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Around the Association: 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies- Going Back to Vancouver

Atma Brother ONE — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:00:29 -0000

From LA-LA land to Graceland. GSoM's got you covered!

Thunder's teddy bear when he was growing up as a pudgy kid in the East Bay.

Put a little mayo on it and... JUMP for a look at the 2k9-2k10 Memphis Teddy Bears!

Before we start counting the ways of the super lotto balls for the 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies, let's go back... way back.

You probably remember this:

Vancouver Grizzlies Primary Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies primary logo in use from 1996-200

A bear with a basketball under script

Or maybe even this:

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-200
A bear claw holding a basketball

But do you remember THIS?

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199
A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle

FUN-ky piece!

Shout out to Chris Screamer's sportslogos.net for the Vancouver Grizzlies logo throwbacks.

AB1's Fav 5 Vancouver Grizzlies of All-Time

5. Bryant Reeves

The Grizzlies inaugural draft selection with the 6th pick in the 1995 draft was a big fella (7-feet 275 pound big) by the name of Big Country who had a pretty short NBA career ended early due to injury (i.e. the Oliver Miller problem). He's considered a bust with 6 year career totals of 12.5 ppg and 6.9 rpg and that insane 6 year $61.8 million contract [see Wikipedia for more].

Vansterdam Best: 2 seasons of 16 ppg and 8 rpg while sprinkling in a swat a game

I will take a second here and note the career averages of the #1 overall pick in that same draft were actually lower than Big Country's at 11.6 ppg and 6.7 rpg.

Who am I talking about? He'll be entering his 15th season in the NBA this year and he's no ordinary Joe! Well, I guess he was. Please put your hands together for...

Joe Smith: Sky was NOT the limit. Nice guy though.

via sports.tom.com

Who's a bigger bust in your book?

4. Mike Bibby

Before he was battling Shaq and the Lakers Bibby was a member of Canada's other NBA squad.

via cdn.bleacherreport.com

Vansterdam Career:

1998-1999 [age 20]: 13.2 ppg, 6.5 apg, 2.7 rpg, 1.6 stl
1999-2000 [age 21]: 14.5 ppg, 8.1 apg, 3.7 rpg, 1.6 stl
2000-2001 [age 22]: 15.9 ppg, 8.4 apg, 3.7 rpg, 1.3

Oddly enough the closest Bibby ever got to those assist totals post-Vancouver was 6.8 apg with the Sacramento Kings in 2004-2005. During most of his post-Vancouver days his assist average was ~5 apg.

So why would you trade an up and coming PG with those kind of totals at that young age? If I remember correctly the Vancouver Grizz were in full blow-out mode and there was some serious beef between Bibby and fellow Pac-10 alum Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

3. Michael Dickerson

Before his sad early retirement at the age of 28 in Memphis [CBC Sports], Dickerson was a solid swingman teaming up with Arizona backcourt buddy Mike Bibby in the Vancouver backcourt. Because of injuries he only played a total of 10 games in his last two seasons with the Grizzlies when they moved to Memphis. It was abundantly clear that the hoops gods wanted Dickerson to be a VANCOUVER Grizzlie, not a MEMPHIS Grizzlie.

via www.grizzliesonline.com

Just ask the legendary Knick and Warrior John Starks.

Dickerson was quite the enforcer in Vancouver.

Vansterdam Best: 18.2 ppg in 1999-2000

2. Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Todd Bozeman's greatest Cal hoops recruit SAR was a supremely talented balla who took home Pac-10 player of the year honors as a freshman. Abdur-Rahim has had a very nice NBA career, but I was honestly expecting much more from him back in 1996. I was thinking potential Hall of Famer <sigh>, but things didn't exactly go down like that. His odd 1.5 season stint in Portland really seemed to be end of SAR's path to stardom. Back then any time spent in Jail(Blazers) would do that to you.

via www.slamonline.com

Vansterdam Career:

1996-1997 (All-NBA Rookie 1st Team) [age 20]: 18.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.2 ast, 1.0 blk, 1.0 stl
1997-1998 [age 21]: 22.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 0.9 blk, 1.1 stl
1998-1999 [age 22]: 23.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.1 blk, 1.4 stl
1999-2000 [age 23]: 20.3 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.1 blk, 1.1 stl
2000-2001 [age 24]: 20.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.0 blk, 1.1 stl

Quite a nice body of work from the young hoops prodigy who made a fun pit stop at The People's Republic of Berkeley. Compare SAR's early production to current and recent past young Warrior forwards and supposed "building blocks" of the mythically bright future... oh, I'll spare you the details.

1. Steve Francis

Stevie didn't exactly give Vancouver the thumbs up to select him with the 2nd overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft.

Here's an often ignored fact for you. Stevie Franchise (questionable nickname) was turnover prone and made a ton of poor decisions with the rock during his stints in Houston (much to Coach Jeff Van Gundy's irritation which led him being shipped out), Orlando, and New York, but he didn't have a single of these during his (very brief) stop in Vancouver. The Grizzlies got the last laugh too [FanHouse].

I guess it all worked out in Graceland.

via media.commercialappeal.com

Vansterdam Best: ZERO turnovers

Which brings us fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you want to slice it with your Graceland bear claws) to the MEMPHIS Grizzlies...

Quick- which player would you rather have after seeing their rookie stats per 36?

Rookie A (per 36): 15.8 ppg (53.8 TS%), 12.9 rpg, 1.5 apg : 2.1 tov, 0.9 blk, 0.6 stl
Rookie B (per 36): 17.5 ppg (53.9 TS%), 3.6 rpg, 3.0 apg :

(Thanks as always to Basketball Reference for the stats.)

Before the season began the Grizzlies banked on Rookie B O.J. Mayo and the Timberwolves went with Rookie A Kevin Love. Who's the winner of this trade so far? Well, that's a tough one. Who will be the winner of this trade 5-10 years from now? That's another tough one.

(Like how I just completely avoided my own questions?)

Regardless of how much you Love your Mayo, I'd go joyriding in a white Bronco with this O.J. any day. This guy just looks like he has the makings to become a very savvy and solid starting backcourt fixture for years to come at this level. I don't expect any buyer remorse from the Grizz about this trade.

Rewinding 2k8-2k9 Season

24 wins - 58 losses

Good thing the Grizzlies stole Gasol from the Lake-show! It's already paying dividends.

One thing's for sure. The Grizzlies OWN the Warriors.

Projecting 2k9-2k10 Season

41 wins - 41 losses

You can do worse than a lineup of:

PG: Allen Iverson/ Mike Conley/ Marcus Williams

SG: O.J. Mayo/ Marko Jaric

SF: Rudy Gay/ DeMarre Carroll

PF: Zach Randolph/ Darrell Arthur/ Steven Hunter

C: Marc Gasol/ Hasheem Thabeet/ Hamed Haddadi

Not much worse defensively mind you, but offensively that ain't half bad.

29 other teams are going to feel dumb this season for not answering the call.

[photo: Grizzlies.com]

Allen Iverson: Maybe not THE Answer, but Definitely AN Answer

The biggest offseason news for the Grizzlies and during the annual super slow NBA September was Allen Iverson signing with the Memphis Grizzlies for a bargain basement 1 year rental fee of $3.5 million.

See SBNation.com story stream: Not Ready for the Rocking Chair: Memphis Introduces Iverson

The hoops world can be very funny sometimes. Somewhere along the way Chauncey Billups went from being a very solid and underappreciated point guard to the most overrated player in the entire NBA and Allen Iverson went from being a true warrior and one of the league's greatest players to spectaculary underrated. (See the discussion in Polling GSoM: Based on their stats Guard A or Guard B?)

Make no mistake. Age 34 Allen Iverson is not an age 34 Michael Jordan (last Chicago Bulls season + NBA Champion). Iverson is not going to lead a team to a title as the #1 guy. AI has some flaws in his game at this age, notably his defensive decline and intensity. He simply is not the ballhawk he used to be early in his career, routinely netting over 2.4 steals a game and being a regular menace of D. I think everyone knows that by know. But that doesn't mean he still isn't a very good NBA player. For the way NBA teams were avoiding him this offseason you would think he had the hoops skills of Mark Madsen.

Iverson is undoubtedly coming off the worst season of his NBA career (both in terms of hoops performance and team politics), but let's not forget that he is only one season removed from averaging 26 ppg (45.8% FG, 34.5% 3pt, 80.9% FT), 7.2 apg : 3.0 turnovers, 3.0 rpg, and 2.0 steals. If Warriors "building block" Monta Ellis dropped anything close to 26 ppg and 7 apg (with a 2:1 assist: turnover ratio compared to his lowly 1.37 ratio last season) we'd all be pleasantly stunned. Too bad it's not going to happen for Ellis and the Warriors.

Bold Prediction: A rejuvenated Allen Iverson fighting for his hoops legacy is going to put up better numbers than Ellis this season.

The Grizzlies bought low and I like what they did. In a league where the Boston Celtics added Stephon Marburry for a playoff run, it makes very little sense why none of the contending teams this year wouldn't even so much as take a chance on AI at such a low financial cost.

The Answer Vault:

Allen Iverson Age 20 vs. Stephen Curry Age 20

2009 NBA Free Agency: Warriors Expected to Use Midlevel Exception- Ramon Sessions, Jarrett Jack, Jason Kidd, and Allen Iverson

The Allen Iverson Trade: Throwing Up W's and L's

Rumor: Warriors Not Interested in Allen Iverson Anymore

Rumor: Warriors Could Be in on Multiteam Allen Iverson Trade

Why the Warriors Should Trade for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Baron Davis + Andris Biedrins for Allen Iverson Package Reports Were Bogus

Rumor: Warriors Could Have Allen Iverson for Jason Richardson

Rumor: Tony Mejia Thinks AI to the Warriors by Friday

Rumor: Warriors Offered Baron Davis, but Ready to Drop Out of Allen Iverson Trade Talks

Rumor: Tom Tolbert Says Warriors Out of Allen Iverson Trade Talks

Rumor: Sixers Targetting Troy Murphy and Jason Richardson

Rumor: Troy Murphy Not in Trade Talks

Rumor: Allen Iverson to the Warriors, Ben Gordon to 76ers, and Troy Murphy to Bulls

Rumor: Baron Davis, Andris Biedrins, and 3rd Unidentified Player for Allen Iverson and Steven Hunter

Rumor: Andris Biedrins, Monta Ellis, and Baron Davis for Allen Iverson and Steven Hunter

Rumor: Warriors Upped Offer for Iverson to Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Ike Diogu, and a 1st Rounder

Rumor: Ric Bucher Says Warriors Out of Running for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Warriors Dangling JRich and Adonal Foyle for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Stephen A. Smith Thinks the Warriors are the Frontrunners for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Warriors Looking to Move Dead-Weight Contracts for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Allen Iverson to the Warriors for JRich, Monta Ellis, or Baron Davis

Rumor: Warriors the Front-Runner in AI Sweepstakes

Rumor: Celtics, Warriors, and Kings Most Likely to Acquire Allen Iverson

Rumor: Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, or Jason Richardson + Monta Ellis for Allen Iverson

GSoM Talks to Preetom Bhattacharya about Allen Iverson Rumors

Rumor: Warriors, Celtics, and Pacers in the Mix for Allen Iverson

Rumor: 76ers Contacted Warriors, Sonics, and Nuggets about an Allen Iverson Deal

Rumor: Allen Iverson Wants Out of Philly + Warriors Need The Answer

Rumor: 7-1 Odds on Allen Iverson for T-Double, Ike, MP2, and Zarko

Rumor: Sixers want Troy Murphy or Jason Richardson for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Iverson Will Play for Warriors

Rumor: 8 Team, 9 Player Super Trade brings Allen Iverson to the Warriors

Rumor: Warriors Won't Pursue Iverson

Rumor: Warriors' Youth + Bad Contract for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Sixers Listening to Troy Murphy Package for Allen Iverson

Rumor: 76ers Want a Troy Murphy Package for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Warriors in the Mix for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Warriors Really After Iverson

Rumor: Allen Iverson to the Warriors

AN Answer for the Grizzlies

Pre-Iverson it would be all but a foregone conclusion that the 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzles (barring some unforeseen leap to superstardom by sophomore Mayo) would be sitting out the big spring dance in the West again. They would simply be fighting for the meaningless 10th spot in the West with the likes of the Timberwolves, Warriors, and Thunder. Sure the Grizzlies would be young and potentially exciting in the eyes of hoops junkies, but again it would be meaningless.

Iverson makes the 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies season non-meaningless (I think the word I'm looking for is meaningful, but that feels a little too strong for the Grizz so please excuse me). On paper the Grizzlies now look like they have what it takes to fight with the New Orleans Hornets, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, and LA Clippers for the lower playoff seeds in the West. For a franchise that has won 22, 22, and 24 games the past 3 seasons that's a big upgrade. Are the Grizzlies Iverson's last stop in the NBA or will they just be a bridge to a glorious finish with a championship contender in 2010 and beyond? All eyes will be Iverson and the Grizzlies.

All eyes on the Grizzlies? I don't think that has ever happened. You have to give the Grizzlies front office a ton of credit for ending their streak of meaningless-ness.

Golden Predictions

You heard it (predicted) here first. The Grizzlies will trade Rudy Gay this season. He's uber-talented and has all the physical tools, but I'm not sold he will ever make that commitment to making that big step or turn on the defensive intensity to ever reach his potential. It's kind of sad really.
Allen Iverson puts up 20 points and drops 6 dimes per game. All through February, March, and April contending teams are kicking themselves for not picking him up at a bargain basement price. Talking heads around the league start calling him a big impact free agent in the 2010 free agent class.
O.J. Mayo raises his dime total to 5 apg.
Michael Conley becomes... Mike Bibby Lite.
Rookie Hasheem Thabeet barely plays, but ends up having a solid NBA career when it's all said and done.
Warriors outcast Marcus Williams barely plays, but at least he doesn't steal R Dizzle's laptop.
Zach Randolph puts up another empty 20-10, but blocks less shots than Charlotte point guard Raymond Felton. (Seriously look up last year's totals- what an oddity.)
Marko Jaric stays a very happily married man.
Hamed Haddadi is a Warrior Killer on Wednesday November 4, 2009, Tuesday December 22, 2009, and Saturday March 20, 2010, but not on Wednesday March 24, 2010. Fourth time's the charm for the Warriors defense!
Marc Gasol raises his stats from 11.9 ppg and 7.4 rpg to 14 ppg and 8 rpg. The "Kwame Brown trade"? I laugh. It was clearly a Gasol for Gasol trade with the Grizzlies just wanting to get younger. Clearly.
Sophomore power forward Darrell Arthur makes a lot of teams wish they didn't pass on him in the 2008 NBA Draft.

For more on the Memphis Grizzlies (and hopefully a little bit about the Vancouver Grizzlies) let me direct you to our brother site Straight Outta Vancouver...

I wonder what they'd do with their blog name if Vancouver somehow got another NBA team some day.

2009-2010 Around the Association

Introduction
Atlanta Hawks: Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. The Hawks are for real.
Boston Celtics: Sheed in Green + Another Answer
Charlotte Bobcats: They Do Exist
Chicago Bulls: Ring Around the Rose-y
Cleveland Cavaliers: Now or Never
Dallas Mavericks: The Curse of the Dampier
Denver Nuggets: If it ain't broke...
Detroit Pistons: The Return of the Bay Boys
Houston Rockets: Yao-ch!, that's gotta hurt
Indiana Pacers: A One Man Show
Los Angeles Clippers: Warriors South No More
Los Angeles Lakers: Big Brother, Little Brother
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Jersey Nets
New Orleans Hornets
New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Super Sonics
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia Sixers
Phoenix Suns
Portland TrailBlazers
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards
Rewind

Poll

What feels the most golden?

Vancouver Grizzlies

103 votes

Memphis Grizzlies

45 votes

San Jose Grizzlies

182 votes

Seattle Grizzlies

64 votes

Grizzlies? GRIZZLIES?! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GRIZZLIES MAN?!

141 votes

535 votes | Poll has closed

Whispers in the Wind: Rudy Gay for Ricky Rubio Rumors

djturtleface — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:00:43 -0000

Some news outlets are reporting the possibility of a Rudy Gay for Ricky Rubio trade.

Please note that the rumor has come from what essentially amounts to one Minnesota columnist's opinion, much like the Shaq from Cleveland trade rumors that initiated from a WSJ columnist's speculations. Not real facts. Since the Grizzlies passed up on drafting the rights to Rubio because they were scared he might Steve Francis us, I find it highly unlikely that they'll trade a rising star for, well, Rubio's draft rights.

Move along and don't lose a second of sleep over this one.

Q-Rich trade possibilties

Stop-n-Pop — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:00:17 -0000

I don't have much in the way of suggestions but I thought it would be helpful to those of our readers who do to put up a list of modest to decent sized trade exceptions from around the league in anticipation of a possible Richardson trade later this week (the really good ones are highlighted...below the fold):

Charlotte:

$1.2 mil for Jared Dudley, expires 12/10/09

Chicago:

$1.9 mil for Andres Nocioni, expires 2/19/10
$1.9 mil for Thabo Sefolosha, expires 2/19/10

Denver:

$2.1 mil for Chucky Atkins, expires 1/7/10
$9.7 mil for Allen Iverson, expires 11/3/09

Houston:

$2.3 for Steve Francis, expires 12/23/09
$1.4 for Rafer Alston, expires 2/19/10

Lakers:

$2.5 for Chris Mihm, expires 2/9/10

Miami:

$4.2 for Marcus Banks, expires 2/13/09

New Jersey:

$3.7 for Vince Carter, expires July 10

Orlando:

$6.8 mil for Hedo, expires July 10

I think that about does it. If you see any errors or omissions, please point them out in the comments. Just remember, if Q is moved, he can't be moved in combination with another player from the Wolves. For instance, Q to Denver for the trade exception followed by a sign and trade with Memphis for Rudy Gay in return for, say, Pekovic + the Denver draft pick works while including Corey Brewer in the deal does not.

Fun Fact of the Day

dishingoutdimes — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:00:10 -0000

More photos » by Rick Bowmer - AP

Kevin Durant can score with the best of them. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Browse more photos »

In the 3-Point Era in the NBA (1979-2009), only 26 players have had a Player Efficiency Rating of at least 20 with at least 2000 minutes played in their 2nd NBA season. Kevin Durant is among them. In terms of points scored in their 2nd season, Kevin Durant ranks 7th among this group of players.

Who are the other 25 players?

Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James, Vince Carter, David Robinson, Mark Aguirre, Tim Hardaway, Dwayne Wade, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Allen Iverson, Kevin Johnson, Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Steve Francis, Pau Gasol, Elton Brand, Yao Ming, Shawn Marion, Andre Miller, Alonzo Mourning, Carlos Boozer, Chris Paul, Chris Webber, and Andrei Kirilenko.

It appears as though Durant is in good company!

Durant is also only the 37th player in the shot clock era (1954-2009) to score over 1800 points in his 2nd NBA season, only the 17th player to do so in the 3-Point Era, and only the 11th player to do it since 1990 (basically the last two decades).

An Unnecessary Education on Daryl Morey

Tom Martin — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 21:55:21 -0000

View full size photo »

I've been reading the FanPosts lately, and there's been this strange common theme: Some people aren't aboard the Daryl Morey bandwagon. Yes, by choice.

Complaining about Daryl Morey's body of work is senseless and greedy. It's like handing your parents back the twenty Christmas presents that they got for you because you wanted twenty-one.

It's like asking Ted Williams to hit .500. Or blaming LeBron James for the Cavaliers' postseason failures. Or refusing to take $21 million over three years because you've "got a family to feed." It just makes no sense.

Thankfully, this is a lesson for the minority, and as unnecessary as it should be, it needs to be delivered. I'd like for our community to stop embarrassing ourselves. Especially by the time we find a Grizzlies blog for SB Nation. Once they see how much we've been harassing a guy like Morey, they'll wonder if anyone out there has even heard of Chris Wallace.

Just so you know, Lee, Dave, and myself are not the only folks singing Morey's praises. ESPN's Bill Simmons gave Morey his due, writing that Morey should be admired simply because "he is batting .900." Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don't Lie picked Morey for Executive of the Year. Simmons is golden when it comes to basketball, and Dwyer is practically a blogging legend. You'll rarely find more rational opinions out there.

To review, here is what Morey has managed to do over the past couple of seasons:

The Impossible Moves

Swapped an aging, costly, and selfish point guard in Rafer Alston for a young, cheap, intelligent, and efficient point guard in Kyle Lowry. This is extremely hard to do. Impossibility Scale: 9/10
Signed a cheap journeyman in Von Wafer and gave him a chance to compete in the pre-season. Wafer turned into a lethal shooter and aggressive wingman and kept our season from tumbling. All of this, from a guy to whom we paid a minimum salary and lost nobody to acquire. Impossibility Scale: 8/10.
Swapped Vassilis Spanoullis for Luis Scola. From the inter-division San Antonio Spurs. Impossibility Scale: 9/10 + 1 = 10/10. Bonus points for being one of the most badass moves in franchise history.
Somehow found a way to acquire talented players even with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady taking up 70 percent of the cap. Trevor Ariza is the first player that Morey has had to really open up the wallet to sign. And that was just the MLE. Impossible Scale: ???

The Generally Smart Moves That Other GM's Might Flub

Kept Carl Landry in Houston and out of Charlotte by matching an offer sheet. Oh, and who drafted him out of Purdue? Morey.
Signed James White for an extra year to develop him. Dude scored 26 points per game in the NBDL. Why not spend a few bucks to give him a shot?
Traded Steve Francis in order to sign Dikembe Mutombo.
Re-signed Chuck Hayes. This took more balls than you might think.
Got rid of Bonzi Wells and Mike James.
Convinced Trevor Ariza to come to Houston for the MLE, thus filling the spot voided by Ron Artest. Ariza could have gone to Cleveland and won a championship. But he chose Houston instead.

The beauty of Morey's success has been his ability to get the very most out of the players that he acquires. This, while paying them extremely cheaply. No GM in the NBA could have done a better job building this team than Morey, considering what little room he had to work with.

So, please, stop the Morey hate. If it continues, we might get fired.

Orlando Magic Ranked #15 in John Hollinger's All-Time NBA Franchise Rankings

erivera7 — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:00:14 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Browse more photos »

Yesterday, John Hollinger of ESPN.com revealed his system for ranking every NBA franchise from best to worst in history. Here's how he went about ordering the teams ..

Intro to all-time NBA franchise rankings

.. and here's what Hollinger had to say about the Orlando Magic.

NBA Franchise Rankings: Orlando Magic No. 15 [ESPN Insider]

Orlando tends to see itself as a star-crossed franchise, and you could certainly make an argument for that. From Nick Anderson's four missed free throws in the 1995 Finals; to Shaquille O'Neal's shady free-agent departure; to the injury woes of Penny Hardaway and Grant Hill; to the bizarre Hockey Guy years; to, perhaps, the missed layup by Courtney Lee in Game 2 of the 2009 Finals, a common thread does seem to run through most of the franchise's history.

But to focus on that is to ignore the biggest story: The Magic have been the most consistently successful of the league's early-'90s expansion teams, and have done it while showcasing several of the game's biggest stars. Shaq, Penny, Tracy McGrady and Dwight Howard would be all-timers in most franchise's pantheons; Magic fans saw all four in a span of a dozen years.

Orlando won 31 games in its second season, was at .500 in its fourth thanks to Shaq, and was in the Finals by Year 6. That was when Anderson's four misses in the final seconds of Game 1 against Houston blew a game in which they had led by 22 points; the Magic never recovered, losing in four. What appeared to be a budding dynasty fizzled when Shaq fled for L.A. two years later and Penny's knees started troubling him, and as a result the Magic didn't get past the first round of the playoffs again until 2008.

They still won, though. Orlando has won at least 36 games in 16 of the past 17 years, and even managed to be decent when "Hockey Guy" John Weisbrod was mangling the roster with deals like trading McGrady for Steve Francis. And with the current edition in the Finals, Orlando seems well poised to move several rungs up the NBA franchise ladder in the near future.

I thought the ranking was fair. Middle-of-the-pack is where I would have placed the Orlando Magic, as well. Having followed the franchise since its inception, I consider myself blessed to experience the numerous peaks and valleys of the team.

Think about it. In 20 years, the Magic have had two franchise centers (Dwight Howard, Shaquille O'Neal), two exciting but troublesome wing players (Penny Hardaway, Tracy McGrady), a fallen superstar (Grant Hill), and more. Who can forget Orlando's first-ever draft pick Nick Anderson, most infamous for The Steal and The Four Missed Free Throws. Who can forget the Heart and Hustle group, led by Darrell Armstrong, Bo Outlaw, and others. Who can forget the plethora of draft picks gone wrong, like Johnny Taylor, Jerryl Sasser, Steven Hunter, and others.

From hitting the jackpot thrice to playing in the NBA Finals twice, it's been a fun and interesting ride for the Magic the past two decades. Usually, you have to experience failure before success in anything you do. Not the case with Orlando, who got to experience success early and often in the early-to-mid 90's, leading people to believe it could be too good to be true. Winning the NBA Draft lottery in back-to-back years? Playing in the NBA Finals during the franchise's sixth year in the league? It almost felt like people took things for granted. Who could blame them?

Good fortune seemed to have a permanent residence in the City Beautiful.

Then fate came to pay the city a visit.

Shaq and Penny left. Goodbye dynasty. Hello mediocrity. Credit former general manager John Gabriel for trying to "reboot" the team, shrewdly maneuvering the Magic roster to clear space for Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady, and Grant Hill. Of course, Orlando could only have two of the three free agents and we all know the story there. Duncan stayed in San Antonio. McGrady came and Hill limped in. Talks of a dynasty being reborn were replaced quickly with talks of a franchise in despair. Things got so bad that the Magic were threatened with the possibility of being sold and moved to another city, Kansas City being the main threat to the franchise.

And then something happened. Orlando struck gold, again.

Dwight Howard happened. Jameer Nelson happened. Slowly but surely, the Magic were in the process of reinventing itself to be better, bigger, bolder. Then Billy Donovan happened. It seemed the process was ending before it was beginning. The process of regaining glory. The process of restoring order to the city. The process of bringing back Orlando to the forefront of the basketball world. It was all being compromised. Then something funny happened. Good fortune paid a visit again, in the body and name of Stan Van Gundy. An outcast, of sorts, from Miami.

.. then he went to work. Told Dwight Howard to defend and rebound. Placed Rashard Lewis at power forward and demanded he spaced the floor. Put Hedo Turkoglu at small forward and gave him free reign with the basketball to create for himself and for others. Played Russian Roulette at shooting guard, using Keith Bogans, Maurice Evans, Mickael Pietrus, and Courtney Lee at that spot. Oversaw the development of a point guard evolve from a role player into an All-Star .. Jameer Nelson. Let a Polish Hammer, Marcin Gortat, start as a worthless bench player to finish as a valuable role player (and possibly a starter elsewhere in the Association). Two years. Two division titles. One conference title .. and the sky's the limit with the Magic franchise.

All in all, that's one doozy of a quick look at a franchise 20 years old.

What does the community think about the ranking? Fair? Unfair?

Let your thoughts be known in the comments section below.

Open Thread II: 2009 NBA Draft Lottery- Welcome to the 2009 Playoffs Warriors fans!

Atma Brother ONE — Tue, 19 May 2009 07:15:10 -0000

UPDATE (4:06 pm): Originally posted on May 19, 2009 12:15 AM PDT. Bumped up for the big show, but you better believe it's going back down if the Warriors fall to #10. Whether the Warriors land the #1 pick or slip 3 spots- remember GSoM is a family show!

----------------

How's this for dedication? We had an open thread up for today's big event TWO whole months in advance!

It's playoff time in the Bay! It's time for our annual installment of the NBA Lottery.

Photo: Warriors.com

After the jump a look at the 7 different possible scenarios for the Warriors this afternoon and how they've worked out the past 10 years for the teams drafting in those respective slots.

Odds via Wikipedia

#1 PICK (4.3% chance): A dream come true.

Hey you know GSoM did win the 2009 NBA Blogger Draft lottery, so maybe our luck will continue. Blake Griffin is the consensus #1 overall pick and I doubt the Warriors deviate from the norm here. Griffin would be a god-send and looks like a real deal franchise player.

Here's the last 10 #1 overall picks:

2008: Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
2007: Greg Oden (Portland TrailBlazers)
2006: Andrea Bargnani (Toronto Raptors)
2005: Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee Bucks)
2004: Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)
2003: LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
2002: Yao Ming (Houston Rockets)
2001: Kwame Brown (Washington Wizards)- BUST
2000: Kenyon Martin (New Jersey Nets)
1999: Elton Brand (Chicago Bulls)

#2 PICK (4.9% chance): So close, but not close enough.

The pundits seem to be picking Ricky Rubio to go #2, but is he really that much better than the next point guard on the board Brandon Jennings who is "mocked" to go as low as 7? I don't know.

#2's since 1999:

2008: Michael Beasley (Miami Heat)
2007: Kevin Durant (Seattle SuperSonics)
2006: LaMarcus Aldridge (Chicago Bulls)
2005: Marvin Williams (Atlanta Hawks)
2004: Emeka Okafor (Charlotte Bobcats)
2003: Darko Miicic (Detroit Pistons)- BUST
2002: Jay Williams (Chicago Bulls)- BUST
2001: Tyson Chandler (LA Clippers)
2000: Stromile Swift (Vancouver Grizzlies)- BUST
1999: Steve Francis (Vancouver Grizzlies)

#3 PICK (5.8% chance): In any other year this would be a real blessing.

But this year? Not too exciting, but who knows?

2008: O.J. Mayo (Minnesota Timberwolves)

2007: Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks)

2006: Adam Morrison (Charlotte Bobcats)- BUST

2005: Deron WIlliams (Utah Jazz)

2004: Ben Gordon (Chicago Bulls)

2003: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets)

2002: Mike Dunleavy (Golden State Warriors)- BUST

2001: Pau Gasol (Vancouver Grizzlies)

2000: Darius Miles (LA Clippers)- BUST

1999: Baron Davis (Charlotte Hornets)

#7 PICK (60.0% chance): We tanked it for this one.

Thanks to that marvelous extra tanking by Nellie and crew this is where the Warriors are currently slotted. If the Warriors don't move up to one of the top 3 spots and none of the teams below them move up they'll be drafting here.

Just for reference here are the last 10 players drafted at the #7 spot:

2008: Eric Gordon (LA Clippers)
2007: Corey Brewer (Minnesota Timberwolves)
2006: Randy Foye (Minnesota Timberwolves)- BUST
2005: Charlie Villanueva (Toronto Raptors)
2004: Luol Deng (Phoenix Suns)
2003: Kirk Hinrich (Chicago Bulls)
2002: Nene Hilario (Denver Nuggets)
2001: Eddie Griffin (New Jersey Nets)- BUST
2000: Chris Mihm (Chicago Bulls)- BUST
1999: Richard Hamilton (Washington Wizards)

#8 PICK (23.2% chance): Moving down...

2008: Joe Alexander (Milwaukee Bucks)

2007: Brandan Wright (Charlotte Bobcats)

2006: Rudy Gay (Houston Rockets)

2005: Channing Frye (New York Knicks)

2004: Rafael Araujo (Toronto Raptors)- BUST

2003: T.J. Ford (Milwaukee Bucks)

2002: Chris WIlcox (LA Clippers)

2001: DeSagana Diop (Cleveland Cavaliers)

2000: Jamal Crawford (Cleveland Cavaliers)

1999: Andre Miller (Cleveland Cavaliers)

#9 PICK (1.8% chance): 2 teams leap-frogged the Warriors.

2008: D.J. Augustin (Charlotte Bobcats)

2007: Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls)

2006: Patrick O'Bryant (Golden State Warriors)- BUST

2005: Ike Diogu (Golden State Warriors)- BUST

2004: Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers)

2003: Michael Sweetney (New York Knicks)- BUST

2002: Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns)

2001: Rodney White (Detroit Pistons)- BUST

2000: Joel Przybilla (Houston Rockets)

1999: Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns)

#10 PICK (less than 0.01% chance): God is not a Warriors fan

This would mean THREE teams with better records this past season and consequently worse lottery odds for a top 3 pick moved up ahead of the Warriors. This would mean the 2009 NBA Draft Lottery went something like this: 1) New York Knicks, 2) Phoenix Suns, and 3) Charlotte Bobcats. Looks funny huh?

Here's the last 10 #10 picks:

2008: Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets)

2007: Spencer Hawes (Sacramento Kings)

2006: Mouhamed Sene (Seattle SuperSonics)- BUST

2005: Andrew Bynum (LA Lakers)

2004: Luke Jackson (Cleveland Cavaliers)- BUST

2003: Jarvis Hayes (Washington Wizards)

2002: Caron Butler (Miami Heat)

2001: Joe Johnson (Boston Celtics)

2000: Kenyon Dooling (Orlando Magic)- BUST

1999: Jason Terry (Atlanta Hawks)

On a side note, it's too bad the Golden State Warriors unlike the NY Times didn't pay attention to Polling GSoM. We wanted Thunder to rep the Dubs in Secaucus, NJ, but it looks like new GM Larry Riley will be manning the ship. I would've loved to see Thunder, but I wish Riley the best.

Still...

It's PLAYOFF TIME in the Bay!

Poll

Where will the Golden State Warriors be drafting in the 2009 NBA Draft?

#7- They'll stay in the same spot

195 votes

#1- Hello Blake Griffin!

166 votes

#2- Ricky Rubio?

132 votes

#3- They'll move up 4 spots for the right to overpay someone

67 votes

#8- The Bricks, Craptors, Bucked, Net Loss, BETcats, Posers, or Sunny Delight will move up to the top 3

49 votes

#9- Ike Diogu, Patrick O'Bryant, and ??? (2 teams with better records than the Warriors will move up)

20 votes

#10- "Unstoppable Baby!" (THREE teams with better records than the Warriors will move up)

69 votes

698 votes | Poll has closed

The 1999 NBA Draft - What Happened to These Guys?

Steve Perrin — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:50:34 -0000

Some drafts are loaded with talent, and some drafts are loaded with busts. Some drafts scouts recognize the sure fire superstars and teams scoop them up in order, while in others everything is a long shot and teams gamble on potential. The 1999 draft appeared at the time to be loaded.

All you have to do is to take a quick glance at the top three picks of the 4 drafts from 1998 through 2001 to see that 1999 had some good, known quality players:

	1998	1999	2000	2001
1st	Michael Olowokandi	Elton Brand	Kenyon Martin	Kwame Brown
2nd	Mike Bibby	Steve Francis	Stromile Swift	Tyson Chandler
3rd	Raef LaFrentz	Baron Davis	Darius Miles	Pau Gasol

Of the twelve names on that list, only five of them have ever made an NBA All Star game - Gasol from 2001 (twice selected, though he should have made it more), Martin from 2000 (one appearance, though he didn't deserve that) - and all three of the top picks in 1999, with seven all star game appearances between them. Davis and Brand also happen to be the only two players of the twelve to have earned All-NBA honors - Brand being named to the 2nd team in 2006, Davis to the third team in 2004.

Of course I realize that there were other good players in these drafts. 1998 for instance turned out in retrospect to be a very good draft, featuring All Stars in 4 of the next 6 picks (Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce). But guys like Nowitzki and Michael Redd (drafted in the second round in 2000) were unknowns. The 1999 draft looked good from the start.

The quality of the 1999 draft didn't end with the top three either. There were three more all stars taken in the top 10 (Wally Szczerbiak at 6, Rip Hamilton at 7, Shawn Marion at 9) and two more in the first round (16th pick Ron Artest and 24th pick Andrei Kirilenko). That total of eight all stars in a single draft is impressive. The vaunted 2003 draft of LeBron features only six all stars from the first round. In addition to the eight all stars, 1999 featured four more solid pros in Lamar Odom, Andre Miller, Jason Terry and Corey Maggette.

So what the hell happened to these guys?

Wally Szczerbiak was to some extent a victim of his own success. In 2002 he averaged almost 18 points a game and made 46% of his three pointers. He was selected to the All Star team that year, partly because he was the second best player on a solid Minnesota team. His timing couldn't have been better from a financial standpoint, and he signed a 6/$65M extension prior to the next season. That contract has been an albatross around his neck ever since. He's been traded to Boston, to Seattle and to Cleveland since Jan. 2006, each time more or less as salary cap filler.

If Szczerbiak never really was that great, Steve Francis was. A fixture in the All Star game from 2002 to 2004 with Houston, Stevie Franchise's career took a turn for the worse when he was traded to Orlando in the off season of 2004. His numbers were still stellar in his first season in Orlando, but he quickly became a locker room problem and was traded to the Knicks for cap relief in the form of Penny Hardaway's expiring contract. From that point on, his career disintegrated. And although he has had problems with tendinitis in his knee, there was no major injury that can be blamed for his deterioration. One day he was an All Star, and the next he couldn't play. He has been traded for finanacial reasons three times and waived twice in the last three years. He is currently out of the league, having been waived by the Grizzlies in January after they made a little cash in acquirng him from the Rockets. That's what it has come to - Steve Francis, former rookie of the year and three time all star - has become Hasson Adams.

Francis' co-rookie of the year in 2000, Elton Brand would seem to have the best excuse among the fallen stars of 1999. He had the best year of his career in 05-06, when he made the All Star team and was selected 2nd team All NBA. In 06-07 his numbers regressed somewhat, but were still impressive at 20.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. Then during the following off season he blew out his Achilles tendon and missed all but 8 games of the 07-08 season. But although he was injured, he still had his reputation as one of the classiest players in the NBA - until he reneged on his verbal agreement to sign with the Clippers and left for Philadelphia in July 08. Returning from his Achilles injury, and playing in a new system not particularly suited to his skills, he averaged a career low 13.8 points per game. To add injury to insult, he dislocated his shoulder and after an aborted comeback attempt was forced to undergo season-ending surgery. He played 29 games this season after playing only 8 last season and will turn 30 next week. It remains to be seen if he can regain his all star form at his age after two major surgeries in two years.

Shawn Marion was the most decorated of the 1999 draft class. A four time All Star and two time 3rd team All NBA selection, his numbers fell off the table in February 2008. Marion's PER was consistently among the league leaders, at the superstar level of 20 and above, for seven consecutive seasons in Phoenix, but has been around the league average of 15 since then. So what happened? Did he get injured? Did he lose a step? No, he lost a Nash. When Marion was traded from Phoenix, we found out the extent to which playing next to a great point guard made him look better than he was. He's still a solid player - but a 25% drop in productivity is no accident.

And then there's Baron Davis. Never as consistent as his draft classmates Brand and Marion, Baron nonethess managed to post PERs of 20.7, 20.8, 18.3, 21 and 19.8 over the last five seasons. This season, like Marion, he has dropped to the dreaded 15 - the rating for an average player. And he's really only achieving that through a very high usage rate, since his shooting has been decidedly below average. And although Baron has had many injuries in his career dating all the way back to a torn ACL as a college freshman, there's really no specific injury to point to that would explain what appears to be a significant decline in athleticism this season.

Five former all stars from the 1999 draft, whose careers all went into a major decline in the last couple of years. And the other three first round all stars (Hamilton, Artest and Kirilenko) are also unlikely to ever return to that stage for various reasons. (Rip has remained more consistent, but even he has seen a decline in his PER this season, and with the turmoil in the Pistons it seems unlikely he'll find as good a situation for his skills in the future.)

The obvious answer is that these guys all got old. Brand and Baron are both 29, turning 30 in the coming months. The others (with the exception of Kirilenko) are all over 30 already. But many players are certainly able to be effective into their 30s. All of the stars from the prior draft (Jamison, Carter, Nowitzki and Pierce) remain highly productive. Moreover, the effects of age are usually more gradual. These 1999 draftees appear to have hit a wall. They were good, and then they were bad.

Certainly the Clippers and Sixers expected Davis and Brand to have a few more years in them, based on the contracts they signed them to. I'm sure that those organizations had some concerns about signing 29 year olds to 5 year deals - how productive would they be at 33? They probably thought, even if they weren't really earning $15M+ at the end of the contract, it would still probably be worth it because of the terrific productivity at the beginning of the contract. So much for that theory.

How shrewd do both Brand and Davis now look for having opted out of the final year of their prior contracts? Given the nature of the collective bargaining agreement which stipulates the length of rookie contracts and maximum durations, it makes sense that all of these players who came into the league together had contract decisions last year and this. Francis' maximum deal was long ago bought out by the Blazers, and comes off their books this offseason. Marion and Odom and Szczerbiak and Miller are all in the final year of their current contracts. Brand and Davis would also be coming up on free agency had they not opted out.

What would Baron Davis or Elton Brand be worth in the free agency market this summer, had they NOT exercised their opt outs last June 30th? About as much as Shawn Marion is going to be worth. Maybe less.

One of the ironies here is Odom, the former Clipper. In the strike shortened 98-99 season, the Clippers finished 9-41, the second worst record in the league after Vancouver's 8-42. But the ping pong balls didn't bounce LA's way, and they fell to fourth in the draft, leap frogged by Chicago and Charlotte (who missed the playoffs despite having a winning record and defied long odds to move from 13th to 3rd). When the Clippers got Odom with the fourth pick, it at first seemed to all work out OK. He was at least as talented as the three guys picked ahead of him, and appeared to have a bright future. But injuries and immaturity scuttled his early promise, and after a few seasons in the league, it appeared that his career would lag far behind those of the players drafted ahead of him. Now, 10 seasons in, it looks like he may be the best of the bunch - and he's playing for the Lakers!

And then there's this final Clipperian twist to this tale: the second round of the 1999 draft. With the second worst record in the league, the Clippers had the second pick in the second round, 31st overall. They drafted Rico Hill - a forward from Illinois State who had been playing in Europe for a year. It remains one of the most bizarre Clipper draft picks in a long history of bizarre Clipper draft picks and Hill never signed an NBA contract. With the second best record in the league, picking second from the last, 57th overall, the San Antonio Spurs also decided to look to the European leagues for talent - and drafted Manu Ginobili, arguably the best player in the 1999 draft.

Mount Mutombo making a return?

UofTOrange — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 03:05:05 -0000

Just speculation on my part, but with Francis traded allowing the Rockets to clear cap space, does that pave the way for Mutombo to come back "after Christmas" like he said he would? There is a general rule of thumb for GMs during Christmas that you do not trade players, so this tells me that they did it for a specific purpose, and Deke has to be that purpose in my opinion.

I think this is clearly the move that allows that to happen. It's a shame Stevie couldn't finish his career here, but it's obvious his knee wasn't ready. That brings up an interesting point, if he's hurt, how does he pass the physical in Memphis?

If Mutombo doesn't come back, this is still a wise financial move by the Rockets. yes we lose a second rounder, but getting under the cap in this economy is a shrewd move by Morey for Alexander.

Did anyone keep track of the picks the Rockets

Previewing the Atlantic Division: Philadelphia 76ers Edition

Jim Weeks — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:00:08 -0000

2008 Record: 40-42

Playoffs?: Eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in Game 6 of the First Round

2008 Record Vs. the Celtics: 1-3

Departures: Kyle Korver, Rodney Carney, Gordon Giricek, Louis Amundsom, Calvin Booth

via file.shanghaidaily.com

Additions*: Elton Brand, Donyell Marshall, Theo Ratliff, Royal Ivey, Kareem Rush, Herbert Hill, Marreese Speights

Key Story Heading into Camp: Yes Louis Williams and Andre Iguodala got paid. But it has to be about Elton Brand. He'll turn 30 in March, is coming off a season in which he only played 8 games, and is supposed to be 100%. I'm not sure what to say about him. He's one of the most consistent players in all of the NBA. In fact Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and Shaq are the only other current players averaging 20+ points and 10+ rebounds for their careers. At the same time he's only been to 2 All Star Games. I realize that's not the best way to evaluate a player. But it matters to a degree. Regardless the 76ers are convinced that Brand is an excellent fit:

"We fully believe that his considerable talent, wealth of experience and proven leadership will mesh very well with the style of play of this team and he will be valuable member of this organization for years to come." Ed Stefanski, 76ers President and General Manager

X-Factor: I sat court side for Philadelphia's only victory over Boston last season. Granted the C's offense was dreadful over the final 1/3 of the game and the W meant a lot more to the 76ers than it would have to Boston. But Philly ran the Celtics off the court. There's something to be said for Williams, Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, and company. In fact more than a few people have wondered what Josh Smith would have done with those guys. Obviously a moot point. However, one looming question remains. Who does Philly lean on in crunch time? I liked ClipperSteve's recent take on this:

"If Brand were number 2 in the Philly Big Three, this wouldn't really be a problem. But unfortunately for Sixer fans, Andre Iguodala would seem to have a very similar problem - he's a phenomenal athlete, he works hard every game, he does many things very well on the basketball court - and he's not particularly good at getting his own shot.
As for Dalembert... puh-leeze. Sam Dalembert would be the third best big on the Clippers. Maybe.

All of which leaves the Sixers with over $40M in 2010-2011 salary committed to three guys, none of whom is really a 'go to' scorer and Elton Brand as their best player. No offense, but in nine NBA seasons, teams with Elton Brand as their best player have made the playoffs once." - ClipperSteve

View From the The Other Side: I caught up with jsams from Sixersoul and asked him what fans of the NBA had to know about the 76ers. His response:

"I'd have to say, look for our two young stars, Iguodala and Lou-Will to take the proverbial "next step". Reports are Iguodala's been working extra hard on his jumper this off-season. The addition of Elton Brand should help free things up for the both of them.

Also, there's a possibility rookie, Mo Speights could play a similar role to the team that Thaddeus Young did last year. Many Sixer fans, including me, think he'll emerge as the steal of the draft."

Random Point of Information: Elton Brand shared his Rookie of the Year Award with, wait for it, wait for it...Steve Francis. Not sure what to say about that.

*Philadelphia's roster currently lists 17 players. I'd guess that Kevin Ollie, Herbert Hill, and Shavlik Randolph are on thin ice.

SB Nation - Steve Francis

Around the Association: 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies- Going Back to Vancouver

Vancouver Grizzlies Primary Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies primary logo in use from 1996-200

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-200
A bear claw holding a basketball

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199
A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199
A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle

AB1's Fav 5 Vancouver Grizzlies of All-Time

5. Bryant Reeves

2. Shareef Abdur-Rahim

1. Steve Francis

Rewinding 2k8-2k9 Season

Projecting 2k9-2k10 Season

Allen Iverson: Maybe not THE Answer, but Definitely AN Answer

AN Answer for the Grizzlies

Golden Predictions

2009-2010 Around the Association

What feels the most golden?

Vancouver Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies

San Jose Grizzlies

Seattle Grizzlies

Grizzlies? GRIZZLIES?! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GRIZZLIES MAN?!

Whispers in the Wind: Rudy Gay for Ricky Rubio Rumors

Q-Rich trade possibilties

Fun Fact of the Day

An Unnecessary Education on Daryl Morey

Orlando Magic Ranked #15 in John Hollinger's All-Time NBA Franchise Rankings

Open Thread II: 2009 NBA Draft Lottery- Welcome to the 2009 Playoffs Warriors fans!

Where will the Golden State Warriors be drafting in the 2009 NBA Draft?

#7- They'll stay in the same spot

#1- Hello Blake Griffin!

#2- Ricky Rubio?

#3- They'll move up 4 spots for the right to overpay someone

#8- The Bricks, Craptors, Bucked, Net Loss, BETcats, Posers, or Sunny Delight will move up to the top 3

#9- Ike Diogu, Patrick O'Bryant, and ??? (2 teams with better records than the Warriors will move up)

#10- "Unstoppable Baby!" (THREE teams with better records than the Warriors will move up)

The 1999 NBA Draft - What Happened to These Guys?

Mount Mutombo making a return?

Previewing the Atlantic Division: Philadelphia 76ers Edition

SB Nation - Steve Francis

Around the Association: 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies- Going Back to Vancouver

Vancouver Grizzlies Primary LogoVancouver Grizzlies primary logo in use from 1996-200

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate LogoVancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-200 A bear claw holding a basketball

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate LogoVancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199 A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate LogoVancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199 A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle

AB1's Fav 5 Vancouver Grizzlies of All-Time

5. Bryant Reeves

2. Shareef Abdur-Rahim

1. Steve Francis

Rewinding 2k8-2k9 Season

Projecting 2k9-2k10 Season

Allen Iverson: Maybe not THE Answer, but Definitely AN Answer

AN Answer for the Grizzlies

Golden Predictions

2009-2010 Around the Association

What feels the most golden?

Vancouver Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies

San Jose Grizzlies

Seattle Grizzlies

Grizzlies? GRIZZLIES?! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GRIZZLIES MAN?!

Whispers in the Wind: Rudy Gay for Ricky Rubio Rumors

Q-Rich trade possibilties

Fun Fact of the Day

An Unnecessary Education on Daryl Morey

Orlando Magic Ranked #15 in John Hollinger's All-Time NBA Franchise Rankings

Open Thread II: 2009 NBA Draft Lottery- Welcome to the 2009 Playoffs Warriors fans!

Where will the Golden State Warriors be drafting in the 2009 NBA Draft?

#7- They'll stay in the same spot

#1- Hello Blake Griffin!

#2- Ricky Rubio?

#3- They'll move up 4 spots for the right to overpay someone

#8- The Bricks, Craptors, Bucked, Net Loss, BETcats, Posers, or Sunny Delight will move up to the top 3

#9- Ike Diogu, Patrick O'Bryant, and ??? (2 teams with better records than the Warriors will move up)

#10- "Unstoppable Baby!" (THREE teams with better records than the Warriors will move up)

The 1999 NBA Draft - What Happened to These Guys?

Mount Mutombo making a return?

Previewing the Atlantic Division: Philadelphia 76ers Edition

Vancouver Grizzlies Primary Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies primary logo in use from 1996-200

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-200
A bear claw holding a basketball

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199
A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199
A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle