Enter The GrindHouse - Denver vs The Grizz

The Memphis Grizzlies have been the talk of this young NBA season, reeling off a string of impressive wins over tough competition, which has earned them the early consensus of Top Dog while the picture continues to take form. The Grizz have been scoring more easily while playing a suffocating team defense that gleans back to the '08 Celtics (note the Tony Allen connection), balancing the scoring with Russian Roulette-like variance and appear to be clicking on most (if not all) cylinders through the whole rotation.

This can be blamed on a whole array of things, from Zach Randolph's apparent P90x training, to he and Rudy Gay having more time to gel on-court, the relentless bench production, the bitter taste of Playoff disaster lingering in their mouths all summer, OJ Mayo being in a different uniform, Marc Gasol channeling Mark Jackson, Mike Conley looking every bit worth the contract I spit out half my tea (yes, I drink tea) upon reading he signed...

Of course, as is with every team that exceeds pre-season projections, the question is: can they keep it up? Tonight, the Grizz face off against the Nuggets; a team many see them fighting for playoff position with, as they chase a franchise-record 9th straight win. Banter's got the play-by-play: welcome to the GrindHouse.

- Zach Randolph hit with a delay of game warning before tipoff. Astounding.

- Tony Allen "looking for his offense early but not shooting the ball very well". Not so astounding.

- The Grizz's first bucket comes off a nice Conley 3 after Gasol gets crowded in the high post and (as usual) finds the open man. Hitting the 3 has been one of Memphis' new weapons; should be of note tonight against a reputedly tough Nuggets' perimeter D

- Lebron James is the only non-guard with more assists this year than Marc Gasol. That's just impressive, even nine games in.

- Grizz timeout early after their effort on D looks very Knick-like

- Midway through the first, the Grizz have been attacking the post and the Nuggets have been hitting easy jumpers. Knotted at 11.

- Again, Denver's defenders overload the post, leave the top of the perimeter wide open, and get stung with a 3, this time by Rudy Gay.

- Iggy with the game's first dunk; a nice 2-handed baseline reverse off a pump fake that just looks TOO casual for what it is.

- Enter: Quincy Pondexter. This is bad news for you, Denver.

- Memphis has been murdering the offensive glass early, but having a player named "The Manimal" is a great equalizer. He forces two second-chance points to cap a Denver run that gives them a 17-14 lead... Until a Mike Conley 3 from the corner in transition knots it again.

- Lotta turnovers by Memphis, and Denver isn't playing particularly great D

- The Grizz are just murdering the Nuggets down low right now, between offensive-rebounds and feebly-contested penetration, it's been ugly, and every time Denver's stacked the key to compensate, they've given up an open 3. Memphis at their best is certainly not a team you want to play small-ball against, and...

- Yes! stealing my thought, George Karl has checked Javale McGee into the game over the break. Instant entertainment spike. On cue, McGee catches an Andre Miller backdoor lob.

- Enter: the rest of Memphis' super-subs, Speights, Bayless and Ellington.

- McGee confusedly dribbles into a triple-team with no teammates within 15 feet, jumps as if he's going to try and dunk over everyone from the dotted line, and gets stripped. Such a majestic game.

- The pace picks up as Speights finishes a near-dunk over Brewer on the break to give Memphis the lead, but a pair of free throws put Denver back up 27-26 after 1 quarter.

- The announcers talking about Memphis' "15-game home winning streak" makes me laugh. Let's just conveniently forget about the Playoffs and that 27-point 4th Quarter collapse. At home. Led by Nick Young.

- Both teams come out of the gates running in the 2nd, looking to set the tone. The result? More turnovers. McGee appears to have Pondexter sealed in the post, but falls over while establishing position after Miller creates what in his mind is another easy bucket. The ball rolls by - just out of his massive reach - and the Grizz get back and score in transition.

- Commercial break: 32-32.

- After the break, McGee is curiously absent.

- Jordan Hamilton checks in, tries to make a move off the pass, and blatantly travels. The announcer deadpans: "It does not end well for him".

- 3 more Memphis turnovers to start the 2nd. Hard to score at that rate.

- When they're not losing the ball, the Grizz are finding Randolph for nice looks in the post; keeping it simple, exploiting the edge.

- Pondexter cages the Manimal, taking a charge on the break well ahead of the play; the kind of consistent gritty effort we've learned to expect from them.

- Gallinari catches a lob into the post off a switch with Miller and finishes maybe the toughest shot of his career over three Grizzlies; game's high scorer with 9. Not to be outdone, Gay comes back and sticks one of those 3's that makes the rim mic twang; game's high scorer with 11.

- "Danillo Gallinari, who did NOTHING against the Grizzlies in three games last year, has been the man of the match for the Nuggets so far." Flattering. 45-45 with 2:37 left in the half. Very tight game so far, but if Memphis could just take care of the f***ing ball, they'd be not only scoring more (clearly) but preventing the  fast breaks that have led to fouls and enough of Denver's points.

- The Nuggets have been playing some very sloppy transition ball themselves; numerous lucky deflections are the only reason they're still in single-digit TOs.

- A couple pretty bad no-call fouls have the GrindHouse raining boos on the refs, and the Grizzlies trailing 52-49. The Nuggets are shooting are 54% and the Grizz's D looks about as confused as you would if you saw a grizzly bear in the city of Memphis.

- Time for some blueberry pancakes while some Grizzlies "legend" gives weak halftime analysis.

- Players I pictured doing that segment: Bonzi Wells, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Blue Edwards

- Tip for blueberry pancakes, put more emphasis on the "blueberry", less on the "pancake"

- The first half was scrappy; the 2nd half at first impression won't be any different.

- Faried picks up 2 quick fouls - terrible news for the Nuggets as he now has 4. Karl isn't calling anyone off the bench though...oh...no...wait...here comes...JAVALE MCGEE! Who immediately throws up an awkward runner, but gets his own rebound over everyone for an easy putback, hardly jumping.

- Curious officiating. A lot of close calls going against Memphis nebulously, and a lot of swallowed whistles on close fouls. The Grizz are laughing, but what else can you do?

- More exploiting the post from Memphis; Denver's countered with a Koufos/McGee frontline that's getting confused on switches more than contesting shots.

- By the way, a quick shoutout to NBA League Pass for leaving this game and the Clippers/Spurs tilt untouched while blacking out the thrilling Magic/Hawks showdown. A rare treat.

- Memphis has grinded away, back to a 67-64 lead. As advertised their scoring is balanced: Gasol leads three in double-figures, Bayless has 9, Conley has 8, and only Ellington has yet to score.

- While Mcgee isn't doing much to prevent Gasol from scoring, he's at least answering with a few nice post moves of his own. There might be hope yet for the kid...

- A contested Corey Brewer 3 goes in (somehow) to bring Denver within one; 70-69 Grizz at the end of three.

- McGee's single greatest attribute might be his length allowing him to contest every single rebound; Z-Bo's working on the glass like Ruth's Chris is full and they lost his reservation.

- Nuggets on an 11-3 run up 73-70 early; the bench getting it done. Andre Miller's presence at least triple's McGee's value on offense.

- Admission: I went into this saying to myself "try not to talk about Javale McGee the whole game". Fail.

- If "50/50 balls" were an actual statistical category, Denver would just be completely pummeling Memphis. Then there's the 17 offensive rebounds - in which the Nuggets lead the NBA - but damn. The Manimal is just wreaking havoc.

- Speaking of which, Gay pulls down a board off a Pondexter miss for an uncontested two-handed slam that sends Denver to a time-out clinging to a 79-76 lead, and puts some much-needed wind back in Memphis' sails. It's their first bucket in the paint so far in the 4th, coming at 7:39.

- Conley for 3! Ties the game, validates that contract juuuuuuust a bit more. Gay swats a Ty Lawson floater on the other end, and Memphis is starting to bring out that energy. Tony Allen sinks two at the line and Grizz are up 83-81.

- The refs blow another call (a loose ball Faried knocks out - I swear, he chases every loose ball like he's a Season 3 Wire extra after "that WMD", the refs should just employ a "Faried rule" for sketchy plays they're not sure of)  that leads to a tying bucket for Denver.

- LEAVE TONY ALLEN OPEN FROM 18 FEET! I DARE YOU! Grizzlies up 87-83

- Allen makes a slightly less valuable play, getting T'd up for pulling Faried's hair after they fought for a loose ball. The ensuing free throw knot the game yet again at 87; the 12th time tonight.

- The refs blow another call (God this game's getting repetitive), but tony Brothers steps in off the ball to set things straight and cut Memphis some slack, after they've been on the bum end of virtually every close/blown call.

- The Grizz run an extremely dangerous play with Gasol isolated in the high post and slashers from the right baseline and flashing on the left perimeter. Rudy streaks baseline, Gasol with the beautiful drop pass, and-one.

- The quizzical officiating continues as McGee grabs Gasol's jersey while they fight for a rebound, and Gasol gets nailed with the call.

- I love how the GrindHouse routinely plays the instrumental to "Yonkers" in the 4th quarter. Apparently, Tyler does too:

Tyler, The Creator ‏@fucktyler

DUDE MY SONG WAS PLAYING DURING A FUCKING BASKETBALL GAME!!! THATS TIGHT CAUSE I DONT REALLY KNOW SHIT ABOUT BASKETBALL BUT HELL YEAH

- With the game under 2 minutes and Memphis up 92-90, the two teams trade deadly offensive possessions: a Tony Allen running pump scoop over 2 defenders with the shot clock dwindling, and an Iggy 3 off a broken play. Deadly.

- The offensive glass continues to be Denver's savior; two straight 2nd chance opportunities put them back up 93-92. Javale Mcgee, ladies and gentlemen.

- Gay picks up his dribble in an iso set with nobody near him, awkwardly tries to lob the ball back out to Conley, and gets picked off by Gallinari, comes back down and drills what appears to be the dagger off a Lawson drive-and-kick. 96-92 with 12 seconds left.

- ANOTHER Grizzlies turnover. Laaaaaate.

- Final score 97-92, the Nuggets end the Grizzlies' "15-game home winning streak", sending them to 8-2 after a pretty flat performance.

I recall reading a Randolph quote a few days ago, something about his team "thriving off the underdog role". Well tonight, they certainly played like a team who knew they were 8-1; they were too casual on offense, and turned the ball over a lot. They didn't challenge shots very well, and Denver hit a lot of them. Their effort on glass was so shoddy that Denver grabbed 21 offensive boards, which led to virtually all of their key baskets down the stretch. The officiating wasn't great, but Memphis did themselves no favors along the way to disappointing first home loss.

This wasn't the Grizz we've seen over the past few weeks; this team looked lost, careless and lethargic more often tonight than in their past eight games combined. Maybe this is just a crack in the proverbial windshield, but these kinds of lapses in effort are reminiscent of the Game 1 Incident, and the Grizzlies simply aren't talented enough to win a best-of-seven against a team like the Lakers - whom they face next on Friday - playing this carelessly. Three days off until then, hopefully they can get it together.

Grizzly Watch

I never would've expected that a night of my drunken observations about the Memphis Grizzlies would land me a permanent gig, but sure enough, somebody thinks my ramblings are worthy of some more ink.


I was contacted over the weekend by an editor from HoopsAddict.com, who had stumbled across my report from Game 2, apparently wasn't appalled, and, in need of someone to cover the Grizz, dropped me a line. There was obvious irony to this happening during the game that eliminated Memphis from the playoffs, so my first task was to come up with a Season-in-Review type piece, which I figured I'd toss up here to bridge the gap between where I've come from and going as an NBA blogger. I'll be updating regularly on the Grizz for HoopsAddict next season (weekly updates, notes from big games, etc) but my need to rage about all things NBA will never die; Banter's not going anywhere.


I'm pretty sure this will be up on HoopsAddict soon, but here's an un-edited exclusive sneak peek for Banter's loyal followers:

It really wasn't supposed to end this way. This early.

I know how strange that sounds - I mean, we're talking about the Memphis Grizzlies, the team that waywardly wandered away from Vancouver and seemed as out of place in the NBA as a Grizzly bear in the city of Memphis - but this season was supposed to be different.
Yet here we are - mere months removed from the "Western Dark Horse" and "Think About How Dangerous They'll be With Rudy Gay" talk - and the Grizz are cleaning out their lockers prematurely yet again, with plenty of question marks and a 27-point cumulus cloud hanging over their offseason.

Where did it all go wrong? Unfortunately for Memphis' intensely passionate fans (Beale St. doesn't mess around pre-game), there's no obvious scapegoat; no clear target for index fingers, other than the one no team can avoid: fate. It was obvious that the Grizz were going to have to make some adjustments in welcoming back a dynamic talent like Rudy Gay back to a system that propelled them past the Spurs and to within a game of the Western Conference Finals last spring. But the full-on identity crisis Memphis was set up for when Darrell Arthur, and then worse yet Zach Randolph, went down for large stretches, would ultimately condemn their season.

Like any self-respecting, competitive team, they didn't roll over; they adjusted, adapted, but hardly evolved. Despite Marreese Speights' solid efforts to fill the rebounding and scoring voids left in the frontcourt, the team was thinner, weaker; forced to stray from the post-oriented offense and punishing transition game that defined their success. They were winning games; staying above water for Randolph's return, but they were also getting comfortable outside their own skin. Grizzlies in sheep's clothing. Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo were scoring most of their points; Marc Gasol was shouldering more of a load on the glass, facing more attention on D than he ever had, and fighting off even more bodies for rebounds (and still made the All-Star team); Mike Conley got more comfortable looking for his shot than looking for a man on the block; and the vaunted energy of their bench looked suddenly languid.

In what was already a season of many adjustments for every NBA player and team, the Grizzlies had to re-create themselves yet again when Randolph returned - this time to share the scoring load with Gay - just in time for the playoffs.

That the postseason began with a completely anomalous, unlikely, historic, and utterly soul-crushing collapse (one that was cued by Chris Paul forcing Vinny Del Negro to put him back in the game during the 4th, to be fuelled by series of three-point bombs from Nick Young and gritty hustle from Reggie Evans, two noted playoff assassins) didn't help matters. Starting a series with such an epic swing of momentum surely took the wind out of their lungs, but the Grizzlies weren't ever truly out of it, only they waited until their backs were against the wall, down 3-1, to move their attack closer to the hoop and truly abuse their edge. They managed to force Game 7, but couldn't close the deal; it wasn't too little, just too late.

And so ends their 2012 season; not as it was supposed to, but what should've been can't change what is... So what will become of these Grizzlies?

The obvious dilemma going forward will be Rudy Gay's role/presence on this team. As recently as 18 months ago, he was given a generous contract and pegged as their Franchise Guy; there's no denying Gay's talent. You also can't deny this truth; the Grizzlies - with largely the same lineup - went a fair bit deeper in the playoffs, against tougher competition, without him last year. And in the games that saved Memphis' season, Gasol and Randolph carried the bulk of the load.

Logic would certainly point to moving Gay; he's versatile, he's athletic, he performed well last season and probably hasn't hit his cieling yet; but he's like Memphis used to seem in the NBA: just out of place. His trade value might never be higher again, there's a ton of money tied up in him, and when you consider what he could bring back: a more functional upgrade at the point, bench scoring that isn't OJ Mayo (who the Grizz seemingly can't wait to get rid of), a legit post presence to shore  Randolph and Gasol (hell, bring Mayo/Conley into the fold and Chris Wallace could probably get all of the above) it's hard to ignore.  It would be a dramatic move, but "dramatic" could also describe the 27-point meltdown that arguably could've cost Memphis a trip to the Second Round. To quote a sage old man (Jaffar from Aladdin, don't sleep): "Desperate time calls for desperate measures". The Thunder aren't getting much older anytime soon.

So the offseason looms, with much at stake. The return of Darrell Arthur will only help bolster Memphis' questionable bench and restore the swagger that once took the NBA by storm, but if the Grizzlies want to stop swimming upstream, he shouldn't be the only thing to change about this roster. Maybe trading Rudy Gay isn't the way the franchise wants to go; I called Wallace crazy when he gave Pau Gasol away, but that seemed to work out, so who knows what he has up his sleeve. One thing's for sure: After a season of adjustments that moved them backwards, it's time to adjust again, and hopefully continue to move forward.

A Coming of Age Story

What's up everyone, I know it looks like I'm slacking, taking two weeks to get something new on here; the past little bit's been sorta hectic with moving into a new apartment stacked on top of the usual back-to-school routine. I spent last week throwing together a piece about the ten guys with the most important seasons coming up and thought I had posted it the other day, only to find that the same wonderful Blogger interface that religiously fucks up my paragraph spacing had instead deleted it. Having thrown several hours of my life down the toilet, my motivation to write an identical post all over again was shot, so I switched things up a little bit...

Every approaching NBA season brings a set of expectations and opportunities for eager players who have contracts to earn and reputations to establish. While players are hungry to make names for themselves and become stars in the league, they can also face lofty demands from fans, presure from coaches and front offices, not mention a wide-open door for media criticism and personal intrusion. There are a plethora of guys who'll face a crossroads of both this season; they seem to be on the verge of stardom, but are also in high-pressure situations that will allow little room for weakness. Here are the Top 10 whose games are going to have to grow up this season; some look much readier than others but this will be a defining season for every one of them.

Raymond Felton
Always an underappreciated point guard in Charlotte, Felton has found an ideal situation for his newly-turned leaf to land in. Not only is he the new quarterback of New York's much-anticipated NBA rebirth, he gets to run free under the loose reigns of a coach that traditionally churns top-notch performance out of point guards. Felton will experience not only greater exposure and potential stardom than were ever possible with the Bobcats, but the scrutiny of the NBA's most vocal (and fickle) fanbase and media. It's a volatile situation; the epitome of risk/reward, and Raymond Felton's implicitly signed himself up to be either a hero or a scapegoat.


Eric Gordon
Gordon landed a somewhat unexpected spot on Team USA this summer as the de-facto shooter on a team with few, but broke out with a surprisingly well-rounded gamle. He not only scored very well, but his strength at the 2 was an asset as a defender and rebounder, and benefited from being immersed in a far more constructive basketball environment than the Los Angeles Clippers have been. Thing is, it's supposed to be different this year. Blake Griffin's arrival, combined with Gordon's growth are supposed to elevate the Clips beyond their running punchline status and potentially into the playoffs. With those heightened standards comes the painful reminder that something will inevitably go wrong with this team - either the talent won't mesh or Donald Sterling won't cut the check to keep them together - but it's a safe assumption Gordon's stock will continue to rise.


Russell Westbrook
The Thunder clapped very loudly last season; a young franchise grew up far sooner than anyone had anticipated, scared the eventual champs in the first round, and are now counted among the best in the West. Their uprising can no doubt be blamed on the ridiculous antics of Kevin Durant, but Westbrook's maturity and increasingly steady hand are pivotal to this team as they round into form. Expectations will be much higher this year; not only will the Thunder be taking nobody by surprise but a further ascent up the Western heirarchy will be more trying than the leap they made last year. With a whole league on guard, Westbrook will be the key catalyst to OKC's success; we all know how Durant gets down, but Russ' continued emergence will be what pushes this team forward.


Andrew Bogut
Last season was Bogut's coming out party; helping Milwaukee get back to the playoffs and establishing himself as one of the best centers in the league. Although he's accomplished a lot, this season brings an even greater challenge for the Aussie, as the Bucks lost any element of surprise they had last year, along with (apparently) their franchise player. The task of leading this team will now fall upon point guard Brandon Jennings, but even moreso Bogut, after this team set the bar very high for themselves with last season's rapid development. He'll need to not only stay consistent, but healthy, as he'll be more important than ever to a Bucks team that knows it belongs in the playoffs and will be looked upon to continue growing.


Kevin Love
Expectations would already be high on a guy who had a standout performance on Team USA and an Entourage cameo in the same summer, but after winning gold and brawling with the Chase brothers, Love must now shoulder a heavy load as the new focal point of Minnesota's frontcourt. After the Wolves traded their best player for an N64 with one controller and a busted copy of Pilotwings, their awkward rebuilding will continue around Kevlar after an injury-plagued but extremely productive season. As this team struggles to find an identity, Love is a good fit; a hard worker who can score, defend, rebound excellently and passes incredbly well for a guy his size. His versatility will be tested routinely by a team that has 28 point guards, just inked Darko Milicic to a long-term deal, and is sure to be deficient in many areas. The dreadfulness will continue for the Wolves this year, but their franchise (and countless fantasy owners) has a lot riding on him now.

Rudy Gay

Another freshly-minted Team USA vet, Gay is also the proud new owner of a massive contract and the task of leading a Grizzlies team that people are actually taking seriously for once. In that sense, there will be lots of pressure on him to rise to the occasion, and '10-'11 will be a defining year for him. Gay's game has steadily grown into his freakish athleticism, but he will be looked upon for an increased presence from a team that's looking to build towards success. For once. The young talent Memphis has assembled is the best shot at long-term decency that this franchise has ever cobbled together, so after 16 years of sordid futility, here's hoping Gay can earn that top dollar.

Luis Scola

After an absolutely dominant performance at the World Championships, Scola's name will be ringing out much louder in across the NBA this season. His style's always been pretty low-key, grinding out solid numbers for Rockets squads that were short on (healthy) starpower after years of lamping over in Europe as the most sought-after talent outside the Association. Things are about to change. A lot of eyes will be on Houston this year as Yao Ming's career hangs in the balance. If Yao can stay healthy and be anything close to the player he was two years ago, the Rockets could shake things up out West and ...But if Yao gets injured (and he has a slight history of it happening), which could very well end his basketball-playing days, Scola will be of critical importance to a frontcourt that lost Trevor Ariza's athleticism and lacks size. If his play this summer carries over into the season, the playoffs and the All-Star game won't be far off.

Darren Collison
Last season, when Chris Paul took an extended injury leave, a rookie came out of nowhere and put on a very convincing impersonation in his absence. With CP healthy and a trade chip in hand, the Hornets dealt their young prodigy to basketball-crazed Indiana, where fans have become increasingly restless with irrelevant, boring and just plain awful teams. Something's bound to give soon - they can't be bad forever, I mean they're not the Clippers, right? - and Collison seems primed to do what TJ Ford's spine and Jamaal Tinsley's insanity couldn't accomplish. A legitimate point guard will go a long way in Indiana's rebuilding effort, and with an uncontested starting job, Collison's game should only continue to flourish.


JJ Hickson
There's not much point in sugar-coating it; the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to be pitiful this year. Not only has the wind completely been sucked out of their sails, but three important frontcourt players left a huge void that will give Hickson a chance to shine. After a season where he showed signs of star potential in limited minutes, he absolutely ate face in several summer league appearances. With O'Neal and Ilgauskas donning other jerseys will see plenty of time at the five for a team that is now very much in rebuilding mode. Meanwhile, this squad's performance is more important than that of the requisite crappy Cleveland sports franchise; a lot of eyes are on how they'll cope with Lebron's departure, especially after Dan Gilbert's embarassing public meltdown. Hickson looks like a Most Improved Player in the making and could be a huge part of any potential Cavs' redemption.


Andrea Bargnani
As basketball North of the border continues to move East of the Atlantic, the lanky Italian Toronto picked first in '06 with huge hopes for is suddenly in the in limelight as the new face of franchise following Chris Bosh's exit. "Bargs" or "Il Mago" (...fuck, somebody get this guy a new nickname) has shown flashes of brilliance since a disappointing sophomore campaign, and without Bosh he will be the focal point on offense; he'll have plenty of chances to feed the confidence his game thrives upon. What remains to be seen of Bargnani is if he can develop the toughness he'll need to lead this team, or perform consistently enough to be a legit go-to guy. With Canada's NBA existence decimated after losing a franchise icon, there will be a lot resting on this young man's ability to finally make the Raptors look smart for drafting him, and hopefully write a happier ending than Toronto's gotten used to.