The Los Angeles Times (Mark Heisler) reports: Kobe Bryant, who lives for one-on-one challenges, went at it with former Trojan and soon-to-be Memphis Grizzlies rookie O.J. Mayo, a member of the U.S. Select team, last week in Las Vegas. “Kobe completely shut him down in the beginning,” said U.S. managing director Jerry Colangelo. “But the longer they went, the better Mayo got.” Bryant already knew Mayo, who attended his camp last summer, and already thought highly of him. “I think the world of him,” Bryant said. “I think he’s extremely talented. I think he has a great overall game that a lot of young players don’t have in terms of skills. He can handle, he can shoot, he can pass, he’s fast, he’s quick, so that’s the whole package.”
Category: Memphis Grizzlies Blog
Grizzlies blog – Memphis Grizzlies blog
How to determine schedule for any team
The Oklahoman (Mike Baldwin) reports on a team’s 82-game regular season schedule: “Four games against division opponents. Four games against six out-of-division conference opponents. Three games against the remaining four conference teams. Two games against teams in the opposing conference. A five-year rotation determines which out-of-division conference teams are played only three times.”
OJ May hits 69 footer in summer league
The AP reports: O.J. Mayo, the third overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in last month’s draft, made the most spectacular shot of his career Monday night at the NBA Summer League. Mayo converted a desperation three-quarters court shot from 69 feet to beat the first-quarter buzzer against San Antonio. Mayo, who shot it with both hands from straight away, rattled it through the rim. “I thought it wasn’t going to make it to the rim,” Mayo said. “I was surprised. After practices recently, we have been practicing half-court shots. I made a few there, and now I made one in a game.”
2008-09 Salary Cap set to $58.680 million
The National Basketball Association today announced that the Salary Cap for the 2008-09 season will be $58.680 million. The new Cap goes into effect immediately as the league’s “moratorium period” has ended and teams can begin signing free agents and making trades.
The tax level for the 2008-09 season has been set at $71.150 million. Any team whose team salary exceeds that figure will pay a $1 tax for each $1 by which it exceeds $71.150 million.
The mid-level exception is $5.585 million for the 2008-09 season and the minimum team salary, which is set at 75% of the Salary Cap, is $44.010 million.
For the 2007-08 season, the Salary Cap was set at $55.630 million, the tax level was $67.865 million and the mid-level exception was $5.356 million.
OJ Mayo helping Grizzlies ticket sales
The Memphis Commercial Appeal (Jim Masilak) reports: Excitement over the draft-night deal that brought guard O.J. Mayo to Memphis is palpable at FedExForum, where skeptical season-ticket holders are signaling their approval by re-upping for the 2008-09 season. “I’ve been here since the start,” said Dennis O’Connor, the Grizzlies’ vice president of ticket sales and service. “There has been more excitement stemming from draft night on the business side than in any year since I’ve been here.” As Grizzlies fans know all too well after back-to-back 22-60 seasons, excitement has been in pretty short supply at FedExForum. Although the emergence of second-year forward Rudy Gay provided a glint of hope, it has been dimmed by the team’s inability to find a bona fide star attraction.
In Mayo-Love deal Wolves unload two horrid contracts
The Boston Herald (Mark Murphy) reports: Kevin McHale has said he wants to set things right in Minnesota before he steps down, and judging from what he has brought onboard thanks to Memphis’ all-out desire for Mayo, this may be his best move yet. In sending Antoine Walker, Marko Jaric, Greg Buckner and the rights to Mayo to Memphis for Love, Mike Miller, Jason Collins and Brian Cardinal, the Timberwolves unloaded two horrid contracts that were about to take up $15.8 million of cap space alone next season (Jaric and Walker) and one malcontent (Walker). In return the ’Wolves get Miller, who may be the best shooter that organization has ever had, a solid post defender in Collins, and what they are now selling as a great locker room guy in Cardinal.
Juan Carlos Navarro going back to Spain
The Memphis Commercial-Appeal (Ronald Tillery) reports: The Grizzlies have experienced a different kind of La Bomba than they have become accustomed to. Spanish guard Juan Carlos Navarro’s chances of returning for a second season in Memphis were blown to pieces Wednesday afternoon when he decided to re-sign with FC Barcelona. Navarro, who earned $538,000 with the Grizzlies last season, was swayed by a deal that will pay him between $20million and $24 million over the next four years.
InsideHoops.com says: Well, he came over and hoped to compete on a good NBA team with his buddy Pau Gasol. But Gasol got traded, the Grizzlies have just a few decent players and are light-years away from competing, and FC Barcelona saw an opening to get Navarro and took it. As for the NBA, Navarro turned out as expected, a very limited defensive player who can fire and make quick outside shots.
Grizzlies hire Kevin O’Neill as assistant coach
The Memphis Grizzlies added Kevin O’Neill to the team’s assistant coaching ranks, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.
A former University of Tennessee head coach, O’Neill brings 28 years of coaching experience to the club including a one-year stint as head coach of the Toronto Raptors in 2003-04 where he went 33-49 (.402). He was the lead assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons from 2001-03 under 2001-02 NBA Coach of the Year and newly-named Dallas Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle.
“The Grizzlies are excited about the opportunity to work with a defensive expert in Kevin O’Neill,” said Head Coach Marc Iavaroni. “His experience and knowledge in college and the NBA will help our players and organization reach the highest levels we are striving for.”
A six-year veteran in the NBA coaching circles, O’Neill has seen time as an assistant with the New York Knicks (2000-01) under Jeff Van Gundy and the Indiana Pacers (2004-06) where he rejoined Carlisle. Including his time at the helm in Toronto, no NBA team with O’Neill on the coaching staff has ever finished lower than sixth in the league in points allowed per game.
Most recently, O’Neill served as the interim head coach at the University of Arizona last season, where he guided the Wildcats to a 19-15 record (.559) and the school’s 24th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Wildcats faced the then-No. 2 ranked Memphis Tigers on Dec. 29, 2007 at FedExForum.
All-Rookie teams announced
Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford, the runner-up for the 2007-08 T-Mobile Rookie of the Year award, was the only unanimous selection on the 2007-08 T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie Team, the league announced today. Horford received 58 votes, while Seattle’s Kevin Durant, winner of the 2007-08 T-Mobile Rookie of the Year award, received a total of 57 votes.
InsideHoops has to ask: How could a voter not have picked Durant as one of the top five rookies?
Rounding out the NBA All-Rookie First Team are Houston’s Luis Scola (53 points), the Los Angeles Clippers’ Al Thornton (48 points) and Seattle’s Jeff Green (43 points).
The T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of former D-League player, Jamario Moon of the Toronto Raptors (38), Memphis’ Juan Carlos
Navarro (24), Philadelphia’s Thaddeus Young, (23), Detroit’s Rodney Stuckey (22) and Houston’s Carl Landry (18).
The voting panel consisted of the NBA’s 30 head coaches, who were asked to select five players for the first team and five players for the second team, regardless of position. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players on their own team. Two points were awarded for first team votes and one for second team votes.
Apr. 16: Nuggets 120, Grizzlies 111
The AP reports: Carmelo Anthony scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds in his first game since getting arrested on a drunken driving charge, and the Denver Nuggets reached 50 wins for the first time in 20 years with a 120-111 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night… Denver’s starters all watched the fourth quarter from the bench after taking a 99-84 lead with unusually deep rotations. Allen Iverson led Denver with 21 points. Kenyon Martin logged the most minutes among the starters, collecting 11 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes… Kyle Lowry led the Grizzlies’ starters with 22 points, and Hakim Warrick added 19. Reserve Andre Brown also scored 19.