Grind City Views: Grizzlies in national ‘power rankings' (Week 14)
Welcome to Grind City View’s Weekly Power Rankings, Beale Street Bears’ roundup of the Memphis Grizzlies’ spot in national power rankings.
(CBS Sports – No. 9)
“They’re in a bad stretch that they will eventually pull out of but the same problem is there that’s always been there. Until they get the offense into the top 15, they’re not going to have enough weapons to get out of a first-round series against anyone except the Clippers (due to rivalry and matchups) or Utah (inexperience), and those are still uncertainties.
They can’t just make a run in the second half of the season on wins alone, they have to actually
Dec 23, 2016; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons (25) drives against Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza (1) during the first half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
improve how they win.”
The Grizzlies lack of consistent scoring has been exploited lately, and their defense shows areas that need improvement. This is uncommon in the Grit ‘N’ Grind Era, but Tony Allen as backup point guard has caused problems for late game offense.
The Grizzlies need the penetrating ability of Chandler Parsons badly, and while every game is an improvement for Parsons, the Grizzlies desire for offense becomes more and more evident.
The next few games are going to be ideal games for the Grizzlies to get back on track, and hopefully find the X-factor that will help with their late game success.
The Toronto Raptors and Portland Trail Blazers will be perfect opponents for Memphis to build some front-court confidence. Both teams struggle mightily against opposing big men.
Going against two of the most dynamic back courts in the NBA will give clear indication of where the Grizzlies defense needs help.
Finishing off a rough January with a win over the Jazz should be pivotal for the Grizzlies to find their offense that will carry them to the playoffs.
USA Today – No. 11
The Grizzlies are down two spots from last week and and rightly so. Yes, the Bulls, Wizards and Rockets are good teams, but all have one thing in common. The Grizzlies failed to put the game away early, giving their opponent the momentum.
Against the Rockets, Sam Dekker buried wide open threes ALL NIGHT LONG. Memphis dared Dekker to beat them and he did.
The schedule does not get any easier in the next few games, but the Grizzlies know they can compete with the best.
This deep into the season, teams know how to prepare. It’s time for someone other than Mike Conley and Marc Gasol to start showing some offensive consistency or losses will start to pile up.
ESPN – No.10
“Western Conference coaches would appear to have a choice. Should they vote for two Grizzlies? Or two Jazzmen? On our mythical ballot, we went with Utah’s Rudy Gobert and Gordon Hayward, which left room for only Mike Conley. Perhaps that’s harsh on Marc Gasol, who uncorked consecutive 28-point games last week for just the second time in his nine seasons and, with his 32nd birthday approaching, has capitalized on his emergence as a 3-point threat to become a 20-points-per-game guy for the first time in his career. The Grizzlies, as usual, are a top-five defensive team with Big Spain as their anchor, but we do wonder whether Gasol’s rather modest rebounding average (six per game) will hurt him among the coaches.” (Full Quote)
“Western Conference coaches would appear to have a choice. Should they vote for two Grizzlies? Or two Jazzmen? On our mythical ballot, we went with Utah’s Rudy Gobert and Gordon Hayward, which left room for only Mike Conley.”
…what?
Jan 21, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) reacts during the second half against the Houston Rockets at FedExForum. Houston Rockets defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 119-95. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Rudy Gobert, I get that. Gordon Hayward over Marc Gasol though? B-B-B-But how?
I hate to say it but Hayward may be slightly overrated. Throw those 30 point games at me all you want – I admit his stats look pretty. But Hayward has minimal court presence compared to Gasol. Hayward is an efficient shooter, but more often than not he is hitting open shots and not facilitating like he used to.
This is partly because the Jazz are a much better squad as a whole, which takes away from Hayward prowess.
Although both are entirely different players, Gasol’s contributions on both sides of the ball puts him as entirely more deserving as an All-Star. That being said, there is an argument to be made between Hayward and Conley when it comes to All-Star contention.
NBA.com – No. 12
“The Grizzlies still aren’t getting much offense from Chandler Parsons, but defense has been the bigger issue as they’ve lost three of their last four games. They rank 20th defensively over the last month, in part because seven of their 15 games in that stretch were against top-10 offensive teams. With two more top-10 offenses on the schedule this week, better defense has to start in the first half. They’ve trailed at halftime by at least six points in nine of their last 14 games.” (Full Quote)
“They rank 20th defensively over the last month, in part because seven of their 15 games in that stretch were against top-10 offensive teams.”
There are two positives to be taken from the Grizzlies recent struggles. They are not shooting as efficient, but that’s an entirely fixable problem.
Second, it’s better to cool down earlier in the season rather than later, closer to playoffs. This is the perfect time for the Grizzlies to start regaining their momentum so they can peak right around the start of the postseason.
Teams are starting to figure out the Grizzlies and a completely healthy Parsons may be the answer. Let’s just hope when he’s at full strength, Memphis will be a high-powered scoring machine with Tony Allen doing his thing on defense instead of playing backup point guard.
Follow @BealeStBearsFS on Twitter and ‘Like’ us on Facebook to join the conversation!
More from Beale Street Bears
This article originally appeared on 
