Memphis Grizzlies throwback to Pau Gasol trade

In the second season of the last rebuild, the Memphis Grizzlies traded away their first star, Pau Gasol. The move ultimately built the GNG Grizzlies.

In the 2006-07 season, the Memphis Grizzlies had one of the worst teams since their time in Bluff City.

They started the season without star player Pau Gasol. After a horrible start, they fired head coach Mike Fratello. From there, it was just bad basketball that led to a league-worst 22-60 record.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t secure a top-three pick, missing out on the chance to draft prized prospects Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. Instead, they got the fourth pick — the worst possible slot for the league’s worst team.

The Grizzlies made the most of it as they drafted young point guard Mike Conley. With him, they had another potential-filled point guard who could eventually become the floor general for the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies also fired one of the hottest assistants on the market in Marc Iavaroni as their head coach. Iavaroni served as an assistant under Mike D’Antoni’s Phoenix Suns team. With this move, the front office hoped he could ignite the same offensive magic with this young, athletic roster.

In free agency, they made progressive steps for their future. They signed Darko Milicic, one of the most infamous picks in NBA history, to a multi-year deal with hopes he’d finally come along. In addition, they attempted to satisfy Pau Gasol by signing one of his buddies from Spain, Juan Carlos Navarro.

With a top-five pick, new free agents and a promising Rudy Gay in his second season, did the Memphis Grizzlies turn it around?

2007-08 season recap

To answer the previous question: they didn’t.

Marc Iavaroni didn’t bring that Phoenix offensive to Memphis as they sputtered a bottom-10 offensive rating. Not to mention, they had one of the worst defenses in basketball.

Mike Conley struggled in his first season, averaging 9.4 points on 42.8 percent shooting and 4.2 assists. Darko Milicic wasn’t an ideal free agent acquisition. While he did average 1.7 blocks a game, he was inefficient on offense, only scoring 7.2 points a game on 43.8 percent shooting.

The biggest news from the season was the Grizzlies pulling the trigger by trading Pau Gasol. After publicly demanding a trade, he got his wish as he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Grizzlies, however, probably got one of the worst returns of all time. They received bust Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the draft rights to Marc Gasol and two future first-round picks.

Had it not been for Marc Gasol, it would’ve been the absolute worse return for a star in history.

On a positive note though, Rudy Gay made a huge leap in his game. His scoring numbers went from 10.8 to 20.1 a game. He also saw an increase in shooting percentage (42.2 to 46.1), rebounding (4.5 to 6.2), assists (1.3 to 2.0) and steals (0.9 to 1.4).

In addition, Mike Miller had another productive season, averaging 16.4 points on a sizzling 43.2 percent from deep, 6.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He truly had one of the most underrated seasons in Grizzlies’ history.

Ultimately, the Grizzlies matched their win total from the previous season, finishing with a 22-60 record. In the process, they were doomed for the lottery once more.

Lessons to learn from that season

It takes time with young players

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As evident as it is, young players don’t reach their full potential in their rookie year. Back in his first year, Conley wasn’t near the player he is now. In the same season, Rudy Gay made a big jump from his rookie year and flashed All-Star upside. It’s simply a lesson to trust the process.

You need shooters

As I was doing my research, I came across one thing: the Grizzlies had two high-volume, lights-out shooters. Mike Miller was a man before his time as he drilled 43.2 percent of his 3-point attempts, and he shot 5.1 triples a game. Juan Carlos Navarro shot 5.3 3-pointers a game, drilling 36.1 percent of them. Getting a time machine would be nice. You could bring them to the 2017-18 Grizzlies. Lesson be learned, get some shooters.

Don’t be afraid to trade your star players

The Grizzlies couldn’t find the right formula with All-Star Pau Gasol. It doesn’t help that he demanded a trade, but they met his request. They could’ve refused a trade and tried to luck into a good cast around Pau one year. The trade hurt the Grizzlies a lot at the time, but it served as a beneficiary later. Marc Gasol emerged as one of the best two-way centers of the past decade.

Must Read: How the last rebuild started

Tune in next week as we discuss the third season of the last rebuild. Did the Grizzlies find a formula then? Or did they make a decision that would haunt their franchise?

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