http://www.memphisflyer.com/BeyondtheArc...aintenance

Yep. No arguing here ... been saying the same thing since witnessing the league move more and more to small ball, a la GSW.

I don't think small ball vs Grit and Grind is the real issue. We are a healthy TA and Mike Conley away from a nail biting series against GSW. The issue is we don't have any contributing young players and the only true talent is the aging core 4. If you don't get somebody else to play with those guys, the returns will continue to diminish as they age. We don't have many first round picks coming up. That means we will be a lottery team in 2 years if we don't strike some home runs in free agency.

We absolutely must get some proven young talent or acquire some first round picks. If we don't, we will go back to 20 wins and 3,000 people showing up for mid-week games. If the real issue is the coach, then he needs to go so we can build around Mike and Marc and continue to field a quality product. If Mike and Marc are just not going to get it done, then we need to cut them now and start the rebuild ASAP.

Tillery says that they need to get Rudy Gay back.

The Grizz don't have to play small ball but they certainly need an answer when another team is playing it.

(01-19-2016 04:56 PM)mairving Wrote:  Tillery says that they need to get Rudy Gay back.

The Grizz don't have to play small ball but they certainly need an answer when another team is playing it.

Tillery is a moron. As for small ball the only good team doing it is Golden State. And that's because Draymon Green is the second coming of Charles Barkley and Steph Curry is the greatest shooter of all time. Look at the other contenders in the west

Spurs - Duncan- Aldredge
Thunder- Ibaka- Adams with Kanter
Clippers - Jordan - Griffin

Here's the east

Cleveland - Mozgov- Love with Lebron as a 6-8 260 lb 3

Chicago - Gasol - Noah


The rest of the league pretty much stinks


So is small ball REALLY the answer?

Rebuilding must begin with the front office. If you could somehow acquire some first round picks for the next couple of years, but don't change the decision makers, how can you have faith that those picks won't be squandered like the last ones we've had.

I still believe that this year's team can achieve some level of success in the playoffs. I agree with the sentiment that you let it play out and see what happens. Unfortunately that won't work for the long term, though.

(01-19-2016 05:02 PM)Brother Bluto Wrote:  

(01-19-2016 04:56 PM)mairving Wrote:  Tillery says that they need to get Rudy Gay back.

The Grizz don't have to play small ball but they certainly need an answer when another team is playing it.

Tillery is a moron. As for small ball the only good team doing it is Golden State. And that's because Draymon Green is the second coming of Charles Barkley and Steph Curry is the greatest shooter of all time. Look at the other contenders in the west

Spurs - Duncan- Aldredge
Thunder- Ibaka- Adams with Kanter
Clippers - Jordan - Griffin

Here's the east

Cleveland - Mozgov- Love with Lebron as a 6-8 260 lb 3

Chicago - Gasol - Noah


The rest of the league pretty much stinks


So is small ball REALLY the answer?

I agree. Small ball is just a term - it's all about talent. Those top teams have amazing talent. It's hard for a team like the Grizz to attract such talent and so the main way to do it would be through the draft which unfortunately hasn't gone so well for us.

And I'll even be fair on their drafts - the lower first round early second round is a crapshoot for the most part - while it's hard to believe they've blown it almost every time, they've also had some usable parts that for whatever reason just didn't develop while in the organization - Carroll, Lowry, Vasquez.

I won't say they've done a horrible job with the draft overall - it's a crapshoot, they have made some good picks, just didn't work out in Memphis, and they have made some picks that didn't work out.

The blew the #2 pick. Obviously. Blew it so badly it set the franchise back.

But overall, with most of their picks being last first or second round, they have DRAFTED okay.

The development of those picks while in Memphis hasn't been all that great.

Just top of the head:

Good to fair draft choices: Carroll, Arthur, Lowry, Vasquez.

Poor draft choices: Thabeet, Franklin, Selby, Wroten.

Jury's out: Martin and Adams.

(01-19-2016 05:07 PM)Trapper John Wrote:  Rebuilding must begin with the front office. If you could somehow acquire some first round picks for the next couple of years, but don't change the decision makers, how can you have faith that those picks won't be squandered like the last ones we've had.

I still believe that this year's team can achieve some level of success in the playoffs. I agree with the sentiment that you let it play out and see what happens. Unfortunately that won't work for the long term, though.

Yeah, we need new management before we start making any moves.

Unfortunately, the Grizz will get swept if/when they make the playoffs as a 7 or 8. Maybe win a game or two as a 5 or 6, but the ceiling is first round.

(01-21-2016 10:32 PM)spankadelphia Wrote:  

(01-19-2016 05:07 PM)Trapper John Wrote:  Rebuilding must begin with the front office. If you could somehow acquire some first round picks for the next couple of years, but don't change the decision makers, how can you have faith that those picks won't be squandered like the last ones we've had.

I still believe that this year's team can achieve some level of success in the playoffs. I agree with the sentiment that you let it play out and see what happens. Unfortunately that won't work for the long term, though.

Yeah, we need new management before we start making any moves.

Unfortunately, the Grizz will get swept if/when they make the playoffs as a 7 or 8. Maybe win a game or two as a 5 or 6, but the ceiling is first round.

Well...there's no way to avoid the Spurs or Warriors in the 2nd round. Every team in the West would lose to these guys most likely. So a 1st round win would be a successful season IMO. We don't have the horses to compete with the Spurs or Warriors and frankly I doubt any team in the NBA does. One of these two teams will be the champion.