Memphis Grizzlies Blog – Page 62 – NBA Blog

Jason Williams expected to join Grizzlies

Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports:

Free-agent point guard Jason Williams has agreed in principle to sign with the Grizzlies, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

Barring an unforeseen development, the 35-year-old will join the team by Monday.

Williams informed Griz management of his decision Wednesday night while the team played on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Orlando Magic waived Williams on Jan. 26. Williams and the Magic agreed to part ways over a lack of playing time. He became a fourth-string player after Orlando acquired Gilbert Arenas in a trade with Washington.

O.J. Mayo suspended 10 games by NBA

The NBA announced today that O.J. Mayo of the Memphis Grizzlies has been suspended without pay for 10 games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. His violation of the program involved a positive test for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA).

Mayo’s suspension will begin with tomorrow night’s game between the Grizzlies and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Statement from Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo regarding the suspension: “I’m extremely disappointed that I’m going to miss the next 10 games, particularly as our team is making a push for the playoffs. I had no idea that the over-the-counter supplement that I took was a substance banned by the NBA. It was an honest mistake, but I take full responsibility for my actions. I apologize to my fans, teammates and the Grizzlies organization for regrettably not doing the necessary research about what supplements I can put in my body.”

Statement from Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley regarding the suspension: “O.J. had a lack of judgment but has shown complete accountability. We will continue to support O.J. during this time as we have from the moment he joined the team in 2008. He has unselfishly done everything we have asked of him, and we expect him to grow as a player and a person from this experience. He will continue to contribute to the organization during this suspension, as he will practice with the team leading up to his return on Feb. 15 vs. Philadelphia prior to the All-Star break.”

Mayo has mostly come off the bench for the Grizzlies this season, starting just 15 of their 46 games. He is averaging 12.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game.

It’s been a down year on the court for O.J. As a rookie he averaged 18.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 3.2 apg. As a second-year player he put up 17.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 3.0 apg. He received 38.0 minutes per game in both those seasons.

The 22-24 Grizzlies are currently 9th in the Western conference.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Lakers booed as Grizzlies rout them at home

Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register reports:

Phil Jackson cited lack of focus. Kobe Bryant cited lack of energy. Pau Gasol cited lack of togetherness.

For a two-time defending NBA champion team, the Lakers sure are lacking some basic basketball ingredients.

The Memphis Grizzlies exposed the Lakers, 104-85, at Staples Center on Sunday night.

“Just about every category, we got outplayed,” Coach Jackson said of the Lakers (23-11).

The Lakers’ lack of teamwork was evident in their assist-to-turnover margin of 13 to 20. Memphis’ was 30-10.

Bryant tried to turn up the energy in the third quarter with his offensive attack, but there was considerable defensive slippage at the same time. The Grizzlies wound up with 28 fast-break points to the Lakers’ five, reflective of the Lakers’ worsening transition defense.

Rudy Gay suspended for foul on Luis Scola

Apr. 07, 2010: Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay shoots free throws and finished with 23 points during an NBA game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX Dallas defeated Memphis 110-84.

Rudy Gay of the Memphis Grizzlies has been suspended one game without pay for his Flagrant Foul, Penalty Two against Luis Scola of the Houston Rockets, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

The incident, in which Gay made contact with his right shoulder and forearm to the back of Scola and was ejected following the Flagrant Foul, Penalty Two call, occurred with 6:00 remaining in the 4th period of the Grizzlies’ 103-87 loss to the Rockets at Toyota Center on Dec. 17.

Gay will serve his suspension tonight when the Grizzlies visit the San Antonio Spurs.

Grizzlies waive Acie Law

The Memphis Grizzlies waived guard Acie Law, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

The 6-3, 202-pound guard averaged 1.1 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists on .158 shooting in 8.5 minutes in 11 games this season for the Grizzlies after signing with the team as a free agent on Aug. 5, 2010.

The four-year pro holds career averages of 3.5 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists on .394 shooting in 11.8 minutes in 148 games (11 starts) with the Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Bobcats and Chicago Bulls. The 25-year-old was drafted 11th overall by Atlanta in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft after a four-year career at Texas A&M University.

Hamed Haddadi charged with assault

The AP reports:

Police say Hamed Haddadi of the Memphis Grizzlies and his girlfriend have been charged with assault following an altercation between the two.

Memphis police were called Thursday morning to a downtown apartment building and found Haddadi, a backup center from Iran, and his girlfriend with bruises and scratches.

The arrest report says a verbal disagreement turned physical, and both Haddadi and Goolnaz “Asal” Karbalaeinematmoeeney were taken to the Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Dirk Nowitzki sprains ankle, plays anyway

Eddie Sefko of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports:

Humming along with a double-digit lead and the look of a team with payback on its mind, the Dallas Mavericks got a scare just before halftime Wednesday night.

Dirk Nowitzki went down in a crumble under the defensive basket with a sprained right ankle.

But rather than a difficult circumstance that could have ended up being an excuse for a letdown, the Mavericks — and Nowitzki — turned it into an opportunity, and a 106-91 thrashing of the Memphis Grizzlies.

At the start of the second half, Nowitzki was back on the court, clearly favoring his right leg, but determined to be there for his team.

In the Mavericks’ huddle, coach Rick Carlisle leaned in to his assistants and said: “He’s one tough dude.”

Grizzlies sign Mike Conley to contract extension

The Memphis Grizzlies signed point guard Mike Conley to a multi-year contract extension, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal, which was completed minutes before the deadline last night, were not disclosed. Several reports said the contract is for five years and somewhere between $40-45 million.

“We are excited about completing a contract extension with our starting point guard Mike Conley,” Wallace said. “Mike has improved significantly during his brief time in the league, and we are optimistic that the best is yet to come for him. With the signing of Rudy Gay last summer and now Mike, the organization has shown that it is serious about keeping the Grizzlies’ core together into the future.”

Conley, who is posting career highs in scoring (15.0 points), assists (8.3, T-9th in the NBA) and steals (an NBA-high 3.67) through three games this season, has steadily increased those averages in all of his four professional seasons. The 6-1, 185-pound guard is also grabbing a career-best 5.7 rebounds this season, making him one of only four NBA players (Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings) to average at least 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds in 2010-11.

The 23-year-old, who tied a career-high with 11 assists and matched his own franchise record with seven steals in Memphis’ first home win this season on Oct. 30 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, has led the Grizzlies in assists every season since entering the league.

Currently ranked sixth in franchise history in assists (1,026) and eighth in three-point percentage (.383), Conley holds career averages of 11.0 points, 4.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.17 steals in 30.1 minutes in 218 games (190 starts) with Memphis.

The Fayetteville, Ark. native was drafted fourth overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Grizzlies after helping lead Ohio State University to the NCAA National Championship Game as a freshman alongside current Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden.

Grizzlies exercise options on O.J. Mayo, Darrell Arthur and Hasheem Thabeet

The Memphis Grizzlies exercised the fourth-year contract options on guard O.J. Mayo and forward Darrell Arthur and the third-year option on center Hasheem Thabeet, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today. All three players are now guaranteed through the 2011-12 season.

Mayo, the third overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, holds career averages of 17.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 38.0 minutes in 165 games (all starts). The 6-4, 210-pound guard posted 17.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 37.9 minutes last season, and was the only Grizzlies player to start and play in every game. The 22-year-old, who has yet to miss a game in his NBA career, entered the 2010-11 season with more minutes logged (6,234) than any other NBA player in the last two seasons aside from Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala.

Arthur, who missed most of his sophomore season due to right pectoralis surgery, bounced back this preseason to average 11.1 points (4th on the team) and 6.3 rebounds (2nd) in 24.9 minutes in eight games. The 6-9, 235-pound forward, who stepped into the starting lineup last night and scored a career-high 19 points in the Grizzlies’ regular season opener vs. Atlanta, has posted 5.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 17.9 minutes in 109 games (66 starts) with the Grizzlies, who acquired his draft rights (27th overall) during the 2008 NBA Draft. A key member of the 2008 NCAA Champion Kansas Jayhawks, the 22-year-old recorded 4.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 14.3 minutes in 32 games last season.

Thabeet, the second overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, ranked second among rookies in blocks (1.31) while averaging 3.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in 13.0 minutes in 68 games (13 starts) last season. The 7-3, 267-pound center led all NBA players (min. 60 games) in blocks per 48 minutes (4.84). The 23-year-old, who was named the 2009 Co-Big East Player of the Year (along with current San Antonio Spurs forward DeJuan Blair) in his third and final season at Connecticut, is the first Tanzanian-born player to play in the NBA.

The Grizzlies (0-1) will look to bounce back from last night’s opening night defeat, as they travel to Dallas to play the Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow night at the American Airlines Center. The game will be televised locally on SportSouth HD.

Marc Gasol suffers ankle sprain in practice

Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports:

Grizzlies starting center Marc Gasol left practice Sunday afternoon with a high left ankle sprain.

The 7-foot Spaniard landed awkwardly on backup center Hasheem Thabeet’s foot. and Gasol’s ankle was quickly wrapped in ice. The severity of Gasol’s injury won’t be known until today, when the Grizzlies’ medical staff reviews X-ray and MRI results.