RealGM

PMOTT3's Review -- MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES:

Key Losses:

Kosta Koufos

Other Losses:

Nick Calathes, John Leuer,

Draft:

#25 Jarell Martin- I would have liked to see them go for shooting and take RJ Hunter here but I still like the Martin pick. Seems like a SF/PF tweener with good size.

Trades:

#1 Cap space for Luke Ridnour
#2 Luke Ridnour for Matt Barnes
#3 John Leuer for A. Harrison (#44th pick in the draft)
(There might be 1-2 more under the radar trades im not recalling at the moment)

I really like the addition of Matt Barnes. Since Jeff Green underperformed as a starter for the Grizz it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Barnes start at SF and Green become a super 6th man for them. Kinda meh on the Leuer for Harrison trade. Wasn't big on Leuer but also have never been a believer in the Harrison twins. I just don't see any skills in those twins that will translate at the NBA level.

Free Agency:

Marc Gasol, Brandon Wright, Beno Udrih

I never had a doubt in my mind that Marc was going to leave Memphis but nevertheless the Grizz did a great job fending off the other teams that were competing for his services. It was a bit strange that it took them so long to get a deal done but the whole time through FA reporters and sources kept claiming he wasn't leaving Memphis. Koudos to them for retaining arguably the best center in the league. I really like the Wright signing. I think he will be able to fill in Koufos shoes just fine. With the upcoming cap spike, he's on a great contract as well. Retaining Beno is a plus, especially at only around 2 mil.

Current Depth Chart:
(to the best of my ability)

PG: Mike Conley/Beno Udrih/Russ Smith
SG: Courtney Lee/Tony Allen/Jordan Adams/A. Harrison
SF: Matt Barnes/Jeff Green/Vince Carter
PF: Zach Randolph/JaMychal Green/Jarell Martin
C: Marc Gasol/Brandon Wright/Jarnell Stokes

Needs:

Shooters. Shooters. Shooters. With the way that the game has evolved, having shooters and floor spacers has become a necessity. Courtney Lee and Marc Gasol (for being a center) are the only above average shooters on that roster. Conley and Barnes can have hot nights but I wouldn't depend upon their 3 ball consistently. I would really like to see the Grizz acquire a stretch 4 or two. I know they are built upon grinding you down and feeding the post but I think they could still have a lot of success with adapting to having 4-5 guys on the court together being able to shoot. Just something id like to see from them even if just for limited minutes.

Added Thoughts:

I see Memphis right back near the top fighting for a 1-4 seed in the West. A 3 or 4 seed seems more likely but I wouldn't be shocked to see them grab a 1-2 seed; they were very good last season. Regardless, I feel confident that they will be back in the playoffs. The only thing that im concerned about is how long their window for contending will last. They have a pretty old roster with guys like Barnes, Carter, Allen, Randolph, and to a lesser extent Gasol. They should still compete for HCA in the playoffs consistently for the next 2-3 years at least though. I'd like to see them trade one of Green/Barnes with some slight extra value attached (if needed) for either a more versatile wing or a stretch 4. I think that could have some huge pay-offs for them.

Overall, this team looks right about where it was last season if not better. Brandon Wright was a great addition as was Matt Barnes. I can see both of those guys making impacts for them. They may be a little thin at PF/C but their wing depth looks pretty good at the moment. I expect the Grizz to have another strong year and hope for better luck as far as health goes come playoffs.

Win/Loss Prediction: 56-26

Overall Grade: A


Chuck Texas's Review: MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

Key Losses:

Kostas Koufos

Other Losses:

Jon Leuer
Nick Calathes

Draft:

#25 Jarell Martin -- this was a guy they identified early as their guy and didn't veer from the plan even as other guys dropped to them. I'm not a draft expert especially on guys this late in teh draft but they had a plan and stuck to it. I always like that.

Trades:

they made a couple small moves that resulted in Matt Barnes arrival which I love for them. Another tough physical wing defender with some ability to spread the floor. Also moved out Leuer to make room for Martin and got Harrison whom again I like for them. Won't play much now but I think he has NBA potential

Free Agency:

Retained Marc Gasol and signed Brandan Wright. Obviously any time you keep a player like Marc Gasol its a huge win, but to keep him without him ever even seriously entertaining other offers is great. And Wright took less money to play with Memphis which is nice. I like Koufos more as a player than Wright, but I love the idea of Wright playing with Gasol and especially with Zbo. I think he is going to add a new dimension to the team.

Current Depth Chart (Correct me if wrong):

Marc Gasol/Brandon Wright
Zach Randolph/Jeff Green/Jarell Martin/Jarnell Stokes
Matt Barnes/Vince Carter
Courtney Lee/Tony Allen/Jordan Adams/Harrison
Mike Conley/Beno Udrih/Russ Smith

Needs:

I can appreciate wanting to have some youth at the end of your bench to develop, but it feels almost like they have too much of it especially with a win-now window. Team feels like it needs another veteran big especially one who can play the 5 and I'd like to see a better 3rd PG. An upgrade at SF wouldn't hurt either.

Outlook/Additional Thoughts:

They pretty much brought the band back together. Nothing wrong with that as they remain a very good team. But I felt like this team needed to do more than just swap Koufos for Wright and add Matt Barnes. I still think trying to attach some of their youth to Jeff Green to try and bring in one more piece makes a lot of sense. I would target Gallo from Denver who I think would fit like a glove playing 3 and smallball 4 for them. Would also like to see them add a guy like Dre Miller or Jason Terry to their backcourt and a veteran center like O'Neal, Perkins, Dalembert. Wright can't fill in for Gasol in the same way that Koufas once could.

Record Prediction: 54-28

They could be as good as 60 wins and a 2nd seed and they could easily slide down to fighting for a playoff spot in the West. Too many good teams still even with Portland and Dallas dropping back. I still think they will be in that 3-6 range and a team no one wants to face in the PS.

Off-Season Grade: -- B

Every move they made makes sense. I just think they made one major move too few at this point and don't think they did enough to close the cap between themselves and the Warriors.

Well thought out reviews, good job.

Personally, I was not a huge fan of Memphis' off-season, but it really wasn't their fault. I love the Brandan Wright accusation, but I just feel losing Kostas Koufus is going to be huge for them.

Nice review Chuck. I am totally kicking myself for not mentioning Gallinari as a wing that Memphis should go after. Would be a terrific fit and you can play small ball with him in spurts as a stretch 4.

After comparing, i feel like both of our reviews are one notch off. Mine being one grade too high and yours being one grade too low. So maybe a B+ or A- feels right. I don't think you put enough emphasis as far as grading goes on Memphis's re-signing of Gasol. Any time you can lock up arguably the best center in the league on a 4-5 year deal should get you around an A imo.

There are definitely still some more moves I'd like to see from them. So perhaps their lack of moves or unfinished business brought them to a B? I think you are spot on with consolidating some of their youth to get win now veteran help. Harrison, Russ, Adams, Green, and Stokes. Any combination of those young guys should be able to bring back some type of savy vet. David West would have been huge for them.

I think it's a bit premature to hand the starting job to Matt Barnes. I've always liked Barnes but he's 35 years old now. I don't bench a 28 year old Jeff Green for him.

I really liked Nick Calathes. I was hoping the Jazz would get him. Odd to me that he couldn't find a suitor in the NBA. Koufos was pretty solid as well. Otoh, I also like the guys they brought in in Barnes and Wright. So, not a huge change for me in free agency. I think maybe a step back, but, a small one.

However, I think Memphis' window is starting to close, the team is getting older. And when the bench starts taking steps back, even small ones, it's worrisome. They won 55 games last year. I think it's going to drop a little to maybe 53. And that looks to be the start of a trend and not a spike to me. Memphis desparately needs to add a young gun to the roster in the way that San Antonio did with Leonard, but, that's easier said than done.

They added Wright and lost Koufos, basically. Based on personnel changes, it looks like a wash to me and a "C".

Unless we're going to upgrade it for Gasol resigning? That was their major goal. Then it's an A or A-.

If a team retains a star by resigning, do we upgrade their offseason or just consider that par?

Laimbeer wrote:They added Wright and lost Koufos, basically. Based on personnel changes, it looks like a wash to me and a "C".

Unless we're going to upgrade it for Gasol resigning? That was their major goal. Then it's an A or A-.

If a team retains a star by resigning, do we upgrade their offseason or just consider that par?

Anytime a team is able to resign or sign a star i always account for it into my evaluation. I don't think its always a given that the original team is going to be able to resign their star player (although in this case it seemed like it). Portland just experienced this and 3-4 months ago most posters on here thought it was a given that LMA would re-sign with the blazers.

PMOTT3 wrote:

Laimbeer wrote:They added Wright and lost Koufos, basically. Based on personnel changes, it looks like a wash to me and a "C".

Unless we're going to upgrade it for Gasol resigning? That was their major goal. Then it's an A or A-.

If a team retains a star by resigning, do we upgrade their offseason or just consider that par?

Anytime a team is able to resign or sign a star i always account for it into my evaluation. I don't think its always a given that the original team is going to be able to resign their star player (although in this case it seemed like it). Portland just experienced this and 3-4 months ago most posters on here thought it was a given that LMA would re-sign with the blazers.

If that's the case, Gasol alone makes it an A for me. If you told Grizz fans this would be their offseason, including resigning Gasol, they'd be elated. I'll tweak it to A- since they didn't do a lot otherwise.

jazzfan1971 wrote:I think it's a bit premature to hand the starting job to Matt Barnes. I've always liked Barnes but he's 35 years old now. I don't bench a 28 year old Jeff Green for him.

I really liked Nick Calathes. I was hoping the Jazz would get him. Odd to me that he couldn't find a suitor in the NBA. Koufos was pretty solid as well. Otoh, I also like the guys they brought in in Barnes and Wright. So, not a huge change for me in free agency. I think maybe a step back, but, a small one.

However, I think Memphis' window is starting to close, the team is getting older. And when the bench starts taking steps back, even small ones, it's worrisome. They won 55 games last year. I think it's going to drop a little to maybe 53. And that looks to be the start of a trend and not a spike to me. Memphis desparately needs to add a young gun to the roster in the way that San Antonio did with Leonard, but, that's easier said than done.

Green really underperformed as a starter for them. I may consider giving him the starting gig to start off the season since he was only with Memphis for 3/4 of the season last year but I'd keep him on a short leash. He has a tendency to just disappear on the stat sheets for stretches of games. I just prefer Barnes ability to space the floor over Greens size.

Yea i dont understand not re-signing Calathes or actually any NBA team not signing him this off-season. I thought he had some good moments with the grizzly last season. The jazz woukd have been a good spot for him.

I talked about this in my evaluation as well. Memphis has a lot of aging pieces that contribute to their core. Their window for contending doesnt look like it will stay open much longer. And they have alot of young bench guys waiting for bigger minutes but may not be ready to contribute significantly. It seems like it would make more sense to consolidate some of those guys for some savvy vets or at least whats left of them right?

I love the Barnes addition. He's not a consistent 3-point sniper, but moving in a year or so from Allen & Prince in the starting lineup to Lee & Barnes, is a clear upgrade. Also, it makes more sense to use Green as the leading guy for the 2nd unit, assuming he buys into that role on a contract year. He can play the 3-4 positions, Allen can play 2-3, then they have Wright as a 4-5. Add Udrih, plus possible contributions from Adams, Carter, Russ Smith & Stokes, and you got yourself a nice deep rotation with great continuity.

I guess I'm not as high on the Barnes acquisition as some. He can be very inconsistent on both ends of the ball, and while he has a good level of fire inside...I wanted the Griz to address their weaknesses instead of just doubling down on their strengths. I wanted to see a somewhat more dynamic offensive player on the wing; maybe Green will have a better chance to do that off the bench? I dunno.

Obviously getting Gasol back was the key, and bringing in Wright at only the MLE to replace Koufos is a nice underrated move.

I would really like for this one to get some more feedback, especially in the polls. I don't expect it to get the attention that the Toronto one got but the polls definitely need more votes at the very least. Its too even right now.

Memphis is still short a big. Wright is basically the only backup big worth playing at this point. This fact alone could push Green to the bench, with Barnes starting at SF.

The biggest thing they are missing is shooting. They don't have any big time shooters that are must guard guys. That has hurt them in the Playoffs previous, and unless they address it, it will hurt them again.

one last friendly bump before I post the next one this afternoon.

If Luke Babbitt hasn't been picked up by anyone yet, he would make an interesting addition. He's another body at SF and he can shoot. Or grab the ageless Rasual Butler.