Honestly, Jerryd Bayless was one of the few Grizzlies who played somewhat decent during the Spurs’ blowout Game 1 win this afternoon. So we were rolling in the postgame presser when coach Lionel Hollins couldn’t remember his name. Read More »

The Memphis Grizzlies have clinched a playoff berth and are now vying with the Clippers and Nuggets to sort out who will hold the third, fourth, and fifth seeds in the Western Conference. When the Grizzlies traded alleged franchise centerpiece Rudy Gay to Toronto, more than a few pundits lamented what appeared to them to be the front office’s decision to play for next year. Read More »

The NBA is notorious for having a small number of teams with realistic championship expectations. While nearly half of the NFL can claim to be in the running, the NBA normally only has a handful of true contenders. The Heat, Thunder and Spurs have all established themselves as frontrunners to be playing into June, but there is another interesting group below them of teams that have shown the capability of playing with the elite. Read More »

In the drama-filled aftermath of the Rudy Gay trade, something to keep an eye on is the development and usage of Ed Davis in Memphis. Should the ongoing discord between Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins and the front office continue, Davis may become collateral damage. Read More »

After watching OKC steamroll Memphis last night, it’d be easy to say the Grizzlies screwed up by trading their best perimeter shotmaker, and the guy they normally go to in tight games. Then again, they saved money by giving away Rudy Gay, and got back a few decent pieces in Tayshaun Prince and Ed Davis. Read More »

We can just imagine Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins shaking his head. So you’re telling me you’re trading Rudy Gay and our first game without him is against Oklahoma City? Yes, and it wasn’t pretty, a small Grizzlies comeback notwithstanding in the second half Thursday in OKC’s 106-89 win. Memphis tied a season-low by scoring 34 points in the first half and fell behind by 25 because of a combination of OKC being freakishly good and the Grizzlies playing with zero energy and looking like someone just kicked their dog. Read More »

Who are these old guys, anyway? Shouldn’t San Antonio’s core of Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker be content with riding out their careers with rings and memories in hand?

Think again. The Southwest Division this year has been up for grabs dating back to Memphis’ playoff upset and Dallas’ offseason moves that made its title defense a question. This division used to be the Spurs and Mavericks’ personal playground every year. Only the Hornets in 2007-08 broke the hold of those two teams’ titles going back to 2004. Read More »

Derrick Rose said he was gonna go crazy against Washington last night, and dude did go a little nuts. Not only did he pick up a technical, but he was as aggressive as we’ve seen him all year in the first half, weaving into the lane and throwing up more of those high-arching floaters he’s grown fond of. John Wall gave him some run during the first half of Chicago’s 10-point win, but there’s still one glaring difference between the two: John Wall makes tough shots. Derrick Rose makes tough shots look easy. Read More »

Laker fans never have to worry. When the NBA released its revised schedule about a week ago, they made sure the league’s most polarizing franchise was delivered to it’s ever-expanding fan base. Is 29 out of 66 enough? 29 times this season the Lakers will be playing on national TV, which is only about 25 times more than the New Jersey Nets, despite their star point guard and despite their jet ski-riding, womanizing owner (and even those four games got the shaft that is NBA TV). The NBA knows the big names and the big teams will make the most money. Cleveland at Milwaukee in February is for no one outside of the diehards. Read More »

For the first time since 1994, Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning will be together again – that is, in Africa. The three NBA legends will headline Basketball Without Borders‘ trip to South Africa next month, where the global basketball development and community outreach program will use basketball to influence positive social change. Read More »