Memphis Grizzlies Blog – Page 45 – NBA Blog

OJ Mayo discusses almost becoming a Celtic last season

This past April, Celtics analyst Donny Marshall claimed O.J. Mayo‘s refusal to play for the Celtics led to the collapse of a deal with the Grizzlies that would have brought him to Boston last season in exchange for Ray Allen and a draft pick. “Mayo basically said, ‘I don’t care about banners,’” announced Marshall.

After losing to the Celtics in double overtime on Wednesday, the current Mavericks guard denied that accusation, referencing his lack of veto power without a no-trade clause and affirming he would’ve welcomed the deal to Boston.

“I was in a good situation in Memphis at the time,” said Mayo. “Obviously, Boston is a big-time organization as well. Great players. It would’ve been an honor to play with KG [Kevin Garnett], [Paul] Pierce and [Rajon] Rondo. It would’ve been great to play with those guys and with [Celtics coach] Doc [Rivers].”

Instead, Mayo blamed the deal’s failure on an internal debate between C’s players and the front office over Allen’s future.

— Reported by Ben Rohrbeach of WEEI

Grizzlies give Mike Bibby a workout

The Grizzlies conducted a workout with veteran point guard Mike Bibby in Phoenix Wednesday afternoon before their game with the Suns at US Airways Center.

Bibby, 34, lives in the Phoenix area but hasn’t played in the NBA since appearing in 39 games for the New York Knicks last season. Sources with knowledge of the situation would not describe Bibby’s workout and insisted that no deal is imminent.

The Grizzlies’ roster stands at 13 players. The NBA allows teams to carry 15.

— Reported by Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal

Hawks use 3rd-quarter rally to beat Grizzlies

At halftime, the Atlanta Hawks figured they had played cautiously long enough.

With a burst of energy, tough defense and 3-point shooting from Lou Williams in the third quarter, the Hawks were able to pull away for a 93-83 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night…

Josh Smith had 24 points, while Williams scored 18 of his 21 in the second half. Al Horford had 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Atlanta, which won for the ninth time in its last 10 games. Teague finished with 13 points and six assists.

Horford said Teague’s leadership was a key to the third quarter, when Atlanta outscored Memphis 32-13. The game was close until the middle of the period, when Atlanta erased a five-point deficit with 20 straight points to build a lead that Memphis could not overcome…

Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol scored 18 points apiece, Randolph grabbing 13 rebounds as Memphis lost at home for only the second time this season. Rudy Gay scored 17 points, but was 7 of 25 from the field. Mike Conley finished with 12 points.

Atlanta shot 44 percent for the game, and held Memphis to 43 percent. Atlanta has not allowed an opponent to shoot 50 percent this season…

Hawks G DeShawn Stevenson was available, but did not play for Atlanta because it was the second night of a back-to-back. Meanwhile, G Kyle Korver missed fourth straight game with back spasms.

— Reported by Clay Bailey of the Associated Press

Zach Randolph drops 38 and 22 on Suns

The Memphis crowd was on its feet, the chants resonating through FedExForum in the final two minutes of overtime.

”Z-Bo! Z-Bo! Z-Bo!” the faithful hollered, acknowledging the dominance of forward Zach Randolph in a Grizzlies comeback.

Randolph set season highs with 38 points and 22 rebounds to carry the Grizzlies down the stretch for a 108-98 overtime victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.

Randolph was 15 of 22 from the field and dominated in the latter stages of the fourth quarter and most of overtime. He also had three blocks, two in overtime, as Memphis outscored the Suns 14-4 in the extra period, with all the Suns’ points coming at the foul line…

Randolph acknowledged the performance was his best since the 2011 playoff run. Last year, he was stymied physically after a knee injury early on caused him to miss a good portion of the season…

Goran Dragic led the Suns with 19 points and seven assists. Luis Scola scored 16 and grabbed eight rebounds. Jared Dudley finished with 13 points and Jermaine O’Neal scored 12 for Phoenix, which lost its fourth straight.

— Reported by Clay Bailey of the Associated Press

Spurs shrug off fine, beat Grizzlies

So that’s what $250,000 worth of rest looks like.

Tony Parker scored 30 points and Tim Duncan had 27 points and 15 rebounds, giving the San Antonio Spurs their money’s worth for the unprecedented fine from the NBA they absorbed for putting rest over the league’s business interests in a 99-95 overtime victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.

Coach Gregg Popovich said before the victory he was ”disappointed” by the $250,000 fine levied by Commissioner David Stern after the Spurs sent Parker, Duncan and Manu Ginobili – three of the NBA’s biggest names – home from a road trip early instead of playing them against LeBron James and the Miami Heat on Thursday in a nationally televised game.

This might ease his frustration. Because chances are Popovich wasn’t second-guessing his decision while watching the 36-year-old Duncan put up his best game this season, Parker eclipsing 30 points for the third time in five games and Ginobili sinking the tying 3-pointer with under a minute left to force overtime…

Marc Gasol led Memphis with 20 points. Zach Randolph had 17 points and 15 rebounds and was one of three Memphis players with double-doubles.

Mike Conley had 18 points and 12 assists, and Rudy Gay had 15 points and 10 rebounds…

The Grizzlies played without Tony Allen for a second straight game because of an injured groin. It’s unclear when their starting shooting guard may return.

— Reported by Paul J. Weber of the Associated Press

Grizzlies assign guard Tony Wroten to D-League

The Memphis Grizzlies assigned guard Tony Wroten to the Reno Bighorns, the team’s NBA Development League affiliate, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

Wroten (6-6, 208) has totaled one rebound and one steal in eight minutes through three appearances in his rookie season with Memphis.

The Grizzlies drafted the 19-year-old in the first round (25th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft after one season at the University of Washington. In his lone season with the Huskies, the Seattle native became the first freshman in school history to earn First Team All-Conference honors, ranking fifth in the Pac-12 in scoring (16.0 points), eighth in assists (3.7) and second in steals (1.9).

Memphis will conclude its season-long five-game home stand this week when the team hosts the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, Nov. 28 and Detroit Pistons on Friday, Nov. 30.

Darrell Arthur set to return for Grizzlies

Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur is expected to make his regular-season debut Friday night but insists he was ready the first time he participated in practice.

Doctors and the head athletic trainer cleared Arthur for contact workouts last week. He stepped onto the court and soon caught a lob pass from teammate Josh Selby. When Arthur threw down the alley-oop dunk, he removed any doubts about his recovery.

“A lot of guys were telling me to take my time and don’t rush,” Arthur said. “But I went and caught a lob from Josh Selby and everybody was like (darn!). That’s the type of player I am. I’m going to make those athletic plays. That’s how I knew I was ready.”

— Reported by Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal

Nuggets stop Grizzlies 8-game winning streak

Danilo Gallinari had suffered through an inconsistent shooting touch early this season, but he got untracked to help Denver end the Memphis Grizzlies’ eight-game winning streak.

Gallinari scored a season-high 26 points, including a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left, and the Nuggets handed the Grizzlies only their second loss of the season with a 97-92 victory Monday night.

Gallinari entered the game shooting 34 percent from the field and 21 percent from outside the arc. He finished the night 7 of 15 from the field and 2 of 6 from long range. Gallinari’s late 3-pointer came as Memphis had surrendered a lead in the final minutes. The shot from the wing, set up by a pass from point guard Ty Lawson, put the Nuggets up 96-92…

JaVale McGee provided a second-half lift for Denver and finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Kenneth Faried added 13 points and grabbed 13 boards to help the Nuggets outrebound Memphis 47-33…

Rudy Gay scored 22 points, Marc Gasol added 16 and Randolph had 12 points and 13 rebounds for Memphis.

— Reported by Clay Bailey of the Associated Press

NBA Fines Zach Randolph for confronting Kendrick Perkins

Memphis forward Zach Randolph has been fined $25,000 for confronting Oklahoma City’s Kendrick Perkins in the lockerroom area following their ejections with 2:05 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Grizzlies at Thunder game on Nov. 14, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

Zach Randolph glad to bounce back after knee injury

Randolph , 31, rightfully points out that he’s just re-establishing his worth as the bang-for-buck big man the league revered before a knee injury cost him most of last season.

“This feels good because I worked hard this summer and when people last year said, ‘Is he going to be the same Zach of old?’ I heard that,” Randolph said. “I just wanted to come out and prove people wrong. I still got it and I’m still in my prime.”

If you didn’t think it was possible for Randolph to be more relentless then consider this: He leads the NBA in rebounding with a career-high 13.9 per game and is second in the league behind Denver’s Kenneth Faried with 5.4 offensive rebounds per game.

“He’s got a strong upper body. He hits you first to get you off balance,” Griz center Marc Gasol said of Randolph. “And then he has great hands.”

— Reported by Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal