Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Marc Gasol On Board If Grizz Keep Pursuing Playoffs

December 21st, 2017 at 4:29pm CST by Austin Kent

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.

Deveney: Tyreke Evans Generating Major Interest

December 20th, 2017 at 3:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Tyreke Evans, who is enjoying an excellent season for the Grizzlies, has generated “significant interest,” according to Deveney.

[SOURCE LINK]

Grizzlies May Be Willing To Explore Gasol Trade If He Asks

December 19th, 2017 at 10:13am CST by Luke Adams

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.

[SOURCE LINK]

Rabb Recalled From Hustle

December 18th, 2017 at 8:15pm CST by clarkcrum

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.

Mike Conley Expected To Be Sidelined Into New Year

December 18th, 2017 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Marc Gasol Talks Grizzlies’ Struggles, Bad Habits

December 18th, 2017 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

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.”

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace On Fizdale, Gasol, Future

December 17th, 2017 at 1:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

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.”

Hypothetical Marc Gasol Trade Scenarios

December 15th, 2017 at 10:00pm CST by Austin Kent

The Grizzlies haven’t officially declared that they’re looking to trade Marc Gasol but the big man’s name has been a topic of speculation anyway considering Memphis’ poor 2017/18 start. Chris Herrington of the Commercial Appeal has come up with six hypothetical trade scenarios that he thinks are reasonable, including one that would send the Spaniard to the Raptors in exchange for a Jonas Valanciunas package.

Cavaliers Reluctant To Discuss Nets’ Pick

December 15th, 2017 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after acquiring the Nets’ 2018 first-round pick from the Celtics in the summer, Cavaliers GM Koby Altman acknowledged that he had an obligation to listen to inquiries on that pick, but suggested that the Cavs had “every intention of keeping it and using it.” A few months later, it doesn’t appear that stance has changed. League executives tell Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that Cleveland has been very reluctant to include that first-rounder in trade talks to date.

“They would be open to a deal by all indications,” one general manager told Deveney. “But they’re not talking about that pick. That’s the Plan B for the LeBron [James] stuff and from what I know, they don’t want to budge on it.”

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The “LeBron stuff,” of course, is the possibility that James will leave Cleveland as a free agent in 2018 — the club wants to be in position to replenish its roster with young talent in that scenario, and the Brooklyn pick, which figures to be a lottery selection, would be a great start. Still, one league executive suggested that the Cavs’ apparent unwillingness to discuss the pick may be a smokescreen. If the Cavs consider dealing the Nets’ pick, another executive said, it would have to be in a deal for a star.

“The only way they trade that would be a transformational player, someone who can help them win a championship,” the exec told Deveney. “I don’t think there is necessarily a player like that out there, at least not what’s been talked about so far. But you’re not going to deal away your chance at a top player in this draft for the right to lose to the Warriors again.”

The Cavs have been linked to multiple veteran centers on struggling teams, including DeAndre Jordan and Marc Gasol. However, a source tells Deveney that no serious discussions about a deal like that are happening at this point. If Cleveland engages the Clippers or Grizzlies about such a trade, I imagine the Nets’ pick would be the first asset either of those teams asks about.

Portland Might Be A Good Spot For Gasol

December 13th, 2017 at 7:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

Even though the Grizzlies are saying they have no intention of trading Marc Gasol, the veteran center could be a perfect fit in Portland if that changes before the February deadline, writes Tim Brown of The Oregonian. Neither Jusuf Nurkic or Zach Collins has been the answer in the middle for the Trail Blazers so far this season, and the addition of addition of Gasol could vault them several spaces in the Western Conference playoff race, Brown contends.

Gasol, 32, is averaging 19.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 27 games. He is signed for a little more than $24MM next season and has a player option worth nearly $25.6MM for 2019/20. However, Portland doesn’t have a significant expiring contract this season or next season to offer Memphis any cap relief, and Brown admits that Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum might have to be included in a deal to get the Grizzlies to part with Gasol.