2018 Tanking Rankings: Memphis Grizzlies and NBA’s Best of the Worst
By AJ Salah
2. Memphis Grizzlies
So it was a pretty painful season in Memphis, no two ways about that. The Grizzlies had a wide range of outcomes, teased us with a couple weeks of dominance, then promptly nosedove into the nearest toilet.
Yes, it was frustrating watching Andrew Harrison and Mario Chalmers moonlight for Mike Conley. Sure, it’s annoying that Marc Gasol (understandably) drifted through most of this season like a Sunday-afternoon YMCA run. But the Grizzlies’ 22-60 stinker of a season was a necessary evil.
More from Grizzlies Draft
- 3 Grizzlies that could surprisingly be available in an expansion draft
- 5 players the Grizzlies never should have signed
- Cavs rookie admits he ‘definitely’ was interested in joining Grizzlies
- 6 Grizzlies that shined during 2023 NBA Summer League
- The Grizzlies’ 2023 Draft: What do they need, and who can fill those roles?
Shutting Conley down was a two-fold win. First, the surgery (crosses fingers etc) treated the cause of his recurring heel issues. Second, it set Memphis’ lost season in motion. From there, who could blame them for tanking?
But they still pulled it off beautifully, selectively resting an apathetic Gasol for both crucial quarters and entire games. Comeback standout Tyreke Evans was also nebulously shut down for most of the back nine (why he’s still on the roster at all is another story). Such stuff might not have worked for a high-profile team, but Memphis was used to flying under the radar.
That left an offensively-challenged smorgasbord of youngsters and journeymen to front as an NBA team, losing 16 of 17 and 19 straight on separate occasions this year. This was F-Zero, as in zero given.
As ugly as it was, if one awful season’s the price to pay for a healthy Conley and a top-two pick, it’s a fair transaction.