The long losing streak is over, and it appears the Grizzlies are taking a turn for the better under Lionel Hollins.  The Grizzlies won their second straight game on Wednesday, surviving a late rally by Houston to hold on for a 104-93 win.  O.J. Mayo scored 32 against the Rockets, two nights after putting up 33 in a win at Washington.  The two wins are the first consecutive victories for the Grizzlies in nearly two months and the first consecutive double-digit triumphs in two years.

Hollins now has a 2-3 record as head coach this season, which includes the final three losses of a 12-game skid that followed a surprising 102-82 rout of the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 4.  Hollins has made his mark on this team already, moving Mike Conley to the point and proclaiming him the most important part of his system.  With that removal of doubt concerning Conley's future with the team, the guard has emerged as a leader.  The team has been rejuvenated on the defensive end of the floor, where they got the season off to a good start before struggling in December.

Continue reading "Grizzlies turnaround is possible"

A poor first quarter cut short any chance the Grizzlies had of exploiting a struggling L.A. Clippers team on Friday.  The Clippers entered the game riding a seven-game losing streak, but they jumped on the Grizzlies early and came away with a 126-105 win at FedEx Forum.

Zach Randolph led all scorers with 35 points for the Clippers, who set a franchise record by connecting on 16 3-pointers.  That marked the second time this season the Grizzlies have allowed a record 3-point performance.  The New York Knicks set their own franchise record against the Grizzlies in a 132-103 win in December.  The Clippers shot 59 percent from the floor, including 55 percent from 3-point range.  It goes without saying that such a defensive breakdown is not going to win many ballgames.  The problem is that it is now February, and the Grizzlies still have not figured out how to cover shooters on defense.  It really is a simple concept:  Just stand in front of the guy with the ball and stick your arms in the air.  And yet, this team has played together for four months and still not learned a lesson they should have mastered years ago.

Continue reading "Clippers 126, Grizzlies 105"

The Grizzlies caught a break with the absence of Toronto's Chris Bosh on Saturday, and they took advantage of it by beating the Raptors 78-70.  The Grizzlies were shorthanded themselves, playing without three of their regulars.  Rudy Gay was a late scratch because of a sore hip, a sprained ankle sidelined Kyle Lowry, and Darrell Arthur missed his second straight game due to a family illness.  With those three out the win became even sweeter.

O.J. Mayo scored 12 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to help the Grizzlies close out the game.  That came after the rookie couldn't buy a basket early on, missing 10 of his first 12 attempts.  His assist to Marc Gasol for a fast-break layup in the third quarter capped an 11-0 run to put the Grizzlies on top for good.

Continue reading "Grizzlies 78, Raptors 70"

It is becoming more and more apparent that the positive impact of Lionel Hollins' system on the Grizzlies can indeed be immediate.  The latest evidence is Monday's impressive 85-80 victory over the New Orleans Hornets, who have been among the West's best the past few years.

Of course, the Hornets played the game without the services of stars Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler due to injury and David West due to a one-game suspension.  Regardless of that "slack", the Grizzlies set a franchise record by holding the Hornets to 29.5 percent shooting, a mark identical to the dismal output of the Toronto Raptors in their previous matchup.

The difference in the game proved to be the third quarter, long a nemesis of the Grizzlies, which they won 24-19 on Monday.

Continue reading "Grizzlies 85, Hornets 80"

The Phoenix Suns made an offer to the Grizzlies Thursday involving their star forward Amare Stoudemire, whom they are actively shopping to anyone who will listen.  The Grizzlies were not considered by many to be in serious contention for a deal or even have interest in Stoudemire.  However, the Suns asked for basically the entire nucleus of the Grizzlies' team, namely Hakim Warrick, Rudy Gay and Mike Conley.

While that may seem like a high price, the Suns would likely have settled for less had the Grizzlies negotiated at all.  However, they simply said, "No, thanks!" and sent the Suns on their way.  Phoenix is desperate to slash payroll, so they will take any measures to shed Stoudemire's contract.  I don't know if the Grizzlies could have handled the contract themselves, but they could have come to some sort of less expensive agreement.

Continue reading "Grizzlies Nix Deal For Stoudemire"

Chris Mihm came over to the Grizzlies from the Los Angeles Lakers late Wednesday, less than 24 hours before the NBA's trade deadline, in exchange for a conditional second-round draft in 2013.

The move was a salary dump for the Lakers to free up cap room for the dynamic free agent class due up this summer.  It's risky for them because it puts Andrew Bynum in the position of being "the man" for them down low.  He's nowhere near a franchise center in the NBA.  He's rarely healthy, and his production is spotty at best, but that's the Lakers' problem.  For once, the Grizzlies aren't the ones making an unwise deal.

It remains to be seen whether Memphis is a long-term destination for Mihm, a 7-footer who is in a contract year.  The Grizzlies are desperate for post guys, but will they invest money in a new contract for Mihm or wait for someone better to come along?  My guess is that this will be temporary, although if his production proves to be in any way promising, it would benefit the Grizzlies to hold onto him.  However, past experience says the Grizzlies ship him out via the waiver wire before he even suits up.  I don't pretend to know anything about what goes through the front office minds at this point.

Continue reading "Grizzlies pick up 7-footer Mihm"

The Grizzlies shipped guard Kyle Lowry to the Houston Rockets minutes before the 2 p.m. trade deadline today as part of a three-way deal with the Orlando Magic.  As part of the deal, Houston sent guard Rafer Alston to Orlando, and the Magic sent a first-round draft pick to the Grizzlies and Brian Cook to the Rockets.

Orlando needed a replacement for the injured Jameer Nelson, so they are the winners in this deal.  The Grizzlies now have another draft pick to use (or misuse).  More importantly, they dumped Lowry's $1.1 million contract and bought themselves some more cap space.  Now we have to see who they can convince to play here.  The other side to the free agent deals is the player's desire to play for a certain team.  It's only 99 percent about the money.  The other 1 percent is the team's chances of winning.  The Grizzlies have to hope they are projecting enough of a dedication to success to make someone want to sign with them.  Otherwise, their extra cash is worthless.  Draft picks are nice, but they can't afford to get much younger.  They need to have some success on the free agent market.

Continue reading "Grizz dish Lowry at buzzer"

Veteran center Adonal Foyle and guard Mike Wilks came over to the Grizzlies along with a first-round draft pick in Thursday's deadline deal that also sent Kyle Lowry to the Houston Rockets.

Lowry was traded because the Grizzlies have a lot invested in Marko Jaric, whose role has increased under Lionel Hollins.  Jaric will earn upwards of $7 million in each of the next two years, a figure that made him difficult to trade anyway.  The Grizzlies will now have two first-round draft picks and a second-round pick that should fall within the first ten selections of that round.

Both Wilks and Foyle have contracts that expire following this season, which has been a requirement of most deadline deals this season.

It is unclear whether the pair will remain on the Grizzlies' roster through the remainder of the season.

Continue reading "Grizzlies get pair as part of Lowry deal"