September 6th, 2012 at 8:50 PM
By Seerat Sohi
Sources say that the latest Grizzlies prospective owner, Robert Pera, has recently had talks with Memphis-native Justin Timberlake regarding minority ownership of the Grizzlies franchise. He's already "committed to joining Pera's team", according to ESPN.
What does this really mean for Grizzlies fans though? Time will tell if Jay-Z's partial Nets ownership will actually net them a championship (bad pun, sorry) but it can't exactly hurt to have a guy like JT pitching deals to potential free agents. Furthermore, it looks like the Grizzlies future in Memphis is gradually looking like more and more of a guarantee as the days go by.
Pera and Timberlake, both being technology and basketball nuts, will probably be seen together at the sidelines of the FedEx Forum for the next couple of years. Chance are that this newly harvested bromance will surpass that of Shawn Carter and Mikhail Prokhorov.
Read more... Join the Conversation... August 22nd, 2012 at 1:01 PM
By Seerat SohiSources say the Grizzlies are among five teams that may be interested in Michael Redd. Here's what Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio is saying:
"Apparently no interest from Cavs on Ohio guy Michael Redd, but teams mentioned as possible suitors include the… Wizards, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Bulls, and yes, Thunder, who still have a spot available in the backcourt after Derek Fisher's departure."
The first thing that pops to mind is, WHY? While the Grizzlies could definitely use another shooter off the bench, a washed up injury-ridden Michael Redd isn't the answer. While Redd used to be one of the deadlier scorers and shooters in the game, two ACL injuries have all but ended the former all-star's career. He shot just a lick under 32% from beyond the arc last year playing for the Suns. Remember, these weren't just average shots he was getting either. They were pocket passes from the NBA's best passer, Steve Nash. While an optomistic fan could chalk that up to his injury woes, the rational observer can't help but point out the fact that he shot just 30% and an obscene 34% from three the two seasons before that. While he did manage to play 51 out of 66 games this season, he's suited up just 79 times in the past two years.
Read more... Join the Conversation... August 21st, 2012 at 1:34 PM
By Seerat SohiMemphis Grizzlies back-up forward Darrell Arthur was interviewed yesterday afternoon in regards to his rehab progress. Arthur, who tore his ACL just before the beginning of the lockout-shortened 2011-2012 season just inked a three-year extension this summer. He is scheduled to be ready for training camp at the beginning of October.
Arthur has seen no major setbacks in his recovery so far and this interview is just a further suggestion that fans are getting closer and closer to seeing their energetic back-up power forward in action. Arthur said that he's 75% ready and that in terms of progress, he's began sprinting and light jumping again to improve his conditioning. He has yet to step on the court with the team, however.
Mentally, he feels confident – which is sometimes half the battle when it comes to ACL injuries. The fact that the Grizzlies took care of his extension rather quickly probably helped this cause. If he can feel confident in his knee through-out the rest of this process, it'll significantly improve his ability to perform. In fact, while the doctors may be telling him one thing, he feels he's a step above their prescription. The next steps for Arthur are jumping and changing direction.
Read more... Join the Conversation... July 23rd, 2012 at 9:25 AM
By Seerat Sohi
Summer League came to an end this weekend and our very own Josh Selby took home the co-MVP award, sharing it with Portland's lottery pick, Damian Lilliard. Selby averaged a league-high 27.5 points per game, including a sizzling 64% of his three-point attempts. Included in that statistic is his summer-league high 35 point effort against the Wizards.
If Selby can replicate even a fraction of that lights-out shooting against tougher competition, he may help fill the Grizzlies need for outside shooting. Although he was shooting the lights out, his other feats weren't nearly as impressive – aside from his crippling defense. While he had his fair share of assists, he didn't create many shots and his game from inside the perimeter was still hampered by his shoddy ball-handling skills. His scoring binge should do wonders for his confidence, though.
Even though Selby was named co-MVP (along with Portland rookie Damian Lillard) after notching a league-high 27.5 points per game on 59% shooting, I actually came away from this five-game Vegas stretch more excited about Wroten, whose more erratic game suggest greater upside.
Read more... Join the Conversation... July 20th, 2012 at 9:20 AM
By Seerat Sohi
The Memphis Grizzlies had some tough decisions to face this off-season with qualifying offer's pending for OJ Mayo, Marreese Speights and Darrell Arthur. After extending two of those three, Mayo was the odd one out, with Memphis opted out on extending his 7.3 million dollar dollar qualifying offer.
On July 16th, both he and Mark Cuban confirmed via Twitter that he would be signing with the Dallas Mavericks. Heading in to the free agency market, OJ Mayo was probably expecting a much more lucrative offer than the one he ended up with.
While the details have still not been confirmed, the deal is expected to last two years, with the last being a player exception. Considering the cap situation in Dallas, Mayo won't be receiving anymore than four million dollars a year. Chances are that the Mavericks talked to Mayo about his upcoming role and he felt that it was a good basketball decision for him.
OJ Mayo's most impressive year with Memphis was easily his rookie year, where his 18.5 points a game was enough to make him the runner-up behind Derrick Rose for the Rookie of the Year award. His sophomore season was rather similar, although it was slightly alarming that he hadn't improved. Either way, it was looking like OJ would be a cornerstone to the Grizzlies at this point, and would probably net a few all-star selections in his career.
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