[Jr. ROXASParticipant]

Are the Grizzlies still surprising anyone for their strong start or is it just me? Because I have to admit, that for 2 years straight now, I called the Grizz to be booted off the playoff race, and for those 2 years, they made me look foolish. Moreso this year when half of the grit and grind core are gone.

Watching their games, the first thought that pops in your head is that these guys play SO hard. They never take plays off defensively and they crash the boards like demons, especially the young guys. Ennis, Martin and Brooks have earned their minutes, while Gasol and Conley remain the rocks of the team.

They have now beat, 2 juggernauts (Houston and GSW) and one perenial playoff team. Who would’ve saw this coming? You can see Fizdale has made a huge impact on the young guys as the discipline and tenacity they play with oozes when you watch them. Grit and Gring may not be dead after all.

 

[HitsterParticipant]

 Marc Gsol has been immense so far this season and is one of the top NBA bigs but Memphis have impressed so far this year. Any talk of rebuild will rightly be on hold.

[cohenbc1Participant]

 Yeah, I really thought that getting rid of Z-Bo, Allen and Vince was an admission that you can only go so far with grit & grind. But apparently it’s in the franchise’s DNA and maybe new guys like Ennis, Green, Harrison etc. are the new generation of G&Gers.

[Jr. ROXASParticipant]

Not to mention the bench mob of the Grizz may be one of the best in the league. It’s not one of those benches are considered a good bench because they have one good chucker E.G, Clippers with Jamal Crawford. This bench of the Grizz have crazy good playmakes.

Rio Chalmers and Evans break down defenses with ease and can play with the starters well too. Chalmers especially looks really good playing alonngside Conley. Dillon Brooks I would say is the best defender they have now, surprising as he was known more as a creative scorer in college. Brandan Wright still feasts on flip hooks and dunks ALA Willie Reed. 

[esperanzafleet69Participant]

 This.. they are a REALLY deep team capable of playing a lot of different combinations of players that work well together.

[SlickBouncePassParticipant]

Even with Selden and Harrison, their guards were average in college but with bonafide NBA bodies that play tough and give anyone problems because its like they are beating you with clubs.

 

Conley and Gasol are still two of the best at their positions, not a bad core.  

Add to that a bunch of grind it out role players with size and solid playoff experience last year and a very good coach, they are a playoff team for sure.  

 

 

 

  

[BeastMode716Participant]

 in the NBA

And Conley & Gasol are simply phenomenal basketball players 

 

[JoeWolf1]

I think their second unit is really good, and a very unlikely bunch

Mario Chalmers is coming off a major injury, but is still a guy who started for the juggernaut Miami teams a few years back.

Tyreke Evansis a former Rookie of the Year, and while he never made that next step after his first couple years, is a really powerful combo guard

Chandler Parsons is a former sub-all star level player also coming off a major injury but a very heady player.

Brandon Wright has been one of the best backup power forwards in the league for a number of years now, he adds length and the ability to guard 4’s and 5’s into a second unit.

Dillon Brooks has been a surprise, but he’s proven a capable long range shooter in the NBA, and his overall versatility and youth has blended well with this very experienced second unit.

You look at really good teams like Houston, OKC, and others with sub-par benches, and then you look at Memphis’ second unit, and I’d say after the Warriors, they’d have to be considered one of the best in the league.

[OhCanada-Participant]

When you think of injury prone players that ended up playing long NBA careers after major injuries a pattern youll see is massive minute reductions like Shaun Livingston or Grant Hill. Evan and Parsons were both considered franchise pieces at one point. Wright has always been one of those guys people want to see get more minutes and Chalmers has to be on everyones top 10 "Glue Guy" list for the last decade. They went out there and made smart decisions to solidify thier team and continue to improve.

[esperanzafleet69Participant]

 i’ve never considered parsons a franchise piece… dont get me wrong he’s solid…. but he never got better after his rookie season. he’s a great spot up shooter, and decent enough defender, but hasnt improved his game year after year.. in the 3 or so years before his injury of course.. 

[The GoatParticipant]

 All of this is because of organisational culture. It really shows how valuable having the right attitude is and the importance of high character guys like Gasol and Conley. They lead by example and get everyone to buy in. It’s a shame Chandler can’t play as he did before now because he had the right style of game to complement these guys. If they had that 3rd banana, they’d still be up there. They really should’ve closed out that series a couple of years ago against GSW, they probably could’ve gone all the way. They missed their window unfortunately I think.  

[HitsterParticipant]

 Brandan Wright – once thought of as possibly the best prospect after Oden and KD in the 2007 draft. But due to injuries and durability, he never reached those levels. But he is still in the NBA for his 11th season and has only just turned 30.

 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

 James Ennis is possibly turning into that 3rd option that we need.  Might not get 15 a night but he has been scoring ok all year, hanging 13 points on the Rockets last night (to go along with 11 boards).

JaMychal Green is still out with an injury but I wouldn’t mind him being our 6th man, don’t mess with success and I would keep the same 5 man bench mob.

 

[SubZeroParticipant]

It seems like they got rid of their old style where they wanted to pound you inside, but they kept the same mentality. Their personnel with guys like Ennis/Green/Martin matches up well with how the league is trending but they’re still grittin and grindin as much as ever. I like this team

[OhCanada-Participant]

 Wayne Selden and Ben Mclemore havent even played a game yet lol. I expected Selden to start and mclemore to be the 6th man. Chalmers was a great signing as well and while they still are out there competing they are also doing a sneaky rebuild with promising young players developing throughout the organization. Jmychal Green and Jarrell Martin are two nasty forwards taught under Z-Bo that will give any team headaches.

 The one thing I cant understand is why they load up mintes for Andrew Harrison. He literally just watches on offence and is not much of a defender. He plays 18-mpg and averages 4-points 1-assist and 1-rebound shooting 25%. I honestly feel like if you gave me 18 minutes on the Grizzlies I could be more productive then that.

[Jr. ROXASParticipant]

I agree with Harrison. Very inefficient as a 2-guard. He’s decentas a backup PG but Chalmers and Reke are way better.

I just think Fizz just doesn’t want to mess up the chemistry of the second unit wherein Chalmers and Tyreke work so well together. I expect Selden to start when he comes back but I’m not so sure with McClemore. Ben Mac just seems to be that type of player to lose minutes under a coach such as Fizdale.

 

[TRC1991Participant]

They’ve been doing this without Ben McLemore and Wayne Selden too

[HitsterParticipant]

 Interstingly the Grizz after this season won’t have much salary at all outside of Conley, Gasol, Parsons and Green, so they will have flexability to rebuild in due course. If we assume Gasol may well opt in for 2019-20, after themn they will only have Conley under contract so they will have a number of options then.

So I guess they might as well run with what they have, Gasol turns 33 in January and Parsons is virtually untradeable so their options are possibly limited.

Marc Gasol remains on of the very best C’s in the NBA and Mike Conley is probably at his peak now.

 

 

[Author]

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