Have the Memphis Grizzlies Finally Paid the Price For ‘Grit ‘n Grind?’

The Memphis Grizzlies have given up on useful young talent for the sake of ‘Grit ‘n’ Grind.’ Have they finally paid the price for it?

The Memphis Grizzlies have fully embraced the “grit ‘n’ grind” philosophy for the past six years.

They have been successful by slowing the game down to a snail-speed pace, pestering opponents with perimeter defensive terrors in Tony Allen and Mike Conley, and bullying them with All-Star brutes Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.

While this has been a recipe for moderate playoff success, there are three significant flaws:

• They have no shooters.
• They have little to no young talent.
• Their core four consists of a 34-year old shooting guard who can’t shoot, a 34-year old power forward who can’t keep up with the small ball 4s or stretch the floor, a 31-year old All-NBA center who is coming off a season-ending foot injury and a 29-year old point guard who is an unrestricted free agent this summer.

It is safe to say the Memphis Grizzlies are in a world of trouble. Instead of trying to add young talent to surround their core, they have relied on aging veterans such as Mike Miller, Matt Barnes, and Vince Carter. These three players were great talents but are now shells of their former selves.

If their core was younger, these guys would provide a great veteran presence in the locker room. However, their core is old enough to provide the veteran leadership.

Here are some players the Memphis Grizzlies who were traded or not brought back that should have been kept:

• O.J. Mayo. Provides scoring and shooting punch the Grizzlies need. Had star potential.
• Greivis Vasquez. High-IQ player who could have played a Shaun Livingston-type of role for the Grizzlies.
• Hassan Whiteside. Could have been a quality backup center and a strong replacement for Marc Gasol.
• Michael Beasley. Could play the stretch 4 and provide a scoring punch.
• DeMarre Carroll. If developed properly in Memphis, he could have displayed the 3-and-D elements showcased in Atlanta.
• Rudy Gay. He could take over a game in more ways than any current Memphis Grizzlies player could. Has the ability to play either the 3 or 4 position.

Looking at this list, they all would have been attainable options. Mayo struggled in the 2012 playoffs, so he could have been brought back at a cheaper contract.

Vasquez has great court vision, but his lacking athleticism holds him back from being anything more than a backup combo guard. Hassan Whiteside and Michael Beasley were brought in during training camp and could have been fixtures in the rotation.

With Carroll and Gay, they could have been retained by opting to trade Zach Randolph and Tony Allen.

In 2013, the Memphis Grizzlies traded Rudy Gay. In hindsight, knowing that the league was getting smaller, Zach Randolph should have been traded.

During the 2012-13 season, Zach Randolph was an All-Star, averaging 15.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. The Grizzlies could have gotten a better return for Randolph than Rudy Gay.

Now at 34 years old, it is hard to play him because of his lack of speed and consistent outside shooting.

With the NBA going towards the “stretch 4” or “play-making 4” trend, Rudy Gay would have fulfilled that role perfectly alongside Marc Gasol.

During the offseason after the Rudy Gay trade, Tony Allen was a free agent. Around that time, it was fair to say that the Grizzlies were a shooter away from being a championship contender.

If they would have let go of Tony Allen, they could have dedicated the money in his contract for O.J. Mayo and/or an additional wing (DeMarre Carroll if he weren’t traded or a free agent such as Kyle Korver or J.J. Redick).

If the Memphis Grizzlies were to have kept Vasquez, Mayo, Beasley, Carroll, Whiteside, and Gay, they could arguably have one of the deepest teams in the NBA. A motivated O.J. Mayo combined with Mike Conley makes for one of the most dynamic backcourts in the league.

Gay and Carroll at the 3 and 4 stretches the floor for Marc to operate in the low or high post. Adding Whiteside and Beasley to their bench would make their bench more dynamic and their future more bright.

They could have pulled a Conley/Mayo/Vasquez/Carroll/Gay or Conley/Mayo/Carroll/Gay/Beasley lineup to counteract Golden State’s “Death Lineup.”

Finally, more importantly, not giving up on young talent leads to more assets. Most teams aren’t enticed by old pieces such as Zach Randolph, Tony Allen, Matt Barnes or Vince Carter. Younger pieces open the door for more opportunity.

If Hassan Whiteside exploded in Memphis instead of Miami, they could have made him or Gasol expendable for additional young talent, assets in the form of draft picks, or All-Star caliber players.

With Mike Conley putting pressure on the front office to make moves, the Memphis Grizzlies could have had the assets to pull off a trade for a star player to pair alongside their free agent point guard.

A deal that would be a win-win on both sides would be: Rudy Gay and their pick this year to Cleveland for Kevin Love. LeBron would get an athletic wing to upgrade Richard Jefferson‘s Finals role. The Grizzlies would get an All-NBA caliber stretch four whose prime window is roughly the same as Conley’s.

Gasol’s interior defense and Carroll’s perimeter defense would hide Love’s defensive flaws.

Sadly, the Memphis Grizzlies can not go back to fix these mistakes. They have dug themselves a deep hole by not developing young talent.

They can help their future a tad bit in this year’s draft. However, with an aging core and a point guard who may walk away, the Memphis Grizzlies are in a sticky situation where they need to either go all in for a title or blow up the team and start over.

If the Grizzlies do not pick a direction soon, things could get pretty ugly on Beale Street.