MSL: 12.29.12

December 29, 2012 by Leave a Comment

BOM MSL 2012

HOUR 1:

(Segment 1) Kevin Cerrito and Marcus Hunter recap the week’s big stories during the Starting 5.
(Segment 2) The guys discuss what to do when a fantasy football championship game ends in a tie
(Segment 3) More shenanigans.

MemphiSport Live

HOUR 2:
(Segment 1) Hang Up & Listen. Plus, the guys declare Matt Cain "2012 Sportsman of the Year."
(Segment 2) Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace joins Kevin Cerrito and Marcus Hunter to talk about Sportsman of the Year, the Grizzlies' struggles, and Greivis Vasquez's near triple double.
(Segment 3) Oscarologist and Memphis Flyer writer Greg Akers reveals his best/worst/underrated films of 2012.

MemphiSport Live

Click here for more MSL interviews.

Kevin Cerrito and Marcus Hunter host MemphiSport Live (MSL) on Sports 56 & 87.7 FM every Saturday from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. MSL was voted 3rd Best Sports Radio Show in the 2010, 2011 & 2012 Memphis Flyer Best of Memphis poll.

Follow the MSL hosts on Twitter @cerrito & @marcus_hunter

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Life After Pujols: St. Louis Cardinals 2012 Preview, Part II

April 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This is Part 2 of our St. Louis Cardinals 2012 Season Preview featuring a position by position look at the roster. To read Part 1′s breakdown of the Cardinals pitching staff click here.

Part 2: Position Players

First Base

Lance Berkman 

2011 Stats: .301, 31 HR, 94 RBI

If you’re going to replace a guy like Pujols (.299, 37 HR, 99 RBI in 2011), a career .328 hitter, well you can forget it. But if you have a guy like Berkman, The Comeback Player of 2011, who can man first and put up numbers like he did in 2011, you’re on the right track. ( Same with adding Beltran, but more on that later.) With his age and previous knee issue, Berkman could be considered a risk. The Cards need him healthy and in this lineup as much as possible. A healthy Berkman is a dominant force in the stacked middle of this lineup.

Another pressing issue along with the loss of Pujols bat, is the loss of his glove. A two time gold glove winner, Pujols plays as aggressively at first base as anyone, and clearly has a step or two on Berkman. The Cardinals might want to think about ways to keep Berkman from straining too much at first, such as not holding runners on with lefties at the plate, and therefore letting Berkman have a few extra steps to cover ground balls.

Second Base

Tyler Greene

2011 Stats: .212, 1 HR, 11 RBI in 58 games (.323, 14 HR, 43 RBI in 66 games in AAA)

Second base is a key position for the Cards this year, with a need for offense and steady defense at the position. With Skip Schumaker on the DL due to an oblique injury, Greene will get the shot to start the season at second base. As of this point in his career, the 28 year old, who can flash the leather on the field, has yet to translate the offensive output he has had in the minors to the big leagues. Greene has said that being moved up and down so much while fighting for big league at bats has halted his big league success, so now is his chance to put up or shut up.

Along with the pop in his bat, Greene brings speed to the base paths, a spot where the Cardinals have been lacking in recent years. The team went 33 games in a row last year without stealing a base. Not good.

Greene, however, led the club in 2011 with 11 stolen bases, in only 56 games. With 13 walks and 4 HBP last year, Greene was on base 39 times, tried stealing 11 times and didn’t get thrown out once. Pretty good.

A full season of Greene getting on base and we could see some serious speed numbers in the form of stolen bags, as well as runs scored, should he fit in the top of the lineup.

Third Base

David Freese

2011 Stats: .297, 10 HR, 55 RBI

Third base is locked down for the Cardinals right now. As long as injury-prone Freese can stay healthy, his bat and plus defense will man the hot corner for years to come in St. Louis. If he can play a full season, he should hit about 20 home runs and have around 30-40 more RBI.

More importantly, the man is clutch. I’ve never seen anything like his game 6 performance in the world series, in which he delivered one of the most clutch hits in history, and THEN hit a walk off home run.

If the game is on the line, the Cardinals want this guy at the plate. Freese’s game 6 WPA (Win Probability Added, a stat that measures how much a player adds to his teams’s percentage probability to win) of .953 is the highest in postseason history. (Eat that, Kirk Gibson.)

Hopefully Freese can build on his monstrous postseason and add depth to the power in the middle of this Cards lineup.

Short Stop

Rafael Furcal

2011 Stats:.231, 8 HR, 28 RBI

Short stop is another key position for the Cards. Seems like ever since David Eckstein left the Cardinals have had trouble at short. (See Cesar Izturis, Khalil Greene, Brendan Ryan, Ryan Theriot.. to name a few.)

Furcal, 2000’s Rookie of the Year, came over at the trade deadline last year and added some much needed pop to the lead off spot. Though injuries and age have kept him down the past few years, the guy keeps fighting and knows how to win. 9 of the 13 seasons he has been in the league, his team went to the postseason. Once a phenom defender, Furcal still has some flashy leather and a rocket arm, but this spring training has been a tough one (.192 AVG/.222 OBP/.269 SLG- NOT leadoff numbers.)

So tough in fact, that his leadoff hitter position may be up for grabs to Jon Jay, Tyler Greene, or Descalso off the bench. Should Furcal falter mightily, a scenario could play out in which Greene moves over to his long time short stop position, and Descalso takes over at second.

Furcal needs to get going early on this year to help the team out from a leadoff perspective. Otherwise, he’ll be hitting down in the 8th spot.

Catcher

Yadier Molina

2011 Stats: .305, 14 HR, 65 RBI

Molina has been called the game’s current best catcher by many within the game for some time now, most recently by Detroit Tigers’ skipper Jim Leyland. Though his offensive numbers weren’t eye-popping in recent years, Yadi set personal bests across the board in 2011 in most offensive categories – .305 avg, 14 HR, 65 RBI, earning him a shiny new 5 year, $75 million contract. Along with the way he is able to handle pitchers, throw out baserunners, and stay healthy, ( he’s caught 100 more innings than anyone else in baseball since 2009) Yadi should be considered a serious strong point for this team.

Left Field

Matt Holliday

2011 Stats: .296, 22 HR, 75 RBI

Left field is a position of strength for the Cardinals. Power hitter Matt Holliday mashes doubles and homers as well as any outfielder in the league. A few defensive miscues have given him a bad reputation on defense, but statistically Holliday is an above average defender.

After getting off to a hot start last April, Holliday’s year slowed due to an appendectomy and was further muddled by odd injuries, even having to leave a game once due to a moth flying into his ear. Holliday injured his pinky in a slide back to third in Game 6 of the World Series as well.

Injuries aside, Holliday is a monster hitter, and should be the cornerstone of this lineup for years to come. (He is currently in year 3 of his 7 year, $120 million dollar contract.)

Center Field

John Jay

2011 Stats: .297, 10 HR, 35 RBI

Speedy lefty Jon Jay can cover center field for sure. Not a power guy, Jay uses his speed to get on base and play the role of table setter for the power hitters in the lineup. (Though he can bring a little pop if he needs to, like the 10 HR he hit last year.) With Furcal needing to prove himself at leadoff, Jay could be the guy to step into the role.

Jay has established himself as a big league center fielder, and can clearly hit for average. Though he faded late for the Cardinals last season, the club hopes to keep Jay at center for a while with his plus glove. Look for Jay to put together his second full season in the majors and improve.

Right Field

Carlos Beltran

2011 Stats: .300, 22 HR, 84 RBI split between Mets and Giants

The Cardinals may have lost Pujols but still managed to come out of the offseason with an excellent short term replacement: A healthy Beltran is a force to be reckoned with from both sides of the plate. Adding Beltran gives the Cardinals two of the best switch hitters in the game from last season (Berkman is the other), so this lineup shouldn’t have much of a problem with lefty pitchers since Furcal can switch hit at the top of the order as well.

More on Beltran: injuries really kept him from producing at the level he could for the Mets, who gave him a monster contract in 2005. When he was healthy, though, he mashed. Traded to the Giants at the deadline last year, Beltran showed he could still patrol right field and had good offensive numbers (.323, 7 HR, 18 RBI in 44 games) even though the Giants around him were slipping. Since the Cards only signed Beltran to a 2 year deal ($26 million), they really aren’t on the hook for too long should Beltran fail to produce or stay healthy.

Bench

Tony Cruz

2011 Stats: .262, 0 HR, 6 RBI in 38 games with the Cardinals (.262, 4 HR, 25 RBI in 44 games at AAA Memphis)

Tony Cruz will give Yadi a break at catcher now and again, and add a little pop from the bench. Cruz beat out longtime Redbird catcher Bryan Anderson, who hit .478 this spring, simply because he had established himself as a reliable backup for Molina last season, and also due to his ability to make a spot start at the corner infield positions.

Matt Carpenter

2011 Stats: .067, 0 HR, 0 RBI in 19 Plate Appearances with Cardinals (.300, 12 HR, 70 RBI with AAA Memphis)

Carpenter had a flashy spring last year (.333 avg) and exploded this spring for a .357 AVG, 2 HR and 10 RBI, earning him a spot on the Cardinals bench. Normally a third baseman, Carpenter also got starts in the outfield and at first base this spring, showing that he can be valuable off the bench should injuries arise. Freese has yet to put a full season together so it wouldn’t be out of the question for Carpenter to man third for a decent amount of time, as well as spell Berkman at first here and there.

Daniel Descalso

2011 Stats: .264, 1 HR, 28 RBI

Though Matheny has said that the second base job belongs to Tyler Greene, Descalso may have to fill in should Furcal need a rest at short, moving Greene over. Descalso may also get the start every once in a while against righties, since he is a lefty. Descalso played late inning hero more than a few times last season, and earned respect as a guy who can come through in the clutch. Hopefully limited playing time won’t limit his ability to pinch hit against righties late in the game when it counts.

Erik Komatsu

2011 Stats: .277, 7 HR, 48 RBI splitting time between Brewers and Nationals AA clubs

Komatsu was acquired from the Nationals as a rule 5 draft pick, and would have to be released back to them if he didn’t make the opening day roster. An outfielder, Komatsu hit .278 this spring and made it worth giving him a shot at least to start the season as speed off the bench who could spell the aging Beltran.

Shane Robinson

2011 Stats: .299, 4 HR, 23 RBI at AAA Memphis

Fan favorite ‘Sugar’ Shane Robinson has been in the organization for a while now. A concussion put him on the bench for much of last year, but with Skip Schumaker on the disabled list, Shane gets his chance to open the year with the big club for the first time. Robinson, a right handed hitter, can cover center and may spell Jon Jay against lefties from time to time.

Well, there’s your rundown of the Cardinals Opening Day roster. Here comes the season, whether you are ready for it or not. I know I am.

What are you most excited about for this season? Hit the comment section below with your thoughts.

Click here to read Life After Pujols: 2012 St. Louis Cardinals Preview, Part I

Drew Fleming is the last baseball columnist you have ever read. He covers the St. Louis Cardinals for Memphisport. Follow him on Twitter @thefilmjerk

Filed Under: Redbirds, The Big Features Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

We Have Your Lucky Lotto Numbers In This Week’s Grizzlies 3-pointer

February 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Another week has passed us by and it has been very suspenseful with yet another Super Bowl coming down to the last second, American Idol finishing round one in Hollywood, and millions of people tuning into the Powerball drawing on Wednesday with the hopes of winning a quarter of a billion dollars with no luck (including me).  The Powerball jackpot is now at $310 million or roughly how much the NBA paid for the New Orleans Hornets.  In fact, if you were to hit the jackpot on Saturday (without having to split it of course) you would be able to purchase several NBA teams including the Hornets (current value of $285 million according to Forbes.com), the Hawks (current value of $270 million according to Forbes.com), and our very own Grizzlies (current value of $269 million according to Forbes.com). I have decided to “make my own luck” and help you do the same, by using this week’s 3-pointer to come up with a fool proof way to pick the lucky lotto numbers for Saturday’s Powerball drawing.  It is time for our weekly Grizzlies 3-pointer, three things the Grizzlies are doing, need to do, and will be doing to improve upon their success as a team on a weekly basis.

For entertainment purposes only.

1. What are the Grizzlies doing?
Struggling to stay in the playoff picture.  Memphis has a 3-7 record since their seven game win streak was snapped by the Trail Blazers on 1-24-12.  Therefore, you should play lucky number seven in honor of the Grizzlies’ longest win streak of the season, while avoiding the numbers 1, 24, and 12 because of that disastrous date the win streak was snapped.  It is hard to believe that this is the same team that led the Southwest Division just two weeks ago.  The Grizzlies are currently four and a half games out of first place in the division and are chasing the Jazz and Trail Blazers for the 8th seed in the West.  They have a chance to make up ground in the playoff race this week with two huge home games against teams currently ahead of them when they take on the Jazz and Rockets at home.  The last time Houston came to FedExForum the Grizzlies sent them home with a 20 point loss, so go ahead and play 20 as your next number.

2. What do the Grizzlies need to do?
Get more offensive production out of everybody.  You can grit and grind all you want, but at the end of the day it is about putting the ball in the basket.  Scoring has become a major issue for the Grizzlies during this skid as they are struggling to find consistency on the offensive end.  During their seven game win streak the Grizzlies averaged 102 points per game, but over their last 10 games that number has dropped drastically to just 87.1 points per game.  The Grizzlies have scored 100 or more points just once in their last 10 games, after topping 100 three times during their seven game win streak. Memphis is 12-4 when they score more than 90 points and just 1-9 when they score less than that, so it is safe to say that 90 is a magic number for Memphis and maybe for you too.  Since you can only pick a ball from 1-59 I recommend your next three numbers add up to 90 (remember to avoid the numbers I told you about earlier).

3. What will the Grizzlies do?
Have an All-Star for the first time since Zach Randolph did it in 2010.  While we will not know for certain until later on tonight (UPDATE: Marc Gasol named to the Western Conference All-Star team), I believe that Marc Gasol will be an All-Star reserve.   Gasol is fourth in defensive rebounds per game and blocks per game.  He is also averaging a double double so far this season.  So in honor of Gasol’s hard work and effort this season, the Powerball number should be his number 33.

Did you miss last week’s 3-pointer? No worries click here to catch up on what you missed.

C.J. Hurt covers the Grizzlies for MemphiSport.  Follow him @churtj09 for live tweets from FedExForum. 

 

Other recent Grizzlies articles:

 

 

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Slogans Run Wild In This Week’s Grizzlies 3-pointer

January 27, 2012 by 4 Comments

Another week has come and gone, and let me say that I have thoroughly enjoyed this week more than the previous three weeks of the New Year.  We have a rematch of Super Bowl XLII, the President gave his annual State of the Union, and we saw the season premiere of American Idol.  What do all of these television events have in common?  Commercials.  I find that commercials are as much a part of television shows as the actual show itself.  A good commercial can stop me from turning the channel (my new favorite commercial is this.  I have no clue what she is saying, but I want a Fiat now).  And what do all good commercials have in common? Slogans. From Visa’s “It’s everywhere you want to be” to Adidas’ “Impossible is nothing”, slogans are an integral part of our daily lives.  And if it is good enough, a slogan can permeate into songs, movies, and all aspects of our culture.

The Grizzlies have two great slogans already with “made in Memphis” and “grit and grind”, but Rudy Gay introduced a new slogan this week after the Grizzlies’ furious comeback win against the Warriors on Monday.  “Make your own luck.”  This has everything a great slogan needs.  It is short, simple, and to the point.  There is a sense of confidence and it represents the Memphis Grizzlies brand all too well.  With their best perimeter player gone for most of last season, Memphis made their own luck and got within one game of the Western Conference Finals.  This year with their biggest low post scoring threat out 6-8 weeks (Zach Randolph) the Grizzlies are still a playoff caliber team and are only 1.5 games out of first place in the division.  However, they are still struggling to beat playoff caliber opponents which makes them the odd man out of the playoff picture sitting a half game out of the 7th spot in the West.  Gay and his teammates will have to continue making their own luck if they want to do like Ford and “go further” than they have every gone before. It is time for our weekly Grizzlies 3-pointer, three things the Grizzlies are doing, need to do, and will be doing to improve upon their success as a team on a weekly basis.

1) What are the Grizzlies doing?
The Grizzlies defense is “finger licking good” thanks to quick hands and great reflexes.  Coach Hollins has the team focused in on the defensive side of the ball as they are 10th in points allowed in the NBA and first in steals per game.  In the last 10 games Memphis has only allowed 1 team to score 100 or more points, and that was the best team in the Western Conference, Oklahoma City.  The Grizzlies are getting stellar defensive play out of everyone, but they have some standouts who, should they continue their prowess on the defensive end, will certainly make the NBA All-Defensive Team.  Marc Gasol has been “M’m! M’m! Good!” around the rim, as he is locking down the paint and allowing his teammates to get out into the passing lanes to force turnovers.  He is 4th in the NBA in defensive rebounds per game (8.4) and 5th in blocks per game (2.2).  Mike Conley is also asserting himself on the defensive end, and he looks like the best defender at his position in the NBA.  He has the league lead in steals per game and is 2nd in the NBA in total steals with 43, behind Ricky Rubio’s 46.  Not too far behind him sits Mr. Grit and Grind himself, Tony Allen, with 34 steals on the year, making the Grizzlies the only team in the NBA with two players who have over 30 steals on the season so far. Rudy Gay has even gotten in on the fun as he is 17th in the NBA in steals with 28.  They will need to continue to get this type of defensive production so that they can get easy buckets and points in the paint.

2) What do the Grizzlies need to do?
Perform better against upper echelon teams.  Memphis took full advantage in playing lesser competition last week going 3-2 on the week, but in order to make it deep into the playoffs you have to beat good teams something the Grizzlies have struggled with so far this season. In fact, Memphis is a woeful 2-8 this season against teams with a winning record.  They are only averaging 89.3 points per game against teams over .500, which is nearly six points less than their season average. Last week they played two teams with winning records (Clippers and the Trail Blazers) and lost to both teams.  The Grizzlies need to find a way to “just do it” and beat teams over .500.  Otherwise, their chances of making the playoffs will be slimmer than a frog hair split three ways.

3) What will the Grizzlies do?
“Buckle up” and get ready for another tough stretch in their schedule.  The Grizzlies’ defense will be tested this week with three of their opponent ranking in the top 10 in both points per game and assists per game. Needless to say all three of those teams (Spurs, Nuggets, and Hawks) are over .500. The combined record of this week’s opponents for the Grizzlies is an impressive 42-29. The division leading Spurs come to FedExForum on the 30th and the very next night the Grizzlies will welcome the Nuggets, who lead the NBA in both points per game and assists per game.  Memphis will close out the week with a difficult road trip to Atlanta to face the Hawks.  The Grizzlies are going to have to “be all that they can be” if they are going to avoid falling further out of the playoff picture.

Did you miss last week’s 3-pointer? No worries click here to catch up on what you missed.

C.J. Hurt covers the Grizzlies for MemphiSport.  Follow him @churtj09 for live tweets from FedExForum. 

Other recent Grizzlies articles:

Filed Under: Grizzlies, The Big Features, Web Exclusives Tagged With: , , , , ,

3 Things the Grizz Miss About Greivis Vasquez

January 15, 2012 by 7 Comments

Greivis Vasquez made his first return to Memphis in a Hornets uniform on Saturday night at FedExForum.  Vasquez was an integral part of the Grizzlies playoff run last year at the backup point guard position, but a lack of depth in the front court led Memphis to trade him for Quincy Pondexter (or Q-Pon as we like to call him).   In his return, Vasquez finished with 14 points and a team high six assists.  The Grizzlies are now playing rookie Josh Selby at the backup point guard spot, and he only filled up one column of the stat sheet with 3 turnovers.  While there is no doubt that Coach Hollins will get better play out of his young point guard, Vasquez’s absence is becoming more noticeable with every game.  Though Vasquez contributed in many ways to the success of last year’s team, here are the three things Memphis misses most about his play:

1.        His Production:
Vasquez had proven himself a reliable backup point guard in his short one year tenure as a Grizzly, which is something this year’s team needs.  He played in 70 games last season, and was a steadfast backup for Mike Conley.  While his averages last season do not jump off the page, Vasquez was a solid role player for Memphis, doing whatever it took to win.  With Pargo and Selby vying for backup minutes you never know what type of production you are going to get game in and game out.

2.       His experience:
Coach Hollins has decided to go with rookie Selby at the backup point guard spot, after Jeremy Pargo played himself out of the rotation.  Selby has the potential to be a solid player, but he needs more experience which is something Vasquez already has.  When you compare the two guards, you will see that Vasquez is playoff tested and has played in numerous big games during last year’s playoffs.  None bigger than Game 6 against the Spurs when he played key minutes after Mike Conley went to the bench with two early fouls.  Perhaps if Vasquez was still here Conley would be able to get more of a rest and not have to play so many minutes (Conley has played over 40 minutes in three of the Grizzlies last five games).

3.  His heart:
Heart is something that no stat can measure.  It is something that you can only see, and Vasquez has a lot of it.  “Vasquez has a big heart.  He is fearless,” Coach Hollins said about his former player.  There were several times during last year’s run that Vasquez was making hustle plays, grabbing loose balls, and taking charges to help his team win. He is a true grit and grinder hustling on every play and giving maximum effort every game.  Even though this team is full of players with heart, this is what they miss the most from Vasquez.

Other recent Grizzlies articles:

CJ Hurt covers the Grizzlies for MemphiSport.  Follow him @churtj09 for live tweets from FedExForum.

 


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Jay-Z Edition of the Weekly Grizzlies 3-pointer

January 13, 2012 by 10 Comments

This week was full of excitement and intrigue for the NBA.  Not because of anything on the court, but because New Jersey Nets partial owner, Jay-Z, saw the birth of a healthy baby girl.  I forget his wife’s name (just kidding it is Beyoncé), but seriously how many owners’ wives do you know the name of.   The name of the mega couple’s daughter is Blue Ivy Carter.  Blue because they really like the color and Ivy because the couple really likes the number four, and IV is four in Roman numerals.  Well the couple should love the fact that the Grizzlies wear blue in their uniforms and played exactly four games this week.  In honor of Jay-Z’s new daughter I am going to flood this week’s 3 Pointer with as many Jay-Z references as possible.

Photo by Justin Ford

Towards the end of last season and into the playoffs, the Grizzlies laid The Blue Print for how they were going to play this year.You Can’t Knock the Hustle of last year’s squad, and this was supposed to be a team that was going to use hustle and effort to get back to the playoffs and possibly contend for an NBA championship.  So far this season has been a Gift and a Curse (actual title of Jay-Z’s album is Blue Print2: the Gift & the Curse, but hey who cares which article you use).  It is not like they have been playing second tier competition this week, as the combined record for their 4 opponents from the week is 30-15.  The Grizzlies now sit at 4-6 after losing 3 straight contests to some of the NBA’s elite teams and blowing the Knicks out at home.  Memphis lost to Oklahoma City on Tuesday night, who by the way is showing the NBA who Runs This Town, and is tied for the best record in the league.  And the home record of the two teams the Grizz lost to on the road this week (the Jazz and the Lakers) is a staggering 11-2.  Memphis has 99 Problems on the offensive side of the ball, as they failed to crack 90 points in each of their three losses this week, and again the most notable issue has been their play from long range.  They are averaging just 2.3 three-point makes and a woeful 22.8 percent from behind the arc. The Grizzlies were knocked around this week, but they will need to get the Dirt of Your Shoulder to prevent falling further behind in the playoff race (wrong pronoun but you get the picture). It is time for our weekly  Grizzlies 3-pointer, three things the Grizzlies are doing, need to do, and will be doing to improve upon their success as a team on a weekly basis.

1.  What are the Grizzlies doing?
Losing close games.  In their 3 losses this week the average margain of defeat is seven points, and if you take away that 40 point shalacking by the Bulls, their average margin of defeat is 7.6 points per game.  Memphis is right there with a chance to win the game night in and night out, but for whatever reason they just have not been able to close games out.  I guess you could say the Grizz have had a Hard Knock Life down the stretch of games early on this season.  The Grizzlies had a chance against all 3 opponents, but bad fouls, poor turnovers, and big runs to close out the games have prevented Memphis from winning. Good teams win close games, and although the season is young the Grizz need to find a way to pull the games out down the stretch in order to Do It Again and make a deep run into the playoffs.

2. What do the Grizz need to do?
Not panic, because panicking leads to rash decisions being made, like this insane notion that Memphis should trade Rudy Gay.  When I first heard people discussing trading Gay I was like Jigga What, you cannot be serious.  That is the senseless panicking that I am talking about right there. It is very easy to begin to panic when your team is on a 3 game losing streak, but everybody needs to keep in mind that there are 56 games left to play.   You do not trade a player like Gay because he is struggling early in the year.  Everyone needs to remember that he is coming off of season ending shoulder surgery, so it is going to take him a minute to get his basketball legs under him, especially with an abbreviated training camp and preseason.  However, it does not help that Gay was on a Paper Chase last season that resulted in him getting over $15 million this year. So now Money Ain’t A Thang, but production is as Gay is averaging only 16 points per contest.  He must have had an Empire State of Mind on Thursday night against New York, and a few more performances like his 26 points against the Knicks will make people remember how good he can be.  Fans want to see more production out of Gay, and his team needs him to assert himself more on the offensive end if the Grizz are going to give fans an Encore of last season.

3.  What will the Grizzlies do?
Find a way to get more production out of their core guys.  Memphis has four players averaging double digit points, but nobody is averaging more than 20 points per game.  Can I Get A player to consistently score 20 points a night for the Grizzlies please.  Everybody wants to point the finger at Gay and say he needs to step up in Z-Bo’s absence like Randolph did last year in his absence.  However, everybody on the team stepped up last year when Gay went down last season.  So everybody needs to step up this year until Randolph can get back healthy.  Marc Gasol is doing his part, averaging a double double in Randolph’s absence.  However, the other big men Marreese Speights and Dante Cunningham also need to step up in Z-Bo’s absence.  Hopefully OJ Mayo’s 18 points in the Grizzlies’ victory over the Knicks is a sign that he is ready to step up and be the offensive threat we all expect him to be, so that Memphis can get back in the playoff race.

Did you miss last week’s 3-pointer? No worries click here to catch up on what you missed.

Other recent Grizzlies articles:

CJ Hurt covers the Grizzlies for MemphiSport.  Follow him @churtj09 for live tweets from FedExForum.

 


 

 

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