Memphis Grizzlies: 15 best NBA Draft picks of all time

At this point I am periodically slamming my head against the keyboard. The recurring “what could have been theme” has been landing jabs throughout this list. Mike Bibby sent me to the canvas but I got back up. The two-punch combo of haymakers between Kevin Love and OJ Mayo may be the KO.

The Grizzlies picked Kevin Love at No. 5 in the 2008 NBA Draft and immediately traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves for OJ Mayo, who had been selected third overall. There were several veterans exchanged as part of the deal too, but no one of real consequence. This trade was Mayo for Love.

Initially, it felt like a win for the Grizzlies. During his first two seasons, Mayo averaged 17.5 and 18.5 points per game, had a 40-point game, and dropped 30 or more several times. Love wasn’t a slouch either, as his first two seasons were 11.1 points and 9.1 boards per game followed by 14 and 11.

I still don’t fully understand what happened to Mayo and I never will. His trajectory looked like he would be a franchise player by year three or four. But it went the opposite direction, his scoring average dropped to 11 points per game, he became a bench player, and after four years, he was gone.

I’m not even going to recap how Love’s career has gone. Watch an Eastern Conference Finals game and you can see how things have panned out for him. For self-preservation’s sake, let’s just move on.