Commentary

NBA Offseason Buzz: Memphis Grizzlies

Acquisition of a "toxic" asset could actually help troubled Grizzlies

Originally Published: September 5, 2009
By John Hollinger & Ric Bucher | ESPN Insider

Want to know who's heating up for a big season on the hardwood? Insider is tapping into John Hollinger's projected Player Efficiency Ratings to see who's trending up and down across the NBA. Ric Bucher rounds out the report by examining a pivotal player you'll want to watch as the season approaches. The series continues with the Memphis Grizzlies.

What a fascinating experiment underway in Elvisland, where GM Chris Wallace seems to be channeling his inner Whitsitt. That would be as in Bob, architect of the Jail Blazers. For all the cracks about the Grizzlies and their minuscule crowds and threadbare budget, they seemed to be tilting in the right direction with a young nucleus of Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, Marc Gasol, Darrell Arthur and No. 2 pick Hasheem Thabeet. Then they dealt for the equally talented and troubled Zach Randolph and made an offer to the currently radioactive Allen Iverson. All that might lift them from second-to-last in scoring without moving them an inch in the standings.

To see which player is taking off, which is crashing to earth and which name you'll need to know for the 2009-10 season, you must be an ESPN Insider.


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