As I watched Barnes 3 pointer go in last night from half court for the Grizzlies to avoid falling to 12-11 I was thinking about how the team really seems to be entering into the "one year too late" stage of their franchise. Call me crazy, but I would have liked to see them finish that series last year against the Warriors with a fully healthy Conley. That being said, their players are really showing signs of nearing the end of their careers and entering into steep decline.
As Lowe stated very well in his column the other day, Tony Allen is now 34 and his defense is no longer close to what it was. This means his lack of offensive game can no longer be justified. He has gone from an above average starter to probably an 8th man and defensive specialist in the last few season. Randolph's points and rebounds are declining again (still a respectable 14-9 and 44% shooting, but far from the 20-12 50% of his prime). Green has never become the player anyone hoped for and seems to be regressing from even steady starter.
So what do they do? Does Conley want to resign there this off-season for the rest of the prime?
If he goes it becomes pretty hard to retool. Worse, they owe Denver a pick and then us a pick, so they don't have many ways to get cheap young talent in. If they dip below .500 this year (which is very possible) do they consider trading randolph and Gasol? I think Gasol would be a huge difference maker for this team and could elevate us to legit eastern conference contender.
Topic: Slow news day: Memphis Grizzlies Franchise Direction (Read 903 times)