A bridge to confidence, continuity and clarity
Michael WallaceBy Michael Wallace
Grind City MediaMEMPHIS – More than anything, this collective move by the Grizzlies was about confidence, continuity and clarity. It reflects how the chemistry this feisty franchise displays on the court is mirrored by the current symmetry in play behind the scenes in the front office.
We’ve seen how the Core Four of Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Tony Allen have transformed this team and this town into one of the toughest and proudest products in the NBA. But what we don’t always see, or quite comprehend, is just how the Key Three calibrates it all.
The decision by controlling owner Robert Pera on Thursday to extend the contracts of general manager Chris Wallace and top basketball operations executives John Hollinger and Ed Stefanski, all of whom were in the final year of their current agreements, is the right move at a pivotal time for the franchise.
Here’s why:
After some initial turbulence in the front-office transition a few years ago, Wallace has helped steer the basketball operations staff through a restructuring process in which the Grizzlies have upgraded staff, facilities and a supporting cast around the Core Four to keep the team in contention.
There’s a confidence in this front office that starts at the top with Pera and extends through the roster and beyond among NBA agents and rival league executives who were not the least bit surprised by Memphis doubling down on its front-office trio.
It’s also about continuity. In an era of NBA business when smaller market franchises have struggled to hold on to their stars, the Grizzlies have maintained their foundation and continue to be an illuminating exception to recent trends. In the past two years, Wallace, Hollinger and Stefanski have been at the forefront of the Grizzlies’ successful efforts to retain Gasol in 2015 free agency and Conley last summer, with both players quickly accepting max contract offers without either seriously entertaining the thought of signing elsewhere.
That level of continuity and commitment is what drives a team that boasts the league’s longest-tenured four-man core. It’s pushed the franchise to the NBA’s third-longest streak of consecutive playoff appearances at six entering this season. And that four-man core has guided the Grizzlies to three 50-win seasons since 2012. But these contract extensions aren’t necessarily a reward for past performance.
That’s where the moves send a strong message about clarity. The Grizzlies believe they’ve found the right mix for long-term success and are on a clear path for the future. Conley, Gasol and Chandler Parsons are all in the initial years of long-term contracts. Memphis is also coming off one of the strongest drafts in the franchise’s recent history after acquiring point guard Wade Baldwin IV midway through the first round and center Deyonta Davis early in the second as arguably the steal of the draft.
Player development efforts have also quickly turned undrafted power forward JaMychal Green into a starter in his third season in which he is rated as one of the NBA’s best defenders at his position. And point guard Andrew Harrison, a 2015 second-round pick who spent all of last season in the NBA D-League, is starting in place of an injured Conley and leads all league rookies in minutes at 27.4 per game. Along those same lines, it was the collective evaluation of the front-office trio that sparked the bold call to release former first-round pick Jordan Adams after training camp in favor of undrafted rookie Troy Williams, who led all NBA rookies in preseason scoring and has recently emerged as a key rotation player.
There have been some gambles along the way.
In hindsight, Adams is an example of a draft pick that didn’t work out and was taken at a spot when, for instance, versatile shooting guard Rodney Hood was still on the board and has blossomed with the Jazz. It’s also easy to point out how the trade for Jeff Green two years ago didn’t have the desired results, although the Grizzlies advanced to the second round of the playoffs and held a 2-1 series lead before succumbing to injuries in a loss to eventual champion Golden State.
Two other shrewd moves last season might have been the most underrated transactions in the league. Under Wallace, Hollinger and Stefanski, the Grizzlies last summer flipped foreign prospect Janis Timma, who may never play in the NBA, to ultimately acquire respected veteran defender Matt Barnes. Then, Memphis followed that up early last season with another plus-sum move by sending out Beno Udrih and Jarnell Stokes for upgrades in Mario Chalmers and James Ennis. And to help offset having traded away two future first-round picks, including a high lottery-protected one that goes to Denver next summer, Wallace scrambled to stockpile as many as seven second-round picks that could be used to sweeten future potential trades or to add young prospects, like Harrison, Deyonta Davis and Rade Zagorac.
And yes, there’s a risk to paying Parsons $94 million as he’s coming off a second knee surgery and is now sidelined again by problems with his other, non-surgically repaired knee. On top of that, hiring a first-time head coach in David Fizdale can be as easily questioned as it is defended and supported with so many factors in play for the franchise.
But therein lies the clarity aspect again. It’s clear the Grizzlies are going for it. Memphis has a team in place it believes in on the court and leadership it values in the front office. There’s a new core that is peaking, a developing supporting cast that includes several stars with a lot left in the tank, talented youngsters, a dynamic young coach and future roster/salary-cap flexibility.
Grit’N’Grind has evolved well beyond a style of play in Memphis.
It’s morphed into a culture.
It’s transformed into a mentality.
It’s a bridge to confidence, continuity and clarity.
By collectively locking up Wallace, Hollinger and Stefanski with extensions, the Grizzlies have again locked in on that concept.
Published on Dec 08, 2016
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