Grizzlies looking to blow it up?

[Marvin Martian]

Shipping out Rudy Gay for a guy like Jared Dudley makes sense. On top of resolving cap issues they add a equally if not better defensive player, and the main thing is they can space the floor a lot better with his three point shooting.

Trading Z Bo doesn't make sense though because they're basically giving up their identity (physical, paint oriented offense). I doubt they'll get anyone of equal talent. Team is playing good basketball thus far, you gotta let the season play out before considering getting rid of Z Bo.

So who is going to bail out the grizz with a critical basket? 2 years ago it was OJ Mayo, not Z-bo making big plays when the offense broke down. He's gone. Now it's Gay. People think he should be gone during the best start in franchise history.

Z-bo is not 2010 Dirk or Prime Kevin Garnett. He gets shut down pretty easily by long athletic big men like Javale McGee. Plus if he doesn't have position in the low block, he isn't a threat to score or get rebounds.

Z Bo can extend his game to about 15 feet, but he just chooses to play more on the low block because he's a pitbull. He plays low to the ground and knows how to use his wide frame to create separation and make up for the lack of athleticism.

I don't know what you mean by "he gets shut down pretty easily". Just two seasons ago people were labeling this guy as the best pf in basketball. He dominated Tim Duncan and the Spurs in the 2010-11 quarterfinals, and the athletic Thunder in the conference semifinals. He made a countless number of big shots in those games and was virtually unstoppable at times. I'm not saying he's a go to guy but he's certainly not a bad option when games are tight. He was injured almost all of last season so I feel like he has gone under the radar once again, but he's putting up a respectable 17 and 12 this season. He has as big of a hand as anyone in the Grizzles turnaround.

Rudy Gay isn't as clutch as you're making him out to be. As of the 2011-12 season, Tony Allen is more clutch per 48 minutes. That should just put things into perspective.

No Z-bo chooses to play on the low block because that is all he can do. And yes he got shut down a lot this season by athletic big men. Z-bo was not even matched up with Duncan 2 years ago he was up against 50 year Mcdyess. And let's not forget that he is currently the worst defender on the starting 5.

Anyone who doesn't watch the Grizz overrates Z-bo because they don't know about Darrell Arthur. He is a young PF, who can defend the pick and roll, hit the mid range J, and run the floor. And now in recent weeks, he is standing behind the arc and hitting 3s. And Mo Speights can drain the mid range J, and his rebounding rate matches Z-bo. He is why MEM made it to the 4th seed in the west without Z-bo and Arthur.

Trading Randolph is less risky than trading Gay because MEM has proven talent that can replace him. MEM had proven talent that could replace Gay and they let him go to Dallas for nothing. Gay now has Quincy Pondexter behind him, a decent spot up shooter who is below average at anything else.


I'd rather trade Z-bo to fix the lowest scoring backcourt in the league than take a risk and trade the team's leading scorer

[mid-post]

No Z-bo chooses to play on the low block because that is all he can do. And yes he got shut down a lot this season by athletic big men. Z-bo was not even matched up with Duncan 2 years ago he was up against 50 year Mcdyess. And let's not forget that he is currently the worst defender on the starting 5.

I think he's a little bit better from 15 than you're giving him credit for. Isoing him on the wing can be effective at times (although it's no more effective than isoing Rudy out there).

Anyone who doesn't watch the Grizz overrates Z-bo because they don't know about Darrell Arthur. He is a young PF, who can defend the pick and roll, hit the mid range J, and run the floor. And now in recent weeks, he is standing behind the arc and hitting 3s. And Mo Speights can drain the mid range J, and his rebounding rate matches Z-bo. He is why MEM made it to the 4th seed in the west without Z-bo and Arthur.

I sort of agree, but Mo is mediocre because he's so damn inconsistent. Arthur's good but he's really not a beast in the post like ZBo, and neither of those guys rebound the ball like Zach.

Trading Randolph is less risky than trading Gay because MEM has proven talent that can replace him. MEM had proven talent that could replace Gay and they let him go to Dallas for nothing. Gay now has Quincy Pondexter behind him, a decent spot up shooter who is below average at anything else.

I'm guessing you meant OJ? Fair point, his average productivity from that spot has still left a bit of a hole on the perimeter. Trading Zach or Rudy is a pretty risky move because they're both a really big part of our offense and I have no idea what things will look like without either of them. I know some people will argue they'll only be better, but I have my concerns. I think the offense could be a Hollins issue.

I'd rather trade Z-bo to fix the lowest scoring backcourt in the league than take a risk and trade the team's leading scorer

I'd rather not risk either until we see what this team can do in the playoffs. At this point it's safe to say that they're either good enough to contend or they aren't. If they aren't, blow it up. Our starting five have developed quite a bit of chemistry over the past four seasons and I honestly think most of their problems offensively stem from some tinkering that Hollins is doing right now. He's done this before to prep the bench guys for the playoffs and it's worked out, so we'll see what happens.