Commercial Appeal after the SWEEP!

[WaywardFan]

Over and out
By Ronald Tillery
Contact
May 2, 2005

Sure, the Phoenix Suns were faster.

Sure, they shot the ball with more accuracy.

And, yes, the Suns displayed more athleticism.

What sometimes may get overlooked is their teamwork.

But Griz coach Mike Fratello didn't miss that part of the Suns' package as he summed up the Grizzlies, 123-115, Game 4 and series-ending loss Sunday night in FedExForum.

"We learned against a great team," Fratello said. "This wasn't a funky team. They're a great team. A very unique team."

The very together Suns rode their up-tempo style to a series sweep, sending the Griz to their eighth straight playoff loss.

Memphis bowed out of the postseason 4-0 in back-to-back seasons, and owns an NBA record for consecutive playoffs losses without a win. The Griz were also the only Western Conference playoff team that didn't win a game.

"We never had enough stops to make it a game," Griz swingman Shane Battier said. "We never got five or six straight stops. We did that for a lot of our wins. But in this series, we'd throw a speed bump in their paths every now and then."

Not once did the Grizzlies hold the Suns under 100 points in their playoff series. The Suns racked up the playoff's highest point total this season after shooting 60 percent for the game.

The Griz had more field goals (45-38), more 3-pointers (13-11) and fewer turnovers (20-11) in Game 4.

Memphis always seemed to play catch-up from the opening tip. The first quarter of Game 4 was indicative of how the series went: Phoenix jumped out to a 39-20 lead and stiff-armed the Griz until the final horn.

"We couldn't get anything going offensively," point guard Jason Williams said. "They shot the lights out and they were a better team the whole series. For us to have a chance we had to shoot well. They got (39) points in the first quarter. I don't care who you are playing against."

The Griz trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half, and climbed back into the game by holding the Suns to 7-of-18 shooting in the second period. A Pau Gasol bank shot tied the score at 64 in the third.

Williams's 3-pointer cut the deficit to 110-105 with 4:12 left in the game. But what happened next epitomized the Grizzlies' pitfall.

The Suns scored in bunches. Shawn Marion converted a 3-point play. Nash sank two free throws and Quentin Richardson added a 3-pointer. By the end of that sequence, the Griz hadn't scored a point and the Suns enjoyed a 13-point advantage with a minute remaining.

"They controlled the series," Gasol said. "It's disappointing to lose and get swept two times. But we had a lot to go through during the season and that's what happened to us."

Phoenix awaits the winner of the Houston-Dallas series, which is knotted at 2-2.

"It doesn't matter who we play in the next round," Suns center Amare Stoudemire said. "We're going to be ready for them."

Whoever plays the Suns better bring tire spikes. The Suns finished the series averaging 113.8 points, better than their league-best 110.4 during the season. Fratello praised the Suns' cohesion as the main ingredient to their offensive prowess.

"That's what this should be about -- the group," Fratello said. "They're not worrying about who gets the next shot. If they keep that, there's no telling how far they'll go."

Lessons learned? Indeed.

"I call it being at peace with your game," Earl Watson said. "They were at peace on offense and defense. There is calmness about them. They're cool with a killer attitude."

Not even a smaller lineup -- with Battier often defending Stoudemire -- could help the Griz slow down or hang with the Suns. Because they enjoy athleticism from every position, the Suns had 49 free throw attempts compared to the Grizzlies' 16.

-- Ronald Tillery 529-2353

 

[WaywardFan]

Calkins: So the curtain falls, and some will take their leave
By Geoff Calkins
Contact
May 2, 2005

The clock ran out, the buzzer sounded, and Shane Battier leaned down to untie his shoes.

He does this at the end of every season, when the shoes aren't much use to him anymore.

Battier tossed one shoe into the crowd on one side of the court.

He tossed the other shoe into the crowd on the other side of the court.

He walked off, in stocking feet, and into a future that will have a very different look.

"I'd be shocked if our lineup looks like it does this year," he said. "We had a good run, four years."

The Phoenix Suns defeated the Grizzlies on Sunday night, sweeping them out of the playoffs, 123-115.

It wasn't just the end to a season, really. It was the end of this team, this collection of players that forged a bond with the city that didn't exist before.

Earl Watson said he thought about how fast it all went by, how many people he'd like to thank.

To his right, Stromile Swift took off his Grizzlies jersey for what could be the last time.

Bonzi Wells never made it to the goodbye party. He was asked to stay away.

Jason Williams was escorted out of the locker room after -- how to say this? -- taking a pen out of my hand.

He didn't like a column I wrote. He asked where I live.

But you know what?

If Williams is part of the changes, I'll miss covering the guy. Miss the basketball genius, the brilliant sleight of hand.

"We're going to have a different identity," said Battier. "That's just the way it goes."

Well, yeah.

But people are still learning that down here.

As far as Memphis fans know, Williams has always been a Grizzly. Same with Swift. Same with Battier. Same with Gasol. Same with Lorenzen Wright.

Can you imagine the Grizzlies without the Stro Show? Without J-Will? Without Bonz ... oh, scratch that.

A day after Mike Fratello said the media had created a rift between Wells and the staff out of thin air, the coach announced Wells wouldn't be participating in the final game.

"Bonzi and I decided that in the interests of the team, he would not be on the bench tonight," Fratello said.

So not only did the media invent a rift between a player and a coach, they made the player disappear!

Wells was still in evidence, however, on the persons of Williams and Swift.

They both wore Wells's No. 6 armband.

Solidarity between gazillionaires.

It was a fitting end to a turbulent season, a season that ended the same way as last year, but bore absolutely no other resemblance to that unforgettable joy ride.

Hubie Brown retired. Don Poier died. The players revolted more than once.

Wells was at the core of it. So much for the rosy promises, eh?

"He's not going to be a bad citizen," said Jerry West, the day after he shipped a first-round draft pick to Portland for Wells.

Evidently, just bad enough to be sent away.

But give the team credit for making the playoffs a second straight year, and for summoning some pride at the end.

The Suns blazed to a 39-20 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Grizzlies then invited an alleged fan -- he might have been a plant -- to win two tickets by eating a cockroach.

Talk about your bad timing. Who would eat a cockroach to watch more of that?

But the Grizzlies rallied. There were times when they even looked like the old Griz.

Earl Watson stole a ball. James Posey flew around like he did last year. Dahntay Jones raised this question with his play: Bonzi Who?

The Grizzlies got close. The crowd got loud. It was good to see everyone into it, one last time.

"I thought I saw a genuine kind of pulling and hanging in there with each other," said Fratello.

For old times' sake?

The Grizzlies lost, of course. The Suns were too good and the Grizzlies too flawed.

Gasol missed two huge rebounds down the stretch and, geez, haven't we seen that before? Through three quarters, Gasol had exactly one more rebound than the exiled Wells.

Fans booed. More than once. That's another thing that's changed. It used to be that making the playoffs was enough, but not anymore.

So next season will have a different cast, and a different plot, and a very different feel.

The innocence is gone. Isn't it, Shane?

He sat there in his stocking feet, not quite ready to give in.

"I don't know," he said, at last. "I only heard the cheers."

To reach Geoff Calkins, call him at 529-2364 or send an e-mail.

 

[lancelet's cousin]

This fits in with your headline.

Original Article

NBA: Memphis' Jason Williams angered by column

Associated Press May 2, 2005 NBA0502.NOTES




Memphis guard Jason Williams took out his anger over how he was quoted in a newspaper column by grabbing a pen out of the writer's hand after the Grizzlies' playoff loss to Phoenix on Sunday.

The Suns had just swept the Grizzlies by winning Game 4. Reporters were in the Memphis locker room when Williams twice took the pen out of the hand of Geoff Calkins, a columnist for the (Memphis) Commercial Appeal.

Williams screamed in his ear as the reporter tried talking to other Grizzlies.

"You can talk to TNT, but don't answer this [reporter's] questions," Williams said. "I'm not letting him write anything. I didn't do anything. I just took his pen."

Eventually, Williams had to be pulled away by Grizzlies guard Mike Miller. But after he got in Calkins' face again, another Memphis official took Williams out of the locker room.

The column that appeared in Sunday's paper was critical of the Grizzlies' lackadaisical play and included a quote from Williams: "I'm happy. I go home and see my kids and my wife and I'm OK. All of this [stuff] is secondary to me."

Happy returns

Antoine Walker joined the Boston Celtics in the middle of the season and transformed them from a .500 team to a division champion. Now he has a chance to do something similar in the playoffs.

Walker was suspended for Game 4 against Indiana, and the Celtics won a blowout without him and evened the best-of-seven series at two games apiece. Might the Celtics stick with a winning combination for Game 5 Tuesday night in Boston?

"Antoine will be right back in his spot the next game, I can tell you that," coach Doc Rivers said.

Walker has been the Celtics' catalyst since returning to Boston at the trading deadline. He was averaging 15.3 points and seven rebounds in the playoffs before he grabbed a referee in Game 3 and drew a one-game suspension.

Paul Pierce had 30 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and five blocked shots in Walker's absence in Boston's 110-79 victory in Game 4.

Ginobili sparks Spurs

Tim Duncan spent most of the first half in foul trouble and most of the second clanging shots off the rim Saturday night. But the Spurs were saved when Manu Ginobili provided a spark off the bench for the second game in a row and Robert Horry hit two big three-pointers in the fourth quarter, helping the Spurs beat Denver 86-78 for a 2-1 series lead.

Duncan scored only four points in five first-half minutes because of foul trouble, then missed all eight of his shots in the third quarter. He finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

But, Ginobili helped spoil the night for Denver coach George Karl.

"I love Manu, but he makes the game difficult to play, makes it difficult to defend, makes it difficult to referee," Karl said Sunday.

 

[WaywardFan]

We have Paul Shirley, they have Antonio Burks:

Edge: Suns



May 2, 2005

Grizzlies rookie and Memphis native Antonio Burks is going through the NBA playoffs for the first time as a professional. Burks will share his experiences and insight with our readers throughout the postseason as told to Griz beat writer, Ronald Tillery. This entry was logged Sunday before tip-off.

It's been a real long season. We know we need to play aggressive. That's the motivation right now. What I heard the most from people going into this game is how we didn't come out and play hard the last game (Game 3). Regardless of whether we win or lose, we have to come out and play hard and show our fans that we appreciate them. And finally, I guess the biggest thing I learned this year is team defense. It's all about the three-second rule. You have to help each other if you're going to be a real good defensive team. It's all about trust in the NBA.

 

[WaywardFan]

Suns relish a break in the action
Phoenix can rest up for next round

By Jim Masilak
Contact
May 2, 2005

As Amare Stoudemire soaked his feet in an ice chest following Phoenix's series-clinching win over the Grizzlies on Sunday, the center's mind turned to more luxurious pampering ahead.

By completing a four-game sweep of the Grizzlies in their first-round Western Conference playoff series with a 123-115 victory at FedExForum, and with the corresponding series between the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets locked at two games apiece, the Suns will have up to a week off before the start of the second round.

Stoudemire isn't complaining.

"It's pretty fun. It's pretty good to get the chance to go back to the Phoenecian and get a massage or two," said Stoudemire, who scored 18 points, in reference to the lavish Phoenix resort. "This was my first time to ever sweep a team in a series. It feels good."

Not all the Suns felt quite the same after a rough-and-tumble finale with the Grizzlies.

Shawn Marion, who sprained his right wrist in Game 1, was the recipient of a hard foul from Dahntay Jones early in the fourth quarter on a drive.

Marion, who landed hard, had to be restrained by his teammates from going after Jones.

Cooler heads prevailed.

"He took a couple hard fouls early in the series, and he took one tonight," said Suns guard Jim Jackson, who scored 19 points off the bench to help the Suns fend off a number of Grizzlies rallies. "Shawn got upset, but the main thing was we knew we had more to lose in that situation than they did. We've got to keep our cool. Their backs were against the wall."

Marion, who added 23 points on torrid 10-of-13 shooting from the field, is looking forward as much as any Phoenix player to cooling his heels while the Mavs and Rockets sort things out.

But he was still sore about what he considered rough treatment from the Griz.

"(Jones) apologized and said he wasn't trying to hurt me," Marion said. "At the same time, this was the third time for me to hit the ground."

What would Marion had done had be not been held back?

"I don't know," he said, "and I'm glad I don't know."

Phoenix jumped out to a 21-point second-quarter lead before the Grizzlies rallied to tie things at 64 early in the third quarter.

But the Suns, who got a game-high 25 from Joe Johnson, used a 19-6 run to retake control.

"We knew they were gonna make a run at us, and we knew they weren't gonna lay down for us," Marion said.

The Suns, whose 49 free-throw attempts were more than three times as many as the Griz shot (16), had an answer for every rally.

"We got to the line so many times because we're a quicker team than they are, and they have a tendency to put their hands on you when you're driving," Stoudemire said.

That's one reason Stoudemire said he had anticipated just this sort of outcome against the Griz.

"Before the series even started," Stoudemire said when asked when he began considering the possibility of a sweep. "We're the No. 1 seed, and we have high expectations for ourselves."

Marion and guard Steve Nash, who is nursing a sore back and hamstring, figure to be the Suns who benefit most from a rest.

"My wrist is still sore, and it's gonna be for a while," Marion said. "It takes me a while to get warmed up. I can't just go out there and start shooting."

Not that Marion and Nash necessarily want a break.

"I'm definitely not against (Houston and Dallas) going seven," said Marion, a native of Clarksville, Tenn. "But ain't nobody tired. We're ready to go."

Nash will likely get little respite from inquiries about a possible second-round matchup with Dallas, his former team.

"The rest is nice, but the most important thing is to stay ready. We're probably gonna have an extended break -- probably longer than the All-Star break -- and that's unusual," said Nash, who had 24 points and nine assists. "It's important for us to stay focused and stay ready."

-- Jim Masilak: 529-2311

 

[WaywardFan]

For fans of the home team, Sunday another ho-hum viewing night

By Gary Parrish
Contact
May 2, 2005

From the couch

Like most of you, Gary Parrish is watching the Grizzlies in the NBA Playoffs from the couch. Here's how it looked on the tube, in a running timeline:

Before we get to basketball -- which is secondary, in case you haven't heard -- lets clear something up.

The other day I asked for somebody to e-mail and explain what Mark Goodfellow means when he says "Tiger Woods can't knock one out of my park" in his commercial. Several of you did, including Mr. It's All Good himself.

Here's his answer:

The car lot, you see, is about 400 yards long. So if Tiger stood at one end, he couldn't hit it through the other end barring a strong wind and nice roll.

So there you have it. Mystery solved.

Who else addresses the serious issues and delivers answers like that?

7:00: The little montage Fox Sports put together as the introduction to its broadcast is spiffy. But the voiceover needs an update.

The time is now.

No. Actually, the time was last week.

Now I'm switching to TNT, because you can always count on Charles Barkley to provide material, and there are another 16 inches to fill here.

7:01: TNT mentions Bonzi Wells is no longer just benched. Now he's completely separated from the team, and not even in FedExForum.

Wasn't it just a few days ago when Mike Fratello acted like the media was making something out of nothing on this issue?

Granted, Wells may not have been the first player to be left out of a rotation, like Fratello pointed out after Game 2. But I'm betting he probably is the first to be banned from the building for Game 4 of a playoff series.

7:03: Jason Williams sinks his first attempt to put the Grizzlies ahead, 3-0. He should be replaced by Earl Watson any second.

7:21: Jim Jackson hits a 3-pointer to put Phoenix ahead, 33-17. The Suns have hit five straight 3s and are on a 29-8 run.

Those of you who insisted there's no way Phoenix can keep making shots from the perimeter were wrong.

7:33: The customary shot of Jerry West has arrived. "Who knows what he's thinking?" asks TNT's Dick Stockton.

Good question. Allow me to take a guess.

I can't believe I built this team.

Or ...

Did I really pass on the chance to draft Amare Stoudemire?

Or ...

This off-season I'm making an impact move. And I mean it this time.

7:56: A Dahntay Jones 3-pointer cuts the Phoenix lead to 54-47.

7:56: Steve Nash matches.

7:56: Stoudemire gets a layup.

7:56: Shawn Marion gets a tip-dunk, and now it's 61-47.

The Suns just went on a 7-0 run, and my clock hasn't moved. Which is precisely why you can't fall behind by double-digits to this team. You can't come back; they won't stop scoring.

8:11: It's halftime. The Suns are ahead, 63-56. TNT's Ernie Johnson asks Barkley for his thoughts on the Griz's rally before the half.

"I was watching 'Desperate Housewives' and not paying attention because this game is over," he answers. Now I don't feel so bad for changing channels, too.

Anyway, Barkley switches into serious mode, relatively, at least. His thoughts on some Griz players wearing arm bands to support Wells?

"Fratello has a problem," Barkley says. "If any of them are (wearing arm bands), they're letting you know they don't like you. That's what that means."

8:41: In the middle of a ho-hum third quarter, TNT cuts to an interview with Stoudemire during which he's asked about dunking on opponents.

"It's fun," Stoudemire answers. Now I'm waiting for the other perspective, you know, an interview with Stromile Swift about what it's like to have Stoudemire dunk on you.

9:02: The Griz just got hit with their second technical foul.

One was for James Posey breakdancing after a questionable call. The other was for Swift doing a chin-up on the rim.

Breakdancing and chin-ups? No wonder this is about over.

9:33: It's over. The Suns win, 123-115. Quentin Richardson walks off the court.

By the way, you know how Richardson taps his head with both fists after every made 3-pointer? He's never revealed why he does that. It's a mystery, one that must be solved.

Yo, Goodfellow, can you help a brother out?

-- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

 

[WaywardFan]

These Suns never set
Phoenix's shooting was consistently good against the Grizzlies in series

By Ron Higgins
Contact
May 2, 2005

Four playoff games, four Grizzlies losses, four fabulous offensive performances by the Suns.

"They shot lights out the whole series," said Griz point guard Jason Williams. "They were on fire. Man, they shot it."

"I never played against anybody who shot it as well as they did," Grizzlies center Lorenzen Wright said. "They just didn't miss. I've never seen so many shots go in."

"They have five shotmakers and there's not another team in the league that can put five shotmakers on the floor at one time," Griz forward Shane Battier said.

Sunday's series finale at FedExForum wasn't much different from the three previous playoff losses. The Suns rolled early with a 39-point first quarter, including 6-of-8 3s, jumped ahead by 19 points and held off the Griz, 123-115, to sweep the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series.

Even early in the third quarter when the Grizzlies rallied to tie and late in the fourth when Williams hit a pair of jumpers, including a 3 to cut the Suns' lead to 110-105 with 4:12 left, the Phoenix ball movement and shooting remained consistent.

The Suns shot 60.3 percent from the field, including 11-of-24 3s (45.8 percent). They hit almost as many free throws (36) as they did field goals (39).

It's been a while since the NBA has seen a team in such an attack mode in a playoff series. In the sweep of the Grizzlies, the Suns averaged 113.8 points and shot 48.8 percent from the field and 45.6 from the 3-point line.

And at the free-throw line, they were 95-of-128 for 75.2 percent, compared to the Grizzlies' meager 48-of-68 at 70.5 percent.

"We got killed by free throws and by transition baskets," Griz reserve point guard Earl Watson said. "Those are easy points that are hard to come back from."

Unlike the 20-point loss in Game 3 last Friday, in which the Grizzlies seemed to roll over after a fast start, at least they didn't go quietly as they closed their fourth season in Memphis.

"I think we owed it to ourselves and to our fans to compete," Watson said. "It wasn't about pride. It was about competing. We were in three of the four games, except for the first one at home."

Battier said this year's sweep by the Suns felt different than last year's sweep by the Spurs.

"Last year (against the Spurs), we played a pretty veteran playoff team that really came in and took care of business," Battier said. "The Suns did, too, but it was a different feeling. Aside from Game 3 last year, we didn't have a shot really.

"This year, we felt if we could have done some things better that we could have stolen a game here or there. But we made too many mistakes."

The Grizzlies' simple problem that they never solved was trying to stop all of the Suns' weapons. It was impossible.

For instance, Suns' shooting guard Joe Johnson had 16 of his 25 points in the first quarter. Jim Jackson came off the bench to score 19, with 3-of-7 3s. Shawn Marion had 23 points and 11 rebounds. Point guard Steve Nash had 24 points, including 4-of-6 3s.

"They never stopped shooting the ball well," Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello said. "You think you're playing the odds when they shoot all those threes, but they just keep making them."

Fratello was proud that his team ended this season with a strong effort, rather than last Friday's clunker. But at the same time, the Grizzlies had to put up with the pregame distraction of the absence of reserve guard Bonzi Wells.

Fratello said he and Wells, who has been upset over his lack of playing time, agreed that he not come to the game. Williams and Stromile Swift wore Wells's No. 6 armbands noting his absence.

"That's my man," Williams said. "I feel if something happened to me, he'd do the same for me."

Other Grizzlies, though, said Wells wasn't missed because the Grizzlies have missed players earlier in the year at various stretches because of injuries.

"Bonzi hasn't been playing a lot anyway lately, so it wasn't a distraction," Watson said.

-- Ron Higgins: 529-2525

 

[WaywardFan]

Phoenix teaches Griz a lesson in teamwork while finishing series
By Don Wade
Contact
May 2, 2005

The end of the season came Sunday night at FedExForum as the Phoenix Suns beat the Grizzlies, 123-115, sweeping them out of the NBA playoffs. The end came and the Grizzlies and their fans embraced the only consolation prizes available.

"How do I sum up the season?" said season-ticket holder Darrell Thomas, 40, forcing a smile. "Well, we made the playoffs. That's how I sum up the season."

And you, coach Mike Fratello, who endured a 20-point whipping here in Game 3, but saw your team rally from a first-half deficit of 21 points to close to five back with just over four minutes to play?

"For the first time in a long time, I saw a genuine pulling and hanging in there for each other," Fratello said.

And you, Mike Miller?

"Bottom line is, we fought tonight," said the Grizzlies' starting shooting guard. "We came out and had a bad first quarter, but at least we fought."

So that's how it ended before a less than full house -- 17,243 -- and after a 45-37 regular season and second straight trip to the playoffs.

Of course, it also ended with the Grizzlies still winless in the postseason: 0-8, counting the sweep last season at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.

Because it was the second time around, the faithful expected a little more -- "I thought they'd win at least one," Thomas said.

For Thomas, the frustration peaked when the Grizzlies had cut the lead to five points with just over four minutes to go and the Grizzlies' franchise player -- 7-footer Pau Gasol -- fouled Suns forward Shawn Marion after Marion grabbed an offensive rebound, which Gasol perhaps should have had, and scored. It ended up being a 3-point play and an 8-point Suns lead.

"Get him out, Mike!" Thomas shouted from his seat behind the Grizzlies' bench.

But there were other frustrations, too. The continuing Fratello-Bonzi Wells saga took another turn Sunday night when Wells didn't even dress out for the game. Fratello said it was in the "best interests" of both Wells and the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies hold a club option on Wells for $8 million next season, but it's impossible to imagine Wells will be back. Teammates Jason Williams and Stromile Swift showed their support for Wells on Sunday by wearing light blue arm bands sporting Wells's No. 6. Swift is an unrestricted free agent and not likely to return, either.

Williams, who knows? He has three years left on his contract. Fans love his flash, but also love voicing their frustration about his light-switch-like play.

"The thing you know about Williams is if he wants to play, he'll play," said season-ticket holder Tony Sillyman, 49, of Cordova. "The problem with guys like Williams and Wells is they're not gonna change."

Tyrone Wimberly, 34, of Clarksville, Tenn., came to Sunday night's game even though he thought the Grizzlies quit in Game 3.

"I'm kinda unhappy," Wimberly said.

Then again, the Grizzlies weren't alone out there. Phoenix won 62 games. Everyone in its starting lineup is a major scoring threat and Sunday night four of the five -- led by former Arkansas player Joe Johnson's 25 -- scored 18 or more points. The Suns shot 60.3 percent for the game.

"Great players making great shots," Griz guard Dahntay Jones said. "They buy into the system and knock shots down."

That buying-into-the-system part impresses Fratello.

"That's what this should be about -- sticking together," Fratello said.

Now, however, there seems little question the next order of business is for team president Jerry West to begin breaking this team apart for the purpose of building a model that can do more than reach the playoffs.

"I'd be shocked if our roster (looks the same)," said the Grizzlies' Shane Battier.

Fans, too, seem ready for change ... if unsure how it will happen.

"West has got his work cut out for him," said Sillyman.

As Swift left the court as a Grizzly for maybe the last time, he gave 7-year-old David Read of Collierville perhaps the oddest souvenir of all: that No. 6 Bonzi Wells armband.

"We're gonna go all the way!" young David shouted.

Which means optimism about next season starts now -- at least if you're 7 and have your own Bonzi Wells armband.

-- Don Wade: 529-2358

 

[playstation]

wayward fan- your signature gives me goosebumps. then the music starts playing in my head and i see the charge. what a great mental image

 

[Chaplin]

Thanks for posting all these.

I guess if you're the only pro team in town, you get a lot of articles...

 

[George O'Brien]

One of the problems with finishing 8th is that you get a chance to get slaughtered on national TV.

I'm guessing we will see some major personnel changes on several teams including the Grizzlies, Trailblazers, and Timberwolves. The Grizzlie's rise was surprisingly quick, but like the other two are going to have to completely retool. I doubt they will be back in the playoffs for a couple of years.

 

[Errntknght]

The Griz are a mystery - it was no disgrace to get swept by the Spurs last year but they come out to start this year and just couldn't compete. Same players and same coach. Then Fratello, of all people, turns them around. He's reputedly one of the most controlling coaches around and his Cleveland teams played ugly ball. (I was surprised that I rather liked him as an announcer.) If I'm Jerry West I bring in a new coach despite what Fratello did because it's too hard to get a whole new group of players. It's hard to see what direction they ought to go. If Wells is gone and Stromile then they aren't athletic enough to go with a running game but they don't have the muscle to succeed in a slowdown game. I think even a guy like Przybilla could make life a lot easier for Gasol... it's a tough one to figure out.