Should the Memphis Grizzlies Trade Jeff Green?
There’s been some discontent in the Memphis Grizzlies’ locker room, and Coach Dave Joerger may be at his wit’s end when it comes to dealing with issues related to forward Jeff Green.
As mentioned in our recap of the Grizzlies’ loss to the Houston Rockets last night, Coach Joerger elected to bench Jeff Green after halftime. While we stated at the time that the reasoning for this coaching decision was unclear, Grizzlies beat writer Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal has shed some light on the situation:
"“Just when you wanted to believe that the Griz had gotten their act together another bit of adversity popped up.Call them Team Turmoil.Injuries and schemes aside, Joerger now must figure out what to do with Jeff Green going forward after benching the inconsistent forward for the second half of that Houston loss.Joerger said sitting Green was his decision based on performance, not discipline.But this was a form of discipline.Perhaps Joerger took a stand as to maintain the confidence of everyone else in the locker room.”"
It’s certainly not the first time, nor the first team, where Green has been accused of being disinterested in games and hurting team morale. In regards to the Grizzlies’ current state of dissonance between Jeff Green and his coach, and presumably among teammates as well, Tillery states that “for Griz fans, morale is reaching an all time low in an underachieving season.”
Jeff Green’s athleticism and raw talents are undeniable. That’s why the Grizzlies pursued him a year ago. Equally undeniable, is the fact that the Jeff Green era in Memphis has not been best the chapter of the Memphis Grizzlies epoch.
Green has shown glimpses of brilliance as a Grizzly, hammering highlight-reel dunks, destroying opponents’ fastbreaks with spectacular chase-down blocks, knifing to the hoop for tough points in the paint, hitting corner three’s at a surprisingly high clip, and yet, he has been inconsistent and has generally demonstrated what has been perceived as a curious ennui, even during a game’s critical moments.
Despite possessing so many skills, Jeff Green often settles for bad mid-range shots when he could drive past a slower opponent, he jacks up three pt shots early in the shot clock with better shots available, and, despite length and athleticism that should make him an all-world defender and rebounder, Green typically exhibits an inexplicable aversion towards both defense and rebounding.
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And since defense and rebounding are two integral cornerstones of the house that Grit and Grind built, you can see how Green’s tendencies are not only problematic for the team’s on-court success, they are perceived as an affront to the culture and playing style that are most emblematic of this team and its passionate fanbase.
It’s unfortunate because Green is a likeable player who has a skill set that would lead you to believe he could push the Grizzlies into legitimate title contention while embodying the very spirit of “GNG,” but for whatever reasons, he hasn’t.
Maybe our expectations were too high, or maybe Memphis just isn’t the stop of his NBA journey where he finally puts the pieces together and maximizes his amazing potential, but it simply does not appear to be working out, and it has not for most of his tenure in Memphis.
Barring the unforeseen event that Jeff Green suddenly cures all ills pertaining to his play and his effects on team chemistry, the Grizzlies would be wise to conclude that while the Green acquisition was worth a shot, it is now safe to chalk it up as a failed experiment and refocus on identifying trade options.
At this point, a trade seems imminent and Grizzlies fans can expect the team to try to unload Jeff Green before the trade deadline so the Grizz can still get something in return for his expiring contract.
Stay tuned for more on Jeff Green’s current and future role with the Grizzlies, and let us know what you think about the Grizzlies’ options for possible trades.