Welcome to Grind City View’s Weekly Power Rankings, Beale Street Bears’ roundup of the Memphis Grizzlies’ spot in national power rankings
CBS Sports – No 9
“What a weird three-week stretch. Losses to the Lakers, Clippers (without their stars), the Bulls (without Wade) and wins over the Jazz and the Warriors. The Grizzlies are tough as nails, but with a 24th-ranked offense, you wonder if they’re going to be anything more than a “tough team you don’t want to face in the playoffs, but can probably beat anyway.”
Memphis has dropped multiple spots in most rankings across the internet. Given recent losses to mediocre teams from both conferences, falling in the power rankings makes sense.
However, nobody will want anything to do with Memphis in the playoffs because they’ve proven they can beat top-teams in multiple locations. Not because they’re a probable victory.
USA Today – No. 9
“With their 110-105 win over the Rockets Friday night, the Grizzlies improved to a combined 4-0 this season against Houston and Golden State.”
Again, no disagreements from me about falling to No. 9 this week. Losing to the Wade-less Bulls, OKC Thunder and the LA Clippers put the Grizzlies inconsistency on a pedestal, and they need more than a win over the Houston Rockets to prove it’s not a long-term problem.
ESPN – No. 8
“The good stuff: Memphis can claim a 2-0 mark against mighty Golden State after no team toppled the Warriors twice last season, defeated Houston on Dec. 23 in a game the Rockets sank 20 3s, won the rematch in Houston on Friday to saddle the Rockets with their first losing streak of the season.
The quirky downside: Memphis is one of only two teams on the NBA map (along with Charlotte) that sports a winning record against fellow Western Conference residents (17-8) but a losing record against Eastern Conference opposition (8-9).”
Last week, the Grizzlies sat sixth in this ranking. Yet again, the spotlight shines on the nightly inconsistencies. As Chandler Parsons continues to make strides in the right direction, Troy Daniels officially replacing Andrew Harrison in the rotation and Brandan Wright returning from injury soon — these inconsistencies may linger a little longer.
NBA.com – No. 10
“The Grizzlies improved to 4-0 against the Warriors and Rockets — but they’re 8-10 against the East after Sunday’s loss to the Bulls, where Troy Daniels (0-for-5) finally cooled off.”
Okay, first:
TROY DANIELS DID NOT AND HAS NOT COOLED DOWN.
… that’s all I got for this one.
Week at a glance
Memphis gets a chance to redeem themselves against the Eastern conference Wednesday night (Jan. 18) against the Washington Wizards. The Grizzlies return to the Grindhouse Friday night (Jan. 20) to face the visiting Sacramento Kings, followed by the return of James Harden and the Houston Rockets Saturday night.
Next: Troy Daniels is finally getting the minutes he deserves