The Memphis Grizzlies Cave In

(Photo by CNN)

See what I did there? Grizzly and cave......anyways.

This was bound to happen, a team that had momentum on their side after a debacle of a 2023-2024 season. The Memphis Grizzlies were on a mission after getting their star player back in the fold and drafting a 7'4" center who dominated in college while head coach Taylor Jenkins was becoming one of the most underrated head coaches in the league. Memphis was going to be a pest in the Western Conference......

And guess what, the Grizzlies stayed the course and reached the summit at the #2 seed as the Oklahoma City Thunder had a stranglehold of the top seed. Memphis would be gearing up for an eventual long run in the playoffs.

Well, here are some points to why the Grizzlies didn't fulfill that prophecy.

-The Grizzlies made a couple of trades during the year that scratches my head. Before the season, they traded Ziaire Williams to Brooklyn for a pair of European forwards. On the surface, this acquisition is not under the radar, but Williams was a solid piece for a Nets team that is rebuilding. At the trade deadline, they sent Marcus Smart to Washington in a three-way trade that netted them Marvin Bagley III and Johnny Davis. In theory, Memphis was able to get two young bodies in hopes to develop something out of them. Unfortunately, you traded a defensive specialist in the backcourt that could help in the playoffs.

-Memphis's record against the other seven playoff teams during the regular season: 6-19. This was an omen for things to come.

-The Grizzlies used the #9 pick in the draft for two-time College Player of the Year Zach Edey. Looking at videos, Eddy has great touch and astounding footwork for someone his size. If you compare him to a former NBA great, it would be Yao Ming. However, Zach seemed to be lost and was out for an extended period due to injury. I think he can improve as his development is paramount for the Grizzlies' future. Their second-round pick was Jaylen Wells, a scoring forward that exceeded expectations and is a candidate for Rookie of the Year.

-Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr and Desmond Bane all missed significant time for Memphis, but somehow head coach Taylor Jenkins kept the team together with duct tape and silly string. Then the Grizzlies started to slump, which led to the elephant in the room.

-Nine games away from the playoffs, management shocked the NBA world by dismissing Jenkins. This was a bold move for a team that was flourishing under him. We still have no motive to why he was fired, people are pointing at the "he lost the locker room" narrative around. When the Nuggets fired Mike Malone and Calvin Booth three games before the playoffs, it was widely because the two butted heads to the point where management had enough and released both of them. Here, there was no dissention between Jenkins and management or Jenkins and his players. This was definitely a head scratching situation.

-It seemed as if Tuomas Iisalo, the interim who replaced Jenkins, seemed more like a substitute teacher than the head coach as Ja Morant clearly acted out more on the court. Ja has the ability to irritate people because he doesn't seem to listen the first time. When he showed a gun on Instagram, he was suspended and told not to do that. He decided to show a gun on IG again which cost him a fourth of last season. Morant decided to do a gun-like celebration after hitting some key shots. The league told him to cool it. Take a guess what happened after? He continued to do it and was fined for it. Before anyone says that other people celebrate that way, did that certain player get suspended twice for showing a gun on social media? I think not.

Memphis fell to the eighth seed and into the Play-In Tournament, a far cry from being the second seed. They destroyed the decaying carcass known as the Dallas Mavericks to face,😅 the Oklahoma City Thunder. In Game 1, they were obliterated by 51 points. After the game, Ja vowed that they will play better. He was right, they lost by only 19 in Game 2. Then came the coup de grace, the Grizzlies built a 26 point lead, only to see it slip away and watch their star player go out with an injury as the Thunder escaped with a six point victory. Cue the picture.....