The Memphis Grizzlies are Top 5 in the West at this point

[NCHeels2008]

need a pg

[KF10]

Here are the key things on why we WILL be a top 5 team.

Experience and developement of our young players. You fans take that foregranted. The Thunder won 25 games to 50 games this year and all they added was James Harden and developement of KD and Westbrook.

http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/natio ... 07_24.html

Look at the box score. The two best players on Blue were OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay. They just happen to be on the same team.

We didn't have a bench this past season. We have addded Tony Allen " The Kobe Stopper". Xavier Henry who is a lottery and a top 10 player when he was in high school.

Sam Young developement, he was absolutely a beast in Vegas, he was the 2nd best player in summer league behind John Wall. He had a 35 point game there. He is 6'6 230lbs athetic, he is really a Corey Maggette type of player.

Hasheem Thabeet developement: He was a force inside in summer league unlike his rookie season Even had a 20/10 game with 5 blocks. He is going to protect the paint for us.

Zach Randolph is still going to get close to 20/10 like he has done pretty much his entire career, Marc Gasol is a great player and is easily the best player playing in the World Championships not on team USA.

At end of the day it all comes back on our two most talented players with the highest ceilings Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo. I expect OJ to have an all-star year, and past Brandon Roy as the 3rd best SG in the league consensus wise. Gay to be a top 5 SF

To each to his own I guess.

[lilojmayo]

need a pg

mike conley as long as he learns to give it to Rudy or OJ as fast as possibleinstead of trying to be the next Chris Paul like this past season we will be fine.

[carrottop12]

Against which teams in the West to the Grizzlies have the best player on the floor against?

Second best?

With out having those two things I just don't think you are going to make the playoffs. Your top players have to be better than the top players of the other teams to win enough games to make the playoffs. Looking at the West and I just don't see it.

These teams all have a better best player than the Grizzlies.

Lakers
Mavs
Suns
Nuggets
Jazz
Blazers
Spurs
Thunder
Rockets
Hornets
Kings

Against these teams, your second best player is worse than their second best player.

Lakers
Nuggets
Jazz
Blazers
Spurs
OKC
Houston

And you certainly aren't better than the Mavericks.

IMO, that means the only real shot you have of getting in the playoffs is through injuries or a fluke trade, it just won't happen. Not this year.

[9abovetherim]

need a pg

+ some vets not named Z-Boo

[AussieBuck]

No D and shaky play making still, top 5 isn't happening. They are awesome on the boards though.

[KillaMayo]

Keep talking guys. Next thing you see is the Grizz beating your team

[treis]

http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/natio ... 07_24.html

Look at the box score. The two best players on Blue were OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay. They just happen to be on the same team.

Mayo and Gay put up good stats while being blown out? Yep, that sounds about right.

[mnWI]

Memphis doesn't need to move Mayo to pg, their starting lineup was I believe the highest scoring in the league but their bench was the at best bottom 3 in the NBA. The Grizzlies will easily make the playoff this year because they addressed the weaknesses that hurt them last season.
1. Grizzlies blew the most double digit lead last year
Solution: Get better bench players in Tony Allen, healthy Darrell Arhtur, Xavier Henry, improved Sam Young, Hasheem Thabeet monumental improvement
2. Grizzlies constantly abused by wing players
Solution: Get Tony Allen, Thabeet also helps with his presence
3. Grizzlies one of the worst 3 point shooting teams in the NBA
Solution: Get Grevis Vasquez, Xavier Henry and Sam Young shoot 39% from 3 in summer league

Don't expect him to keep that up. Based on the entire history of the NBA, it's reasonable to expect for him to become an average 3 point shooter (35-36%), but him improving to 38.6% or above would put him in the company of 18 other players in NBA history. In the entire history of the NBA, only 18 players have improved upon their college 3 point percentage by a significant margin in the NBA.

[jefe]

Top 5 is certainly pushing it and won't happen barring significant injuries within the WC or a significant midseason trade by the Grizz; however, I think 7 or 8 is attainable.

Last year, the Grizz finished 40-42. This record included a 1-8 start thanks to Canswer, a skid at the end of the year due to Marc Gasol's injury (missed the final 13 games of the season IIRC), and a non-existent bench (I don't where to find the stat, but the Grizz starters scored the largest % of their team's points in the NBA - i.e. we had the least productive bench, relative to starters, in the league). Assuming good health, taking away the Canswer factor, and taking into account the minor improvements to the bench (Allen, Henry, Vasquez, and a healthy Arthur), I think a 7-to-9 win improvement is possible. Obviously, that would put the Grizz at 47-49 wins, which may or may not be enough to slide into the 7 or 8 spot depending on how the rest of the West shakes out. Absent significant injuries to conference foes or a significant trade to bolster the Grizz's bench, I don't think a top 5 finish is possible for this squad.

[Mr. E]

They're going in the right direction, but they aren't Top 5 Material with the teams in the West (or even their own division) ahead of them.

The Lakers are the cream of the crop and have gotten stronger.

The Thunder are a young, stacked team that gave the eventual champs a run for their money. Like many are saying with the Grizzlies, they too have had another year of experience to get stronger and a guy named Durant.

The Spurs are the Spurs. I think that we should all know better than to write them off due to "age." They'll be there.

The Mavericks know how to win in the regular season with the best of them. They are looking at a better playoff team now, too.

Then you have the teams that push the Grizzlies out of this discussion:

The Rockets finished 42-40 despite injuries, McGrady distractions and a big mid-season change that altered the team. Now they have Yao back; they aren't just counting on Truck Hayes to play center and the team is deep with smart players.

The Blazers, despite a litany of injuries - each one prompted people to declare their season over - made the playoffs and played tough & smart. No idea why anyone is overlooking this team.

The Hornets, Suns, Jazz are still ahead of the Grizz as well, even with their subtractions.

I like the Grizzlies a lot; but they just have too many solid teams ahead of them to declare them a top 5 lock. They're playoff contenders, definitely, but not top 5.

[lilojmayo]

Keep talking guys. Next thing you see is the Grizz beating your team

Amen brother.Fans are going to be for a rude awaken come this season. You can tell from Rudy Gay's comments at his press conference where his new contract was announced that he was ready to not just make the playoffs, but do serious damage in the playoffs.

[Percules]

Gay is in no way a franchise player.

[DaDragicShow]

Memphis wont even win over 25 games. You've got to be kidding me son?

[mid-post]

Memphis wont even win over 25 games. You've got to be kidding me son?

Maybe, if you're talking about wins at home.

[SuigintouEV]

Gay's a mediocre 3rd option playing 1st option
Z-Bo still doesn't play a lick of defense
Gasol ain't bad but he ain't an all star
Mayo is a quality scorer but he's like a poor, poor man's Paul Pierce.
They still don't have a PG that really impresses me.
Tony Allen is Tony Freaking Allen.

Am I missing something?

[sisibilio]

Or better. Check out, they have 3 all star caliber players IMO. Zbo (all star this season), Marc Gasol (potential all star this season) and Rudy Gay franchise player and underrated SF. Good PG rotation in Mike Conley and Jamaal Tinsley. OJ Mayo is a good SG. And they added toughness and experience in Tony Allen. Their frontcourt Randolph-Gasol was the top rebounder in the league. What do you think about the Grizz??? I really think they can be a big surprise this season.

They didn't make the playoffs last year and they only added Tony Allen, Xavier Henry, and Grevis Vasquez. Am I missing something?

You can also count Darrell Arthur as an addition since he missed most of the last season, and even Thabeet started to resemble a basketball player towards the end of the season.

[CDM88]

Lakers
Dallas
Houston
Denver
Jazz
Thunder
Spurs
Memphis

[RipCityLives]

I dont know why people rates Houston so high. Yao is an ex-player boys, and the rest of the guys didnt made play offs last season. Memphis has a young roster which is improving season after season.

[Iamtheliquor]

I do expect Memphis to challenge for the final playoff seed this season but when i saw the title of this thread i just laughed.