RealGM

Hey posters,

First of all, I'm sorry that your team wasn't able to make the playoffs. You know I'm in the same boat, so I definitely identify with you. I am looking to put together NBA Summits for the fourteen Lottery teams as the playoffs get underway...that should keep things interesting for all parties...

I put together a ton of these on the NFL forums heading into next weekend's draft and they have been wildly successful. I hope for the same here, and I know the population of these boards will lend itself to many responses.

Editor Chris Reina and I have put together these seven question for you all to answer, with the best answers making it into posted pieces on our main page. The only thing that I ask is that you please limit your responses to two sentences per question. Please try your best to heed that request, it makes the Summits easier to read and quicker to put together.

Thanks gang, and best of luck in the Lottery.

1. What could the team have done different to make the playoffs?
2. Where were the team

1. I'm not sure we could have done anything differently to have made the playoffs. Right now I don't think we had (have) the personnel to get it done. So from a personnel perspective nothing would have changed the outcome. I expected this season to be a time for our current players to mature and grow together. Hoping to catch lightning in a bottle is probably not a reasonable expectation.

2. Biggest strengths? hmmm...ability to lose in the clutch

3. Mike Miller is probably the most consistent and effective player we have now. But if I expect it, does that make it surprising? I would choose Kyle Lowry. I wasn't sure what to expect from him after his early injury last season and wondered if he could be consistent all season long. I was pleasantly surprised with his play and toughness.

4. Most ineffective player- Casey Jacobsen. He was brought in for his outside shooting and his familiarity with head coach MI. His shooting was abysmal during the games and I didn't see that his familiarity with the "system" helped us or him.

5. I have very little confidence in the front ofc. I'm not sure who is calling the shots, Heisley or Wallace. I have a very small amount of confidence in Wallace at this point and zero confidence in Heisley. Seriously we traded Pau for some magic beans and an expiring contract.

6. Interior toughness. Rebounding and controlling the paint.

7. Beasly-Rose-Lopez-Mayo depending on availability. Gallinari has an outside shot. If we fall outside the top 4- I expect us to trade down (or up if possible) and package our pick with a current player.

I would pretty much go with everything Cubboo wrote. I would only add that Casey was so ineffective that I totally forgot about him till reading Cub's post. If number 6 had said offseason instead of draft, I would have said perimeter defense.

Good enough. Cubboo said it all.

5 star post from Cubboo - pretty much sums it up.

Can you guys add your own answers so I can make a complete "Summit"?

Griz fans (except for Chip and PMI) are like the Borg.

1. nothing really-better defensive schemes (actually better defensive players...) in close games and during quarter/half finishes could have gone a long way...but probably still not gotten us to the playoffs.

2. the fact that we sucked..and that made it ok to give plenty of time to under- and undeveloped players, giving the world a chance to see that there were a couple of them who just don't belong in the NBA.

3. Hakim Warrick after the Pau trade. Extended his range, became an ever better scorer.

4. Hakim Warrick. Either completely lacks the ability (certainly likely) or the will (MOST CERTAINLY) to learn to play better D.

5. Not very. Signed Darko out of desperation last year, and that's just horrible. If I hear the phrase "lightning in a bottle" from Heisley/Wallace/Iavaroni *once* between now and the draft, my confidence level approaches infinity in the negative.

6. a thug who can rebound and score.

7. if the lottery plays out true, my answer for #6 cannot come to pass-at #4, the Grizzlies select Danilo Gallinari. I just hope he turns out better than Andrea Bustagnani. If we take Brook Lopez, PhD Griz and I will be found picketing the FEF the day after the draft.

1. What could the team have done different to make the playoffs?
* Nothing. This team at best was a 9/10th place team, had things played out correctly.

2. Where were the team

http://grizzlies.realgm.com/articles/47 ... _grizzles/

The Grizzlies Lottery Summit came out today.