Brad Hurt's Memphis Grizzlies fan blog

 It's basketball time again in the Bluff City as the Grizzlies opened the 2009-10 season by hosting the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.

Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins is not mincing words after the team's opening-night loss to the Pistons.  Stressing defense and intensity over offense, Hollins called out Marc Gasol, who put up decent numbers, saying, "Well, he didn't block any shots.  He didn't guard anybody."  The man means business.  In his mind, basketball is a team game.  He is talking the talk and he expects his players to walk the walk.  A few individuals played well tonight, but until they come together as a unit, their coach will not be impressed.

That kind of approach can be good for a young team to stress that the individual stats don't matter if the team doesn't win, or at least play together.  The Pistons offered a daunting challenge to start the season for the Grizzlies, who played well during the preseason.  Even if they aren't the Pistons of five years ago, they are still no pushover.  The fact that the Grizzlies made plays and worked as a team during the preseason raises the possibility that tonight's setback is simply a case of opening-night jitters.  However, this is still a young team with a few new pieces, so there is some learning to be done.

Continue reading "Pistons 96, Grizzlies 74"

It's not surprising that Allen Iverson is going to dominate nearly every headline involving the Memphis Grizzlies this season.  Unfortunately, one of the first significant headlines about The Answer is that he is going to be sidelined for at least a couple of weeks after tearing a hamstring prior to the Grizzlies' win over Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

Now, Iverson is getting up there in terms of age, so his body is undoubtedly closer to breaking down than, say, O.J. Mayo's.  That being said, the main cause of hamstring injuries is inactivity. When you don't warm up or keep your body in top shape before practice or a game, you risk pulling muscles.  Since AI has been out of action for a while after being benched in Detroit, he spent the offseason trying to latch on anywhere he could.  If he was so intent on getting a free-agent deal done, you would think he would have been working out in his spare time to keep his conditioning at an appropriate level.  Of course, he knows that, so this could just be a freak early-season injury.  The Grizzlies can only hope there aren't any lingering effects of this injury as the season progresses.

Continue reading "Tear Brings Ominous Atmosphere to Iverson Era in Memphis"

It is on Twitter, so it must be official.  Allen Iverson has chosen to sign a one-year deal with the Grizzlies.  The 13-year veteran averaged 17.4 ppg last season between Detroit and Denver, but still has a career average of 27.1 ppg.  He will provide a much-needed scoring boost off the bench.  Without Hakim Warrick, Quentin Ross and Kyle Lowry, the Grizzlies have few reliable offensive sources in reserve.  Iverson will probably only start when it is necessary due to injury or fatigue unless Lionel Hollins wants to try him at the point.  That, however, would make Hollins eligible for a mental institution.  As long as AI gets his scoring opportunities, this experiment will be fine.  I'm sure he will complain about the team not winning f

Continue reading "A.I. is a Grizzly"

Allen Iverson is expected to make his decision on the Memphis Grizzlies today.  Management says it is anyone's guess what that decision will be, saying there is a "50-50" chance he will choose the Grizzlies.  His other likely destination is the Charlotte Bobcats.  He famously feuded with their new coach Larry Brown when the pair was in Philadelphia.  However, both he and Brown are open to a reunion.  The fact that he has experience with that system and that team has a better chance of making the playoffs in the East than the Grizzlies do in the West makes me believe he may be leaning more in that direction, but he has had nothing but good things to say about Memphis.  All the Grizzlies can do is wait and see what happens.

Continue reading ""The Answer" will come soon (or not)"

It's just about football season, which means it is officially not too early to talk basketball.  The biggest buzz around the Grizzlies this offseason that has effectively forced the national media to talk about them is their flirtation with Allen Iverson.  I know I may be crazy, but I say if he wants to play here, let him play here.  It's not everyday the Grizzlies have a player on any talent level who comes knocking at the door.  Sure, he has character issues, but what pro athlete doesn't to an extent?  He is reaching the end of his career and he knows it.  I think that has tamed him somewhat.  He knows he is not going to be the focal point, and for a guy who refused to come off the bench in Denver, that shows some class and maturity.  The Grizz need established starpower.  Iverson may have lost a step but he can still be at least as consistent as the young guys who are still on a learning curve.  Plus, he has a lot he can teach them.  It's not a huge risk for the Grizzlies because Iverson isn't going to be around much longer.  They can sign him to a one-year deal and cut him loose if things don't work out.  We all know Michael Heisley hates spending his money, but what top-notch free agents are going to be looking at Memphis next summer?  Spend a little now and just see if we can't add a few wins to last season's total.  Sure, it is Allen Iverson and he could always blow up in your face, but he'll put fans in the seats.  That is what this team needs more than anything else.

Continue reading "Iverson worth a shot"

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"

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"

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 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"

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"