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3 Reasons the Memphis Grizzlies Went Underappreciated in the 2000s

By Christian Dudley

MEMPHIS, TN - APRIL 19: The Memphis Grizzlies pose for a team photo on April 19, 2004 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2005 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TN - APRIL 19: The Memphis Grizzlies pose for a team photo on April 19, 2004 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2005 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Memphis Grizzlies Hubie Brown
Hubie Brown got the most out of his Memphis Grizzlies (Photo By Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Hubie’s Absence

The Memphis Grizzlies ranked 16th in team defense for the 2003-04 season, but things greatly improved once the franchise had Bonzi Wells for a full season. In 2004-05, they made the climb to sixth-best. However, it was not just Bonzi who made the difference. It was the enhanced coaching of Head Coach Hubie Brown. He had a special system that was made successful because of a handful of interchangeable components on the roster.

Wells explains with “I’m just thankful that Hubie Brown coached us. Then we just had a lot of like-minded guys that sacrificed. If you remember, we were only playing half the game. Coach Brown was like ‘hey, Mike [Miller], you play six minutes. Bonzi, you play the other six minutes every quarter. That’s kind of what we all did. We all bought into his system and it was awesome.”

Chemistry goes a long way, and while this group of Grizzlies were young overall, one year made a big difference. In Wells’ second season in Memphis, the Grizzlies followed the 50-win season by a 49-win season. This qualified for another trip to the NBA Playoffs, and the Grizzlies were rolling at this point in their existence.

Despite the success, the players were hurting because Coach Brown was hurting. Hubie coached just 12 games in 2004-05 due to personal health issues, so Assistant Coach Mike Fratello took over. Things were fine until the postseason arrived.

“It was tough. Fratello was coaching us. I think that was the beginning of the end. When he got in, when he started coaching, he did not have a vibe with the team. I know I didn’t play much when he got there. Stromile [Swift] didn’t play much. A lot of guys didn’t play much once he got there. We were excited going into Year Two, that with that group, we were going to make some noise, and when Hubie got sick, it was like the beginning of the end,” Wells recalls.

Indeed it was the beginning of the end for Wells’ and the Grizzlies’ charge in the 2000s. They never were quite the same following Hubie’s official announcement that he was going to call it quits on his coaching career, leaving Fratello at the helm. For the Grizzlies, it was time to retool and rebuild the roster. Bonzi was later traded to the Sacramento Kings in the summer of 2005.

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