Bearing Down: Memphis Grizzlies Week in Review and Three Takeaways

 We have everything you need on the week that was, plus three key takeaways.

The Memphis Grizzlies had a winning record for the week, 2-1, and their hopes of a rare undefeated week remained intact until the final seconds of a tough loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves this weekend. First let’s take it back to Monday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

January 18th Grizzlies vs New Orleans Pelicans

Following panel discussions, symposia, and other events to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Grizzlies capped off the day’s celebrations by narrowly escaping defeat against the Pelicans, winning 101-99.

The Grizz won with a well-balanced scoring attack as Marc Gasol, Courtney Lee, Jeff Green, and Matt Barnes each scored 16 points while Mike Conley added 15 in his return from an achilles injury.

Memphis left the outcome in doubt until the very last moment, when Marc Gasol tapped out a rebound to run out the clock following a free-throw missed by Lee. In a close game, the three point battle was a key difference in determining the outcome. The Grizzlies made 8-of-19 (42 percent) from beyond the arc, while limiting the Pellies to 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) on threes.

Big Spain had a couple big slams for the Grizz in this one and it was good to see Gasol and Conley back in rhythm. In case you missed it, see for yourself:

January 21st Grizzlies vs Denver Nuggets

The Grizzlies had one of their best opening quarters of the season as they took a 37-23 lead into the second quarter. The Nuggets stormed back and pushed the Grizzlies to brink, but Memphis held on to win 102-101. Be sure to read our full recap from the game, including a look at the Conley-Gasol game winning pick-and-roll.

The best highlight from this one may have been Mike Conley’s ice-cold crossover and three pointer to beat the buzzer before halftime.

Tony Allen approved.

January 23rd Grizzlies vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Battling back from a fourth quarter deficit after trailing much of the game, the Grizzlies briefly held a late lead before suffering a frustrating 106-101 loss to a team that had lost 15 of its last 17 games. The Grizzlies got some decent play from bench players like Mario Chalmers and Ryan Hollins (recently signed again after Elliot Williams’ contract expired), and Vince Carter help the Grizzlies claw back into it, but the Grizzlies came up short against a team they should have defeated.

Three Takeaways

1.Winning four total playoff games is a deliriously optimistic ceiling for this team as it is currently constructed

With no real shot at getting past the San Antonio Spurs, and certainly not up for the nearly impossible task of usurping the throne from reigning champs Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, the Grizzlies will not be competing in the Finals this year. The amount of miracles and fortune the Grizzlies require to win a championship this season, and the amount of injury, illness and other misfortune required to subdue the many formidable opponents in their way, would incite legitimate conspiracy theories and thorough investigations of the franchise’s activities should the season against all odds somehow end with Dave Joerger and the Memphis Grizzlies as NBA Champions.  I’m not sure of the exact odds Las Vegas has for the Grizzlies winning it all, but it’s something akin to your chance of winning the lotto powerball while being struck by lightning while while being attacked by a shark while on dry land while Andre Drummond hits a free-throw while Nic Cage wins an Oscar for Best Actor.

The Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks are currently vying for the sixth seed, so the semi-feasible best case scenario for this season might be getting the fifth seed and an upset first round victory over the Los Angeles Clippers again. I think we could all be happy with that outcome regardless of what unbeatable terror would await the Grizzlies in the second round.

1. If the Grizzlies want to do better than a first-round exit, they are going to need to shake up this roster a little bit more

Which likely means making some trades. With that in mind…  

More from Beale Street Bears

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• Jaren Jackson Jr. puts ex-Grizzlies teammate on notice
• 3 players Grizzlies would consider trading Ja Morant for
• Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. put on blast following FIBA elimination
• Ex-Grizzlies guard signs with title favorite, joins forces with 6-time All-Star

1. The best player the Grizzlies can reasonably bring to the trading block is Mike Conley, and the best time to get a good return for him is right now

Captain Clutch: the gutsiest, coolest, most reliable, one-eyed face of the franchise and longest tenured Memphis Grizzly. We were just warming up to the idea of possibly losing our beloved yet aging anti-hero, Zach Randolph, and now we find ourselves here with this uncomfortable discussion.

What brings us here?

The Grizzlies are not going to trade Marc Gasol, and it doesn’t appear the franchise has any intention of or logical reason to pursue a high-risk colossal roster-overhaul that could reduce Memphis to “Philadelphia South”: forcing a suffering fanbase to wait through years of losing in hopes that the the team might finally hit it big in the Draft Lottery with a burgeoning superstar who will accelerate and complete the “rebuild.” Gasol is staying for the long run, and “blowing it up” to start rebuilding a team from scratch takes too much time and more luck in the draft than the Grizzlies have ever known. Therefore, along with any hopes of making money off your Hasheem Thabeet or Robert Archibald Grizzlies rookie cards, you can go ahead and rule out and discard those improbabilities.

To a lesser extent offensively and a greater extent defensively, Z-Bo may be in that unique Tony Allen category: a player north of 30 years old who 1.) works well with what the Memphis Grizzlies do, 2.) is respected, adored, celebrated, and appreciated by Memphis and all of Grizz Nation, and 3.) is more valuable to the Grizzlies and their point-differential-defiant style of play  than he would be to other teams with other playing schemes that may view him as unable to keep up with the changes of a dynamic running and three-point-gunning modern NBA. So to round out the “core four” players we’d rather not see play for another team, we look to career-long Grizzly Mike Conley, a player in his prime with real trade value that management may not view as belonging to the same untouchable status ascribed to Gasol.

Trading away Mike Conley would, at least initially, be an incredibly unpopular decision no matter the perceived benefits, and for legitimate reasons. The notion deserves consideration because the Memphis Grizzlies are a mid-market team with no immediate championship aspirations and few quality draft picks for the foreseeable future. In order to create changes that will yield long term benefits, they will have to make some sacrifices for the cause.

Many fans long for the Grizzlies to make drastic changes in order to solidify their ability to compete for the Larry O’Brien trophy, but if the only assets you are willing to watch the Grizzlies give up are Jeff Green and other secondary and tertiary role players, you will be hard pressed to reconcile any of those hoop dreams of seeing the Grizzlies in the Finals anytime soon. If the Grizzlies ever want to pursue a trade along those lines, they may want to act before Conley becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer seeking a maximum or near-maximum contract. Letting Conley walk away as a free agent, or overpaying him to keep him in Memphis, are both realistic alternatives that would be worse for the franchise’s longevity than trading him this season. But more on that in a later post.

And one:

Even if you had your power knocked out by a nasty blizzard, you probably heard that the Cleveland Cavaliers, despite having the best record in the Eastern Conference, opted to fire head-coach David Blatt. With former assistant Tyronn Lue (you probably remember Lue from this iconic NBA Finals play) at the helm, things didn’t exactly get off to a great start for the new coach, as the Chicago Bulls embarrassed the Cavs in a 96-83 beating. Following the defeat:

Who got next?

The Grizzlies return to action tonight (Monday) at FedExForum as they play host to the Orlando Magic, the first matchup of the season between the two teams. Stay tuned for a full game preview, coming soon!

How far can the Grizzlies go this season? What trades should the team make before the deadline? Add your comment to join the discussion.