Published by http://www.probasketballnews.com/ on 6/10/2008
The Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers have long been the NBA’s ugly ducklings, rarely enjoying the taste of success. But finally, the tide seems to be turning. Each team has compiled an impressive collection of young players that could, in time, propel them into contention among the NBA’s elite.
Let's take a look:
Memphis Grizzlies
To be frank, I’ve never agreed with the belief that the Grizzlies got fleeced in the Pau Gasol trade. They were hovering near the bottom of the ladder, yet were still forking out max money to a guy who was supposed to be their franchise player. They desperately needed to unload his enormous contract, clear the deck and start over. And that’s exactly what they did. Perhaps they could have held out longer and sought a more attractive piece in return for Gasol, but the reality is, they filled a need with flexibility, cap relief and young assets. There are some teams in the league who would kill for that (i.e. New York).
The Grizzlies' core now consists of Mike Conley, O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, Darrell Arthur and Marc Gasol (future starting five perhaps). Without the Pau Gasol trade to the Lakers, this simply would not have been possible. I’ll tell you one thing, if I could start a roster from scratch, I couldn’t dream of a more promising and exciting group of young players to build around. OK, that’s not totally true, there always is the Portland Trail Blazers.
If Memphis can hang on to these guys -- and that’s a big if with this team -- the Grizzlies could become the new version of the Mike D’Antoni-era Phoenix Suns. They have outrageous athleticism and scoring from the wing (Gay), hugely promising point guards (Conley, Kyle Lowry), versatile big men (Arthur, Gasol, Hakim Warrick), and star power (Mayo). If they stick together, the sky is the limit for this group.
Minnesota Timberwolves
With both Al Jefferson and Kevin Love on the frontline, the Timberwolves potentially have the next dominant big man combo. At 23, Jefferson already sports a 20-10 stat line, and Love certainly has the ability to post these numbers in time. But the beauty of a Jefferson-Love pairing is that they are both hard-working guys who are fundamentally sound, smart basketball players. Don’t expect to see flashy ‘look-at-me’ plays from these two.
I foresee a tremendous rivalry developing with the Portland Trail Blazers in the coming years -- with Jefferson-Love versus Greg Oden-LaMarcus Aldridge, we could be in for some epic old-school battles.
While Minnesota’s strength will be its frontcourt, the Wolves also possess impressive talent in the backcourt. I don’t understand why people have been criticizing Randy Foye. The guy had a very solid rookie year in 2006-07, averaging 10.1 points and 2.8 assists in only 22.9 minutes per game, and was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Unfortunately, Foye missed the first half of last season with a knee injury, but despite the setback he increased his averages to 13.1 points and 4.2 assists per game. His averages over the last month of the season actually rivaled that of Brandon Roy’s season statistics, for whom Foye was traded, and is often unfairly compared. There is no doubt in my mind that he could be a star point guard in this league, somewhat in the mold of Gilbert Arenas. Foye has the size (6-4), strength (213 lbs) and shooting ability to be a superior player at the position. If his health cooperates and he continues to develop his point guard skills, Foye has All-Star potential.
In Corey Brewer, the Timberwolves have their defensive specialist and all-important glue guy. Craig Smith and Ryan Gomes provide extra muscle off the bench, and Rashad McCants, Mike Miller and Rodney Carney add offensive firepower.
The only hole in the team is at the center position. While Love and Jefferson will hold down the 4 and 5 spots the majority of the time, they will need a true center to battle the likes of Dwight Howard, Yao Ming, Tim Duncan and Greg Oden. The Wolves should be targeting a defensive-orientated center, perhaps Andy Varejao (Cleveland) or Jeff Foster (Indiana) -- both of whom appear to be available for the right price. In order to achieve this, they must be willing to sacrifice one of their young players via trade (Carney, McCants, Smith or Miller), or future first-round draft picks (of which they have many). If they wish to compete against the Western Conference elite, this must be a priority for the Wolves going forward.
In Jefferson, Love, Foye and Brewer, the foundations have been laid to a team that should be a playoff regular for years to come.
Los Angeles Clippers
Forget for one moment the drama of the offseason (losing Elton Brand and Corey Maggette, adding Baron Davis and Marcus Camby) and focus instead on the Clippers' impressive stable of young players.
Al Thornton and Eric Gordon are potential stars in this league. Thornton is an offensive beast, who can score in a multitude of ways. His '07-08 averages of 12.7 points and 4.5 rebounds will improve this season as he becomes one of the main options. Likewise, Gordon is a tremendously gifted offensive player. He can shoot the lights out and has the speed and strength to get to the hoop at will. Questions have been raised about his size, but at 6-4 and 215 pounds, he does have the physical tools to succeed as an NBA two-guard (despite what some people say, he is not a point guard). He is remarkably similar to Dwyane Wade (6-4, 216 lbs) in size and stature. And I never hear people questioning Wade’s size at the shooting guard position.
With the 35th pick in the draft the Clippers selected DeAndre Jordan. Jordan was predicted to be a lottery pick, so taking him in the second round was a no-brainer. Although extremely raw skill-wise, Jordan also has the physical tools to make an impact at the next level (7-0, 260 lbs). If the Clippers bring him along slowly and add offensive polish to his game, Jordan could pay huge dividends in 3-4 years.
Therefore, the Clippers have three young players on their roster who have tremendously high ceilings. Add them to a veteran core of Davis, Camby and Chris Kaman (only 26), and this exciting Clippers team has a bright future ahead.
I am not saying these teams are ready to contend for an NBA championship, or to even make the playoffs. But I do believe that with the collection of young talent on their rosters, their longsuffering fans may finally see light at the end of the tunnel. If they can retain these players -- and again, that’s a big if when discussing these teams -- they do have the potential to become the future version of this decade’s Western Conference elite.
