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Daily Email30Dec/081:01 PM
Q&A with 3 Shades of Blue
By Ben York
Joshua Coleman of the terrific Memphis Grizzlies blog “3 Shades of Blue” was kind enough to participate in a quick Q&A session with me previewing the Suns and Grizzlies game tonight.
Below, are Joshua’s answers to my questions (be sure to check out his description of Marc Gasol - love it). For my responses to his questions, click here.
1. How good is O.J. Mayo? Looks like you made the right move acquiring him rather than Kevin Love.
“O.J. Mayo is scary good. It is rare that a player with that much hype from the time he was in 7th grade lives up to his reputation (LeBron and Oden were in the same boat in terms of coverage and exposure), but Mayo has done just that. He possesses a maturity and smoothness that belies the fact that he is a rookie who has played less than half a season in the NBA. He still has the occasional miscues, as any young player will, but his seem to be much fewer and father between than even players who have 3+ years of experience on him.”
“The trade to acquire him (and the thought process behind him) have both proven to be on target so far. I was (and still am) a fan of Kevin Love, but even I didn’t deny that his ceiling was that of a “very good player”, while O.J.’s potential put him in some very elite company. Chris Wallace and the front office took a chance and went after the guy that they deemed to be a possible superstar. He’s not there yet, but the prospects look very promising so far.”
2. Suns fans love former assistant coach, Marc Iavaroni (now head coach of the Grizzlies) - what about Grizzlies fans?
“Ummm….errr….yeah. Let’s just say that the fans in Memphis aren’t quite as hospitable when it comes to their coach. There are a lot of questions about his defensive schemes (which one would assume actually come from “defensive coordinator” Kevin O’Neill now) and his offensive sets, although there was a very good article recently that illustrated how the Grizzlies were actually beginning to run many of the same principles that the Suns used under Mike D’Antoni. The big difference is that they don’t have Steve Nash running the point for them. So I’d say that many fans are unhappy with Iavaroni, but there are still plenty that want to give him a fair chance, given the tremendous amount of turmoil and upheaval he has had to deal with in such a short time since taking the reins.”
3. Talk about the progress of rookie Marc Gasol.
“Marc has been even better than I anticipated, which is saying something, since I was one of the few people that thought he would be able to contribute right away. He came in with an attitude that displayed his willingness to do whatever is asked of him. When people ask me to describe him, I usually refer to a former Grizzlies’ fan favorite by saying that he is a 7-ft version of Shane Battier with a mean streak. He’s a capable scorer, rebounder, shot-blocker, defender and passer, but even with that skillset, he has no problem mixing it up in the paint with Dwight Howard or Shaq, or even diving for loose balls that are headed out of bounds. He has a tremendous amount of heart and determination, which is something that fans in Memphis truly appreciate seeing. He’ll never be the offensive wizard that his older brother was, but he will probably garner more cheers than Pau over the years due to his hustle.”
4. The Grizzlies have lost quite a few close games this season (most recently to the Spurs and Timberwolves); how close are they to becoming a legit team?
“In my opinion, they are still two years away from being a playoff team. That is based on the assumption that they get a good draft pick and make a quality free agent signing this offseason. They might be able to sneak into the postseason next year, depending on how everything falls into place, but I think it will take at least another 2-3 years before they are ready to win a playoff series or two. They have many of the basic pieces in place already: 2 great perimeter scores in O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay; 2 solid post players/defenders in Gasol and Darko Milicic; 2 good PG’s in Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley; and a solid frontcourt scorer off the bench in Hakim Warrick.”
5. Prediction time - Suns are on their 2nd game of a back to back with the possibility of Nash and Shaq sitting out…who wins tonight’s game?
“I think that it is a toss-up. Obviously, most fans would look at a short-handed Suns team like that (especially one without Nash) and proclaim a certain victory. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies have too often fallen into the trap of playing to the level of their opponent, as we saw in back-to-back OT losses against the the Spurs (a good team) and the T’Wolves (a not-so-good team). So even though I think that the Grizzlies should have an advantage in this game, I don’t know that the young players won’t allow that to affect their preparation for the game, giving them a false sense of confidence.”
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December 30th, 2008 1:01 PM PST
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