- The Grizzlies have assigned Ivan Rabb to the Memphis Hustle, the Grizz announced in a press release. The rookie has averaged a double-double in 14 games with the G League squad.
- Does the pairing of Mike Conley and Marc Gasol have a future beyond this season? That’s what Chris Herrington of the Memphis Commercial Appeal asks, arguing that the Grizzlies tandem could conceivably fare well together into their late 30s.
The NBA’s trade market was incredibly active throughout the 2017 offseason, with a total of 40 deals completed between the end of last season and the start of the 2017/18 campaign.
Of those 40 trades, several were blockbusters. Kyrie Irving, Isaiah Thomas, Chris Paul, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, and Carmelo Anthony all changed teams, as did the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Some of the non-blockbuster deals are having a major impact this season too, with guys like Ricky Rubio, D’Angelo Russell, Brook Lopez, and Avery Bradley all on the move.
There are even a handful of trades made for monetary reasons that have been interesting to monitor — the Nets took on salary dumps like DeMarre Carroll and Allen Crabbe and have turned them into key parts of their rotation, while the Bulls continue to get hammered for selling second-round pick Jordan Bell to the defending-champion Warriors.
We’ve written plenty about most of those trades already, so today we’re taking the opportunity to shine a light on a few deals that have flown somewhat under the radar. These trades seemed like relatively minor moves at the time, but are paying dividends for the teams involved. Let’s dive in…
Suns acquire Troy Daniels and a 2018 second-round pick from the Grizzlies in exchange for a top-55-protected 2018 second-round pick. With too many guaranteed salaries on their books heading into training camp, the Grizzlies dumped one by attaching a second-round pick to Daniels and sending him to Phoenix in exchange for a pick that won’t convey. The move saved Memphis some money, but the club probably could’ve used Daniels more than some of the players it kept. In his last 19 games for the Suns, Daniels has averaged 10.8 PPG and shot 44.3% on three-pointers. He has been particularly productive in the last couple weeks, scoring a career-high 32 points last Wednesday vs. Toronto, then hitting the game-winning shot to beat his old team last night.- Pacers acquire Cory Joseph from the Raptors in exchange for the draft rights to Emir Preldzic. Joseph was originally going to head to Indiana in a deal that would have sent C.J. Miles to Toronto. However, the terms of Miles’ contract made him ineligible to be signed-and-traded, so the Raptors signed him outright and sent Joseph to the Pacers in a separate move to dump some salary. Having essentially been traded for nothing, Joseph has been very solid as the Pacers’ backup point guard this season, making a career-best 43.0% of his threes and chipping in 7.7 PPG and 2.9 APG. Joseph isn’t the main reason the Pacers have exceeded expectations, but he has played a role in the club’s early success.
- Hornets acquire Dwayne Bacon and cash ($1.8MM) from the Pelicans in exchange for Frank Jackson. The Pelicans paid Charlotte $1.8MM in order to move up from No. 40 to No. 31 in the draft, having targeted Jackson. It’s unfair to judge Jackson’s NBA career so far, since it hasn’t even started — a broken foot has sidelined him since the start of September. Still, the Hornets have to be happy with how their side of the deal is working out so far. Bacon claimed a rotation role to open the season, and while he’s experiencing some growing pains as of late, he has shown plenty of promise. The extra $1.8MM that Charlotte picked up in the deal is just a bonus.
- Grizzlies acquire Dillon Brooks from the Rockets in exchange for a 2018 second-round pick. Not much has gone right for the Grizzlies this season, but the team has to be pleased with what Brooks has shown so far. The 21-year-old is currently Memphis’ starting small forward, and has held his own with a respectable .460/.368/.778 shooting line. Of the youngsters on the Grizzlies’ roster, Brooks has shown more long-term keeper potential than most. Meanwhile, the Rockets did okay in this deal too — the 2018 second-rounder they’ll receive will be the least favorable of the Grizzlies’, Hornets’, and Heat’s selections. All three of those teams have underperformed so far this season, improving the value of the pick.
- Knicks acquire the rights to Scott Perry from the Kings in exchange for a 2019 second-round pick and cash ($400K). No players were involved in this swap, but it was technically a trade, with the Kings allowing the Knicks to poach one of their top front-office executives. It’s another deal that has benefited both sides. The Knicks’ front office appears to have finally stabilized since the arrival of Perry, who put a hold on the Carmelo Anthony trade talks in July, then eventually found a deal that has worked out well for New York. As for the Kings, they can’t complain much about securing cash and a future draft pick in exchange for an exec who worked in their front office for less than three months.
While they may not be pleased with their 9-22 record through mid-December, there’s still hope for the Grizzlies to contend for a playoff spot. So long as that’s their goal, Chris Herrington of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes, center Marc Gasol will be working alongside them toward it.
- Did the Grizzlies break up their “core four” too soon by letting Zach Randolph and Tony Allen walk last summer? Marc Gasol thinks so. Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes that the big man didn’t understand why the team didn’t bring them back.
- Tyreke Evans, who is enjoying an excellent season for the Grizzlies, has generated “significant interest,” according to Deveney.
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- More and more people around the NBA believe that the Grizzlies would be willing to explore the market for Marc Gasol, but it may require Gasol telling them he wants out, per Kyler.
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- Per an official report from the team. the Grizzlies have recalled rookie Ivan Rabb from their G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, one day after Rabb logged 23 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and five blocks in 38 minutes against the South Bay Lakers.
Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, who last played on November 13, is expected to be sidelined until sometime in 2018, according to a press release issued by the Grizzlies. The club announced today that Conley continues to undergo therapy and treatment on his left heel, with the next update on his status to be provided in about two weeks.
Conley, 30, has only played in 12 games this season for Memphis, having been nagged by heel and Achilles issues for several weeks. His absence has had a massive impact on the Grizzlies, who went 7-5 with him in the lineup and have lost 16 of 18 games without him.
Despite the Grizzlies’ struggles and Conley’s ongoing absence, the team has repeatedly insisted that there are no plans to rebuild or to significantly retool the roster this season. Even if that stance were to change, a Conley trade might be a long shot. His trade value, already potentially affected by his injury problems, would also be adversely impacted by his contract. Conley has a $28.5MM cap hit this season, and his salary will exceed $30MM annually starting next year, making him one of the league’s highest-paid players. His deal runs through 2020/21.
With Conley still on the shelf, the Grizzlies will continue to lean on Mario Chalmers and Andrew Harrison at the point, with Tyreke Evans and Ben McLemore also getting opportunities to handle the ball.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies also announced in today’s press release that injured big man Brandan Wright is expected to return this week, while injured guard Wayne Selden should get back on the court before the end of the calendar year.
When the Grizzlies parted ways with head coach David Fizdale last month, the move came on the heels of Marc Gasol publicly complaining about being benched in the fourth quarter of a loss to Brooklyn. In the days following Fizdale’s firing, multiple reports suggested that the relationship between Gasol and Fizdale had been strained, though both the player and the team downplayed the influence that tension had in the club’s head coaching decision.
Things haven’t gotten much better in Memphis since J.B. Bickerstaff assumed the head coaching reins, but Gasol hasn’t shied away from answering reporters’ questions, recently reiterating that he has no desire to leave the Grizzlies.
Gasol sat down with TNT’s David Aldridge to answer a few more questions about what has been a disastrous 2017/18 season in Memphis. Here are a few highlights from that Q&A, which is worth checking out in full:
On whether he’s concerned that his reputation has taken a hit this season, given the Grizzlies’ struggles and the circumstances surrounding Fizdale’s ouster:
“No. Because I believe that whatever the scenario might be, whatever people might think, things don’t work that easy. It’s not that simple. Obviously, the first instinct is to think, ‘Well, Marc got Fizdale out of there.’ This is an NBA team. Things don’t work that way. Was it an ideal situation? Were we agreed on everything? No. I could have done a better job, for sure. Anything having to do with basketball, I’m the second-most responsible guy out there. But as far as the other stuff, it doesn’t work that way.”
On whether the Grizzlies’ struggles in 2017/18 can be chalked up solely to injuries:
“I think we allowed some bad habits to be built up. We got away with it for some time. Eventually, we kind of got hit with a lot of stuff at the same time. And we haven’t been able to recover as fast as possible. Obviously we lost, I don’t think it’s only selfish stuff that’s hurt us. Everybody’s trying to fix it their own way. And everybody’s so focused on what we need to do offensively. Which, obviously, is a huge part of the game. But I think consistency is found in defense. And our defense has been everything but consistent.”
On whether the NBA’s move toward small-ball has hurt Gasol and the Grizzlies defensively:
“No, I think, obviously, the change that we’ve been through the last couple of years. We had tremendous trust on the court. The guys knew exactly what their job was in every position. I knew the way Tony [Allen] fought off a screen. I knew, like we were all connected in our minds, and our bodies were moving at the same time. It wasn’t always pretty; it wasn’t always perfect. But it was always connected. And I think, obviously, building that connection again takes some time. And you have to go through the same process over and over again. And I think we got kind of away from that a little bit. We got away from that and tried to build something too quickly, when the foundation of stuff, that connection wasn’t there yet.”
The Grizzlies have fallen on hard times with 17 losses in their last 19 games, but GM Chris Wallace insists there is still hope for this season and it’s not time to rebuild, he tells Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
At 9-21, Memphis is 14th in the Western Conference standings, but only 5 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. Wallace is confident things will turn around when Mike Conley and Brandan Wright return from injuries, saying, “The season isn’t lost.”
Wallace explains the decision to fire coach David Fizdale and touches on several other topics in the wide-ranging interview. Here are a few passages:
On parting with Fizdale the day after star center Marc Gasol complained about not playing in the fourth quarter of a loss:
“In our judgment, it was time to make that move. We’re here every day… We understood going in that we weren’t going to reel off 10 straight wins with that schedule. We want to win games but I want to see improvement. I want to see the team continue to move forward.”
On animosity between Gasol and Fizdale and whether their issues could have been resolved:
“I’m not going to go back into any past history about their relationship. We know there was tension. But I’m not going to delve into our approach. I’m not going to go into their relationship other than we’ve acknowledged there was some tension.
On the job done by interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who has a 2-9 record since taking over the team:
“Obviously, we’d like some more wins. Everybody is frustrated that the wins haven’t come this whole year. But we’re happy with J.B. and his staff’s performance. They’ve organized the team well. Our defense has gotten better. They’ve kept the spirit of the team up. We’ve fought. We’ve been in about every game. They’ve made some positive changes and impact on the situation.”
On potential roster moves that might help salvage the season:
“I’m not going to comment on anything if it was in the hopper. It’s impossible to predict, moving forward, what opportunities will be out there. Any deal we’ve ever done I couldn’t have told you in advance that we’re doing this particular deal. It just doesn’t work that way. All 30 teams have different views of themselves, different agendas. Some are trying to position themselves for the future, some are who I like to call here-and-now teams. The course of teams changes during the season. It would be inaccurate for me to say that we’re definitely doing something or we’re not doing something. We just don’t know what the future is going to hold for us.”
On fans and media members who are calling on him to step down as GM:
“I obviously have a different opinion. I understand why fans are frustrated now. Hell, I’m more frustrated than they are. But I don’t think my time has come and gone. I’ve presided over the best run in the history of this franchise. That window was still very much open at the beginning of the year. I don’t see what’s changed. We’ve got a roster that when we’re healthy and everything is clicking we’re athletic, more versatile and more talented on the perimeter than we’ve been in years. I don’t see how you say that our time has passed as a team or my time has passed as a lead basketball executive.”