- Jamaal Tinsley: Not the veteran free agent guard Griz fans were expecting to see.
Grizzlies fans won’t see Allen Iverson on the FedExForum court — at least not in a Grizzlies uniform, but will get a chance to see another controversial veteran guard whom no other team has been clamoring to sign in the form of Jamaal Tinsley, the former Indiana Pacer who is likely to make his Grizzlies debut Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Let’s take a look at Tinsley, past, present, and future:
Glory Days: Jamaal Tinsley’s been a non-entity for so long that it’s easy to forget how good he was not so long ago. Here’s an excerpt from John Hollinger’s last Pro Basketball Forecast book previewing the 2005-2006 season:
With Indiana’s three best scorers suspended, Tinsley shifted his energies from setting up others to scoring himself. He raised his 40-minute scoring average by six points and more than tripled his rate of free-throw attempts… Also, Tinsley has improved as a shooter, making 37 percent on three-pointers for the second straight season after struggling with the jumper early in his career.
Defensively, Tinsley is one of the best guards in basketball. He has good quickness and fast hands that plucked two steals a game. Moreover, he’s a good rebounder for a guard and is big enough to defend shooting guards if the situation requires.
Overall, he’s on the cusp of becoming an all-star point guard if he can ever stay healthy. Tinsley has played only 92 games the past two seasons and has limped through Indiana’s playoff defeats in two straight postseasons. While much of the attention will be on Ron Artest, Tinsley is arguably a bigger key to Indiana’s championship hopes. If he’s in one piece in June, the Pacers will be tough to beat.
