At the time, general manager Chris Wallace downplayed the departures, calling it nothing more than a "restructuring," and adding that he prefers working with "a smaller group."
The Grizzlies, of course, were one of the worst teams in the league last season, which made it very easy to ridicule the move. But the fact of the matter is that the Grizzlies don't appear to be the only team trimming their scouting staffs.
OK, sure. They traded their franchise player a year and a half ago for Kwame Brown and some Skittles. And yes, with the No. 2 pick they managed to select the only basketball player available who's biggest weakness is his ability to put the little ball in the big circle with the net attached (which I hear is kind of important). But hey, they needed to rebuild, and they rebuilt. But they have tons of cap space now, so much in fact, that they're actually under the CBA limit and have to spend some.
So they've stopped torturing their fans with one terrible decision after another right? Right? Guys? Anybody?
Oh, hi Zach Randolph. What are you ... doing ... here ...?
It's almost unfair to judge a draft after one year, but this is what we're going to do. The final edition of our Revisiting the Draft series examines the 2008 Draft and believe or not, there are teams already harboring regrets from their picks.
Despite the extensive scouting, workouts and interviews involved in the draft, teams still make major mistakes and these days, prospects don't get three years to develop. Of the 14 lottery picks in 2006, six have already changed teams and players such as Patrick O'Bryant and Mouhamed Sene are not guaranteed jobs next season.
The NBA waits for no one, especially if they are taking too long to make an impact. So while teams won't freely admit they made mistakes 12 months after draft night, they will privately admit they overestimated talent and heart, and sooner or later, that will cost front-office jobs.
With Tuesday's talent dump netting the No. 5 pick for Minnesota, the initial theory followed that said pick combined with the Wolves' own No. 6 could net the team Memphis' for-sale No. 2 pick, a selection coveted by several teams. Minnesota quickly blew back that idea, saying it would not be giving up both top-six picks in any such deal.
This is the time of the year when NBA executives earn their salaries, making the decisions that often determine the success or failure the following season.
They make the trades, draft the players, and sign the free agents that set the stage. They can make or break a season long before it actually begins. The winning and losing generates the enthusiasm or leads to the apathy that surrounds your favorite team, but it's the executive decisions now that can give you a glimpse into the future.
The general managers usually sleep well during a season while the coaches fret every minute. In the summer, the GMs don't sleep at all, and with good reason today. When the economy is booming, NBA owners can be a little forgiving when things don't go their way. In an era of economic hard times, dwindling ticket sales and shrinking salary caps, there is no room or patience for mistakes. Here are five GMs on the hot seat in a very hot summer.
But in terms of players who actually play the most minutes, there's no doubt that the Grizzlies lead the way: they start three rookies (O.J. Mayo, Marc Gasol and Darrel Arthur), a second-year point guard (Mike Conley) and a third-year small forward (Rudy Gay) who's the old man of the group at 23 years old.
With that much inexperience, it's not a surprise the team is just 4-13 ... but at least one player thinks they probably could be better. When asked if he thought the Grizzlies were a well-coached team, Gay gave one of the worst endorsements of a coach I've ever seen.
It would be very easy to assume that Jerry West had his grubby little old man hands all over trade that sent Pau Gasol to the Lakers for what some important NBA people, like Gregg Popovich, are calling "beyond comprehension." He is, after all, the strongest possible link that you could find between the Lakers and Grizzlies. But in reality, West's hands are probably as far from grubby as they get and he had absolutely nothing to do with the deal, if you're willing to believe him.
Mitch Kupchak's acquisition of 7-footer Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and two first-round draft picks -- a trade West said he was not involved in, contradicting the rumors and conspiracy theories that have buzzed around the Internet -- was a good one, he believes.
West also added that it was a "... terrific deal for the Lakers ..." and a "... steal for the present ..." Well, I think everyone has heard more staunch denials (at least act like it was good for both sides, Jerry), but West, in my book, has enough cred to trust his word. On the other hand, it's pretty freaking ludicrous to try and ignore the fact that West has worked with and molded two organizations, Los Angeles and Memphis, over the recent years, and those two teams just happened to be involved in a blockbuster deal that got them both exactly what they wanted. Then again, when has force feeding Chris Wallace a fifth of Grey Goose over the course of eighteen holes and having him sign "your scorecard" at the end of the round* actually count as being "involved" in anything? Seriously though, even if West called Wallace up and told him to take the Lakers' deal ... who cares? Since when has being in the business world not been about who you know?
Not to disparage Memphis general manager Chris Wallace, but no one saw this coming. And by 'this,' I mean 'doing a passable job heading up the Grizzlies.'
I mean, Memphis lost the lottery. They had a 50/50 chance of landing Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, and it was practically impossible for them to slide out of the top 3. In true Grizzlies form, they slid out of the top 3. That leaves them with an unhappy superstar (Pau Gasol) and no one to replace him should you bend to his will and trade him. Oden/Durant gave Memphis options; Mike Conley, sadly, did not.
Chris Wallace, though, fresh off one of the least inspiring front office runs ever in Boston... he pulls through. Need another big? Let's get Darko Milicic to cover Pau on defense. Need to get Pau happy? Let's get his best friend Juan Carlos Navarro. The most insane things are the price tags. Darko? $7 million for three years. Navarro? The worst case is giving Washington the #13 pick in 2013.
Wallace pillaged the Magic and robbed the Wizards. (He's, like, Voldemort.) This is a really nice looking young team he's put together overnight. Only one of the key players (Mike Miller) is 30. Rudy Gay, Conley, Kyle Lowry, and Hakim Warrick are all under 25 and cheap for a few more years. Mike Miller and Navarro are just entering their prime. I'm not ready to give up on the Sonics, but this squad could turn some heads before Durant and Friends.
Wallace's improbable performance proves the NBA's new slogan. Or, it proves Jerry West's mind control ability is greater than we'd thought.
As noted by MJD in The Debriefing, Memphis got Darko Milicic for a relative pittance: $21 million over three years. By way of comparison, Adonal Foyle is signed for more than $29 million over the next three seasons. Mark Blount will make more than Darko. Etan Thomas will make about the same.
So yes, new general manager Chris Wallace pretty much stole Darko. The brevity of the contract was surely a concession to Darko's camp, as Milicic will still be approaching his prime at the point, and possibly primed for a huge six-year deal. But the limited term works for Memphis, too. In this NBA -- where teams plot out rebuilding projects based on when their bad contracts will end -- keeping deals short is so incredibly important. It's much better to overpay a player drastically in a short deal than to overpay a player moderately for a long deal. Liquidity is an asset, and keeping lots of short deals -- even if they're high dollar -- provides a much quicker turn-around should things not work out.
So it's a double boon for Wallace -- short and cheap (relative to the market). If things work out, Memphis has the inside track on locking up a full-bodied center through his prime. If it's not a match, there will be no problem finding him a new home within the year or awaiting contractual freedom. It's honestly the best non-Grant Hill deal of this summer so far, which is incredible considering the parties involved. Score one for redemption.
Ron Tillery of the Memphis Commerical Appeal says new Memphis general manager Chris Wallace visited Bulls restricted free agent Andres Nocioni in Argentina with a pitch to come to the Grizzlies. Chicago has the right to match any offer sheet, and have indicated the team won't let Andres slip away with nothing in return.
But Chicago boss John Paxson only has one target on the Memphis roster: Pau Gasol.
The Arlington Heights Daily Heraldsuggests signs Memphis is willing to part with the expensive Spaniard -- notably the franchise's reported big offer sheet to Cleveland big Anderson Varejao. The Herald's theory: Noces, Joakim Noah and Chris Duhon for Pau. Not a bad theory, as far as these theories typically go.
Bouncin' Around is NBA FanHouse's weekly insider notebook.
OK, sure. They traded their franchise player a year and a half ago for 
FanHouse fixes a decade of draft-day blunders in 
With Tuesday's talent dump netting the No. 5 pick for Minnesota, the initial theory followed that said pick combined with the Wolves' own No. 6 could net the team Memphis' for-sale No. 2 pick, a selection coveted by several teams. Minnesota quickly blew back that idea, saying it would not be giving up both top-six picks in any such deal.
Technically speaking, the Grizzlies aren't the youngest team in the league -- 
It would be very easy to assume that Jerry West had his grubby little old man hands all over trade that sent Pau Gasol to the Lakers for what some important NBA people, like 
Not to disparage Memphis general manager 
As noted by MJD in 
Where's Monty Hall when you need him?
