Via Beale Street Bears
Key Players: Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, Jaren Jackson Jr.
The Memphis Grizzlies are bewildering.
Following a season that featured an off-the-court battle between ownership over control and an on-the-court battle between star and coach over control, Memphis couldn't be happier to end the 2017-2018 campaign. This upcoming year should have far less drama, but don't take that as the Grizzlies having it all figured out.
Looking at the Grizzlies roster and offseason moves, it feels like even they don't know if they're coming or going.
On one hand, capable players, like Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, spell out a team capable of a playoff run. On the other hand, aging capped out foundations, like Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, places the Grizzlies' maximum potential at a first-round exit.
Back to the first hand, Memphis' spending of all their available cap room in the offseason addition of Kyle Anderson tells of a team trying to make the playoffs. Returning to the second hand, the world has seen the best of the 'Grit-N-Grind' Grizzlies and the grit of Tony Allen and Zach Randolph are gone, spelling out that it's time for a rebuild. Yet, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff explicitly said, "We're planning on a playoff run. There's no doubt about it."
What do the Grizzlies want from this season? Why is Chandler Parsons getting paid $24 million? What really happened between Tony Allen and O.J. Mayo? What does it all mean?
Memphis' Best Case Scenario
Via Hoops Habit
Sure, with the addition of fourth overall pick Jaren Jackson Jr., a healthy Memphis Grizzlies could make the playoffs. Yes, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are Grizzlies legends and deserve the loyalty shown by the firing of previous head coach David Fizdale. With a healthy Conley, the duo will undoubtedly spark nostalgic success of past seasons; but, that is the problem.
Memphis has a team built around a 33-year-old seven-footer and a 30-year-old guard fresh off two lower body surgeries. Let's play along to the Grizzlies' dreams of the upcoming season.
A fully healthy Mike Conley picks up right where he left off in the 2017 playoffs, posting superstar numbers of 25 points, 7 assists, and almost 2 steals an outing. Reunited with his partner-in-crime, Marc Gasol returns to his 20 points, 6 assists All-Star form. Jaren Jackson translates his 26.9 player efficiency rating to the next level and helps re-spark Grit-N-Grind. Kyle Anderson makes the city forget the great 17-18 season Tyreke Evans had, as he effortlessly plays 1-5.
Now what? 50 wins, a playoff berth, and a first-round exit to a younger team. Stagnation masked by relative success is still stagnation, and that's not "best-case" for any competitive organization.
Memphis is clearly committed to Conley and Gasol until the day they call it quits, and that loyalty by a franchise is admirable; but, there's a reason so few teams display the value. Knowing that there's little chance of the Grizzlies blowing it up and rebuilding, the best-case scenario for Memphis is to have a healthy successful season and hope upcoming free agents recognize the loyalty the franchise shows its stars.
Memphis' Worst Case Scenario
Via Daily Knicks
Let's take it back to the year 2304 BC. There's some guy with a beard screaming about the end of the world, and how you and your neighbors can either join him or die. You and your friends, a collection of intellectuals, deny the offer and say you'd rather take your chances. Bearded guy collects a bunch of tough animals and leads them to a ship. Suddenly, it starts pouring with no sign of an end near. As you fight the drowning, you can't help but think "maybe I should've trusted the bearded guy."
That was a quick paraphrase of someone dying after not believing Noah about the flood, but the resemblance between the Grizzlies and David Fizdale is uncanny.
As briefly mentioned earlier in the article, the Memphis Grizzlies chose Marc Gasol over David Fizdale. Rather than discuss the pettiness of the feud, Memphis fired Fizdale just two months into the 2017-2018 season. David "how's that for data" Fizdale landed on his feet almost immediately, being hired as the head coach of the New York Knicks on a four-year deal.
Fizdale was adamant that the end of Grit-N-Grind was here, going as far as to push management to move on from franchise staples Tony Allen and Zach Randolph. Synonymous to Noah, Fizdale pleaded for the team to either invest in his beliefs or die out. Memphis, the intellectuals in this analogy, chose against those beliefs.
David Fizdale is nowhere near carrying the Knicks to a championship; but, if the Knicks look primed for success while Memphis remains in early playoff exit purgatory, the Grizzlies will be left drowning and thinking "maybe we should've trusted the bearded guy."
Record Prediction: 40-42, Memphis is trapped between loyalty and logic.