Remember all the posts about how Jerry West is overrated when he first signed with Memphis, how he will now finally realize what a luxury LA was? Now the grizzlies is going to be the 6th seed in a very deep Western Conference and who knows, Kobe might actually go there next year if they can find the money. I just want to sat the Logo is one of the best GM's in our times and I sure hope he'd want to be a part of the Rox sometimes down the line.
How many of those guys Memphis's roster did Jerry inherit? His best move was getting a coach who teaches the game.
I still think the Miller for GG/Gooden move was dubious. Were Gooden and Giricek huge cancers on that team? Why else move them for someone who's contributing 11 points? Even if Gooden and Giricek were that awful in the locker room, and they're the reason Orlando is mired in last place, shouldn't West have been able to package them for something better than Miller? Billy Knight put together a very good basketball team. Jerry West had the guts to hire a brilliant coach that everyone had written off. But JW's Draft record and the Miller trade ... kind of questionable.
Man, Memphis is not and will not be very good with their current roster. Lets see what West does this summer because he hasn't done anything yet. Remember his draft picks this past summer? Exactly!
West can be over-rated and still do a good job in Memphis. He's done good things for that organization. But, to warrant the reputation he has among his supporters, he'd have to have the Grizzlies competing for a championship next year.
I was thrilled with the Logo hiring Hubie -- I abhored him on the broadcasts! I couldn't believe he was hired -- he'd B O M B !!! What a coaching job he has done. I would not have believed it possible. PS And their 'picking' JPo from Rox was a terrific move for them. (Lament, lament.)
Would you please look at how the Grizzlies are playing and how perfectly Miller fits that team and then explain to me how exactly that move was 'dubious'? Everybody at the time thought that Memphis got robbed in that deal but Orlando can't even win in the East and they've even shipped Giricek out of town. The Grizzlies are doing well in the west. Every team needs players like Mike Miller who understand their role on the team. A star is not always what a team is in need of, contrary to popular opinion on this message board, and in this instance, the Grizzlies obviously got something they needed. I remember saying at the time I thought the trade was one that would end up benifiting both teams, but so far, I was wrong. The only team that seems to have benifited much is the Grizzlies.
Formula for Grizzlies success. Fill up entire roster with hustling long armed athletic guards and small forwards. Get by with 3 expendable centers to take fouls, and clog the paint. Push the ball at every opportunity. Substitute whole starting 5 with a fresh bench and keep game close in the 4th. Hopefully wear out the other team who's typically not as deep, and have fresh legged starters close out the game.
The formula is mindful of when petino was having NBA REGULAR SEASON' success. However, in the playoffs there are more time outs and more time to prepare for the unusual D being given. Can Hubie's team make it out of the 1st round? OK, OK - who would have thunk Hubie would have Griz 6th seed in just one year???
I understand the gestalt theory, I just wonder if he could have gotten more for the Two G's. Perhaps a mix of players in return that would boast equal parts talent and team intuition.
OK, So! One hit wonder. The team does not have a go to player. There will be major changes with that team this summer. On the hand, we have two franchise players that we need to build around!
How many franchise players would you rather have instead of Gasol? (i.e. Yao, Shaq, Duncan, Garnett, Kobe, McGrady...) He is a very good player but the only way that guy wins a championship is if he is a #2 or #3 option on a team. Much like Abdur Rahim.
I was wondering if Jerry West was still playing on those Laker teams that won 33 straight regular season games. He has a lot of accomplishments as an NBA player. On a side note, Phil Jackson has five assistant coaches-- two of whom are ex-Rocket coaches: Tex Winter and Frank Hamblen.
NBA's Greatest Moments Lakers Win 33 in a Row The Los Angeles Lakers weren't getting any younger as they entered the 1971-72 season. Wilt Chamberlain was 35, Jerry West 33. Team captain Elgin Baylor, 37, would be forced to retire eight games into the season because of bad knees. But new coach Bill Sharman made several key moves to invigorate the Lakers. He inserted Gail Goodrich into the starting lineup to take some of the scoring load off West and allow him to concentrate on playmaking, and convinced Chamberlain to focus on playing defense and setting up his teammates, rather than scoring. With young Jim McMillian stepping into Baylor's forward spot opposite rebounder Happy Hairston, the Lakers got hot early-and stayed hot. On Nov. 5, 1971 they beat the Baltimore Bullets 110-106, and they did not lose a game for more than two months. On Dec. 12 they beat Atlanta 104-95 for their 21st in a row, breaking the NBA record of 20 set by Milwaukee a year earlier. On Dec. 22 they beat the Bullets 127-120 to make it 27 in a row, surpassing the longest winning steak in major league sports, 26 games by baseball's 1916 New York Giants. They extended their streak to 33 consecutive wins by beating the Hawks 134-90 on Jan. 7, 1972, before finally losing to the Bucks 120-104 two nights later. "We knew it had to end sometime. I would trade all the records for a championship," declared Sharman. No such deal was necessary-the Lakers finished the season at 69-13, at the time an NBA record, and won the championship by beating New York in five games in the NBA Finals. The 1972 crown was the Lakers' first since the franchise moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in 1960.
I agree. Anything can happen in the playoffs, but the Grizzlies do remind me a great deal of the George Karl Sonics from the early 90's. Their style of play will be much less effective in the postseason when the games slow down and the rotations get shorter.
Thanks for the story. There was real greats, including Gail Goodrich who was traded for a future 1st rounder -- who turned into Earvin Johnson! McMillan was Columbia, Happy was NYU. Sadly, Happy Hairston has rejoined Wilt's team.
Still non-believers. It is funny how Pau keeps killing teams over and opver again in the 4th quarter and people still doubt him. He is weak? Hung 25 on the Nuggets with a broken, bleeding nose. Pau and Yao are very similar IMO. The only difference is position. I also think the Grizz and Rockets are looking for the right side -kick to go with each one of them. Keep sleeping on Jerry West.
