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Grizz have pieces, but still far from a playoff team

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Charley Rosen

Charley Rosen is FOXSports.com's NBA analyst and author of 17 sports books, the current ones being Bullpen Diaries: Mariano Rivera, Bronx Dreams, Pinstripe Legends, and the Future of the New York Yankees and Crazy Basketball: A Life In and Out of Bounds.

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Updated Nov 24, 2009 6:05 PM ET
     
 

Game Time: Grizzlies 116, Kings 105

With the league's youngest roster, the Grizzlies are still in the early stages of trying to build a truly competitive ball club. Which of their young players are the keystones of the team's future? Which have short-term futures in Memphis? And which have no future there whatsoever?

Key players

Rudy Gay is the team's primary star-quality player. He's a big-time scorer who can execute surprisingly quick drives along the baseline, hit set shots, knock down pull-ups and even clean the offensive glass. While not an accomplished passer (three assists and four turnovers), he rarely forced a shot. Also, Gay doesn't need to be set up in order to create makeable shots. Just get him the ball, and give him room to go. His fleet feet and fast hands make him a threat to steal slow passes and lazy dribbles (three steals) but his straight-up defense left much to desire. In fact, Gay is an atrocious man-to-man defender. O.J. Mayo is a dangerous shooter with his feet set, but he'd rather operate in iso situations and he loves to take the rock to the rim. Despite scoring 20 points (4-for-8 from the field and 10-for-10 from the stripe), Mayo had a relatively quiet game, doing most of his damage when the game was already in the bag. Like Gay, Mayo's man-to-man defense is shaky. Marc Gasol plays an efficient game in the middle. He has good hands, looks to pass when doubled, moves without the ball, doesn't try to do anything that's beyond his means and even buried a pair of 18-footers. Gasol's post-up moves are slow in developing and depend more on strength and position than on explosion. Not blessed with extraordinary athleticism, Gasol plays good position defense and can block shots (four against the Kings) when the ball is brought right at him. He was barely challenged on defense by the awkward pivotal moves of Spencer Hawes. But his limited lateral quickness prevents Gasol from covering much ground in help situations. Hasheem Thabeet is physically weak, has poor balance, shoots bricks from the stripe, often neglects to throw a hand at a nearby shooter, isn't quite sure when to commit to a dribble-penetrator and when to stay home, is often caught too far under the basket to menace shots, is helpless when his man turns and faces and also turns his head on defense. But he's a legit 7-foot-3, and he can close to the ball from the weak side and block shots. Thabeet is a long-term project. Yet with the defensive weaknesses of both Gay and Mayo, if/when he ever becomes a shot-blocking force to be reckoned with, Thabeet would prove to be an extremely useful player. However, by the time he's ready, the Grizzlies might have the oldest team in the league. Sam Young is a 6-foot-6, 220-pound power player. Perhaps he's too small to play the four spot and not quick enough to play small forward. But the young man knows where the basket is. DeMarre Carroll has a nice touch and a nice 'do. With time, he could easily develop into a valuable small forward off the bench.

Short-term players

Mike Conley is quick enough, has a nifty right-to-left crossover that gets him to the rim in a crowd, looks to pass and isn't a terrible shooter. But except for occasionally ambushing a passing lane, the guy can't guard his own lunch. Indeed, the Kings went at his weak defense whenever they need a score. In addition, his defensive concentration wanders when he's on the weak side. Conley would make an adequate backup point guard, one who could up the tempo. But chances are he'll never be a starter for a playoff team. Zach Randolph can score in the low post (10 points in nine possessions) and can also drop 15-foot jumpers. But his defense is awful, and he provided no help on several deep screen-and-curls and has extremely limited lateral movement, which is why the Grizz routinely sent help when his man posted Randolph. With both Gasol and Randolph starting in the frontcourt, the interior defense is extremely slow. Also, since both bigs are much more comfortable in the pivot than anywhere else, they tended to get in each other's way. Conceivably, Randolph would be a dynamic go-to scorer for the second unit. If he can accept that role — say, 20-25 minutes per game — then he's a keeper.

Here today, gone ASAP

Jamaal Tinsley's excuse for not playing even a modicum of defense is that he's been out of action for so long. But what was his excuse when he was a starter? On offense, he still tends to overhandle (three assists and three turnovers). For sure, he's a good-to-excellent passer but, as always, he'd rather try to find a shot for himself. Perhaps, he can help Conley's development. But the danger is that if Tinsley doesn't get enough daylight to satisfy him, he might eventually revert to the troublesome presence he was in Indiana. And if he ousts Conley in the starting lineup, then he might eventually revert to the overbearing troublesome presence he was in Indiana. In his previous seven years in the league, Tinsley has never changed his me-first game plan. He is what he is and what he always will be. Signing A.I.-lite was a dangerous gamble that could easily hamper the growth of this young team. Hamed Haddadi is a 12th man who believes he's an All-Star. But Thabeet has a much better upside. If Haddadi hailed from Hoboken, he would never have worn an NBA uniform. Marko Jaric can't shoot when his feet are moving and can't guard anyone who's moving their feet. The Grizzlies played a sloppy game, but the Kings were even worse. It should be noted, however, that the refs — Scott Foster, Leon Wood, and Sean Wright — tooted their tooters much too often in the first half (when the home team shot 24 free throws), so neither squad was able to establish any kind of rhythm. Even so, the Kings were particularly listless until the onset of garbage time and committed a host of unforced errors. Passes to nobody, inadvertent steppings out-of-bounds, three-second violations — 21 turnovers all told. Plus, the Kings didn't show a semblance of interior defense. That's the main reason why the Grizzlies shot 53.9 percent from the field. On offense, the home team wanted to stuff the ball inside to Gasol, Randolph, Mayo, Gay and even once to Tinsley — a total of 26 post-ups. Otherwise, their offense was drive-and-finish, or drive-and-kick. Whatever they did, the Kings put up little resistance. In the second half, the Grizzlies ran some high screen-and-rolls, with Gasol acting as the designated screener. Also effective were a variety of handoffs. If the Kings mostly self-destructed on their own offense forays, the Grizzlies didn't help themselves by not hustling down-court in transition situations. But even when they did, they frequently allowed the Kings' ball-handler to drive unmolested to the basket. With the relatively easy victory, Memphis moved to a record of 5-9, which projects to 29 wins, or five more than they claimed last season. Young teams become experienced teams very slowly, but at least the Grizzlies do have a future.

Straight Shooting

Here's a quick visit to the New York metropolitan-area newsroom:

The Good News

After beating the New Jersey Nets on Saturday afternoon, the Knicks were riding high on a two-game wining streak. DYNASTY! After making an about-face and playfully hoisting a successful long-distance shot at the Nets' basket to end the first quarter — a shot that just missed counting in New Jersey's side of the scoreboard by one-or-two tenths of a second — Nate Robinson was benched for the duration. Hopefully Robinson's latest attack of juvenility will be his last. For New Jersey, the return to action of All-Star Devin Harris, as well as the anticipated reappearances of Courtney Lee and Eduardo Najera, will certainly guarantee that the Nets will win an occasional game before the season ends. Despite being winless and dramatically short-handed, New Jersey hustled throughout the game. Chris Douglas-Roberts is taking advantage of his increased playing time by demonstrating that he can be a dangerous scorer. The Knicks and the Nets will play each other three more times this season. The double-barreled good news here is that none of these games will end in a tie, and that their combined record for these games will NOT be 0-6.

The Bad News

With the loss, the Nets are now 0-13. And, injuries to the contrary, Lawrence Frank's hold on his job gets more and more precarious with each game. His pitiful performance against the Nets reaffirmed that Eddy Curry will not be the Knicks' savior this year. Brook Lopez is supposed to be one of the cornerstones of the Nets' future, but the game under discussion revealed that he has bad hands and is extremely slow off his feet. Rafer Alson's distress at being so rudely dealt from the competitive Magic to the downtrodden Nets is reflected in his listless play. Pity the poor Big Apple hoop-o-phile. Where does he go to get his NBA kicks? However, the evaluation of one bit of subsequent news is still undecided: Is the Knicks' overtime loss to Boston on Sunday good or bad news?

Vox Populi

I was surprised at discovering through one of your columns that both Phil Jackson and Bill Musselman spent several years coaching in the CBA. How many other past and present NBA coaches have/had the same history? — Larry Leaman, Huron, Ohio Thanks for giving me the opportunity to write another list! Those who had some kind of NBA coaching experience, then worked in the CBA before returning to the NBA as head coaches include: Phil Jackson, Dave Cowens, Bob Hill and Herb Brown. Those who coached in the CBA without prior NBA experience and then became head coaches in the NBA include: Flip Saunders, George Karl, and Eric Musselman. Guys who either played or coached in the CBA and wound up being assistant coaches in the NBA: Cazzie Russell, Elston Turner, Larry Krystkowiak, Pete Myers, Don Zierdon, Mario Elie, Keith Smart, Rory White, Dennis Johnson, Lester Connors, Bob Thornton. Morton Wiley, Henry Bibby, Mark Hughes, Chip Engelland, Ralph Lewis, Scott Roth, Greg Ballard, Dan Panaggio, Jerry Eaves, Mike Evans, Michael Adams, Winsnton Bennett, Rod Higgins, Paul Mokeski and Mike Thibault.

Guys who played in the CBA and wound up being head coaches in the NBA: Rick Carlisle, Scott Brooks, Sam Mitchell, Terry Stotts, Sidney Lowe, John Lucas, Butch Carter and Kenny Natt. In addition, Hubie Brown, Larry Costello, Bob Weiss, Jack Ramsay, and Paul Silas played in the CBA's forerunner, the Eastern League.

Travels with Charley

Sometimes being center-sized can lead to unique off-the-court adventures. When I taught English at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, one of the departmental secretaries also ran a talent agency. "One of my clients is a fat lady," she told me. "I have four dwarfs, three midgets, a lady with an enormous bust and an old guy with a great big nose. The agency is called Freaks Unlimited." Measuring 6-foot-9, I accepted her offer to become the house giant. My first gig was a rainy day audition at a penthouse apartment on Lexington Avenue in the fancy 40s. I was met at the door by Cyril Starmaker, a middle-aged man in disco slacks and a blue silk shirt worn open to reveal a hairless chest. Mr. Starmaker handed me a script and told me to "wait in the foyer with the others." According to the script, the name of the movie was "Sasha and the Undead", and the lead was already cast — Sasha to be played by the "seductive Miss Mia Culpa." The luxurious vestibule was appointed with several leather couches, but I was the only aspirant to sit down. Before my very face, at least a dozen little people in natty three-piece suits swarmed briskly about the room, declaiming their lines in shrill voices: "Oh, Sasha! I know it cannot be, but I must confess how much I love you!" "Sasha! Look out behind you!" "Hey, baby, what's a nice girl like you doing in an oasis like this?" "The fools! How can they resist us? They shall die for their folly!" "Hey, Gork, how's the weather up there?" According to the script, Gork had no lines. By the look of the competition, I seemed to be the only qualified applicant. None of the little people glanced up from their scripts when the door to an inner sanctum suddenly swung open, and another tiny man strode grandly across the room toward the front door. But their collective eyeballs clicked in unified disappointment when Mr. Starmaker poked his head into the room and said, "You're next, Gork." Inside, a spacious living room was immaculately styled in ritzy plastic furniture. Another young man with an open-chested shirt and a neckful of glittering gold chains was introduced as "George the director." "OK," said George. "Here's the scene, see? Lie down on the floor and wake up as though from a thousand years' sleep. You've been asleep for a thousand years. Get it?" As directed, I laid back on the floor with my eyes closed. Then after slowly twitching one eye, I quickly popped open the other one. "Good," said George. "Good. I love his beard." Despite the rain, I was then asked to chase George around the terrace. "Not so fast," said George as we splashed through thin puddles. "Lumber around a little more." "And grunt," said Mr. S. "Unnnga!" I grunted. "Unnnga! Bunnnga!" After that, I had to make believe George was Sasha. "You haven't seen a woman in a thousand years," he said. "And here I am. Sleeping, helpless before you. Touch me. Caress my face." "And grunt," said Mr. S. "UNNNGA! BUNNNGA!" My next assignment was to grab George and throw him onto the couch. But George was heavier than he looked, and to my surprise, I almost dropped him. "Throw him again," said Mr. S. "Don't be afraid to hurt him." For my last trick, I took a running start, then pretended George's umbrella was indeed a mighty sword that sliced me from belly to spine. "Ugh!" I grunted as I plunged into a death spasm. "Good," said George. "Let's do it again." In all, we "played the scene" five times, and I swear that George hit me harder each time. However, when we were finished, George turned to me and said, "You're the best Gork we've seen so far." "But don't call us," cautioned Mr. Starmaker. "We may or may not call you." The best Gork they'd seen! I was born to Gork! Gorking my way to fame and fortune! Months later, the agent-secretary reported that another Gork had been chosen. "A big blond he-man," she said. "They're positive he's going to be a superstar." "How tall is he? What's his name?" "He's a six-foot-nine inch body-builder. His name is Rock Lock." According to further information, "Sasha and the Undead" was completed, received a PG rating and failed to survive seven days at the Bayonne Bijou. Perhaps one of these days Gork will live again on HBO.
Tagged: Heat, Eddy Curry, Nate Robinson, Nets, Knicks, John Lucas, Eduardo Najera, Courtney Lee, Rockets, Devin Harris

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