Call it a panic attack, but the Memphis Grizzlies of yesteryear can no longer be replicated — especially after Wednesday's fight between two veterans in Garrett Temple and Omri Casspi.
The fierceness, the nastiness, the very Grit ‘n' Grind nature that made this team such a beloved and endearing group to root for no longer has the same qualities, only vestiges of it through Marc Gasol and Mike Conley — the two remaining old lions of a pack that has since disbanded into ethereal nothingness.
Temple and Casspi's altercation after a loss to the Detroit Pistons marked the third straight for the Grizzlies and the eighth in the last 10. A team that was once tied with the LA Clippers for first place in the Western Conference is now on the outside looking in and 6-14 since Nov. 22, falling to 10th place.
If the dismay of such an abysmal fall wasn't enough, the worst is yet to come, as Memphis has very little foundation to help it fight for a playoff spot, especially in the midst of the tightest Western race in the past 20 years.
The Grizzlies need to start anew and rebuild, and they need to start now, not later, as every offseason is precious in value when it comes to stashing and drafting assets to build for the future.
Not just an ordinary fight
The altercation between Temple and Casspi (ironically two veteran players who have only been with this team this season) isn't just a casual butting of heads, but the result of a greater frustration of having their playoff hopes slip through their very fingers, having suffered six of their last eight losses by single digits.
Temple is in the midst of his best season, his first shot at being a permanent starter after being a role player coming off the bench for the vast majority of his career. While he is known as a leader in the locker room, the fact that the questioning came from him and not from two former All-Stars in Conley and Gasol shows a lack of defined leadership, as the team resorted to the fourth-leading scorer to rag on the bench for their lack of enthusiasm.
Conley has never been an audible leader, doing so more by example, even dating back to his days at Ohio State. Gasol, though crafty and intelligent, is rather quiet and only communicates when needed, making him an unlikely villain, but one the team would welcome if he chose to enforce a change of attitude in the locker room. For what it's worth, the Spaniard claims he will indeed be more vocal moving forward.
The “enthusiasm” level from this bench unit was hardly the problem, as they produced 35 points in a game where the Grizzlies scored only 94 points, accounting for 37 percent of points scored against the Pistons.
The elephant in the room was Conley posting a goose egg, going 0-for-8 from the floor and failing to get to the foul line through 28 minutes of playing time, despite being the team's leading scorer at over 20 per game before this ugly night.
Temple scored only seven points on 2-of-8 shooting and allowed “The Motor City Reggies” — Detroit's backcourt of Reggie Jackson and Reggie Bullock — to go a combined 7-of-15 from beyond the arc.
That sounds like frustration, not accountability.
Decisions must be made
Gasol and Conley are the two oldest veterans still under contract for next season. Gasol will be paid $25.6 million next season, assuming he picks up his player option, while Conley will make $30.5 million this season and $32.5 million the next. The point guard also has a $34.5 million early termination option for 2020-21, though only $22.43 million of that is currently guaranteed until Jan. 10, 2021. It will be fully guaranteed if Conley appears in 55 games either this season or next.
The Grizzlies would be inept to pay that much for an aging point guard who has shown a dip in efficiency. His 19.9 points per game are only coming by way of more shot attempts, as his subpar 41.3 percent from the floor suggests. A team like the Phoenix Suns had been desperate to trade for a point guard to pair alongside Devin Booker, but it seems that ship may have sailed, as the fourth-year phenom has embraced and excelled at becoming the team's primary playmaker.
Gasol's game has been on the decline as well after a poor end to a forgettable 2017-18 season. While he is posting the third-highest rebounding mark of his career (8.5 per game), the 7-foot-1 center is getting the least amount of shots since 2013-14, as the team is clearly moving away from him as a focal point in the offense.
There are still teams looking for a capable center, and 7-footers have always been in vogue, especially if they have Gasol's range and willingness to shoot the ball from deep.
Memphis already struck gold with the modern version of Rasheed Wallace in young Jaren Jackson Jr., who had one of his best games of the season with a 26-point, 10-rebound performance against the Pistons, before fouling out.
Trading Conley and/or Gasol could be a starting point to a rebuild, and if they manage to keep their draft picks signed beyond their rookie deals (a rarity for this franchise), the Grizzlies could start to build with a future in mind.
It's time to face it, the Grizzlies are no longer Grit ‘n' Grind
Gasol and Conley are only two remnants from a squad that once proudly bore the name of Grit ‘n' Grind, one that featured pillars like Tony Allen and Zach Randolph, two older veterans who no longer have a significant role in the league. Having parted ways with them and another gritty vet in Vince Carter, this team has tried to cling to the famed moniker, but to no avail.
Truth is, players like Allen, Randolph, and even Carter are a dying breed — one no longer seen in the college game or in international waters, making it near-impossible to replicate.
The NBA today is revolving around players like Jackson, who is long and athletic with a diverse skill set who allows him to operate on the perimeter as well as hold his own in the paint, turning shots back with reckless abandon.
The Grizzlies still have valuable pieces like JaMychal Green, Kyle Anderson and Dillon Brooks, but they must first find a way to shed the contract of Chandler Parsons, which has proven a cancer to the organization, along with the deals of two aging veterans who are now past their peak.
…
Memphis has tough decisions to make, but as with any problem, the first step is to admit there is one — and then take action.
The Grizzlies simply don't have what it takes to compete in a ruthless West this season, but they can make the most of this season by making some moves and acquiring draft picks that can flourish over the course of the next few seasons.
If done swiftly, Memphis can find itself with an arsenal of future assets and plenty of opportunity moving forward, assuming the Grizzlies jump on the tank train soon enough, having already won 18 games this season.
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