Grading the Grizzlies’ Offseason
Jan. 28, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Grizzlies 86-84. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
It’s been an up-and-down offseason for the Grizzlies. Success will ultimately be determined by next season’s results, but we can breakdown the quality of the Grizzlies’ offseason moves based on …well, pure speculation.
Letting Lionel Hollins Walk: B-
Hollins’ departure was a bitter pill to swallow for many Memphians. Grizzlies fans have a very personal relationship with their team, and seeing Hollins’ dismissed by the new owners didn’t feel like family business. The front office also didn’t handle the episode as well as they could have, leaving the franchise without a guiding voice while indignant fans grumbled and Hollins kicked and screamed on his way out the door.
By all accounts though, replacing Hollins now is a clever move. Hollins wanted 4 more years – the front office wanted 2, so that they could reevaluate their head coaching options when the team restructures in the post-Allen, post-Randolph era. Locking Hollins in for that length of time would make it harder to develop new and potential talent, as Lionel proved he was not up for playing guys he didn’t think were ready.
Furthermore, as I detailed here, Hollins made it clear he wanted no part of a “working relationship” with the new front office. Their differing opinions on analytics were a valley that couldn’t be bridged despite multiple efforts. Even if you hate the numbers approach, you have to see that it’s better to have a coach and a front office that work together to build a team.
Hiring David Joerger: A
Call it premature to grade this move before Joerger has coached his first game, but if we’re rating based on his resume, accomplishments, and reputation, this is an easy A. I get tired of saying it, but it’s true: Joerger is a proven winner, with 5 minor league championships in 7 seasons (and that could have easily been 7 out of 7, according to him). He coached the Grizzlies summer league team to 5-0. He spent more than half a decade on the Grizzlies sideline, engineering a powerhouse defense around superstar defenders that the team rode to the conference finals. He has a relationship and a rapport with the current roster, including Mike Miller, which will make it easy for him to gain control of the locker room as head coach.
The only thing he doesn’t have is NBA head coaching experience. He’s about to get it.
Drafting Jamaal Franklin and Janis Timma: B
Again, this is difficult to grade without seeing Franklin play. Timma was fairly unimpressive in summer league, but he played to the standards of a 60th pick – he’ll likely stay in Europe for now. Franklin should find a role in the Grizzlies guard rotation, and he’ll have the chance to study under Tony Allen and Tayshaun Prince. If he can develop at least one reliable shot in addition to his defense and athleticism, he may be valuable in 2-3 years; if Memphis doesn’t need him then, he will at least have some trade value. The Grizzlies did about as well as they could have without a first round pick.
Signing Mike Miller: A+
The prodigal son returns! Mike Miller won’t find his way into the Grizzlies’ starting lineup, even if he’s a paragon of good health, but anyone who can hit threes with regularity will help. Miller made 10 of his first 11 threes in the Finals against San Antonio last year, finishing at 61% shooting from range. Yeah, we’ll take it.
This could be an A++ if Joerger finds a way to balance his defensive and offensive specialists better than Hollins did. Prince has not been reliable from deep, and when he shares the floor with Tony Allen, it gives smart defenses (like the Spurs’) the opportunity to ignore our guards and shut down Z-Bo, making us easy prey.
Finding a Backup Point Guard: I (Incomplete)
It’s been a nagging problem for years. The Grizzlies drafted promising PG Tony Wroten in 2012 but he didn’t see meaningful minutes under Hollins and was swiftly replaced by veteran Keyon Dooling. With Hollins (and Dooling) gone, the team used this year’s Summer League to test Wroten’s progress, and the results weren’t pretty. His poor play apparently put the Grizzlies in panic mode, with reports that the team has reached out to Mo Williams (Note: Williams signed with Portland as I was writing this) and Beno Udrih to fill the role. I doubt either is the key piece keeping the Grizzlies out of the Finals, but a solid backup point guard will allow the Grizzlies maintain leads better while Mike Conley rests, getting him better prepared for important stretches late in the offseason.