Well it seems that at 12-29 the Memphis Grizzlies are going to have to face the wheel again. However, unlike like last season, the stakes are not that crucial. In other words, the #1 pick would be nice (a first for this organization) but there is not a large separation at the top of the draft. So, if the ping-pong balls dont pop up our way then it will not be a franchise deflator like the Oden/Durant sweepstakes. There is no consensus number one player, heck there isnt even a consensus top 5 players at this point and a number of players have the chance to be able to play their selves to the top. It is going to be a dog fight to be the first player called by David Stern. For the most part, this draft preview will concentrate on how players will fit into the Grizzlies draft plans. If I do not think a player fits or fills a need, his ranking might be lower than his talent suggests. Also, since the Grizzlies do not currently own a second round pick and their first round pick can be had by the Washington Wizards, this article will focus on the players attainable and of valu with the Grizzlies first round draft pick. After watching half of this season (I dont need no stinkin fifty games!), I have narrowed the Grizzlies needs to the following: (1) Swagger the Grizzlies must get a refuse to lose type of player, an alpha dog with supreme confidence with time running out; (2) mental and physical toughness the Grizzlies cant afford another player that has a follower mentality and they need someone that is not a physical mismatch at his position; (3) a closerinsert link- if nothing else, this year has put the spotlight on the need to have someone who can get their shot off with the clock running down, Rudy Gay is making strides but his ball handling is still suspect in this regards; (4) a perimeter defender the Grizz need someone with an attitude toward making stops without being an offensive liability; (5) an alternative post option when Pau Gasol goes to the bench, our offense needs to have someone we can throw the ball into in the post that is willing to pass it out (not you Hakim), not a great player but someone who can take advantage of bench post defenders; (6) a basket protector Darko looks to be growing in this role but his off the ball defense and defensive awareness need a lot of work; and (7) a superstar we need a player that the average fan can believe in, a player that has that certain something that potential ticket buyers will gravitate toward. Unfortunately, just being a very good basketball player is not enough. Ok that was a little lengthy. But what do you expect when our team is 11-29.  read more »

Early in the season, about two weeks in, I asked a quick question in a Diary:  Is there a precedent for Chris Kaman?  His resurgence (emergence?) this year seems entirely unlikely and I was trying to think of other NBA players who had followed similar career trajectories.

I felt like it would be jumping the gun to write a lengthy post on the subject after 7 or so games.  I mean, plenty of players go on hot streaks for a week or even a month, so the Kaman situation could have been a fluke.  But 34 games into the season, I think we can safely say that new Kaman is not a fluke.  read more »

Amid all the talk about Maggette and Posey and Andersen and all the other free agents, there hasn't been a lot of mention of some other very important free agents, the Celtics assistant coaches. All 4 of Doc's assistants' contracts expired on July 1, making them all free agents. Doc has one more season on his contract and Danny has begun negotiations to give Doc an extension. More important, though, should be signing their assistants to new contracts before another team lures them away. Tom Thibodeau is the architect of the Celtics' defense which was the main reason that they won the championship.  read more »

The Detroit Pistons and The Orlando Magic faced off in Game One of the second round Saturday evening in Detroit. What did Detroit accomplish besides a convincing 91-72 win on their home court? They tamed the beast that is Dwight Howard. Howard, who was averaging 22 points and 18 boards in Orlando's first round series with The Raptors, was corralled by a number of Pistons bodies that they threw at him. Orlando's Superman scored just 12 points with 8 boards, 3 blocked shots and quite a few goal tending calls.

Key Points:  read more »

Warriors (W-L): 24-17
Bucks (W-L): 16-23
TV: FSN Bay Area
Radio: KNBR 680
Time: 5:30 pm

The road trip against sub .500 teams continues. There's some good stuff after the jump- and you don't even have to pay big bucks!

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I had hoped to do my first One Game Breakdown by now but after the Pau Gasol trade added a late first rounder to the Memphis Grizzlies mix, I had to start watching more games that included more of the late 1st round hopefuls. Hopefully this is the year the Grizzlies get a little lottery luck. Now the more college games that I watch, it is becoming very apparent that there are very few players who are capable of coming in and helping a NBA team next season. The question for Chris Wallace and the Grizz staff is: Do you take the player most ready to compete now or the player with the most long range potential? I think the answer is different depending upon the player. I also think that the Grizzlies have to hit a home run in this draft. They need a player that will be making a big impact on games. They don't need a stat machine. They need an impact player. There are five important things that the Grizzlies need this summer:  read more »

Final Boxscore

Exactly.

In what was supposed to be a matchup to see the new look Suns matchup with a team that ran up and down even more than they did, I was a little disappointed. Shaq was stuck in foul trouble for most of the game totaling just 14 minutes through 3 quarters and sitting the entire 4th. But even without The Diesel, this was an entertaining ballgame with a playoff-like atmosphere. As a basketball fan, it's tough to ask for much more. Well maybe a little more defense, but hey, I love me some scoring.

More after the jump.

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