2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies Preview

2008 Record: 24-58, 5th in Western Conf. Southwest Division
Head Coach: Lionel Hollins, 2nd season
Key Additions: F-C Steven Hunter, F Zach Randolph
Key Losses: F Hakim Warrick
1st Round Draft Picks: C Hasheem Thabeet
2nd Round Draft Picks: F DeMarre Carroll, F Sam Young

2008-'09 Grizzlies Review:

While this disjointed and tossed-about franchise stands on the verge of being sold, the on-court fortunes of the Memphis Grizzlies didn't exactly provide a welcome distraction. On the morning of Dec. 16, the Grizz were 9-15... not in good position, but not a laughingstock, either. By the end of January, however, the merits of coach Marc Iavaroni's defense-first scheme were hard to find, as the team lost 20 of 22 games on its way to an 11-35 record. By that time, GM Chris Wallace fired Iavaroni, the former Phoenix Suns assistant, and replaced him with Lionel Hollins. Perhaps O.J. Mayo might become a superstar in the future, but in 2008-'09, the standout from USC hoisted too many bad shots and did not yet feel the rhythms of professional basketball, which require a keen sense of when to shoot... and more problematically, when not to. All in all, it was just another year spent in basketball hell for the Grizzlies. Purgatory would sound good by comparison.

2009-'10 Grizzlies Preview:

Hakim Warrick took his scoring punch to Milwaukee. The disgustingly, grossly overpaid Zach Randolph brought his legacy of underachievement to Memphis. The Grizzlies' handling of veterans--incoming and outgoing--does not suggest that positive change is on the way in Tennessee. On the other hand, the team's draft acquisitions--center Hasheem Thabeet and versatile forwards DeMarre Carroll and Sam Young--could make the Grizz an interesting team with loads of point-producing studs... in two years. This is a very young team that will go through a lot of additional growing pains under Hollins, now the permanent coach after his interim stint last season. Ignore the win-loss total this season at FedEx Forum; the key will be for Memphis to improve to the point where the 2011 season can be seen as a gateway toward a potential playoff run. In 2010, this hapless franchise needs to tell the rest of the league that its roster--with an average age of just under 24 years at the moment--will be ready to do big things at ages 26 and 27.

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By Matthew Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer

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