The Memphis Grizzlies have had a disappointing season, but are confident in their ability to turn right on the ship after a productive offseason.
For the third season in a row, the Memphis Grizzlies failed to score it from the first round of the playoffs after being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Memphis peaked as the second seed in the Western Conference in the regular season, but ultimately had to pass the play-in tournament to lose in an embarrassing way.
In Game 3, Ja Morant fell injured and did not return. He has been subject to trade speculation even before the regular season ends, and fuel has just been added to the fire in recent weeks.
The Grizzlies are looking to start searching for head coaches this offseason and wash away their roster. General Manager Zach Kleiman made it clear he didn’t want a restructuring. Rather, he wants to lean on Memphis’ established identity.
Since 2010, the Grizzlies have labelled themselves “grit and grind.” Just like “thermal culture,” mantras reflect a set of values unique to the team. Built on the backs of Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Mike Conley and Tony Allen, “Grit and Grind” reflects the physical, defensive-oriented playstyle that helps the Grizzlies create seven postseasons.
According to Clyman, Memphis wants to use the term “grainy man” to highlight what he wants, despite removing eight seasons from his Grit and Grind days.
“From a cultural perspective, from the type we want here… that’s a rough guy,” he said in an interview at the end of the season.
“It’s people who have that dog in the game, and for a while we’ve been highlighting it and we’re continuing to look for someone like that.”
Kleiman is well aware that the Grizzlies have a long way to go before they can compete in loaded Western Conferences, or at least there will be a lot of movement before that.
“In many ways, I don’t think we can look back on this series and say, ‘Oh, we’re close’ this season,” he said.
“No, we’re not. We’re not approaching. There’s a lot to do. We have to be open-minded in multiple ways. It’s been clear for a while.”
Looking back at Memphis squads in the past, it is clear that having a “superstar” is not part of your DNA. Gay, Gasol, Randolph, Conley and Allen are not centerpieces for most teams, but are high-level role players, while Memphis has long built their teams based on values rather than star backs.
In many ways, it reminds us of more historically successful franchises, such as the San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons.
Unlike the Piston and the Spurs, however, the Grizzlies don’t have multiple titles and have never even won a conference final game in the history of the franchise.
Still, Kleiman is optimistic about the work that was added during his tenure.
“You’re looking at the dog Scotty Pippen,” he said. “Zack Edith, dog. Jalen Wells, dog. Cam Spencer is the F. Grizzly Bear. So Cam Spencer has that in Spade. And I think he has a bright future too.”
Of course, Kleiman has self-preservation. He has been GM since 2019 and the Grizzlies have only won the playoff series since. He wanted to use media availability to justify some of the moves he made and give confidence in his ability to build fans and ownership winners.
I haven’t found the results yet.