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Recently, fans of the Memphis Grizzlies have been embroiled in a bizarre feud with ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, who alleged that the perceived unsafe nature of the city was a reason the team has trouble drawing in free agents. The Grizzlies recently raised eyebrows by trading away shooting guard Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for a haul of draft picks, which may have prompted the discussion.
Now, fans are responding to Smith and throwing some jabs in his direction.
“He looks just like Kermit the Frog,” said one fan during an interview by FOX13 Memphis.
Smith claimed to have spoken to unnamed “local authorities” who discussed the problem of unsafety as a reason NBA players tend not to want to come play for the Grizzlies. It should be noted that Smith has a well-chronicled history of picking beefs with NBA players and teams in an apparent attempt to boost his own profile, including most recently with Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant hasn't called Smith out by name but he has taken some social media jabs that would appear to be directed at the ESPN analyst.
A big summer for the Grizzlies
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Whatever the reason, it is true that the Grizzlies don't exactly have a stellar reputation for drawing in free agents over the years, which made their trade of Bane to the Magic puzzling to some fans.
However, the team did receive four (!) unprotected first round draft picks in return for the fringe All-Star, along with a player with championship experience in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope alongside Cole Anthony and a pick swap.
At this point, it remains unclear whether the Grizzlies are simply retooling their roster and accumulating future draft assets or whether they are considering pulling the plug on the Ja Morant-Jaren Jackson Jr. era, which has yet to result in a playoff trip past the second round.
In any case, the NBA Draft is slated for June 25.
