The Memphis Grizzlies failed to trade Tyreke Evans before the trade deadline. Now, there is universal backlash from the Memphis community.
Chris Wallace is not a good NBA general manager.
He would certainly like you to think that he is. When pressed about his questionable decision making, Wallace often refers to the seven-year playoff streak during his tenure with the Memphis Grizzlies. Recently in the last few months, he bragged about he has “presided over the best run in the history of this franchise”.
On the contrary, the success of this franchise has largely been in spite of Chris Wallace, rather than because of him. The Grit ‘N’ Grind Memphis Grizzlies came about mostly through dumb luck. After all, Mike Conley was the only draft pick of the “Core Four”.
They were ripe to win a title; they just needed a missing piece. Wallace was never able to find that piece.
Here are some names that might jog your memory.
OJ Mayo. Jordan Adams. Jeff Green. Wade Baldwin. Chandler Parsons. Ben McLemore. Hasheem Thabeet. To be sure, there are many other names that could go in this list as well.
All of these moves, trades, and signings happened during Chris Wallace’s tenure. Of course, all executives make mistakes. Even Danny Ainge has had his missteps.
However, it is obvious that the bad far outweighs the good. Although he has had his moments, Wallace’s shortsightedness has hampered this team perhaps to the point of beyond repair.
The writing has been on the wall for Chris Wallace for a long time. However, the “super mediocrity” of 7 straight playoff appearances as well as an unstable ownership situation has allowed him to hold onto the job.
But the Tyreke Evans situation is simply unforgivable. Then again, perhaps we shouldn’t have expected anything different.
Organizational Incompetence
Tyreke Evans was on the trading block. He had been sent back to the team hotel. There was no doubt as to what was going to happen in the coming days. Although he still remained on the team, he hadn’t dressed out in over 10 days. Everyone knew that the Memphis Grizzlies were going to trade him.
Until they didn’t.
Unless Tyreke Evans promised the Grizzlies that he would resign for the MLE (which he didn’t), this is gross incompetence to the highest degree. Memphis had several solid offers that they turned down.
Denver gave Memphis a choice of two offers for Tyreke Evans, per league sources: Emmanuel Mudiay/one 2nd-round pick OR an expiring contract/multiple second-round picks. MEM wanted more, and didn't want any 18-19 salary.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) February 8, 2018
Tyreke Evans will walk at the end of the year. And the Memphis Grizzlies will get nothing. Nada. Zilch.
Chris Wallace should be fired immediately. He should have been gone at 2:01 this afternoon when no deal went through. His poor decision-making along with his lack of awareness would have sent him packing a long time ago in any other place.
However, Chris Wallace isn’t going anywhere. Not only that, but he’ll also likely get to stay here as long as he wants.
The Memphis Grizzlies’ incompetence permeates not only the front office, but also ownership. Robert Pera is nowhere to be found and very well may not be the majority owner much longer. No one really knows who is making the decisions for the Grizzlies anymore. The unstable ownership situation prevents any real changes to the front office from being made.
Who will fire Chris Wallace? It certainly won’t be the absentee owner.
A Time for Change
Fans of the Memphis Grizzlies deserve better. Through all the ups and downs, this city has continued to support this team. They will also continue to support it far into the future.
Alhough Chris Wallace has found his gems here and there (ala Dillon Brooks), the time for him to go is now. However, no real change will occur until the franchise figures out its ownership situation.
The Memphis Grizzlies have gone through rough times before, and they’re about to go through even rougher ones. Persistence and patience from the fan base will be key during this period.
My advice to anyone who wants to see real change? Be vocal. In our social media culture, everyone truly has a voice. If you want to see real change happen, speak it into existence.
Unfortunately, real change is going to take time for the Memphis Grizzlies.
A/N: Jason Levien was the GM during the 2012-13 season, not Chris Wallace. I apologize for the error.