Basketball Blog

If you think the West is tough, it just got a little tougher. With the signing of Darko Milicic, the Memphis Grizzlies now have a legit center to play with Pau Gasol and got the youngest and most talented free agent big man left. Sure, Darko only averaged 8.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.75 blocks in 24 minutes per game last season with the Magic but it is not out of the question that when given starter minutes he could easily average 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game.

Then add a healthy Pau Gasol, an up and coming player in Rudy Gay, Mike Miller, whose coming off his best season and two highly regarded point guard prospects in Mike Conley Jr. and Kyle Lowry and you’ve got a pretty good lineup. Not to mention Hakim Warrick, Stromile Swift, and Damon Stoudamire coming off the bench. Let’s not forget the Grizzlies also hired Phoenix assistant Marc Iavaroni who is widely recognized as a defensive specialist.

While the team looks good on paper, the West is stacked. One things for sure, the Grizzlies will definitely be able to compete night in and night out as long as the team stays healthy.