2024-25 Season Discussion and Speculation Part V

[Ghost of Kleine]

Didnt realize you were such a fan of being in the Play-In race

Obviously that wouldn't be our only move...lol. Final assessment to be made once all cumulative moves are completed.

Oh Im pricing in the rest too lol.

We'll, we're already barely a play in team even with carrying the most expensive roster in NBA history as is, do you really think trading for Sabonis would make us significantly worse and also theorizing on other unknown theoretical additions too following up that trade with a roster overhaul?

Even if key pieces around a Sabonis/ Booker core? Sabonis dominating the post and Booker or Booker and Beal playing off his gravity?

Then use Allen and O'neale, picks, etc for other key pieces in trades too. Do you really think that cumulative alteration premise yields worse or similar results for us?

[enigmatics]

LOL just saw on another board that Booker is -54 over the last two games when they you know needed their super max player to show up.

[garrick]

I really hope we swap out Bud for Jenkins!!! We'd be grotesquely stupid to not very aggressively try to sign him this summer as Buds' replacement. He's the ekite defensive tactician, younger, innovative coach we've needed for the longest time now.

And he'd be a very strong step in the right direction.

He learned from Bud and lost the locker room. Also a bad record against good teams.

The team believed that Jenkins had lost the locker room over the course of the season and that making a change now might mitigate how the Grizzlies finish the season.

Memphis has lost four of its past five games, with Morant sidelined due to a strained hamstring, and has gone 8-11 since the All-Star break, the 21st-best record in the NBA in that span.

The Grizzlies host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, with the teams entering with matching 44-29 records. That starts a stretch in which eight of Memphis' final nine opponents are either playoff teams or contending for a play-in spot. It's still possible, at least mathematically, that Memphis could get back to No. 2 in the West, and it's highly unlikely that the Grizzlies will fall into the play-in tournament range.

The new system showed promising signs earlier in the season and has constantly evolved as the Grizzlies worked to fully carve out an offensive identity ahead of the playoffs. Defensively, however, Memphis has struggled since the All-Star break, ranking 20th in defensive efficiency after holding the No. 7 spot over the first half of the season, according to ESPN Research.

Jenkins previously worked as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks (2013-18) and Milwaukee Bucks (2018-19).

To concisely address all of your statements man:

He learned from Bud and lost the locker room. Also a bad record against good teams.

- He may have learned from Bud, but he's a defensive tactician, and obviously, defense is a huge paramount issue for us, so he'd obviously address that very well.

He lost the locker room?

- Well, look at their team and their behavioral and attitude issues for a root cause. Also, are you aware that he submitted to a litany of coaching/ bench changes that was orchestrated over the past year by their front office? And those very changes likely played a prominent factor in much of their struggles in addition to numerous injuries too. But when those changes made weren't of his choosing or endorsement, and the new approach/ dynamics handed down from the brass very likely made him a lame duck to this outcome.

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Read on Twitter

Also a bad record against good teams.

- He led them to a 44 -29 record despite all of the injuries and Ja missing significant time. and an overall record of 250-214 over 6 seasons, and 3 playoff appearances. and had a 54% winning percentage. And a top 5 seed in a loaded western conference. And is the winningest coach in their franchisee history too.

The simple answer for this is a change in approach and direction in moving from a defensive oriented mentality to an offensive centric approach because Lisalo is considered an innovative offensive savant. Sometimes ownership just wants to try something different?



-

I think Jenkins would clash with Booker and KD who don't seem to really buy in to the tough love approach shown by Bud and Vogel and unless we add more defensive players would it really make sense to add another defensive minded coach on a team mostly devoid of good defenders?

[Mulhollanddrive]

Josh Giddey is the type of young asset I'd target if we want a player back.

Shown improvement when pure PG, has positive +/-, no.1 option for Australia in Olympics, shows has potential for bigger role.

[sunskerr]

If we get a new coach I want KD gone. Well I want him gone anyway to be honest. And if we can get the kings ransom for Booker too then so be it. Jenkins is appealing as a hire but I just don't see the point if we're just going to put out the same crappy roster that wins 30 games.

If you start the rebuild it's easier to go into the interview process looking for the right coach for a young team.

[Rebound Mound]

Kevin Durant: came. scored, lost...
Next destination... ?

[SunsRback4Good]

Kevin Durant: came. scored, lost...
Next destination... ?

Rockets, grizzlies or Twolves will be one of his next destinations.

[Sunlight]

The assistant coach who became Memphis' new head coach is very good. It was only a matter of time before Jenkins was fired.

[BobbieL]

If we get a new coach I want KD gone. Well I want him gone anyway to be honest. And if we can get the kings ransom for Booker too then so be it. Jenkins is appealing as a hire but I just don't see the point if we're just going to put out the same crappy roster that wins 30 games.

If you start the rebuild it's easier to go into the interview process looking for the right coach for a young team.

Booker is a very similar player as Durant - they are good players but not alpha leaders


Trade them both,. Lets cut this nonsense, well I hope Ishbia is facing that reality that they can build around Booker. That would just keep them mid.

They might not even make the play-in game and you want to keep Booker. Trade him value will never be higher

Durant, Booker, get under the aprons, move O'neal and Allen for expirings - set yourself up for the summer of 2027

[dremill24]

Obviously that wouldn't be our only move...lol. Final assessment to be made once all cumulative moves are completed.

Oh Im pricing in the rest too lol.

We'll, we're already barely a play in team even with carrying the most expensive roster in NBA history as is, do you really think trading for Sabonis would make us significantly worse and also theorizing on other unknown theoretical additions too following up that trade with a roster overhaul?

Even if key pieces around a Sabonis/ Booker core? Sabonis dominating the post and Booker or Booker and Beal playing off his gravity?

Then use Allen and O'neale, picks, etc for other key pieces in trades too. Do you really think that cumulative alteration premise yields worse or similar results for us?

I think it has been made abundantly clear what builiding around Sabonis gets you: 1st round exits.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Oh Im pricing in the rest too lol.

We'll, we're already barely a play in team even with carrying the most expensive roster in NBA history as is, do you really think trading for Sabonis would make us significantly worse and also theorizing on other unknown theoretical additions too following up that trade with a roster overhaul?

Even if key pieces around a Sabonis/ Booker core? Sabonis dominating the post and Booker or Booker and Beal playing off his gravity?

Then use Allen and O'neale, picks, etc for other key pieces in trades too. Do you really think that cumulative alteration premise yields worse or similar results for us?

I think it has been made abundantly clear what builiding around Sabonis gets you: 1st round exits.

Fair point man, but I wouldn't look at him as the centerpiece option for a competitive or contending team. And again I would argue it depends on a multitude of factors about what other pieces might he put around him.

I still think in an inside/ out scoring scheme, he clearly could be an integral piece to a high seed playoff team. But even in a worst case scenario, isn't being a 1st round exit a better outcome than our fringe play in, lottery team.

And likely not even making the playin while hemorrhaging lottery talent to other teams and being the most expensive lottery team in NBA history?? Just give me different options to work around on this team, and possibly a different outcome than our rinse and repeat collapses.

I'll take a 1st round exit over not even making the play in and having no flexibility or options to pivot.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Read on Twitter

As I mentioned yesterday about the Taylor Jenkins firing. The ownership wanted to go in a different direction emphasizing offensive oriented schemes more than Jenkins defense oriented structures.

But Jenkins would clearly address our greatest weakness which is defense. And playing tough and physical.

[bwgood77]

Read on Twitter

Now, who would've ever seen this coming??...LOL.

And for the right price, they can have him! All it'll take is...................................

Vassell/ Barnes (19 million expiring)/ Sochan/ SAS 25' 1st (8th pick)/ ATL 25' 1st (16th pick).

Well, i guess you got Sam Amico reporting it...must be legit.

[bwgood77]

I really hope we swap out Bud for Jenkins!!! We'd be grotesquely stupid to not very aggressively try to sign him this summer as Buds' replacement. He's the ekite defensive tactician, younger, innovative coach we've needed for the longest time now.

And he'd be a very strong step in the right direction.

He learned from Bud and lost the locker room. Also a bad record against good teams.

The team believed that Jenkins had lost the locker room over the course of the season and that making a change now might mitigate how the Grizzlies finish the season.

Memphis has lost four of its past five games, with Morant sidelined due to a strained hamstring, and has gone 8-11 since the All-Star break, the 21st-best record in the NBA in that span.

The Grizzlies host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, with the teams entering with matching 44-29 records. That starts a stretch in which eight of Memphis' final nine opponents are either playoff teams or contending for a play-in spot. It's still possible, at least mathematically, that Memphis could get back to No. 2 in the West, and it's highly unlikely that the Grizzlies will fall into the play-in tournament range.

The new system showed promising signs earlier in the season and has constantly evolved as the Grizzlies worked to fully carve out an offensive identity ahead of the playoffs. Defensively, however, Memphis has struggled since the All-Star break, ranking 20th in defensive efficiency after holding the No. 7 spot over the first half of the season, according to ESPN Research.

Jenkins previously worked as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks (2013-18) and Milwaukee Bucks (2018-19).

To concisely address all of your statements man:

He learned from Bud and lost the locker room. Also a bad record against good teams.

- He may have learned from Bud, but he's a defensive tactician, and obviously, defense is a huge paramount issue for us, so he'd obviously address that very well.

He lost the locker room?

- Well, look at their team and their behavioral and attitude issues for a root cause. Also, are you aware that he submitted to a litany of coaching/ bench changes that was orchestrated over the past year by their front office? And those very changes likely played a prominent factor in much of their struggles in addition to numerous injuries too. But when those changes made weren't of his choosing or endorsement, and the new approach/ dynamics handed down from the brass very likely made him a lame duck to this outcome.

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Also a bad record against good teams.

- He led them to a 44 -29 record despite all of the injuries and Ja missing significant time. and an overall record of 250-214 over 6 seasons, and 3 playoff appearances. and had a 54% winning percentage. And a top 5 seed in a loaded western conference. And is the winningest coach in their franchisee history too.

The simple answer for this is a change in approach and direction in moving from a defensive oriented mentality to an offensive centric approach because Lisalo is considered an innovative offensive savant. Sometimes ownership just wants to try something different?

-

I was just stating things I read. I think Jenkins is a really good coach, and that he has done very well in Memphis especially with all the injuries. It could very well be that the staff changes, which ownership seems to think they need to go more in the direction of, were the exact reason they were not as good as they could have been this year. It will be interesting to see how they do down the stretch. I think they have the talent to get out of the first round, but I think a matchup against a team like the Lakers or Warriors, with those experienced high iq players, will be tough for them to beat. Denver might be easier, however, Jokic might be able to learn enough to figure them out in a 7 game series.

[bwgood77]

Obviously that wouldn't be our only move...lol. Final assessment to be made once all cumulative moves are completed.

Oh Im pricing in the rest too lol.

We'll, we're already barely a play in team even with carrying the most expensive roster in NBA history as is, do you really think trading for Sabonis would make us significantly worse and also theorizing on other unknown theoretical additions too following up that trade with a roster overhaul?

Even if key pieces around a Sabonis/ Booker core? Sabonis dominating the post and Booker or Booker and Beal playing off his gravity?

Then use Allen and O'neale, picks, etc for other key pieces in trades too. Do you really think that cumulative alteration premise yields worse or similar results for us?

I think we may be able to stay in the top 10 with those moves.

[bwgood77]

Read on Twitter

As I mentioned yesterday about the Taylor Jenkins firing. The ownership wanted to go in a different direction emphasizing offensive oriented schemes more than Jenkins defense oriented structures.

But Jenkins would clearly address our greatest weakness which is defense. And playing tough and physical.

Funny thing is it wasn't Jenkin's offensive scheme. It was the new people brought in's scheme.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Read on Twitter

[Ghost of Kleine]

Read on Twitter

As I mentioned yesterday about the Taylor Jenkins firing. The ownership wanted to go in a different direction emphasizing offensive oriented schemes more than Jenkins defense oriented structures.

But Jenkins would clearly address our greatest weakness which is defense. And playing tough and physical.

Funny thing is it wasn't Jenkin's offensive scheme. It was the new people brought in's scheme.

True! I believe it was La Roche and St Andrew's that the tront office brought in alongside lisalo. And Jenkins and Klein were at odds over the ownership switching out his entire bench and he not really having any say in it. That began the rift between him and kleinman I believe.

[Saberestar]

Read on Twitter

IF our FO and KD agree that the best thing is to work on a trade with the Spurs I would like to get one of these two packages:

1) One package that includes Castle.

Harrison Barnes will be there too as a salary filler and decent role player but other than him I don't really care too much about the other pieces in the trade if Castle is there.

2) Vassell, Sochan, Keldon Johnson AND #8 in 2025 Draft.

Multiple good players but without All-Star potential and the 8th pick (presumably) in next year's draft.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Read on Twitter

Now, who would've ever seen this coming??...LOL.

And for the right price, they can have him! All it'll take is...................................

Vassell/ Barnes (19 million expiring)/ Sochan/ SAS 25' 1st (8th pick)/ ATL 25' 1st (16th pick).

Well, i guess you got Sam Amico reporting it...must be legit.

Also:

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

https://www.google.com/amp/s/newsletters.lockedonpodcasts.com/nba/locked-on-spurs/kevin-durant-to-san-antonio-spurs-trade-rumor%3f_amp=true

https://www.si.com/nba/spurs/news/nba-trade-idea-partners-kevin-durant-with-victor-wembanyama-01jp3fr2ph6y

https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/rumor-nba-offseason-rumors-spurs-plan-blockbuster-trade-land-kevin-durant-next-victor-wembanyama

https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/could_spurs_pull_off_kevin_durant_trade_heist_with_suns/s1_17113_41971615

So there's these too....lol.