http://www.sbnation.com/2014/6/26/583988...rdan-adams

We got two of them, Maybe the front office knows what they're doing afterall.

good piece from ESPN 92.9 The Line -

I guess Stokes was good enough for the Heat -

After the dust settled on the 2014 NBA Draft, Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace and the team’s two draft picks, Jordan Adams and Jarnell Stokes, spoke with the media. Here are the highlights.

The Grizzlies strongly considered Jarnell Stokes at No. 22. Among the final group of players that the Grizzlies considered taking at No. 22, which included Stokes, there was very little separation, Wallace said. When the front office settled on Adams in the first round, they immediately leapt into action to find a trade partner in hopes of landing Stokes.

“We chased him the rest of the draft, offering situations and goodies to these teams in the late first-round. We couldn’t make a deal, so we chased him all the way to Utah at 35,” Wallace said.

The Grizzlies sought Stokes for his toughness. As he explained his organization’s infatuation with Stokes, Wallace referenced former Clippers big man Reggie Evans, a thorn in the Grizzlies side in the 2012 playoffs. So when the opportunity to draft a similar player presented itself, the Grizzlies took advantage.

“Over the years, we’ve had trouble with that kind of player,” he said. “And we’ve never had a guy in our bullpen that’s a tough guy, rebounder, like Jarnell to bring off the bench. He’s got a tremendous amount of upside.

The Heat were interested in Stokes, so much that Stokes expected to be picked at 26th overall. According to Stokes, Miami was “definitely really close” to taking the 6-9, 260-pound bruiser. Obviously, the Heat prioritized Shabazz Napier, a personal favorite of free agent superstar Lebron James. Though he was disappointed to fall out of the first round, Stokes said there isn’t a better situation for him. “Being at my hometown team — I feel like I can come in and produce right away,” he said.

On March 29, 2013, Stokes attended a Grizzlies-Rockets game at FedExForum. Having just finished his sophomore season at Tennessee, he tweeted: “Grizz game! Nose bleed now but one day…” That one day, of course, is here. He didn’t know he’d be a Grizzly, but he always felt like he was good enough to play in the NBA. “I honestly felt like I would be here — maybe not the Grizzlies, but anywhere,” Stokes said. “That’s one of the things I always look back on. I went back and screen-shotted the tweet after they drafted me.”

Not that this will matter in the grand scheme of things, but Stokes and Adams played together for a couple summers on the AAU circuit with the Atlanta Celtics. Stokes left the Celtics for Memphis YOMCA, where he teamed with current University of Memphis big man Shaq Goodwin.

The Grizzlies certainly aren’t counting on Adams next season. True enough, there’s a logjam on the perimeter with Courtney Lee, Tony Allen, and a now-healthy Quincy Pondexter. Adams is a better scorer than all three, but the Grizzlies recognize he’s coming into a crowded situation and don’t necessarily expect him to light the world on fire immediately.

“When you draft someone today, you’d love to have them make an immediate impact right away but that's not the purpose of this exercise,” Wallace said. “If they do that, that’s great. But you're trying to get someone who has long-term value for your team. They can keep getting better and hopefully, as your team gets older, he can fill in behind these guys and eventually assume a significant role on your team.”