Memphis Grizzlies: Preseason is over, real work begins

The Memphis Grizzlies wound up another successful pre-season campaign with a convincing 142-101 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, but the work isn’t over.

The Memphis Grizzlies completed another winning pre-season with a dominating victory over the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans at FedEx Forum 142-101.

Led by Marc Gasol (19 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists), Mike Conley (19 points, two assists) and Jarell Martin (20 points, seven rebounds), Memphis led nearly the entire game and stretched the lead to 49 points in the 4th quarter. Rookie Dillon Brooks put on a promising shooting clinic, going 5-of-5 from behind the arc to finish with 15 points in just 12 first-half minutes.

Before fans get too excited about this and start predicting a championship run, it’s wise to remember that last season Minnesota blew out the Grizzlies in the last preseason game only to lose the opening game of the regular season. Memphis plays New Orleans Wednesday night for their home opener.

Between now and then the Grizzlies front office has some difficult decisions to make. The roster currently stands with 17 players with guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts. Mario Chalmers appears to have won the backup PG role over Wade Baldwin and Andrew Harrison. It’s assumed that one of the losers of this battle will be waived.

The real work

Wade Baldwin started Friday night but did little to strengthen his case. Harrison played just eight minutes but has been the stronger of the two in most of the preseason games. Unfortunately it isn’t as simple as looking at preseason games. Baldwin is younger, more athletic and a more expensive price tag if waived.

The second player is even more of a question mark. Jarell Martin and Deyonta Davis both have their strengths and weaknesses, but the team can’t afford to keep both with this year’s draft pick Ivan Rabb already locked in. Martin was rumored to be on the waiver list heading into training camp but has looked impressive during the preseason. Davis is a young defensive shot-blocker the Grizzlies are lacking. However, he has no offensive game yet and has looked lost at times.

Then there’s the issue. Can Wallace give up on one or two former first-round draft picks after the recent problems with Grizzlies’ draft picks?

If the season started today, it’s likely the Grizzlies will start only one player drafted by Wallace: Mike Conley (2007). The lineup would also include two undrafted players (JaMychal Green and Wayne Selden) and two second-round picks (Marc Gasol and James Ennis). That’s a strong statement about Wallace’s ability to find talent where others aren’t looking, but his misses in the first round are a problem.

Then there’s the issue of the Grizzlies’ finances. It’s rumored the team lost up to $8 million last season despite the large broadcasting contract. Can the franchise afford to eat up to $3 million just to waive former first round picks?

It’s assumed the Grizzlies front office is burning up the phone lines looking for teams interested in their end of the bench players, possibly for future draft picks or cash considerations (something Wallace has shown an unique ability to use). However, this close to the season start, it’s not assured he’ll be able to find any takers. if Wallace isn’t able to find a taker for one or more player, the backlash will likely be tough on social media — regardless of which player is let go.

Next: The Grizzlies and Preseason Blues

So while the team gets ready for the start of the season, the front office will be sweating hard over the weekend, making decisions that could have long-reaching consequences.