The Memphis Grizzlies in 2006

The Grizzlies have failed to get past the first round of the playoffs the last three years and Jerry West seems tired of his players settling for one and done in the post season. However, instead of shoring up his team with veteran talent that could push the Grizzlies over the top, West went young by drafting Rudy Gay, Alexander Johnson and Kyl Lowry to be the future of the franchise. Of course, West has superstar Pau Gasol headlining a green Grizzlies squad, but eventually Gasol will tire with the constant shuffle of personnel in and out of Memphis. West and Coach Mike Fratello need to do better in 2006 or the exodus from Grizzlies games by the good people of Memphis will continue.

Front court
Forward Pau Gasol is one of the best all-around players in the NBA and will be the heart of the Grizzlies franchise as long as he wants to be. Gasol is an outstanding scorer, rebounder, and is athletic enough to play defense out to the perimeter. However, Gasol needs help on the inside and West’s attempts at helping the front court fell woefully short for the immediate future. West went for potential in the 2006 NBA Draft by taking forwards Rudy Gay and Alexander Johnson, who will be great contributors but not full time players in the next few seasons. As well, the returning front court players include promising but unproven forward Lawrence Roberts, underachieving center Jake Tsalakidis, and returning forward Stromile Swift. This group makes you wonder why West traded away solid performer Shane Battier and Grizzlies fans have to hope someone steps up to give Gasol some help on the interior. My projected front court lineup is Jake Tsalakidis at center (because of size), Lawrence Roberts at power forward, and Pau Gasol at small forward.

Back court
The point guard position will be a battle between oft-injured veteran Damon Stoudamire, over achieving guard Chucky Atkins, and rookie Kyle Lowry. Stoudamire gets the benefit of the doubt because of his experience, but Stoudamire is not reliable enough to stay on the court. Atkins will get most of the starts and most of the minutes in 2006, with Lowry coming along slowly for Memphis. At shooting guard, Eddie Jones is a veteran presence on a young team and has the ability to shoot all over the court. However, small forward/shooting guard Mike Miller’s Sixth Man of the Year performance in 2005 could mean an opportunity to fit in somewhere on the Grizzlies’ lineup in 2006. Look for Jones to start out with the job but anything lacking in his performance will allow Miller to jump back into the starting lineup. The addition of the hard-working Miller to the starting five could mean good things for the Grizzlies in close games.

Intangibles
Mike Fratello’s coaching style lent itself well to the Grizzlies in his first full season with the team but a more athletic squad in 2006 will cause tension between his philosophy and his talent. Players like Damon Stoudamire, Pau Gasol, and Mike Miller will be best served by moving up and down the court a little bit and Fratello will loosen the leash a bit. However, Fratello is a coaching veteran and his stripes won’t change any time soon. It will be interesting to see how Fratello deals with a young team aching for some full court ball, though Fratello has a good presence in the locker room and the respect of Jerry West.

2006 NBA Projection
The Memphis Grizzlies will finish last in the Southwest Division in 2006-2007, not because they are lacking in potential but because there are four more talented teams ahead of them. The Grizzlies will be disappointed by their absence from the playoffs, but it may give Jerry West the opportunity to see which players keep playing hard in losing efforts and which players to ship out to make for a winning team. Look for lower 30s in terms of win but a lot of hustle in the hopes of playoff success in 2007.