FanHouse Kyle Lowry

As teams get eliminated from the 2009 NBA playoff picture, Fork 'Em figures out what went wrong.

"The road to hell is paved with works-in-progress." -Philippe de Comines

It's also paved with the 2008-2009 Memphis Grizzlies and their fans.

The Grizzlies entered the season with a bizarre self-awareness. They were a young team with a coach that preached speed and aggression, but who had been told by his boss to instill defense, or else. They had lost their longtime franchise player in a rebuilding trade that resulted in much of the league mocking them, then pulled off a brilliant draft day trade to acquire O.J. Mayo. They had a deep set of guards, a great combination of young frontcourt players, returning superstar Rudy Gay, and a possible superstar in O.J. Mayo. And they were still expected to only win only 20-25 games.

The 3 PM ET trade deadline in the NBA has come and gone, and while there were plenty of big names rumored to be on the move, few teams actually had the guts to pull the trigger. There were plenty of deals made, however, including one that might have one Eastern Conference team feeling like it's back in the title conversation. A wrap-up of today's events after the jump.

Allen Iverson had until today to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Denver Nuggets, and his agent Leon Rose just confirmed to the Rocky Mountain News that his client will play out his current deal, which will pay him more than $20 million in 2008-09. This was certainly expected -- Iverson has said he wanted to remain all season, and Marcus Camby predicted his teammate would return earlier this week -- but you can never take anything for granted.

Just because Iverson decided against opting out doesn't mean he'll necessarily be playing in Denver next year: his hefty expiring deal is an interesting bargaining chip for teams looking to make a move, and guys like Carmelo Anthony and Camby have also been mentioned in their share of rumors. Plus J.R. Smith, whom AI is essentially blocking from the starting lineup, is a restricted free agent -- while Denver's up-and-down style of play fits his game, he may be able to find a starting gig elsewhere.

Even if the Nuggets can't find a blockbuster to their liking, expect at least a small deal: ESPN's Chad Ford reported a rumor yesterday involving the Grizzlies sending Kyle Lowry and the 28th overall pick to Denver for Linas Kleiza. That deal coud. make sense for both teams, considering Grizzlies' glut of point guards and the fact that Anthony Carter, the Nuggets' starter last year, is now a free agent. Whatever happens, expect the Nuggets to be one of this summer's most active teams.

There's more than one way to play defense. Everyone celebrates the ones most commonly found on highlight reels -- the vicious block that sends the ball five rows into the stands, the sneaky steal at mid-court that results in an easy fast-break dunk -- but people tend to ignore another fundamental tactic: holding your ground and drawing a charge.

As Alex from BrewHoop pointed out this weekend, Andrew Bogut is one of only a handful of players who excel at both the highlight-reel block and drawing charges:

While the Bucks finished dead last in the NBA in defensive efficiency, Andrew Bogut completed the 2007-08 season with exactly 100 more blocks than he had the previous season, good enough for 1.7 per game. The third-year center also broke through with career highs in points (14.4), rebounds (9.8), and steals (0.8).

There's more: Bogut finished second in the NBA in offensive fouls drawn, with 53. He's placed in the top three overall each of his first three years in the NBA. Drawing charges is arguably more beneficial than blocking shots, which can result in the opposing team still holding possession.

B-Ball, B-Fast is a weekdaily look at last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. Bookmark it and visit often.

Cup of Coffee
If you don't get the Bad Boys reference, I'm sorry. It appears my time has passed me by. Anywho, Kyle Lowry got the most run of the trio of young Memphis point guards last night, seeing 32 minutes and scoring 24 points with four assists and two steals. Javaris Crittenton had 30 minutes and scored 17 points with four assists and a steal, while Mike Conley, Jr., scored zero points (0 for six shooting) with one assist and a steal in 16 minutes. All of this is important, because for the rest of the season, the Grizzlies are essentially having a tryout for point guard. Whoever is playing well will keep getting the run. I love Conley, and he's legit, but I think people undervalue Lowry. Since it appears he's not going to have a tremendous leash, well, adjust accordingly.

Hot Cakes
Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes are both starters now (do these guys have dirt on a slew of NBA coaches?). Hughes put up eight points with five assists and two steals in 25 minutes while Gooden went nuts, albeit against Memphis, for 21 points and 14 rebounds. It's classic sell high on either guy, although they're certainly doing their best to spite LeBron James at this point.

Mike Miller has been out almost the equivalent of a week in NBA games for the Grizzlies, but is expected to return tonight. Consider holding him out one more game because back injuries = bad field goal percentage.

We were all pretty surprised to see how quickly the Pau Gasol-to-the-Lakers thing came together. Usually there are days of rumors leading up to something like this (see: Kidd, Jason), but this came down almost out of nowhere. That being said, the general consensus around here was "Wow," but here are some more in-depth reactions to the big trade.

Tom Ziller: This is way, way better than getting Kidd. And it sort of makes all that Chris Webber talk look silly. Everyone knows the Laker hole was up front until Bynum returns, and there's not a player on the market better to fill it right now than Gasol. Even the inside defense should be fine by the time Bynum returns for the postseason, and this could now be a top-3 offense.

Will Brinson: Okay, initially, I thought this was maybe a little too much. Then I realized I'm an idiot. The Lakers don't need the draft picks and if they keep this team together those picks will be late anyway. I still like the deal from the Grizzlies side of things though, because they get a very good young player (at least one I think will be good) in Crittenton, Kwame clears a ton of cap space and they have ample picks to begin maneuvering for draft position. I will admit as a Bynum fan/fantasy owner I'm a little nervous just because, well, because I'm paranoid. If he's healthy though, it won't matter and the Lakers suddenly might be favorites to win the West.

B-Ball, B-Fast is a week daily look at what happened last night in the NBA from a fantasy perspective. Bookmark it and visit often.

Cup of Coffee
How long could the Grizzlies really wait after Mike Conley, Jr., returned from injury to get him in the starting lineup? The correct answer would be "not long". Conley has started three straight games now for the Griz with Kyle Lowry coming into behind him and has looked pretty freaking good considering the 20 game layoff with a shoulder injury. He's a must add in almost any league -- he went for $51 in the 30 team league I'm in -- and his contributions in assists, steals and surprising rebound numbers are an asset to any fantasy team. Keeper leagues, obviously, should have already been all over this guy.

Hot Cakes
Another "rookie" (and we're using the quotes since he's older than I am) that deserves a second look from fantasy owners is the high flying former Seminole Al Thornton. Thornton was heavily prized by many an owner during draft season, but his early season performance saw him cast aside in fantasy waiver wires and the Clippers' rotation as well. Thornton's been "back" to a degree during his last two games, scoring in double figures. Tim Thomas is banged up, which has been the cause of Thornton's starting time, but if he can step up his play while Thomas is down he still has a chance to seize the gig. Take a flier but don't look for a plug in the starting lineup.

With Mike Conley, Jr finally healthy, the Grizzlies have (rightfully) decided to embrace a full-fleged youth movement. That means Damon Stoudamire went from the starting lineup to the inactive list in the blink of an eye, with Conley replacing him and Kyle Lowry serving as the primary backup. Not surprisingly, Stoudamire is a bit miffed and has requested a trade or a buyout through his agent, Aaron Goodwin. From Ron Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

"For the Grizzlies to demote Damon because of his age and because of the team's record is unacceptable," Goodwin said. "They're going to have to do right by Damon - move to get him out of there or restructure his contract so he can be bought out. Mr. Heisley is a good, compassionate man. But we're not going to sit back and watch Damon's career rot."

Goodwin referred to Griz owner Michael Heisley, who said the team will try within reason to accommodate Stoudamire. Heisley, though, cautioned that the team will consider a lot more than Stoudamire's personal desire if something is done.

For what it's worth, Stoudamire has one more season left on his contract after this one and is set to make $4.65 million in 2008-09. While he's no longer an ideal starter, he could still contribute off the bench for most teams in the league. There are enough teams desperate for point guard help (Golden State, Miami) to think there's a market for Stoudamire's services, even if he's a bit overpaid.