Memphis Grizzlies: 15 players who defined Grit and Grind
By John Buhler
. SG. (2010-17). Tony Allen. 1. player. 211
Marc Gasol may very well end up in Springfield one day. Mike Conley is without question the greatest point guard in franchise history. Zach Randolph was the backbone of this era’s front court. But Tony Allen is “Grit and Grind” in every sense of the phrase. It should come as no surprise that “The Grindfather” comes in at No. 1 on this list.
Allen’s basketball journey to stardom in Memphis was an interesting one. He went the junior college route out of his native Chicago. He would end up playing in the Big 12 for the Oklahoma State Cowboys before being a late first-round draft pick in 2004 by the Boston Celtics.
Allen was a solid role player with Boston for several years. While he won a title with the Celtics in 2008, he only averaged over 10 points and 20 minutes per game with Boston once. That was in 2006-07. After six years with the Celtics, Allen made the best decision of his professional life by signing with the Grizzlies as a free agent in summer 2010.
Upon his arrival in Memphis, “Grit and Grind” was born. His defensive presence made former lottery pick O.J. Mayo expendable. Over time, his defense-first mentality out on the wing won out over Rudy Gay getting his empty buckets at the three. In short, “Grit and Grind” was Allen’s calling card and the driving force behind the team.
Though a good player in Boston, Allen became one of the greatest defenders in NBA history with Memphis. During his seven years with the Grizzlies, he made a ridiculous six All-Defensive teams. He was on the All-Defensive First Team in 2012, 2013 and 2015. Allen made the All-Defensive Second Team in 2011, 2016 and 2017 with Memphis. The only year with Memphis he did not was 2013-14 where he only played in 55 regular season games.
“The Grindfather” perfectly complemented the offensive-minded scoring point guard Conley, while accentuating the elite defensive play of Gasol at center and the tremendous rebounding of Randolph at power forward. Few teams, if any, had an identity quite like the Grizzlies during the peak “Grit and Grind” years. Allen was 100 percent the reason for that.
His popularity among the Grizzlies faithful got to be so big that pepper grinders bearing his likeness were handed out before a game at the FedEx Forum. For a guy that never averaged double figures for the team, he was an absolute star on the other end of the floor.
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Like Randolph, Allen would leave Memphis after the 2017 NBA season. He signed a one-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans and remains a free agent heading into the 2018-19 NBA season. Also like Randolph, his No. 9 jersey will not be worn by another Grizzlies player and will be retired by the organization when he does call it a career. Allen is and will forever be “Grit and Grind”.