Tag: Marc Gasol

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Sports Sports Feature

Marc Gasol’s Jersey is Retired in a Night of Appreciation

Marc Gasol reacts during the Marc Gasol jersey retirement on April 6, 2024 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Wes Hale)

It wasn’t the basketball game that drew over 17,000 spectators to the FedExForum on Saturday and caused all the excitement. The extremely short-handed Memphis Grizzlies lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, 116-96. 

The reason the fans were there was for a more joyous occasion as the franchise retired Marc Gasol’s No. 33 jersey. Just two players in team history have had their jersey numbers retired: Zach Randolph on December 11, 2021, and Gasol, who now joins him.

Marc Gasol’s jersey is risen during the Marc Gasol jersey retirement on April 6, 2024 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Wes Hale)

As the lights went out inside the arena, the music blared, DJ Paul of Three Six Mafia began rapping, “Now ever since I can remember, I’ve been poppin’ my collar. Poppin’-poppin’ my collar, poppin’-poppin’ my collar,” and there stood the “Core Four” together again in one place for the first time since the spring of 2017: Gasol, Randolph, Tony Allen, and Mike Conley. They were met with a standing ovation. 

When it came to doing things the right way as a team, Gasol wasn’t really concerned about individual accolades. Appropriately, he chose to share the night alongside the three men who had been instrumental in his — and the franchise’s — greatest success. These men spent seven seasons together, won the very first playoff game in franchise history in 2011, and went on to make it to the 2013 Western Conference finals. 

All four players reflected on their shared memories of playing in the Grindhouse.

Gasol thanked his Memphis coaches and teammates, with his family by his side. The All-Star big man also thanked the fans and the city of Memphis for their unwavering support throughout his stay in the Bluff City. 

Marc Gasol and his family look on during the Marc Gasol jersey retirement on April 6, 2024 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Wes Hale)

His brother (and former Grizzlies star) Pau Gasol spoke to the media prior to the game: “I am very proud of what we’ve be able to accomplish, and what Marc has been able to accomplish, and how he came here as a 16-year old, had to leave school and everything back home, to the kind of follow the big brother’s dream and just brought about what he has been able to do.”

Hall of Famer, Pau Gasol speaking to the media prior to the jersey retirement ceremony (Photo by: Sharon Brown)

The two-time NBA champion continued: “How we approach everything is his character, his determination, the mark he left, the legacy, what he was able to do here and throughout his career, representing the city of Memphis the way he did for so many years with all  those guys, Mike [Conley] Zach [Randolph] Tony [Allen] and many others. Tonight is a special night for our family that brings back a lot of memories.”

A host of former Grizzlies were in attendance, including Mike Miller, Rudy Gay, Quincy Pondexter, Beno Udrih, Darrell Arthur, Jon Leuer and Tayshaun Prince. Former Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger was also there, and former Grizzly Kyle Lowry, who stayed after the game. 

Fellow Spaniard, and Grizzlies forward, Santi Aldama, spoke about the Gasol brothers: “I think since day one, obviously making it to the NBA is a child’s dream,” Aldama said. “But getting drafted by Memphis and being here and seeing what [the Gasols] have done for the franchise and the city has been awesome. Just being able to talk to them and kind of see their life here and now me kind of experiencing that is incredible.”

Elizabeth Smith has been a season ticket holder since 2011. “Marc Gasol isn’t just a player who played for my favorite basketball team; he is an integral part of the fabric of the city of Memphis and the Grizzlies,” Smith said. “Marc’s impact on the court speaks for itself, but it’s more than just his basketball accomplishments that make him special. He was the center of the Grizzlies for over a decade in more ways than the obvious.”

“Big Spain embodies everything I love about the Grizzlies and what I expect from my favorite team: a passion for the game, a heart for the community, and a refusal to accept defeat without fighting til the bitter end. Marc, along with TA, ZBo, and Mike, were the catalysts for my casual appreciation for basketball evolving into a deep love of the game. I have said many times that those four will forever be my favorites. That wouldn’t be possible without Marc, one of the cornerstones of that era of Grizzlies basketball, for fans like me.”

“My favorite moment of the night that brought tears to my eyes was the showing of his Toronto championship ring that had “GRIT N GRIND” engraved in it,” said longtime fan Sheri Dunlap Hensley.  

“We were able to celebrate with the Gasols after the ceremony,” Hensley explained. “It was nice speaking with his parents. I asked them when they would be traveling back home and I said “I am sure you are ready to get back home.”  His mom said “Oh no! We love Memphis! The city embraced us and Memphis put smiles on my son’s faces!”  She went on about how thankful she will forever be to Memphis and the fans.”

Hensley even had a chance to reminisce with Gasol, himself. 

Sheri Hensley chatting with Marc Gasol.

Adrian Shavers has been a Grizzlies season ticket holder for a long time. The night was very special for him. Shavers said, “It was awesome — felt like a family reunion. It felt really good seeing and chatting with old friends. One thing about our players, they love us fans and remember us. It was a real family feel, and that’s what I felt that night.”

Grizzlies fan Adrian Shavers posing in front Gasol’s banner. (Photo by: Adrian Shavers)

One of the most talented players to ever suit up for Memphis, Marc Gasol’s legacy is now sealed with his jersey hanging from the rafters. It has been a pleasure, Big Spain. GNG Forever.

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News The Fly-By

MEMernet: Sex Doll, Batmane, and Marc Gasol’s Clues

Posted to YouTube by Jay Doll King Hefner

Memphis on the internet.

Dollin’ In Memphis

YouTuber Jay Doll King Hefner took one of his Sexy Real Sex Dolls, which he calls “girlfriends,” for a night on Beale Street Sunday. Hefner pushed the doll in a wheelchair for a bite at Dyer’s Burgers. They made their way passed Silky O’Sullivan’s and then to B.B. King’s.

Hefner greeted the many curious onlookers and answered questions about the doll. He let little girls touch the doll and take photos with her and told one passerby that “hey, she don’t argue much.”

Huge hat tips to Reddit user Strange_Fruit_007 for the original post about this and to user wolfaxe2 for posting the YouTube link.

Tweet of the Week

Chef Kelly English ruled the MEMernet with one word last week.

Question: What would be different about Batman if he were from your city?

English: Batmane

Design your best “Batmane” logo, submit it to toby@memphisflyer.com, and we’ll feature it right here on the MEMernet for glory and internet points.

Marc Mash-up

Phillip Dean showed what the MEMernet was all about last week with this Marc
Gasol/Blue’s Clues meme mash-up.

Posted to Twitter by Phillip Dean

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Lakers Top Grizz; Bane Impresses

CREDIT: Memphis Grizzlies Instagram

Grizzlies rookie Desmond Bane continues to impress in his first season. In 21 minutes Sunday night, he finished with 13 points (5-8 FG, 3-4 3Pt) to go along with two assists in a 108-94 loss to the Lakers. 

Bane has scored in double figures in the last three games and is averaging 13.0 points on the season while shooting 48.4 percent from the field as a reserve. 

Bane has made multiple three-point shots in the first six games of his career, the second-longest such streak to start a career in NBA history, behind Chicago Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen, who recorded 10 straight in 2017. 

The TCU standout has become more comfortable with his game, and it is showing. He gives credit to his teammates and the organization. “The older guys have given me a lot of confidence,” he said after the game. “The player development program here is really strong, really good. It’s definitely helped my game. Learning the system, learning my teammates, learning the NBA. … As I continue to get more comfortable and gain more experience, I’ll get better,” he added. “I think experience is definitely the key right now. The game is slowing down, learning the offense, and kind of where I can get to my spot, and things like that are why those numbers are going up.”

Bane was also excited to share the court with fellow rookie Xavier Tillman for the first time. “So happy for him. He’s a competitor. For him to have to sit out on the road trips knowing that he could help our team, especially when guys were going down,” Bane said. “I know it was tough on him. I was super excited for him to not only get out there but to play well in the minutes that he had.”

Lakers Top Grizz; Bane Impresses (2)

Tillman recorded his first points of the season with a dunk off of a pass from fellow big man Gorgui Dieng. “After the dunk, it really boosted my confidence, Tillman explained. “It allowed me to take a breather and get my energy out — especially after I dunked it — and lock back in.”

Lakers Top Grizz; Bane Impresses

The Michigan State standout admitted he was a bit timid before his first game at the FedExForum. He said, “I can’t lie, going into it, minutes beforehand, I was nervous, but as the game was getting ready to start, I got into that competitive mode. It was fun.”

Grizzlies instagram

Tillman finished the game with 6 points and 6 rebounds on 3-of-3 shooting in 17 minutes of play. Critiquing his first NBA game, Tillman said, “I did okay, especially for the first game. There were a couple of times when I was supposed to dive to the corner on defense and get the steal or deny somebody. I gave up a couple of offensive rebounds. Those types of plays, as I get going, those will be nonexistent because those are the plays I have to make sure I have. Other than those two, it was pretty good.”

The Grizzlies’ big man was appreciative of having a chance to get into action after missing the first five games. “It was great, especially me being able to get in the first quarter after I’ve been sitting out a few games,” Tillman said. “Coach trusted me, like, ‘Hey, I’m going to give you a couple minutes early on.’ That was huge. It was a big confidence builder in me. If you have faith in me like that to get it going in the first quarter then I have to bring it.”

After the game, Coach Taylor Jenkins said, “It was great to see X’s [Xavier Tillman] first game of the season. I thought he gave us some great contribution, and that’s how we are built.” 

Welcome Home, Marc Gasol

The Grizzlies played a tribute video for Marc Gasol. It was Gasol’s first game back in Memphis since being traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2019. 

Screengrab from Fox Sports Southeast

Gasol scored seven points, and added six rebounds and four assists. The Lakers big man also had to receive four stitches above his left eye after a nasty fall before halftime.

Gasol was thankful to be back in Memphis and appreciated the video tribute, but he missed the fans. “You’re missing a huge part of all this, which is the fans and the people from Memphis that have been there,” Gasol said. “But, obviously, I’m very thankful for what the franchise has done for me, not just now in recognition, but throughout the years that I was here.”

Big Spain thought it was awkward being in a different locker room and warming up on the other side of the court since Memphis had been his home for nearly 11 seasons.

Lakers Top Grizz; Bane Impresses (3)

Gasol said his favorite parts of the tribute videos were the interactions with fans and with the children from St. Jude’s and LeBonheur hospitals. He said his work with the kids at the hospitals was his most important work of all.

Lakers Top Grizz; Bane Impresses (4)

Memphis will always have a special place in his heart. “It’s a special place to me that’s been my home, like, I’ve been here so long,” Gasol said. “I got here in 2001 when the franchise actually moved here, so imagine how many years. This is the 20th year since I got here, so the franchise means a lot to me. It’s a part of who I am.”

Lakers Top Grizz; Bane Impresses (5)

Up Next
The Grizzlies will host the Lakers again on Tuesday at 7 pm CST. 

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We Recommend We Saw You

Grizz Bash

I wasn’t giving Ja Morant any basketball tips at the Grizz Bash because I don’t know any.

I noticed Colton Rhoads carrying a basketball covered with autographs at the Grizz Bash. He and his girlfriend, Anna Belle George, were among the guests at the St. Jude Children’s Hospital of Memphis fundraiser, which was held January 11th at FedExForum.

The Grizz Bash, which featured games, eats, and music, replaces the Tip-Off Luncheon, where guests also could meet Memphis Grizzlies players.

Rhoads, 22, was collecting autographs from as many Grizzlies players as he could for the heavily-inscribed basketball.

“We counted last night and there’s 85 now,” Colton told me when I called him the next day. “Last one we got was Tyus Jones. Everybody was pretty easy to get except Ja Morant. I feel everybody was trying to go get him.”

But the intrepid Rhoads got him. “He is real shy. He didn’t speak much.”

Collecting autographs from basketball players began with his dad, Brian Rhoads, Colton says. “It started with him when he was a teenager. He always loved basketball. He started off collecting NCAA basketballs.”

His dad, who now has more than 200.autographed basketballs, used to get autographs on one ball, but then he got one player to one ball. “The ones he does have multiple autographs on are team balls. Or players related in some way. Or the coaches.”

The ball Colton had at the Grizz Bash was one of his dad’s basketballs. “But we both put work on it. I have some. We kind of take turns. If I’ll go to an event, I’ll do it. It’s just whoever happens to be there.”

Colton got his first Grizzlies autograph when he was six years old. “I believe the first autograph I got was Pau Gasol for the Grizzlies, the first year they came to Memphis. I was about six. He was really nice. I was a little nervous because he was my favorite player at the time. That was my first introduction with any NBA player. I was meeting an idol.”’

Colton and his dad used to go to the old Tip-Off Luncheon, but, he says that event “always seemed a lot more hectic and it seemed a little more difficult to get to different players before they headed out. They didn’t stay for the whole luncheon.”

He enjoyed the Grizz Bash, which he described as “more of a close-quartered kind of experience. It was easier to interact with them (the players) and play games with them.”

Colton, who is majoring in communications at the University of Memphis, says their collection includes “a lot of the older players like Michael Jordan, Julius Erving, and people like that.” But they’re really trying to get an autograph from Zion Williamson. “He’s a rookie. Just got drafted. So, we’re trying to get after him whenever he comes to Memphis. That will be our opportunity.”

He sees Williamson becoming as big as LeBron James. “They’re saying he’s going to be a real superstar. And we’re trying to get after him before he gets that big. From our experience, whenever stars get big they get the tendency to not sign as much.”

Asked if any players have ever been rude to him, Colton says, “Not many rude ones. But (for some) you kind of sense them not feeling like signing an autograph.”

And then, he says, “Some blatantly ignore you. You call out to them and they just keep walking.”

The Grizzlies used to host “Grizz Gala,” another St. Jude fundraiser, which was in Tunica. I remember Marc Gasol’s size 17 basketball shoes in the silent auction at a Grizz Gala held in January, 2014 at Gold Strike Casino. The event, where guests could mingle and take photos with Gasol, Zach Randolph, Mike Miller, and the other players, featured music by the Memphis Grizzlies House Band.

MIchael Donahue

Colton Rhoads and Anna Belle George with Jaren Jackson Jr. at the Grizz Bash.

Dillon Brooks with a fan at the Grizz Bash

MIchael Donahue

Jonas Valanciunas at the Grizz Bash.

Michael Donahue

Brandon Clarke at Grizz Bash.

Michael Donahue

Jae Crowder at Grizz Bash.

Michael Donahue

Grizz Bash.

Colton Rhoads with his hero, Pau Gasol, who gave him his first Grizzlies autograph.

Marc Gasol with Colton Rhoads.

Brian Rhoads autographed baskeball collection.

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From My Seat Sports

Memphis Athlete of the Decade

CREDIT: Larr Kuzniewski

There was a time, not long ago, when naming a Memphis “Athlete of the Decade” was a one-stop shop. Pick the best Memphis State basketball player, and you had your man. In the 1970s it was Larry Finch. The 1980s had Keith Lee. Penny Hardaway dominated the 1990s, first as a Tiger All-American then later as an NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist.

It’s not so easy anymore. The Memphis sports landscape has gained new “scenery” since the turn of the century — including our own NBA franchise, and not just an AAA baseball team, but a soccer team, too, calling AutoZone Park home. The Memphis “AOD” for the century’s first decade was indeed a Memphis Tiger, but he wore a football helmet and shoulder pads — DeAngelo Williams setting rushing (and scoring) records on the gridiron that may never be broken.
Larr Kuzniewski

Marc Gasol

In choosing this decade’s finest Memphis athlete, though, we find ourselves in a barstool debate involving four beloved stars who — together — made the Grizzlies indeed our NBA team. First, the runners-up:

• The Griz revolution began when Mike Conley was drafted by Memphis with the fourth pick in the 2007 NBA draft. Considered undersized by some at the time, Conley played a gigantic role in 12 years as a point guard with more heart than his frame would seem to contain. He helped the Grizzlies beat the mighty Golden State Warriors twice in the 2015 playoffs after breaking his face in the previous round. It’ll be a while before his franchise records for games (788) and points (11,733) are broken.

• Zach Randolph arrived in 2009 with a checkered past, a reputation for causing as many problems off the court as he might solve on it. In eight seasons with the Grizzlies, “Z-Bo” became pure Memphis. A two-time All-Star, Randolph was the first Grizzly to earn All-NBA recognition (third-team in 2011).

• Was there “Grit-and-Grind” before Tony Allen? It may have existed in some metaphysical form, but Mr. “First-Team All-Defense” spelled it out for Memphis and the NBA community at large. He played seven seasons with the Grizzlies and it’s no coincidence the team reached the playoffs all seven.

Marc Gasol is the Memphis Athlete of the Decade. Acquired in a 2008 trade that sent his older brother, Pau, to the Los Angeles Lakers, Gasol transformed himself from a pudgy “little brother” stretching a uniform during his high school days at Lausanne to the 2013 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. (When Gasol jumped for the opening tip at the 2015 All-Star Game — he’s the only Grizzly to start in the event — he did so against Pau.) More than any of his “Fab Four” mates, Gasol embodied the city he represented for almost 11 full seasons, a player who found greatness more with effort and resolve than natural-born gifts.

In 2015, Gasol became the first Grizzly to earn first-team All-NBA honors and also graced the cover of Memphis magazine in December as Memphian of the Year. He described for writer Kevin Lipe a distinctive synergy he felt with the city: “If you give all you have, Memphis will take care of you. The fans will appreciate that. They don’t get blinded by the flashes and the drama and what not. They appreciate hard work, and dedication, and that’s what they want. They want you to be fighting. That’s what they like. So I respect that.”

A fractured right foot cost Gasol much of the 2015-16 regular season and the entire postseason, all but eliminating any chances the Grizzlies had of closing the gap on Golden State in the Western Conference. But he returned the following season, averaged a career-high 19.5 points and played in his third All-Star Game. And by that most workmanlike of basketball statistics — rebounds — Gasol is tops in Grizzlies history (5,942).

Ironically, the Memphis Athlete of the Decade finishes the 2010s in the uniform of the Toronto Raptors. The Grizzlies dealt the 34-year-old center north of the border last February in a move that signaled transition for one franchise while completing what would become a championship roster for another. Gasol’s greatest professional dream may have been realized in Canada, but the man remains forever Memphian, right down to his championship hardware. Engraved on the lavish ring he now owns as an NBA champion: “GRIT&GRIND.”

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Opinion The Last Word

Grit and Groan

CREDIT: REUTERS | USA TODAY USPW

While the local and national media were busy portraying Memphis as a town just happy to watch our Large Spanish Son succeed, I wondered if I was the only Grizzlies fan watching the NBA Finals with the acrimony of an ex who had just received a save-the-date from the one who got away. If nobody else is going to acknowledge that it’s still freaking weird seeing Marc Gasol in Toronto Raptors black and red, whooping and celebrating and chugging wine with some other teammates, I guess I’ll be the first.

When the Grizzlies sent Gasol to Toronto, I knew they were doing right by him, putting him in a position to win a ring without the pressure of having to be The Guy all the time. I just wasn’t prepared for it to happen so fast. It was beyond time for both sides to move on and start looking toward the future. But seeing your ex having a good time with somebody else at a place he never took you is never fun, regardless of who broke up with whom.

REUTERS | USA TODAY USPW

Marc Gasol holds the 2019 NBA Championship trophy.

“Oh, he does that now? Interesting,” I caught myself saying during Game 5. “Aggressive Marc showed up. Man, I miss these nights.”

Yes, the relationship outlived its spark and lasted about a year longer than it probably should have, taped together by memories of happier times. But that should have been us, dammit. Forget throwing a parade for Big Spain — how about a pity party for the city that was, to borrow a line from his new team’s pop icon, with him shooting in the gym. And we’ll get to do it all over again next season, when Mike Conley inevitably proves to be Utah’s missing piece. Hell, maybe Mike and Marc will end up playing each other in the Finals. Won’t that be a dream come true? That’s a rhetorical question, by the way. It will be depressing.

Please do not get it twisted — despite my bitterness and the number of times I’ve yelled “Oh, for God’s sake will you just shoot it?” over the past few seasons, I am truly happy for Marc Gasol. I love nothing more than seeing people accomplish their goals.

Actually, that’s wrong. There is something I would love more, and that is seeing Zach Randolph and Tony Allen on a parade float, cruising down Riverside Drive. Please pause for a moment to ponder this amazing visual and consider how close it was to becoming reality. In some parallel universe, I like to imagine it has happened — maybe even twice. In that universe, Z-Bo’s hand never met Steven Adams’ face five years ago. The Grizzlies upset the Thunder and rode that momentum to the Finals. CJ McCollum’s elbow never got acquainted with Conley’s eye socket, and the Warriors never even got a chance to blow a 3-1 lead against the Cavaliers. A lot of things would have had to go right to secure those outcomes, and “everything going right” has only recently become associated with the Grizzlies brand, but fandom doesn’t have to be rational all the time. Fan is short for fanatic, after all.

That’s how close they got to glory — just a couple of unlucky breaks and some really, really questionable personnel decisions away. Remember that the next time you see someone comparing the Gasol and Conley trades to “sending them off into the real world” like a kid to college, as a fan told one local outlet. It wasn’t long ago that the Grindhouse was the real world that chewed up the Spurs and crushed the Clippers, where the MVP became Mr. Unreliable.

With an electric new point guard and some new people in charge, it feels like good times are on their way back to the corner of Beale and B.B. King. But the organization lingered a little too long in the glow of the Grit ‘n’ Grind era (ahem, Wrestling Night), so I think we’ve earned a little extra time to grieve. Hopefully Ja, Jaren, and company understand and can make room for the Core Four in their eventual championship parade. For the visual and for paving the way.

Jen Clarke is a digital marketing specialist and an unapologetic Memphian.

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News The Fly-By

MEMernet

Big Spain

The Toronto Raptors’ NBA title win last week had a uniquely Memphis flavor.

USA!

Consider this gem posted to the Memphis subreddit last week:

Them Yungins

This Facebook post on a news story about changing “Forrest Ave.” to “Forest Ave.”:

“Next: Replace the ‘Young Ave.’ sign in Cooper-Young from honoring a local KKK Grand Wizard to something more befitting the neighborhood. ‘Them Yungins Ave.’ for all those millennials.”

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From My Seat Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies: Stability Matters

CREDIT: Courtesy Memphis Grizzlies

Remember when Memphis Tiger basketball seemed to have lost its way? (Go back 14 months on the calendar and you’re there.) Remember when discussion around Tiger football turned toward whether or not the university should field a team? (Larry Porter was in charge merely eight years ago.) Today, this city’s flagship college programs — in particular, those programs’ stability — are the absolute envy of our lone big-league operation. After last week’s shenanigans surrounding the dismissal of Memphis Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff, we’re left to wonder not just who’s calling the shots for our NBA franchise, but are those shots being called with an ounce of wisdom? With foresight?
Courtesy Memphis Grizzlies

Robert Pera

I spend my winters wearing blue-and-gray blinders, my focus primarily the fortunes of the basketball Tigers, the Grizzlies’ pay-by-night tenant at FedExForum. I’m not going to pretend to know the front-office mechanics most recently led by Chris Wallace (assigned last week to scouting duty, it would appear). But with one franchise icon (Marc Gasol) recently traded and another (Mike Conley) exasperated — and that was before last week’s front-office bloodshed — the Tigers’ landlord seems to be a bit light in the tool belt.


What an odd year it’s been in Memphis sports, and we aren’t even approaching Memorial Day yet. Penny Hardaway’s first season as Tiger coach raised the community’s collective happy-joy metric to almost unreasonable heights … and the Tigers played in the NIT. The most passionate fan base in town, though, pound for pound, may prove to be the Bluff City Mafia, recently seen in a cloud of blue smoke at an AutoZone Park soccer game. Who gives a kick-in-the-grass if 901 FC scores a goal?

The Memphis Redbirds — two-time defending champions of the Pacific Coast League — are back for their 22nd season, lending some brand stability to the sports landscape. But they have a new manager (Ben Johnson) in the dugout and the usual collection of new faces that comes with every minor-league season. The Redbirds have won so much over the last two years, any losing in 2019 will feel like not so much a disappointment as an inconvenience.

We even have pro football! Well, scratch that.

All of this brings us back to the Grizzlies, the one Memphis franchise that appears in standings printed in the New York Times or Chicago Tribune. It’s the one Memphis franchise that should be this community’s rudder in the stormy, emotional sea of sports fandom. Win or lose, we’ll wear Grizzlies gear to remind us we’re big-league.

The Grizzlies will open the 2019-20 season with their fourth coach in five years. (Remember how a broken Tiger program had to survive three coaches in four years?) This is the “stability” model of the Phoenix Suns or New York Knicks, not a club anywhere close to contending for an NBA title. The new hire, of course, will be a primary component of Griz owner Robert Pera’s solution for the recent descent of a franchise only two seasons removed from a seven-year playoff run. If Jason Wexler and/or Zach Kleiman prove more savvy with roster building than Wallace (the man who brought Conley and Marc Gasol to Memphis), stability will once again don Beale Street Blue. But for the time being, Pera might need a breathalyzer before his next move.

Sports are distraction. Heart-squeezing, at times soul-draining distractions, to be sure. Even with last week’s head-scratching news, I happen to believe the overall Memphis sports landscape has never been healthier. (Yes, my Penny-endorsed blinders are a factor here.) We prefer our tackle football in the fall. We’ve embraced 901 FC like we really are a part of planet futbol. We have good baseball for summer nights and an NBA team when winter comes. Stability wins championships and will be achieved by the Grizzlies before a banner is raised at FedExForum. As for the current state of affairs, embrace the madness and call it a Memphis thing.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Can It Be That It Was All So Simple Then?

CREDIT: Joe Murphy/NBAE

The Memphis Grizzlies have found themselves in a strange place — where their wins and loses are suffering from an identity crisis.

Times were so much simpler this time last season for the Grizzlies. It was cut and dried, to say the least. A win equaled “bad.” A loss equaled “good.”
Joe Murphy/NBAE

Jaren Jackson Jr.

That’s how things are when you are clearly in the middle of a dead-end season, facing one of the best draft classes in recent years. You want to position yourself to get the best draft pick possible. You knew you had Mike Conley and Marc Gasol coming back, in addition to a potential top-five draft pick, so it made perfect sense to place yourself in a position to umm … well, increase your odds of winning as few games as possible.

The formula worked as planned. Well, sort of. The Grizzlies ended up landing the fourth overall draft pick, which turned out to be Jaren Jackson Jr. Pretty good, so far right? They added an elite-level, potential two-way star player to the combo of Conley and Gasol.

But the second half of the Grizzlies plan is where things began to falter. The assumption was that the team would be good enough this year to possibly contend for a playoff spot and, if not, to be able to convey the team’s first-round draft pick that is owed to Boston. This has been explained ad nauseam, but here is the condensed version.

The Grizzlies owe Boston a draft pick. If it’s in the top eight picks this year, the Grizzlies keep it. If it’s in the top six next year, they keep it. The year after that, it goes to Boston no matter what, if it hasn’t already been conveyed to them.

Got it? Good.

But yeah, back to the whole plan not really going according to plan thing.

It didn’t work. The wheels fell off of the Grizzlies season very early, and all hopes of having a playoff team were deflated. After Gasol was traded, General Manager Chris Wallace announced that the team still planned on attempting to convey its draft pick to Boston, and ever since, the Grizzlies have found themselves in an odd place, where wins and loses are becoming one and the same.

They aren’t bad enough to catch the five teams below them in the reverse standings, and they can’t string enough wins together to make it seem like they will finish 9th or better — or worse — or however it works. It’s confusing.

Injuries to Dillon Brooks, Kyle Anderson, and Jeran Jackson Jr. have also put a damper on things; the team can’t evaluate how their young, potential core players will perform with the veterans acquired in the Gasol trade. With all of the accolades that Jonas Valanciunas has received, it’s truly unfortunate that we won’t get to see him play with Jackson this season.

Things were so much simpler last year, when all you wanted the Grizzlies to do was lose — just lose as many games as possible. Simple. That’s all changed this year. The team sits in a peculiar place — where their highs aren’t high enough and their lows aren’t low enough. For every three-game winning streak against playoff teams, there are losses to Atlanta and Washington. Both of the team’s options lack appeal.

It’s makes you yearn for the good old days, when tanking made everything so simple.

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Valanciunas Catches Grizz Fans On The Rebound

There is a newly acquired seven-foot, board bangin’, paint stompin’, reboundin’ machine named Jonas Valanciunas who has quickly captured the hearts of Grizzlies fans. Is it true love, or is the fanbase just on the rebound during the team’s rebuild?

Jonas Valanciunas

When Pau Gasol was traded from the Grizzlies to the Lakers back in 2008, many lambasted the trade. The Grizzlies were criticized for, in essence, trading away their franchise player, who was still in his prime, for what amounted to expiring contracts and future assets, including Pau’s younger brother, Marc. Although Pau was criticized for being too passive to be the best player on a good team, like the Grizzlies needed him to be, the overwhelming consensus was that he was one of the most skilled big men in the entire NBA and would help the Lakers tremendously — as he did.

Except for General Manager Chris Wallace, who insisted that the younger Gasol was a hidden gem, not many anticipated Marc Gasol panning out like he did. When he finally made his debut with the team, after coming over to the United States from playing professionally in Spain, he instantly became a fan favorite. He was big, burly, and wild; he fought in the paint and backed down from no one. He was the Anti-Pau, and the antidote that the team and fanbase needed to get over their traded star. For every memory of Pau being balled up on the floor after getting overpowered in the paint or checking for blood, the fans were gifted with Marc roaring with energy as he finished in the paint through contact.

He was a rebound for the broken hearted — a symbol of hope for a franchise in transition. He was the bigger, stronger, tougher, Memphis-molded version of his older brother, and just what the city needed at the time.

Similarly, Valanciunas has been just what Grizzlies fans have needed after Marc Gasol’s departure. During a period where wins and losses feel the about the same as far as draft positioning is concerned, watching JV thrive on the court has been a thrill. He’s averaged 18.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in the seven games he’s played for the team, and has reminded many of the younger more paint-oriented version of what Marc was. The idea of him playing next to now-injured Jaren Jackson Jr. has left many fantasizing that Valanciunas’ physical style will be the perfect complement to Jackson’s youth and diverse talents, and cover his weaknesses — a yin to Jackson’s yang, an alternate reality Z-Bo to Marc, or the other way around — whatever makes sense to you.

Still, it’s not a great idea for fans to get too attached to their new-found love, since Valanciunas has a player-option on the $17 million owed to him for next season. He might opt in for the final year with Grizzlies, making him a free agent in 2020, or sign an extension with the Grizzlies, or opt out of his final year and become a free agent in 2019. No one knows, at this point.

There is also the possibility that he opts in and is then traded to another team.

That said, Valanciunas has been a pleasant surprise, especially to those who didn’t know that the team was acquiring one of the league’s top young centers. He’s not Marc Gasol and might not even be here long enough to build a legacy, but he’s been perfect in the moment.

It’s perfectly fine to be excited about the potential that fans see in Valanciunas on the court and even in the locker room. But, be careful Grizz fans. It’s okay to fall in love with a rebound, just don’t get too enamored by someone who may break your heart.