RealGM

Wondering when we will here from OJ.

Last I heard was that he didn't want to come to Memphis.

Where did you 'hear' that from??? I haven't heard or read anything except that he wanted to play along side Wade.

He didn't say that, it was just that his reps were very conservative regarding his workouts and he never came to Memphis but they did work him out in Chicago. I think Tony Barone Sr. said this but someone please correct me if I am wrong. He has been very gracious in interviews saying he will do what is asked of him and the only thing he has said was that he felt he could play the point which we will not need him to do currently.

He was introduced at an 11 am new conf. today so we should be getting snipets from season ticket holders soon.

We really needed this!

His comment during the press conference is that he is glad to be here and glad to be playing with Gay, Conley, and Arthur all of whom he has played with or against in AAU. He also said he was excited to get out and eat some barbeque.

I'm actually shocked that he didn't cause a big stink.

jman3134 wrote:I'm actually shocked that he didn't cause a big stink.

Don't worry, you'll grow to love him, jman.

PapooseKN wrote:

jman3134 wrote:I'm actually shocked that he didn't cause a big stink.

Don't worry, you'll grow to love him, jman.

Hopefully. jman has these skewed views on Mayo that don't have much basis.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3390695
^ Emphasis on not proven, but if it is, this is bad.

http://www.trojannyc.com/2007/10/did-oj-mayo-pun.html

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qkt4YdLdXjM

Still, these are all not strong evidence, but I have heard rumblings, supposedly quoted by current teammates etc, that claim that he is quite the headcase. I think his recruiting USC is a sign of his ego. No doubt he is extremely hard working and has the potential to be a Gilbert Arenas type of player.


But, I simply recognize that the character issue is there. This is not the reason I dislike Mayo for the Grizz. We have 4 point guards already and Mayo has some flaws in his game. Despite his hard work, his shooting is streaky and he requires a certain number of shots per game. Look at USC, they lived and died by his shooting because he was such an overwhelming contributor of offense.

I do not believe that Mayo is a true point guard, and I hope that the Grizz can receive someone with excellent playmaking abilities.

I do not hate Mayo, I am just unimpressed at this point. But, with his work ethic, he could certainly prove me wrong.

Here you go pulling that old garbage again. Last time I checked, people can grow up and he has a few million reasons to grow up even faster. And the Grizzlies need some ego for once. We need a break from choir boys so to speak.

USC system was shite and most people know that. Can't use that. That would be like saying Rose won't be a good passing PG because he had low assist numbers at Memphis when that would be impossible to do in the motion offense Calipari runs.

He has decent court vision, but not the same type of vision I would like for the Grizz. My point is that OJ needs to take a certain volume of shots and that this can be disruptive to an offense.

I love you bg, but I cannot say that I honestly believe Mayo is not a headcase. Moreover, we had headcases in the past, but West decided to trade them because he felt they were cancers to winning. I would agree though that Bonzi Wells is far more of a basketcase than Mayo at this point. I believe that character should be what the Grizz strive for. Passion, intensity, and heart are not synonamous with ego-centric play. I want the former.

IMHO no one wanted to come to Memphis, I don't think he wanted to either, he wont say it at least I don't think so because as a rookie you don't want a reputation as a trouble maker. Maybe he'll hold out

Bonzi was my favorite of all the Grizzlies that got moved that year and I feel he got a raw deal.

I think Mayo brings the former and latter. Not saying Mayo is Michael Jordan, but Jordan brought all of those. Bird brought all of those. Magic brought all of those. Superstars need to have that swagger that helps make them standout above the rest. It was ego that makes Lebron whisper in Arenas' ear at the FT line. Ego that makes Kobe score 81 and win the game. The Grizzlies need that bad.

jman3134 wrote:I love you bg,

But it is a team that wins a championship. My worry is that this team is going to be all about Mayo and not about a team commitment to winning. I think the Grizz will fluctuate based on OJ's production.....

That quote was purely platonic, if you needed any clarification.

see I disagree....

this is Rudy's team......

OJ was the name player the went after to feel seats.

Irregardless.....

Conley/Mayo/Gay is a combo anyteam in the league would die for.

If we can get our bigs to man the boards and D up (which Gasol and Arthur can do) we have the wings to run other teams off the floor.

jman3134 wrote:That quote was purely platonic, if you needed any clarification.

Forgot to mention that he was on the Chris Vernon radio show and talked about how he found out during a draft after party. He saw it on TV coincidentally right after Rudy Gay came in. He's fine. You can listen to it here.

http://chrisvernon.blogspot.com/

Hey guys new member here. Listening to the interview I think both players were genuinly happy to be traded to Memphis. Watching the draft on ESPN there were a number of players that were obviously disappointed or upset ie: Bayless, however Mayo and Arthur did not seem to behave in that manner. I thinik both are just pleased to be in the NBA and, honestly, pleased to be making millions of dollars. All that needs to be done now is for fans to watch the Grizz and maybe a b it of national coverage and I'm sure Mayo and Arthur will be content.

Auzzie Grizz wrote:Hey guys new member here. Listening to the interview I think both players were genuinly happy to be traded to Memphis. Watching the draft on ESPN there were a number of players that were obviously disappointed or upset ie: Bayless, however Mayo and Arthur did not seem to behave in that manner. I thinik both are just pleased to be in the NBA and, honestly, pleased to be making millions of dollars. All that needs to be done now is for fans to watch the Grizz and maybe a b it of national coverage and I'm sure Mayo and Arthur will be content.

Welcome Auzzie!

Cheers mate. Been scanning this board for a while now and only just decided to join up. Hoping Mayo can help the Grizz get some ESPN coverage (only US Sports channel we get here).

First off, welcome aboard Auzzie. As for Friday's interview, it was pretty good to say the least. Both Mayo and Arthur sound like they are willing to commit to being with the Grizzlies and will do their best to help the team win games along with improving their game through training and experience.