The Memphis Grizzlies did just fine without Rudy Gay in last year's playoffs.
They did just fine without Zach Randolph for most of this season.
And those may be their two best players. So now that both guys are back and the Grizzlies are at full strength, you'd think they'd be more than fine. Maybe even a contender in the Western Conference.
But not so fast. Chemistry is a tricky thing for any basketball team. It's not just about talent. It's about the parts fitting together. You need talented players, but if their talents don't mesh, you're not going to win.
Right now, the Grizzlies are trying to figure out how to mesh all their talents. Going into this weekend's back-to-back games against the Clippers and Lakers, they've lost four of their last five games, giving up at least 114 points three times. Randolph, last year's playoff hero, has looked good after missing 2½ months with a knee injury, but Memphis seems to have lost its personality as a tough, hard-nosed, aggressive defensive team.
I think it's only temporary. And, to some extent, it's to be expected when a key player returns to the lineup. Randolph is such a big part of the offense, there's going to be a little bit of a learning curve as they incorporate him and everyone figures out their roles. When it's all said and done, it will be a positive for them to have a guy like that in the playoffs.
But for Memphis, there's some urgency to figure things out quickly. The Grizzlies surprised almost everyone by going 23-14 without Randolph, who was injured in the season's fourth game. Now 25-20, they're tied for fifth place in the West but are only one game ahead of ninth-place Utah. It's very important they win at least one of these two games in L.A. or they could be scrambling just to make the playoffs.
Of course, we all saw what the Grizz did last year after barely sneaking into the postseason. They became just the third No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed, stunning the Spurs in six games. Then they pushed the Thunder to seven games before falling in the West semis.
How did they do it? By becoming an inside-out team. Gay, averaging nearly 20 points, missed the playoffs with a separated shoulder. So Memphis had no choice but to rely on Randolph and Marc Gasol, and those guys delivered. I think all teams are better off if they play through their big men, especially if they can pass. Gasol has always been a good passer, while Randolph has developed into a very willing passer. They can both score, too, and they create a lot of matchup problems inside. The Spurs couldn't deal with both of them.
When Randolph got hurt this season, the Grizzlies had to change their style again. They became more of an aggressive defensive team that scores off turnovers. They lead the league in steals thanks mainly to their backcourt of Mike Conley and Tony Allen. Conley is first in the NBA in steals with 2.5 per game, while Allen is sixth with 1.8. They're very aggressive on the ball and they also get in the passing lanes. Allen kind of sets the tone as a scrappy guy who does all the dirty work. He carries over that Boston mentality from when he won a championship with the Celtics.
Gasol also has really emerged as one of the better big men in the league. When he was part of that trade for his brother, Pau, in 2008, everyone said it was a steal for the Lakers. And it did help the Lakers win a couple of championships. But it was a move for the future for Memphis. The way Marc has developed, making his first All-Star Game this season, I think it's ended up being a pretty even trade.
You have to give Lionel Hollins a lot of credit. He's a good coach. Their personality as a hard-nosed defensive team stems directly from Hollins. Now he has another challenge on his hands working Gilbert Arenas into the rotation. Arenas played his first game of the season Thursday night, scoring two points in a 97-93 loss at Portland. He's certainly not an elite player anymore because of his knees, but if he's healthy he can provide some scoring punch. He's a great competitor and a very good 3-point shooter, which is what they need. I think signing him is a good gamble.
I'm looking forward to seeing how they fare this weekend. With Gasol and Randolph up front along with Gay, they're big enough and strong enough and dynamic enough to compete with both L.A. teams. They match up well with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol as well as DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin. They really crash the offensive boards. They pressure on the perimeter. And they can get out and run.
The Conley-Chris Paul matchup will be interesting Saturday. Paul is second in the league in steals, behind Conley, and he's just a great point guard and leader. But Conley's gotten a lot better as a floor general; he's a nice, young player, right behind that first tier of elite point guards.
The Randolph-Griffin matchup is another one to watch. They're two very different types of power forwards, with Randolph's arsenal of offensive moves going against Griffin's sheer athleticism. But the deciding matchup may be at small forward. Gay is the Grizzlies' leading scorer and a really gifted player, but when Caron Butler is playing well, the Clippers are tough to beat.
As for Sunday's game with the Lakers, you know Tony Allen and Kobe Bryant are looking forward to their matchup. They had some battles when Allen was with the Celtics and they're both tough, hard-nosed competitors. Kobe loves challenges like that.
The Gasol brothers are another key, of course. They don't really guard each other since Marc is a center and Pau is a power forward, but there has to be a bit of a sibling rivalry when they meet. Marc made the All-Star team and Pau didn't, but Pau's still a great player and you know he doesn't want to lose to his younger brother.
All three of these teams are working on their chemistry. The Clippers just added Nick Young and they've really been struggling lately. The Lakers just got a new point guard in Ramon Sessions, who should help them a lot, but they haven't been consistent. They're all fighting for a top-four seed in the West, which is important since all three teams are much better at home than they are on the road.
For the Grizzlies, all the pieces are finally in place. The questions this weekend and for the rest of the season are these: Will they make outside shots? And can they find the right chemistry?
I think they need to return to their inside-out game that worked so well in the playoffs. Get the ball to Randolph and Gasol. On paper, they're a much stronger team with all their players healthy. But now they have to go out and prove it.
