Memphis Grizzlies: Making Beale Street Poppin’ Forever
The impossible trade between the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs that would have Beale Street poppin’ and the franchise making a major change.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately… I’ve been thinking about the free agents whom the Memphis Grizzlies can try to lure to the Bluff City this offseason. Then, I’ve been scouting potential picks in the upcoming NBA draft, which the Grizzlies currently have no picks in (Thanks, Jason Levien). I’ve also been whipping up potential trades in the trade machine that can help them improve its chances in the West.
And then I thought about something insane and unheard of, something that could never truly happen in real life, but something that could change the state of the Grizzlies’ franchise forever…
Are you ready for it?
Maybe I’ve been thinking too much. Maybe I’m way out of my element and out of my right mind. Or maybe I’m borderline psycho. Oh well, here goes nothing.
I thought about a trade between the Grizzlies and the Spurs. It’s not your typical NBA trade featuring players and future draft picks. Nope. It’s much more fantastic than that.
How does a trade between the Grizzlies and Spurs that would send away Marc Gasol in exchange for Gregg Popovich and his entire coaching staff sound?
Interesting, right?
Before you make up your mind, let’s make the case for why the Grizzlies should do the trade and why you will be hoppin’ on the Pop train by the end of this article.
Most Poppin’ Coach of All-Time(?)
You’re getting a coach with…
- An NBA record 21 consecutive winning seasons
- Five NBA championships under his belt
- The third best winning percentage (.694) for a head coach in NBA history
- Three NBA Coach of the Year awards
The awards are seemingly endless with Coach Pop. I could go on and on, boring you with all of his accomplishments over his 21 seasons as the head coach in San Antonio, but I will stop that right here. I think you get the point.
Change in Development
So then I thought about what Grizzlies fans complain about all the time. And ultimately it came down to one thing: poor drafting. Drafting players from overseas that never pan out (Janis Timma), drafting injury prone-players (Jordan Adams), or even drafting busts in general (Hasheem Thabeet—where is he now?) will forever linger in the minds of Memphis Grizzlies fans.
With Coach Popovich, you won’t have to worry about drafting busts anymore. You won’t have to worry about never playing your young players. But why?
You’re getting a coach with…
- A great eye for identifying young talent
- An innate ability to develop young talent
- The kahonas to let rookies play and make mistakes*
* “Smh,” says Lionel Hollins, probably.
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The Final Sales Pitch
Not sold on him yet? Let’s take a look at some of the players Coach Pop and the San Antonio Spurs have drafted and developed over the years.
For starters, he drafted the original “Big Three” in Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, all of whom have five rings thanks in large part to Coach Pop. He drafted Slovenian point guard Beno Udrih, who will forever be the king of the midrange jumper.
Coach Popovich and the Spurs also drafted and developed the likes of Kawhi Leonard, George Hill, Cory Joseph and Dejounte Murray. I think the history speaks for itself.
Sure, you’d be losing Big Spain, and you’d be saying goodbye to Coach Fizdale and company. But take a look at what you’d be getting in return: a Beale Street that would be poppin’ like never before.
So I ask you…would you trade Gasol for Coach Popovich and the rest of his coaching staff right now?
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