Larry Kuzniewski
How is this guy going to handle having his minutes restricted?
Here’s a list of things to watch for as the Grizzlies take on the Timberwolves tonight at FedExForum, in the first regular season game of the 2016-17 NBA season.
- What sort of minutes limit will be applied to Marc Gasol, and will he actually allow himself to be subjected to a minutes limit?
- How effective will Zach Randolph be off the bench? How efficient will he be at a high usage rate against second units?
- No doubt the Grizzlies would like for everyone to forget why Rick Trotter isn’t the PA announcer anymore. How much does the PA announcer actually change the game? And, since Trotter’s delivery was similar to John Paul Stevenson’s, the previous PA announcer who has now returned on an interim basis, will casual fans even notice?
- What’s wrong with Tony Allen, and when will he actually be healthy?
- Are the Grizzlies going to be able to function at a high level without Chandler Parsons, who presumably won’t be seeing the court for a while? With James Ennis in the starting lineup, are they still going to be able to do the things they want to do offensively?
- Are the Timberwolves for real? Has their phalanx of extremely talented young players finally developed to a point where they’re a legitimate playoff threat?
- With Brandan Wright out, what’s the bench frontcourt rotation going to look like? Are we going to see Deyonta Davis and Troy Williams play significant minutes in the first game of the season?
- Has the backlash against the “Grind City” thing (the tagline, not the media operation, which has been discussed ad nauseum) spread beyond me, Herrington, and Kevin Cerrito, or are we all alone on Grumpy Island? Are we now forever doomed to only be able to name Memphis things “grind” or the danged area code? Was Bluff City not a perfectly good name, even though We Don’t Bluff, etc.?
- Is Marc Gasol going to take the four three-pointers that David Fizdale wants him to take, or will he pass them up out of habit?
- Is this the year I finally stop pretending I like watching ugly basketball? Will I have to watch much of it?
