Marc Gasol

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.”

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Gasol, Paul

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

The Mavs have benefited from the across the board contributions of role players Dwight Powell and Yogi Ferrell this season, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. The pair have thrived as much-needed team worker bees.

“[Powell] always gives us amazing energy,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of his 26-year-old backup center. “He is just so into the team and winning. Guys like him, you just can’t get enough of.”

In 17.9 minutes per game, Powell has posted 6.2 points and 5.3 rebounds, a stat line that works out to be 12.5 and 10.5 per-36. Ferrell, in contrast, has served the Mavs out of the backcourt, stepping up noticeably well as a spot starter for Dennis Smith Jr.

In five starts with the lottery pick sidelined, Ferrell has averaged 12.5 points and 4.8 assists per game for the Mavs.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

The Rockets have thrived under head coach Mike D’Antoni but for a while there, Hornets assistant Stephen Silas was in the running for the position. As Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle writes, the Charlotte coach still gets ribbed by friends and family when Houston, the best team in the NBA two months into the season, does something particularly impressive.
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.
Offseason acquisition Chris Paul seems to be enjoying his new role with the Rockets, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN breaks down in a recent feature. That, coupled with the fact that Houston is 12-0 with Paul on the floor this season, bodes well for the franchise ahead of the veteran’s free agency this summer.

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.”

[RELATED: Latest on LeBron James]

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.

Northwest Notes: Gasol, Collins, Hood, Millsap

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.

There’s more news from the Northwest Division:

Collins, the 10th pick in this year’s draft, is making his first career start tonight in Miami, tweets Jason Quick of NBC Northwest. Collins has appeared in just 10 games for the Blazers and is playing about eight minutes per night.
The Jazz welcome back shooting guard Rodney Hood tonight after he missed the past seven games with an ankle problem, tweets Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. Hood was averaging a career-best 17.7 points through 18 games before the injury, which team doctors are calling tendon soreness (Twitter link). Coach Quin Snyder also offered encouraging news about veteran swingman Joe Johnson, who has been sidelined with a right wrist injury. Snyder said Johnson is close to returning, although he won’t be available tonight (Twitter link). He appeared in just seven games before suffering the injury in late October.
Nuggets forward Paul Millsap, out for three months after surgery on his left wrist in late November, explained why he didn’t have the procedure done right away, tweets T.J. McBride of Mile High Sports. In an interview with Altitude TV, Millsap said the delay involved finding the right surgeon and staff to perform the operation. Denver’s top free agent addition over the summer, Millsap has played 16 games and is averaging 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds.

Grizzlies Rumors: Gasol, Youngsters, Draft Missteps

December 13th, 2017 at 11:07am CST by Luke Adams

After starting the season with a 7-4 record, the Grizzlies have won just one of their last 16 games, plummeting to second-last in the Western Conference at 8-19. Despite the team’s massive slump, general manager Chris Wallace continues to insist that Memphis won’t entertain the notion of trading Marc Gasol this season, writes Zach Lowe of ESPN.

“We think our window is still very much open with Mike [Conley] and Marc. I think we’ll be heard from the rest of this year, and in years to come,” Wallace recently said. The Grizzlies’ GM reiterated that sentiment on Tuesday, according to Lowe.

Wallace and others in the Grizzlies’ front office are “adamant” that their stance on Gasol – and rebuilding in general – won’t change this season, even if the team doesn’t start winning. Lowe is skeptical, suggesting there are probably scenarios in which Memphis at least gauges Gasol’s value, even if the team doesn’t shop him outright. Still, the ESPN scribe acknowledges that the Grizzlies may still prefer to play out the season, grab a lottery pick, and redouble their efforts to contend with Gasol and Conley in 2018/19.

Here’s more on the Grizzlies, including a few additional tidbits from Lowe’s feature:

Gasol insists that he won’t ask the Grizzlies for a trade, even if the team were to fall to 30 games below .500. “I would want to see how we got there — what the process is,” Gasol said, according to Lowe. “But as long as [owner] Robert [Pera] wants me here, my teammates want me here, they think I’m part of the solution — and not part of the problem — that’s all I need.” Still, if Memphis decides it wants to move him, Gasol would accept that too: “If they think it is best, I would do anything for this franchise.”
Wallace believes the Grizzlies can build for the future even as they focus on short-term contention, pointing to Dillon Brooks, Andrew Harrison, Jarell Martin, Deyonta Davis, and Ivan Rabb as young players who could evolve into solid rotation players. “How many teams who have been annual participants in the playoffs have as many guys under 24?” Wallace asked. Still, as Lowe notes, the Memphis GM admitted that it “remains to be seen” whether any of those players will develop into above-average NBA starters.
Taking a look back at some of the Grizzlies’ draft mistakes, Lowe cites sources who say that the club unsuccessfully tried to trade up for T.J. Warren in 2014. Memphis also considered drafting Nikola Jokic at No. 35 in 2014, but felt it was too high for him, per Lowe. Denver nabbed Jokic six picks later.
Like Lowe, Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal has gone into extended detail this week about what has gone wrong for the Grizzlies this year. On Sunday, Tillery explored how Memphis’ retooling plan has backfired, while on Tuesday he wrote about the club’s culture being called into question.

Southwest Notes: Holiday, Motley, Gasol

December 7th, 2017 at 9:04pm CST by Austin Kent

The addition of Rajon Rondo to the Pelicans‘ lineup has helped bring out the best in Jrue Holiday. William Guillory of The Times-Picayune writes that the converted shooting guard is playing some of the best basketball of his New Orleans tenure.

Holiday has established himself as a desperately needed perimeter scoring option, especially now that the presence of Rondo allows him to focus on scoring. The extra offensive output comes at an ideal time for the Pelicans, as they’ve been without Anthony Davis for the past three games..

“I think Jrue is one of the best. He’s easily one of the top three 1-on-1 players in our game today,” Rondo, who signed with the Pelicans in the offseason, said. Since Rondo has slid into the lineup, Holiday has averaged 20 points and 4.4 assists per game with a .483 field-goal percentage.

“His aggression and just taking advantage of being a bigger guard. He’s one of the best two-way players in this league when he’s aggressive. That’s the guy we need for our team to go to the next level,” Pelicans big man DeMarcus Cousins added. “He’s been playing great, he’s taken our team to another level and we’re a tough team to beat when he’s playing that way.”

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

The Mavericks have added Johnathan Motley to their active lineup for the first time this season after the two-way contract signee averaged 22.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in the G League, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. “[When you’re in the G League] you can’t just try to be a guy and get everybody else involved,” teammate J.J. Barea, an alum of the NBA’s minor league, said. “You got to kill it. That’s how you get noticed.“
The NBA has fined Marc Gasol $15K for dropping an F-Bomb on live television, the league announced. It’s been a rocky season for the Grizzlies.
The Rockets have looked impressive with Chris Paul back in the lineup, not only on offense but on defense. Sam Amick of USA Today writes that Paul’s defensive presence – in addition to P.J. Tucker‘s and Luc Mbah a Moute‘s – has helped Houston make a name for itself with the fifth-best defensive rating in the league.

O’Connor’s Latest: Bucks, D. Jordan, M. Gasol

December 4th, 2017 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest piece for The Ringer, Kevin O’Connor takes a deep dive into the new-look Bucks, with a specific focus on their defense. As O’Connor outlines, Milwaukee has been one of the NBA’s best defensive teams in the 11 games since they acquired Eric Bledsoe, after ranking 29th to open the season.

Still, the Bucks’ recent schedule has been somewhat soft, and the club’s defensive rating takes a major hit when Bledsoe isn’t on the court. Adding another defensive stopper may help stabilize the lineup on that side of the ball and ensure that the club’s defensive improvements stick, O’Connor writes. Here’s more from the Ringer scribe on the Bucks and some of their possible targets:

The Bucks are on the lookout for a big man, multiple NBA executives tell O’Connor. The team is also trying to create some cap flexibility by moving some of their pricier multiyear contracts, such as the ones signed by Mirza Teletovic, John Henson, and Matthew Dellavedova.
One notable trade candidate who has been linked to the Bucks is DeAndre Jordan, and league executives expect the Clippers to listen to inquiries on the veteran center, per O’Connor.
One complicating factor on Jordan is the fact that he doesn’t currently have an agent, but multiple execs and agents who spoke to O’Connor believe the Clippers center will end up signing with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports. If that happens before the trade deadline, Paul could get involved on any Jordan trade talks and influence where he lands. It’s worth noting that both the Bucks (Bledsoe) and Cavaliers (LeBron James, Tristan Thompson, and J.R. Smith), who have been cited as potential suitors for Jordan, have Klutch clients. (Update: Jordan has reportedly hired Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management for representation.)
Marc Gasol is another player who would make sense as a trade target for the Bucks, but three execs who talked to O’Connor don’t expect the Grizzlies to deal him. One of those execs suggested that even if Gasol were to request a trade, Memphis may wait until the offseason to make a move.

Grizzlies GM: No Plans To Rebuild This Season

November 30th, 2017 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

A loss in San Antonio on Wednesday extended the Grizzlies’ losing streak to nine games and dropped the team to 7-13 on the season. However, according to general manager Chris Wallace, the team has no plans to shift into rebuilding mode this year. As Wallace explained to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, the Grizzlies fully expect to contend once they get healthy, and they’re “full speed ahead” with the current roster.

“We’ve been in the playoffs seven years in a row,” Wallace said. “We’ve got a team when fully healthy and we get everything together is more athletic, more versatile and more potent offensively than we’ve had for a number of years. Even though the going has been a little difficult early, there’s still 62 [games] to play. We believe in this team.”

In the wake of the decision to bench Marc Gasol during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to Brooklyn, there was speculation about a potential trade involving Gasol. Memphis’ decision to dismiss David Fizdale a day later quieted those rumblings to a certain extent, but given the club’s health issues and its record through 20 games, there were some executives who believed the Grizzlies would continue to explore their options with Gasol. Wallace told MacMahon that’s not the case.

“We have no intention to trade Marc,” Wallace said. “We never seriously considered that at all. We never placed any calls to any teams in that regard. So that’s not happening. … It’s not just Marc that this whole equation is about. It’s also Mike Conley when he comes back. We’ve got two guys among the elite in the league at their respective positions that are still very much in their window with an awful lot of tread left on their tires.”

While the Grizzlies’ stance may frustrate some fans and observers, it would be tricky for the team to engage in an all-out rebuild at this point. Conley and Chandler Parsons still have multiple guaranteed years left on their massive contracts after this season, which would make it difficult to get a solid return in any trade involving them. Gasol, who has a slightly less lucrative salary and a shorter-term deal, has a bit more trade value, but hasn’t been at his best so far this season, limiting his appeal to potential suitors.

For his part, Gasol says he’s happy the front office is willing to stick with the current group a little longer. However, as MacMahon details, the veteran center acknowledges that the Grizzlies’ stance may change quickly if the team doesn’t start winning.

“You know how brutal and how the reality is in the NBA and how much things can change fast, so you’ve got to really do the most and get the most out of every minute that you’re able to,” Gasol said. “Obviously, you appreciate the confidence and the trust that they’re showing in myself and Mike, because maybe the next step once you try to fix it by replacing the head coach, then it’s your big guns, try to change them, too. That may be the natural step, but they’re sticking with us.”

Grizzlies Notes: Gasol, Fizdale, Pera

November 29th, 2017 at 12:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Marc Gasol acknowledged this week that his relationship with former Grizzlies coach David Fizdale was rocky, and confirmed that he has spoken to Grizzlies owner Robert Pera since Sunday. However, Gasol says that conversation with Pera happened after team management had made its decision to fire Fizdale, as Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal details.

“They called me after the decision was made to let me know the direction they were going,” Gasol said. The veteran center also dismissed the idea that he’s a “coach killer,” indicating that he never asked the Grizzlies to let go of Fizdale.

“I never try to accomplish anything like that,” Gasol said. “I always have (the coach’s) back… It’s shocking but it’s the nature of this business. Next time, it might be me. Next time it might be somebody else. The franchise is bigger than any player or coach. We’ve all got to be ready (for change).”

Here’s more from out of Memphis:

Two people with knowledge of the situation tell Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today that there was “little to no communication” between Fizdale and Gasol for the better part of 10 months. While Sunday’s fourth-quarter benching of Gasol was a tipping point, the situation had been bad for quite some time, per the USA Today duo.
In an in-depth and interesting piece for The Commercial Appeal, Chris Herrington takes a closer look at what the Fizdale firing says about Fizdale, Gasol, Memphis’ front office, team ownership, and more.
Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders explores whether it makes more sense for the Grizzlies to fully rebuild their roster or to simply retool it.
After a couple off-days, the Grizzlies will return to action on Wednesday night in San Antonio, as the team looks to snap its eight-game losing streak. It will be J.B. Bickerstaff‘s first game as Memphis’ interim head coach.

Latest On Fizdale Firing: Notes, Reactions, More

November 28th, 2017 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters today at a press conference, Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace acknowledged that there was tension between star center Marc Gasol and head coach David Fizdale, and confirmed that was a factor in the team’s decision to fire Fizdale. However, according to Wallace, it wasn’t the overriding factor, as Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal relays.

“We needed to have a change to try to save the season,” Wallace said. “Looking at where we were headed, there just weren’t a great deal of positive trends. We hope to get a positive reboot.”

Despite ongoing trade speculation, Gasol will be a major part of that “positive reboot,” according to the Grizzlies. New interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff indicated today that he plans to lean heavily on the club’s three-time All-Star center going forward.

“Marc is one of the leaders of this team,” Bickerstaff said. “We need Marc to play his best basketball. In order for us to be the team we want to be a ton of the that responsibility falls on Marc’s shoulders. We need him to be Marc Gasol.”

Here’s more on Fizdale and the Grizzlies, as the NBA world continues to react to Monday’s news:

In the wake of his dismissal, Fizdale issued a magnanimous statement to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN thanking the Grizzlies and the city of Memphis for the opportunity to represent them.
The Grizzlies need to come to grips with the fact that the Gasol Era in Memphis is over, argues Chris Mannix of The Vertical. Mannix also passes along a couple more tidbits about the Gasol/Fizdale relationship, along with quotes from Stan Van Gundy, who was “shocked” by the Grizzlies’ decision.
Firing Fizdale won’t solve the Grizzlies’ problems, says Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. Meanwhile, Sam Amick of USA Today writes that Fizdale’s firing reinforces the idea that the NBA is a star-driven league.
Fizdale’s ouster doesn’t come as a major surprise to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders, who tweets that Grizzlies owner Robert Pera tried to fire Dave Joerger three games into his head coaching career. Memphis opened the 2013/14 season – Joerger’s first year – with a 1-2 record.
Is a return to Miami the next move for Fizdale? Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said today that he’d embrace bringing back Fizdale as a consultant. However, having the former Heat assistant return in his previous role isn’t being discussed at the moment, since Fizdale plans to take the rest of the year off from coaching, per Spoelstra (Twitter links via Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel and Andre Fernandez of The Miami Herald).

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