Writing the Pine

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PROJECTED RECORD: 30-52
MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER: OJ Mayo
PLAYER TO WATCH: Allen Iverson
STRENGTHS: Youth, Athleticism, Scoring
WEAKNESSES: Youth, Defense

Before Allen Iverson was a Grizzly, the “veteran leader” on the team was Zach Randolph. If that doesn’t give you a good idea of the predicament the Memphis Grizzlies have put themselves in, I really don’t know what else will. There’s no doubt in my mind the Grizzlies have ‘upgraded’ their lineup this past offseason, but with teams like New Orleans, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston in their division, it’s tough to see the Grizz finishing ahead of them (even with no Yao and Artest for the Rockets).

Youth is always a difficult and tricky concept for a team. There’s no doubt that as a GM you look to get younger and more athletic at each position. Every year, teams struggle to find the right combination of youth and veteran leadership. The Grizzlies are no different. What they do have, headed by a young coach nonetheless, is youth and athleticism. Put the starting roster of AI, Mayo, Gay, Randolph, and Gasol on paper and you have one of the most athletic and entertaining starting 5s out there (well…minus Randolph). Put them on a court and let em play 82 games and well, your guess is as good as mine. These guys, however, have a lot of game and tremendous potential. But youth is always a double-edged sword, which is why it’s also their biggest weakness. Can this team be resilient enough to muster wins after losses? Can they be poised enough to close out tight games? Can they stop 3, 4, 5 game losing streaks? Can they continue their winning streaks (if any)? Although, these are questions all young TEAMS must answer; for the Memphis Grizzlies, these questions and a million more rest on the shoulders of the “Answer” himself – Allen Iverson, justified or not.

Allen Iverson has the opportunity to do what very few people in this world can do – redeem themselves. Regardless of who’s to blame for the utter failure of AI in Motown, it is his reputation that has been beaten to death. But he stands in a perfect place to make right for all the negative publicity surrounding one of the greatest players to ever step on an NBA court. So far, Allen’s said all the right things to make Memphis believe (and to some extent make himself believe because quite frankly, it’s Memphis where he’ll be playing) but you don’t need me to tell you that actions speak louder than words. The difference maker in tight games, and in games where poise is of the essence, must be Allen Iverson. His experience and leadership is not something Memphis wants, but qualities that they desperately need from Iverson. However, if you looked up top, I indicated the most important player to this team is O.J Mayo. Why? Because O.J Mayo stands to learn the most from Allen Iverson and picking the “Answer’s” brain would be invaluable to his and the team’s success. If he picks up Iverson’s “bad” habits and he starts showing the sophomore slump, then the Grizzlies are in for a long ride. However, O.J Mayo had a terrific rookie season showing the league the arsenal of weapons he has to offer. If Mayo learns positive things from Allen Iverson, who I think knows a little something about scoring, then watch for him and the Grizzlies to continually progress this year.

Rudy Gay has come into his own, establishing himself as one of the premier wing players out there. It’ll be important for him to get his points “off the ball” because the major criticism of this team that many people have is “there aren’t enough shots to go around.” And Its a very valid point, this team has a ton of scorers and there’s only one basketball. The Grizzlies must find a way to get equitable output from Gay as they did last year, with fewer touches.

Randolph is a head-case but he produces on the floor. I’m cheating a little bit since the Grizzlies have already played two games, but he’s averaging 22 points and 8 rebounds so far in this young season. He’s a liability on the defensive end and also off-the-court but you know you’ll be getting 20 and 10 from him for the rest of the season.

Because of all the youth on this team (the average age is 24.8 years), you can’t really expect much from them this year. The 2nd overall pick, Hasheem Thabeet, is still very raw and won’t make much of an impact this year. I wouldn’t be shocked at all to find Allen Iverson as the subject of multiple trade rumors come January and February. It’ll be interesting to see what happens since The Answer could be the key to a team’s championship run.