When Memphis bench players Sam Young (11 points) and Marcus Williams (16 points) get to double figures, the opposition is not putting up a fight.

I do not know if the loss was a result of "old legs" but clearly, the boos from their own crowd is a bad sign.

“Yeah it surprises me," Boston forward Paul Pierce said to Boston.com.

"You come out on your home court, get this kind of loss, and get booed by your home court I haven’t been on a court where we’ve been booed...it’s been a couple times this year. It’s been about five or six years since I’ve seen that. We’re still 17 games over .500. All the fans want is a constant effort night in and night out. I think we gotta be more consistent with that regardless of if we win or lose.”

I have a feeling those boos will only get louder as they face teams like Cleveland, Orlando, and Atlanta down the stretch.

But we will see if these old dogs can still hunt.

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Let Him Be: Why Hasheem Thabeet Should Stay in the D-League

A. Enslen Butler — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:57:11 +0000

Hasheem Thabeet is back with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Remember all of that talk about letting the second overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft work on his game and get experience?

Well, it lasted all of six games with the Dakota Wizards.

Thabeet averaged a double-double with 13.8 points and 11.2 rebounds along with 3.17 blocks on 50 percent shooting in 31.3 minutes.

For what it was worth, Dakota went 5-1 with Thabeet in the lineup.

So why didn't the team leave him in the D-League? I would understand if there was an injury to the frontcourt. If Marc Gasol or Zach Randolph was hurt, I would understand his return.

But nothing will change. Hamed Haddadi will get the majority of the backup center minutes and Thabeet will be stapled to the bench.

I do not know the harm of leaving him in the D-League for the rest of the season. Any team that struggles to put away the New Jersey Nets at home cannot say they are a playoff team. So the Grizzlies will be improved, but in the back half of the NBA lottery.

In the D-League, he was getting minutes and getting comfortable playing with his teammates.

"He runs the floor and he blocks shots, but he needs to keep working on rebounding, and overall court awareness—being in the right place at the right time," Grizzlies assistant Dave Joerger said to the Bismarck Tribune. "He can go and get some low-post touches. ... We have a lot of offensive guys, and he's not going to be a go-to option with the way team is currently constructed. He can get the chance to set good screen-and-rolls, rolling to basket, things like that."

The Wizards are currently off for seven days. Is it possible that moving him back to Memphis is temporary?

I hope so. You have already embarrassed yourself and Thabeet by sending him to the D-League in the first place. Do not banish him to the bench with no end in sight.

If Memphis wants to do what is best for Thabeet and the Grizzlies, they will send him right back to the Dakotas and leave him there.

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Will Rudy Gay Come Back to Memphis Grizzlies in 2010-11 Season?

A. Enslen Butler — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:39:02 +0000

With about 20 games left in the Memphis Grizzlies season, you have to wonder if forward Rudy Gay will still be around for next season.

Gay will become a restricted free agent at the end of this year, so a team can sign Gay, and Memphis will have a chance to match their offer. The two sides tried to agree to a contract extension in the offseason but could not.

I would guess that Gay's idea of a "fair offer" far surpassed what the Grizzlies were willing to pay.

Fast forward to this year.

Gay is a key member, but not the most valuable member of a surprising Grizzlies team that has exceeded expectations.

Despite averaging a little over 20 points per game and playing almost 40 minutes a night, Zach Randolph has emerged as the leader of this year's team.

But Gay will want to be paid like an elite NBA player. The big question: Will Memphis pay him like an elite NBA player? He said that he is looking for a five-year, $50 million contract extension in November.

Clearly, Memphis was unwilling to hit that number. But Memphis has said they will make him a qualifying offer in the offseason and will match any contract he is offered.

What if a team overpays for Gay?

For example, let's say the New York Knicks do not land LeBron James, Chris Bosh, or Dwyane Wade. Now that they have a ton of cap space and see a 20-point scorer on the market, they offer a max or near-max deal to Gay to appease their fanbase.

Will Memphis really match that?

Gay has already said that he would have no problems playing on a team for the right price, even the woeful New Jersey Nets.

"The record doesn't mean much when you're dealing with a team," Gay said to The Bergen Record. "You're thinking about yourself and how you can contribute, and that's what other teams think. Wherever you feel like you're wanted the most, that's where you're going to be."

It might turn out that Memphis missed their chance to lock up Gay for $10 million a year. In passing on his demands, the Grizzlies gambled that no other team would be willing to match the contract when he tests the market.

It's tough to watch a 20-point-a-game scorer walk out the door for nothing. But that might just happen.

So what do you think? Should the team re-sign Gay?

If so, what kind of contract would you offer him? Let me know by posting in the comments section.

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Note: You can listen to my weekly podcast about the Grizzlies, Memphis Grizzlies Report.

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