Grizzly Bear Blues 4 hours ago
Young players to like during the 2019-20 NBA season
Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via The future of the NBA is bright. One of the most exciting parts of the NBA regular season is the development of the league’s younger players. Of course, there may be a few surprises among entire NBA teams like the Memphis Grizzlies have been this year, but the standings usually end up becoming more or less like most predicted before the beginning of the season. When considering the league’s younger players, however, there’s always the thrill of the unknown. You never know which unexpected talents may blossom into superb role players and even stars...
Grizzly Bear Blues 4 hours ago
GBB Podcast Network Week in Review: The Greatest of All Time
Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Obviously, talking about Zach Randolph here. The Grizzly Bear Blues podcast network continues to provide content during this somber time — content that also throws us back to the old days of Memphis Grizzlies basketball. This week revolves around the greatest ever: Zach Randolph. It includes discussions regarding his greatness, as well as alternatives if he never made it here. Make sure you tune into these three podcasts for more. 3andD Podcast - Greatest Grizzly Finale 3andD host Shawn Coleman is joined by GBB Site Manager Joe Mullinax to discuss the...
Grizzly Bear Blues Apr 2, 2020
Pay attention to Jonas Valanciunas
Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Jonas Valanciunas is the most underrated center in basketball. Listen up. Prior to the season-wide suspension, the Memphis Grizzlies were the league’s biggest surprise, vying for a playoff spot when they were projected to win no more than 26 games before the campaign began. In the midst of their run, a lot of talent on this Grizzlies team was recognized. Ja Morant had future MVP talks on ESPN talk shows, cementing himself as a potential face of the league. Jaren Jackson Jr.’s 3-point shooting and shot-blocking place him among the league’s elite...
Grizzly Bear Blues Apr 1, 2020
Missing the world and our Memphis Grizzlies
Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via The layers of the loss will be felt for years to come. “You’re going to miss it” is something you’re always told when it comes to things that you seem to not appreciate the way you should. It’s heard at the conclusion of sport seasons across high school and college campuses as countless players conclude their competitive careers. It’s told to exhausted parents as they hold their five and two year old children, wishing that their kids were at an age they wouldn’t be so attached yet understanding that they will long for those days in the...
Grizzly Bear Blues Mar 30, 2020
A Memphis Grizzlies Wish List: Part II
Photo by Maddie Meyer/ If you’re going to dream, dream big! For part one of the wish list, click here. Miles Bridges and Buddy Hield, while lofty names unlikely to become Memphis Grizzlies, are not true stars in the NBA. Fans of the Charlotte Hornets and Sacramento Kings get frustrated with the performance of Bridges and Hield, and the cost to acquire these players would be potentially high when compared to their probable ceilings as starters/key role players in Beale Street Blue. If the Grizzlies are going to spend a lot of their draft capital, ideally they would do it swinging for...
Grizzly Bear Blues Mar 27, 2020
A Memphis Grizzlies Wish List: Part One
Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Dreaming while quarantined is both fun and dangerous These times are tough, but we will eventually get through them. And when we do, and life goes back to normal (as normal as it can), be it a month, three months, or a year from now (hopefully not that long), the Memphis Grizzlies will regain its place in the front of our minds. As we socially distance and inexplicably wave to strangers on walks that three weeks ago we probably would’ve ignored, there can be plenty of time to daydream. It is enough to make you long for the random conversations you’d...
Grizzly Bear Blues Mar 26, 2020
Teams in search of the next blockbuster trade
Photo by Justin Ford/NBAE via Where do the Grizzlies rank among teams with the best trade assets? This offseason is going to be weird and boring. It probably won’t fully occur in the summertime. A lot of the league’s stars moved last summer. This draft class is weak, and we won’t even have March Madness to evaluate them. The free agency depth isn’t there either. However, we could start to see the next wave of All-Star trade demands form. Whether they materialize or not is the big question. It may be Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Ben Simmons, Zach LaVine, or someone else we do not...
Grizzly Bear Blues Mar 24, 2020
Ja Morant Voted Unanimous Rookie of the Year via ESPN Poll
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports The Grizzlies phenomenal young floor general appears to be held in high regard across league circles. Like almost everything else in the world, the conclusion of the 2019-2020 NBA season is still an uncertainty that may not have a resolution for months as the globe waits for the COVID-19 Pandemic to run its course. However, though the games have come to a halt, debates and discussions concerning the season so far are certainly still ongoing. One of the most popular discussions as the season entered March for the playoff push was the NBA Rookie of the...
Grizzly Bear Blues Mar 24, 2020
Long-Term Fits: Capitalizing on opportunity in Memphis
Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via The Grizzlies have cashed in on the fliers they’ve taken. Part 1 — Long-Term Fits in Memphis. Taking chances is a part of a rebuild. Whether it’s the former top-5 pick that hasn’t found his footing yet, the young player thrown into a trade, or the first-round prospect plagued with injuries, it never hurts to take a chance. The Grizzlies have been doing this with multiple players, because they have the luxury to do so — they’re set with their stars. In addition, they’ve nailed it with some young potential complementary players — Brandon...
Grizzly Bear Blues Mar 24, 2020
A silver lining in Memphis
Photo by Maddie Meyer/ Grayson Allen back on the floor in Memphis? What felt like an unprecedented and magical Memphis Grizzlies playoff run came crashing to a hault as the NBA season has been suspended due to COVID-19. The Grizzlies had the injury bug coming out of January with several of their key players missing substantial time. One guy in particular was marked out ‘indefinitely’ on January 27th with hip displacement. It was Grayson Allen. Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Allen injured his hip on January 24th against the Detroit Pistons. The second-year...
Grizzly Bear Blues Mar 23, 2020
The national appeal of Ja Morant and Zion Williamson
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports Appreciate where the league is headed led by these two. It was only about a week and a half ago when the NBA world was up and running. The biggest debate was how the playoff picture was going to shape up and if the Memphis Grizzlies were going to hold on to the 8th playoff seed in the Western Conference. Now, times have most definitely changed to where we do not know when, or even if, we will see the league play again this season. In the meantime, it gives us as the NBA community the opportunity to find release from these crazy times in discussions that...
Grizzly Bear Blues Mar 20, 2020
Long-term fits in Memphis
Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Who will stick around with the Grizzlies? The Memphis Grizzlies are set with their cornerstones. Jaren Jackson Jr. is a 6’11” flamethrower capable of punishing defenses from deep and of serving as a switch-heavy rim protector on the other end. Ja Morant has the superstar appeal with his offensive flair, tenacious intensity, and elite playmaking. Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman and company have also down a great job of surrounding them with great talent that catapulted them into the playoff picture now, while potentially filling a role down the road for the...
Grizzly Bear Blues Mar 19, 2020
Core 4: Cool Stories about Most Loved Grizzlies
Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Nathan and I share some cool stuff about certain players we love and will stan for life. Well, everything is kind of a bummer at the moment. We are restricted indoors, thousands are getting sick and dying, the economy is crashing, people are losing jobs and businesses, and there’s no basketball. While it all weighs heavy right now, Nathan Chester and I strive to bring some light and share some cool experiences regarding the Memphis Grizzlies, or NBA players, we love the most. In that, we also share unique encounters that kindled that fire — both for the...
Grizzly Bear Blues Mar 19, 2020
The perfect Memphis Grizzlies rotation
Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via For when the team comes back...they are coming back, right? The NBA has been gone over a week now. In a lot of ways, it feels like a year has passed. Our world has changed very rapidly, and we are looking at a very uncertain future. Perhaps it’s trivial to think about basketball when so much is swirling around us as a new (for now) normal sets in. This is a Memphis Grizzlies blog, though, and maybe for a little while it’s OK to let your mind wander in to what should have been...what eventually will be once again. By now Justise Winslow would have made...
Grizzly Bear Blues Mar 19, 2020
How the Grizzlies got the last laugh
Photo by Chris Elise/ A multi-year narrative has become a success for the Grizzlies—and a tragedy for the Celtics. Time for a history refresher! In 2015, the Memphis Grizzlies received Jeff Green from the Boston Celtics (and Russ “what it do” Smith from New Orleans!) in exchange for Tayshuan Prince and a protected future first-round pick. Since the Grizzlies lacked perimeter firepower, the trade was meant to push them into the upper-echelon of contenders in a wide-open Western Conference. But there’s a reason why Green’s career jerseys basically make up the colors of the...
