Grizz fans...

[Drebin]

....this new look team is really starting to come together and play good basketball. The fans are buying into it, too. It's a lost season, but if they can keep most of this team together, they could be really tough next year.

CJ Miles is almost certainly gone, and I expect someone to give Noah a big contract so he's probably gone. JV has a player option that I think he'll probably exercise and return. Wright is a revelation at point guard and Avery Bradley was a tremendous pickup.

 

[hatfieldms]

Yeah I like where they are now. I cant wait to see what JJJ turns in to the next few years

 

[Dubs.sixpack]

....this new look team is really starting to come together and play good basketball. The fans are buying into it, too. It's a lost season, but if they can keep most of this team together, they could be really tough next year.

CJ Miles is almost certainly gone, and I expect someone to give Noah a big contract so he's probably gone. JV has a player option that I think he'll probably exercise and return. Wright is a revelation at point guard and Avery Bradley was a tremendous pickup.

I went to the game Friday night and couldn't agree more. Valanciunas is every bit as good as Gasol. Noah is producing like his former self. He's also the type of guy who will resign. Memphis will suck guys like that in. Getting a healthy and more experienced J Jackson again next year will be great. Having a starting lineup of Conley, Jackson, Valanciunas, and fill in the blanks can win a lot of games.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

The pieces are there to build a good team. Very crucial what they do in the offseason.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I wouldn’t count on Conley being there next season.

 

[TrueMaroonGrind]

They sure are fun to watch right now. The defense has been so much better. I have never been so impressed by a new group of players. JV is so much of a grown man he came out of the womb with hair on his chest. Boy they are a great group to watch.

 

[Drebin]

I went to the game Friday night and couldn't agree more. Valanciunas is every bit as good as Gasol. Noah is producing like his former self. He's also the type of guy who will resign. Memphis will suck guys like that in. Getting a healthy and more experienced J Jackson again next year will be great. Having a starting lineup of Conley, Jackson, Valanciunas, and fill in the blanks can win a lot of games.

JV is more physical than Gasol, but he doesn't have the midrange and extended range jump shot that Gasol has. No matter, I used to get really frustrated with Gasol for not being physical enough and that's not a problem anymore.

The glue of this group might be Bradley, a guy you seem to discount in your list of starters for next year. Bradley is the best on-ball defender on the team, and he's the most consistent scorer right now. He's gotta be part of the equation next year, along with Delon Wright, who is a free agent at the end of the year.

Odds are that Conley is gone next season and Wright and Dorsey are your guards. They've got to free up some payroll.

 

[TrueMaroonGrind]

I'm not convinced they trade him. Depends on if they think they can win the next couple of years and what return they can get.

 

[Drebin]

I'm not convinced they trade him. Depends on if they think they can win the next couple of years and what return they can get.

It's not a slam dunk that they do, but he's going to have a lot of trade value and the opportunity to take $30M off the payroll while banking a couple of draft picks is going to be tough to pass up.

 

[Seinfeld]

I mentioned a few weeks back that I liked the Bradley deal, but at best, I thought he’d be a solid scoring threat off the bench that could occasionally get the Grizz 15. Never in a million years did I expect him to start dropping 20 ppg or fit so seamlessly into the rotation.

I keep waiting for this group to cool off and come back down to earth, but they may not. They’re playing well because everyone on the court is giving it all they’ve got every night, and the Memphis fans eat that up. Gotta give credit to Noah also because even if his best playing days are behind him, he is constantly pumping guys up and getting on the floor. It’s crazy to me that he was just sitting on the couch when the Grizz signed him

 

[ckDOG]

Wish we could hang on to Noah

Hated that guy in college, but he's someone you love to have on your team. Grinder. Like Bickerstaff says a "Joakim is 17ing crazy"

 

[Seinfeld]

Completely agree about Valanciunas. He’s got a really good mix of touch around the basket and the ability to bulldoze when needed. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s 26 I believe whereas Gasol is winding down. The Grizz really came out well on that deal because while Marc may have a couple more offensive weapons in his arsenal, my guess is that their overall efficiency metrics have to be very similar. Wouldn’t surprise me to find out that JV even had the edge

With Conley, I don’t know... I’d be really surprised if he still got moved this offseason. I’m sure there are multiple teams that would love to have him, but $33M/yr is a hefty price tag, and Memphis had the most leverage it was going to have at the trade deadline when teams were dealing with injuries while making a playoff push. I don’t know what offers they received, but if they didn’t get anything they liked then, it’s hard for me to imagine them getting something better in the summer

Also, I think there was a lot more incentive to get rid of Conley’s contract when things were looking like they were a couple months ago. Now that there’s actually some youth and life in the franchise, it probably makes a lot more sense to hang on to one of your last vets that still has a few seasons in the tank as well

 

[Seinfeld]

Yep, and it may not be impossible. The market for a 7-footer that will be 35 next season probably isn’t going to be huge

 

[Drebin]

Yep, and it may not be impossible. The market for a 7-footer that will be 35 next season probably isn’t going to be huge

Somebody who believes he's found the fountain of youth is going to throw some money at him. He is using this opportunity to prove he can still play and is going to look to make some money. Whether the Grizzlies decide to be competitive for him is going to depend on what else they do. They will owe JV $17M on top of the ridiculous money owed to Parsons and Conley. Deron Wright is a free agent and they will throw some money at him. I expect that they will fully guarantee Avery Bradley's deal, and they might do the same with CJ Miles.