Memphis Grizzlies Draft Profile: 2007
By Ryan Schmitz
Review
The Memphis Grizzlies finished the draft with just Mike Conley. For a team that needed a lot of talent, they didn’t make any extra moves that could’ve been necessary for their rebuild. Two different sites graded the 2007 NBA draft right immediately after, and both rated the teams’ draft in different ways.
Draft Express graded the Grizzlies with an “A,” citing Conleys production. They believed that Conley’s ceiling was worth where he was picked and that’ll he pair well with future Grizzlies players.
NBAdraft.net wasn’t as positive about the pick, giving the Grizzlies a “B-” They didn’t appreciate the value of where Conley was picked and thought the Grizzlies could’ve gotten him later. They also didn’t see how he’d fit with Lowry.
Fans also were hesitant about this draft. Like most NBA fans, Grizzlies fans were hoping one of the higher picks would fall to their lap. Many would’ve preferred Horford to fall so that Memphis could pair him with Pau Gasol.
Some of our fan responses thought Conley would would become a solid role player, but were worried his game wouldn’t translate. One of the fans preferred Kyle Lowry over Conley. Most of the fans weren’t as lenient as others. One hated the pick, while another fan thought he would be in the D-League. One fan even commented about the pick with just a simple word; “trash.”
Looking back on this draft, Chris Wallace and the Grizzlies did very well. Based upon Value Over Replacement Player (VORP), only four other players had better scores than Conley in the 2007 draft. Two were picked (Durant and Horford) ahead of Conley. Ironically, one of the others would later end up in Memphis. Does the name Marc Gasol sound familiar? After being selected with the 48th pick by the Lakers, he would eventually get traded to the Grizzlies in the deal for his brother. Joakim Noah was the final player who has had a higher VORP over his career than Conley.
A case can be made, though, that only two players would be picked over Conley if there were a re-draft. Marc Gasol and Kevin Durant are All-NBA type players, so they would be in the top-two. Conley’s consistency and improvement over his career could easily place him over Horford and Noah.
Related Story: Is Mike Conley Elite Yet?
Chris Wallace’s best draft with the Memphis Grizzlies might be his first draft. He didn’t do anything too flashy and took the player that fell right in his lap, despite it not being a huge need. I wouldn’t have taken anyone really besides Conley. Corey Brewer and Jeff Green weren’t very good fits. Yi Jianlian didn’t want to play in Memphis. Brandan Wright was the only other option, but his ceiling didn’t seem nearly as high.
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