My analysis of the 28th pick

[jman3134]

When contemplating the Memphis Grizzlies's pick at number 28, one must consider the immense talent and potential that was surprisingly available low in the first round. With Chris Douglas Roberts, DeAndre Jordan, Joey Dorsey and others still available, the Grizzlies opted to move in a different direction- to select what they perceived to be the best talent available. Before one can remark on their selection, one must exercise all options. CDR was a hometown favorite who is highly underrated due to his largely average physical tools. Yet, this does not account for his penchant for in game heroics. (other than their tournament run) Dorsey, a fellow Tiger, is a monster in the paint who can gather rebounds. And, Jordan possesses considerable physical gifts and could emerge as one of the best steals in this draft. Ultimately, the Grizzlies went with Syracuse freshman Donte Greene.



Though he possesses a great deal of potential, this selection makes little sense from the Grizzlies' perpective. Greene is a 6'10 small forward who largely shoots from the outside. He is extremely raw at this stage in his development, and is going to need to add considerable bulk in order to be effective in the NBA. He is a streaky shooter from the perimeter who can detract from his team if his shots are not falling. Greene, at times, hoists shots up at inopportune times. When he decided to go inside, he was able to maneuver in the paint, though this was a rare occurrence. Furthermore, he was outmuscled by stronger interior defenders at the college level. Thus, a strength training program could do wonders for his game. Moreover, his below average ball handling does not make him ideal for an up tempo style. When Syracuse played in transition, Greene was prone to pulling up for three point shots; thus the Orange faced many empty possessions. As such, Donte's understanding of the game must mature for him to be a serious factor in the Grizzlies transition offense.



Secondly, from a personnel standpoint, this is not the most appropriate selection. Rudy Gay is the most coveted talent on our roster, and he will consume roughly forty minutes per game. And, Greene plays the same position as Rudy. Not only that, but both possess comparable flaws. Due to his considerable length, Rudy could stand to improve his handle; however, he has made strides since his rookie season. Similarly, Greene was incapable of driving to the hoops due to his lacksidasical dribbling. He utilized his notable height advantage to shoot over the top of opponents. With this option taken away, it is difficult to determine how he will respond. Greene is very raw at this stage in his development, especially if he is to be utilized in an up tempo offense. Why did the Grizzlies refrain from selecting an immediate rotation player who could provide consistent effort off the bench. With Juan Carlos Navarro gone, the Grizzlies could have used this pick to solidify their backup guard positions.



I suspect that this selection was an attempt to appease fellow Syracuse alum Hakim Warrick. However, this is an underwhelming proposition for most fans because his tweener status has really been a detriment to the Grizzlies team defense. Overall, Donte possesses a great deal of promise, but selecting him with more experienced players readily available and not taking into account his NBA position, could prove to be a costly error down the road.

jtmbasketball.blogspot.com

[jman3134]

I threw this together in like 10 minutes at most, so take it easy on me.....

[Carmelo Anthony]

Hey guys, philly fan migrating over for a minute..

I am already on record saying Donte will be a top 5 player out of this draft... I live in Syracuse and attended every game, he really is something special. He was just forced into a role he wasn't ready for. I believe once he gets a little nba ball under his belt he will blossom. I was praying that the sixers would draft him. He's an excellent shooter but was forced to take bad shots, a decent rebounder and a decent shot blocker but the most overlooked trait is his speed. For his size he is very fluid and able to get up and down the court quite fast. I know you guys won't be disapointed with him.


PS. Out of highschool based on his potential alone he was considered a top 5 pick but the nba rules wouldn't allow it of course.

[jman3134]

He is quick, but without improvements in his handle, he will likely not see many minutes at SF.

[Carmelo Anthony]

He is quick, but without improvements in his handle, he will likely not see many minutes at SF.

For right now... He will need to see minutes at small forward because he couldn't handle most of the stronger pf's in the league.

One thing that most people don't take into account is the situation he was thrown into. The syracuse defense is a 2-3 zone. everyone knows that so it makes it hard to judge a players individual defense. and on offense he came into the season slated as the third option. But our two best shooters and arguably the best player (besides greene) went down with injuries so he was forced into the number one option which at this stage in his game he isn't ready to be.

[GrizzledGrizzFan]

Hopefully he'll get plenty of PT, in Houston.

[Carmelo Anthony]

Hopefully he'll get plenty of PT, in Houston.

Wow I go to the bar and miss so much.. After you said that I finally caught the article.

[grizzleGM]

That was great... now can you do it for the 27th pick?

[Chi Dynasty12]

I love that Darrell went to you guys. He fits in great and I can't wait to watch him bloom with Mayo & Gay

[jman3134]

That was great... now can you do it for the 27th pick?

I guess I was right to suspect that something was up. But, yeah, when exactly did that trade happen? I only heard about it today.

[grizzleGM]

The Houston Chronicle broke the story an hour before ESPN did!!! About 11:15pm last night.

[chrbal]

I realize this was wrote some time ago, but I'm kind of on the side that the Grizzlies really didn't take full use of this pick. They traded Donte and a future 2nd to get Darrell Arthur who was taken one pick higher.

I really thought that the Grizzlies would take Joey Dorsey at the pick. Also, considering that with the next pick the Pistons took DJ White and wwapped him for two 2nds (questionable results on that from myself, a Pistons fan).
But look at what could've been had; At 32 the Grizzlies could've still taken Dorsey (my choice) or taken any number of guys that would've fit. At 46, I would've taken Bill Walker (highest upside).

I don't really understand a lot of moves that the Grizzlies make. This has been true for ages. Pretty much since this franchise came in and took all kinds of vets from the expansion draft;

Benoit Benjamin- in spite of using their first ever pick on Bryant Reeves.
Gerald Wilkens- in spite of the ACL injury.
Doug Edwards- in spite of sucking.
and so on.

[GrizzledGrizzFan]

In all fairness, although your observations on Benjamin, Wilkens and Edwards are correct, that was how many front offices ago? Has nothing to do with the current, or previous regime.

To understand why the Grizz made the move for Arthur, understand that he was 11th overall on their draft board. Looking at it that way, trading the #28 and a future 2nd for the guy that you had rated as #11, it makes a lot more sense.

[jman3134]

I agree with Grizzled on this as I am not too high on Donte Greene. (as some may understand from other threads)

But, chrbal's point is still valid: we have had some headscratcher decisions by all of our front offices. I mean certain teams have had back to back GMs who have made bonehead decisions....cough cough Layden followed by Thomas. Anyway, I do not think this trade was one of them. Had we kept Greene, we would have made a seriously poor move. Our frontcourt is one of the worst in decades. We seriously needed an upgrade there, not a backup for Gay.

Why we selected OJ Mayo....that's a whole other bag of worms that I don't want to get into on this thread.

[M-Town's Finest]

Donte Greene went for 40 in his first game... I gotta admit, I didn't see that coming. I considered Greene to be the most likely player to flop and I'm not sure that's changed yet, but 40 in your first game is pretty impressive.

[GrizzledGrizzFan]

Didn't see it coming either. Even in a summer league game that's impressive.

[jman3134]

It's impressive, but one must remember that Qyntel Woods put up huge summer league numbers a couple years ago and Anthony Randolph also had a huge performance.