Memphis Grizzlies Season Preview – NBA Predictions
Coming off a trip to the Western Conference Finals, the Memphis Grizzlies look to continue their upward trend with a roster that remains largely intact and a new head coach.
Memphis Grizzlies
Western Conference
2012-13 Record: 56-26
Odds to win title: 28 to 1
Odds to win conference: 10 to 1 from [dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Memphis Grizzlies
Key Losses
Darrell Arthur – Arthur became expendable with last season’s acquisition of Ed Davis. He was never able to duplicate the success he had at Kansas while with the Grizzlies.
Top Newcomers
Kosta Koufos – Koufos after some underwhelming years with other organizations, Koufos finally finds himself the proper fit with the defensive-minded Grizzlies.
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He’ll take over the minutes previously filled by Darrell Arthur and compete with Ed Davis to be the first big off the bench.
Mike Miller – As good as they are defensively, the Grizzlies sure could have used some added scoring in the Western Conference, and the team’s bigs can’t do it all themselves, especially with opposing defenses focusing in on them. Miller will make defenses pay for collapsing to the post.
Top Players
The Grizzlies run through their elite big-men, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Gasol gets all the accolades but Randolph showed that he can take the opposition’s elite big man out of the game, while still being a force on the glass. Mike Conley joins Gasol as the team’s franchise players. Conley found another gear last season and has joined the ranks of the NBA’s top point guards.
Strengths
No team can match the Grizzlies’ effort level defensively, with Tony Allen leading that charge. All the key pieces are back this season so they’ll maintain their high level of play at that end. Having two elite big men of course means that rebounding is a strength, with Z-Bo in particularly presenting a stiff challenge to opponents on the offensive glass. [ad-6571516]
Weaknesses
A big deficit at any point in the game means trouble as Memphis doesn’t score with much regularity. Things will get even trickier this season with San Antonio putting out the blue print on how to stop the Grizzlies offense in its tracks, collapsing down to the post and forcing the team to knock down its outside shots. Mike Miller will help in that department, as will the continued development of Quincy Pondexter. Backup point guard Nick Calathes has also drawn a lot of buzz and is expected to contribute as a playmaker from the get-go.
2013-14 Prediction: 59-23
The team’s re-vamped front office, led by former ESPN analyst John Hollinger, has made all the right moves since taking over. A fiscally responsible offseason didn’t keep the team from improving, and they appear poised to make another strong run this season. Promoting from within to replace Lionel Hollins also helps, as they won’t lose a step as they transition into the Dave Joerger regime.
It was a surprise that the Grizzlies hung onto Zach Randolph through the summer, despite the fact that he’s aging and is still owed quite a bit of money. Nevertheless, that will help them this season, although don’t be surprised to hear his name mentioned in trade rumors throughout the season, particularly with his eventual replacement already on the roster.
The West will be tough once again this year, but expect the Grizzlies to remain right in the thick of things, competing for a top 4 playoff spot, then making a significant run in the postseason.
