Oden2 wrote:I've never been a fan of losing, so at least from my perspective, in almost every situation I'd take the playoffs over no playoffs. The only situation where I may not want the playoffs is if my team needs a rebuild. Memphis has improved quite a bit this season, and you guys have a lot to be proud of. As a Blazer fan, I know the ups and downs of youth, but Memphis, even with the 5 game losing streak, has still had a great season all in all. Look back at most pre-season projections and Memphis was nowhere near the other western playoff contenders. The Grizz have been in it to win it so far, I don't see any reason why they shouldn't aim for the playoffs. Sure, a .500 record won't cut it in the west (at least if you want a post season appearance), but things can change quickly in the NBA. If the Grizz win some games down the stretch, they can still have a shot at the post season, and considering how well they've played at times, I don't doubt that they're capable of giving some of the western playoff teams a run for their money.
I would adopt this philosophy in any other situation except the one that we have here with the Memphis Grizzlies and owner Michael Heisley.
I do not think that we will challenge any team in the playoffs with our current roster. And with the parameters we are operating under regarding trades, we will not be able to acquire a player that will change that.
I know our record is the best that it has been in a few years, but if you look at this season as a whole it has for all intents and purposes been a colossal failure in my opinion. And I am not talking in terms of wins/losses...but in terms of what we have to look forward to versus what could have been..better draft picks/a cheaper contract at PF to ensure we could keep the team together going forward. Zach Randolph making the all-star game has been the lone highlight, but even his acquisition in the offseason was a horrible decision by the Grizzlies front office. It was completely money-driven because of his deferred contract. The more logical route would have been a Paul Milsap or David Lee (who himself was an All-Star) at a lesser hit to your cap. I fully accept and expect that we would be below .500 with Lee or Milsap as our starting PF, but that's would have been ok. You'd be building toward something. In line to get a better draft pick than you are today. Then also you wouldn't have to tow this ridiculous line about not taking any long-term money to re-sign Rudy Gay (who you already have Bird Rights on so that stance is ridiculous under it's own merit). You would have more salary cap flexibility if not for re-acquiring Pau Gasol's deal in the form of Zach Randolph. Not to mention the horrible draft picks this past summer with the only driving factor is to have some player insurance for next year and the year after if Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol become too costly. A team that operates with only thoughts of year to year cannot be successful in this league. You know what you end up being? A middle of the pack team like the one we had 4 years ago. With no flexibility to improve. Michael Heisley has single-handedly taken us full circle back to where we were when we were getting swept out of the playoffs and didn't have flexibility to get better. Too good to get a good player in the draft. Not good enough to really contend. Going to the playoffs against superior teams in the West is another recipe for disaster.
