Andrew Kasmarek, Mitch Pratt and Charlie Tritschler are getting you ready for the NBA season. The previews feature all sorts of information to get you ready for the start of the season. Yes, we will be a little late, but they will all be done by November 1st.
What I know
- Memphis is in the weirds - I have no idea where to slot this team. They had their best season of their franchise last season, and it feels like they did not really improve themselves in the offseason almost hoping they will get the same result. That's a problem seeing as multiple teams in the Western Conference got better.
- Even though they play ugly, I could watch Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol play together any day of the week. Memphis is not the prettiest team in the NBA yet I love watching how these two big men play together. I also enjoy how they seem like the best of friends and yes I do think they need a reality show together.
- If one team needs to make a trade, it is Memphis. They really need to trade for a 3-point shooter. I could have probably wrote this in the 2012 Memphis Grizzlies preview too. They need to find a way to make themselves better in January and February.
- Quincy Pondexter has a husky dog named Buckets and he is the coolest. The backup small forward has a husky that I want to be best friends with. He has a Twitter and an Intsagram account if you want to follow a dog.
Will regression hit Zach Randolph? - Let me preface, this is a little ridiculous of a question to ask given Randolph still averaged a double-double last year and led the league in offensive rebounds yet he is not getting any younger. 32 years old with bad knees and Randolph's weight would worry a bit if I were a Grizzlies fan. He can still get boards which is great yet this was the first full season Randolph played since 2007-2008 that Z-Bo did not average at lest 20 points a game. My assumption is Randolph will be just fine, but he for sure is on the wrong side of 30 given everything.
X-Factor
PG Mike Conley - He had a decent season in the regular season, but where he shined was the postseason. Now, there are times when postseason success does not translate into the following year, but I feel Conley will have an eye-opening year for Memphis. I am not sure if he will be an All-Star, but he might be the reason why Memphis could become a player in the top half of the Western Conference. I have a hard time seeing Conley revert back to how he played in the regular season.
Key Additions
SF Mike Miller, C Kosta Koufus - The corpse of Mike Miller lives on! I have no idea how he is still playing basketball. He is supposed to be their difference maker off the bench when it comes to 3-point shooting. Look, he will still have a 'Mike Miller Game' where he goes off for five threes and everyone gets excited yet that will happen once or twice a month like a full moon. Koufus is interesting. He averaged eight points and six rebounds per game last year as a backup for Denver, and he is the young age 24. Koufus will also be learning under Randolph and Gasol which will be huge for him.
Key Subtractions
C Darrell Arthur - They traded for Koufus and used Arthur as the chip along with a second-round pick, Joffery Lauvergne. I think this was a smart deal from Memphis' perspective. They get a legit seven-footer in Koufus without any sort of injury issue like Arthur had with his bum Achllies in 2011-2012. This will not be a big loss to the team.
Grizzles Draft
SG Jamaal Franklin - Is he allowed to wear long-sleeves in the league? That's an honest question because I do not know nor did I watch Memphis preseason games. Franklin is an energy guy. Someone who could come off the bench and give the Grizz a couple big dunks exciting the crowd.
Prediction
I do not see them finishing in the top four in the Western Conference. There is no way I could justify putting them there with Houston and San Antonio in their division. They will still make the playoffs but somewhere in that five to seven range.
Charlie.
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