Grit-N-Grind

Grit-N-Grind

is

dead

The Memphis Grizzlies appear to have officially entered rebuilding mode, and that’s the right decision to make

sports@theeveningtimes.com

If nothing changes, nothing changes.

Zach Randolph, who has played for the Memphis Grizzlies the past eight seasons, has already departed from the Bluff City and signed a new contract with Sacramento Kings and other cornerstones of the Grizzlies franchise appear to be on their way out as well.

Tony Allen (a.k.a. The Grindfather) has removed all mention of the Grizzlies from his Twitter bio, Vince Carter has followed Randolph’s lead, heading to the Kings and Marc Gasol has been rumored to be traded to the Boston Celtics for mainly draft picks.

But, as hard as it may be for Memphis fans to hear, rebuilding the team is the right move. The fact is, the Grizzlies have made the playoffs each of the past seven seasons. But, Memphis hasn’t made it to a conference championship since 2012 when the Grizzlies were swept in four games by the San Antonio Spurs. And, making the playoffs in the NBA is hardly an accomplishment in and of itself, in a 30-team league where 16 teams a year are given postseason births. Also, the core group of players that continue to bring us into the playoffs aren’t getting any younger. Sure, “Z-Bo”, “The Grindfather”, and “Big Spain” have been good to Memphis on and off the court. But Gasol, at 32 years of age, is the baby of the group as the other two are each now 35 years old. Ever since the 2006-07 season, every NBA MVP has been under 30 years old. So, while the aforementioned players certainly aren’t washed up, they haven’t gotten the Grizzlies over the playoff hump by now and it’s hard to believe that they would next season. As the NBA moves into the era of the “Super-Team”, the Grizzlies must face the fact that they have been a mediocre-team at best in recent years.

So, Memphis has to get younger and with no picks in the 2017 NBA Draft and only one guaranteed draft pick in 2018 the Grizzlies will have to acquire those younger players from somewhere. The Celtics have plenty of draft picks, including a second-round pick from the Grizzlies in 2019, and would be a great trade-partner for any team looking to quickly add young pieces.

Also, letting Allen walk and trading away Gasol would allow Memphis to save some money which the team could potentially use to buy a shinier, younger toy next off-season. The Grizzlies could also end the Chandler Parsons experiment in 2019, letting him slip off into the free-agent abyss and potentially make a run at such players as (realistically speaking in my opinion); Klay Thompson, Kristaps Porzingis, Devin Booker, Enes Kanter, DeAndre Jordan or even (for you dreamers out there) LeBron James.

Of course, the scary question to ask any time a team talks about rebuilding is, “Are we destined to become the Philadelphia 76ers, rebuilding for the better part of a decade?”

It’s impossible to answer that question right now, but by keeping a few veteran players around to groom the younger players, that could possibly be avoided. A player like Mike Conley, who is under contract with Memphis through the 202021 season, could fill that role nicely. Conley also gives the Grizzlies a powerful presence at the point guard position that could help attract some of the free agents mentioned earlier.

Again, the cold reality for the Grizzlies is that, yes Gasol, Conley, Allen and Randolph made for a talented core group of players, but Memphis missed the window of opportunity for that team to win a championship and without drafting or trading for younger players, the team is only growing older.

The next few seasons at the FedEx Forum may not be as exciting as they have been in past years, but, if the front office plays their cards right, the Grizzlies could be a real playoff contender sooner, rather than later.

By Collins Peeples