How bout them Grizzlies!?!?!?

So, I haven't written in a while. To be honest, I'm thinking about taking a Urban Meyer style leave of absence for a while. I'm just kind of burned out on writing and I don't think I've been in the zone lately. Anyway, check back once a week and I'm sure I'll have something to say.

Today I've got to talk about the Memphis Grizzlies. Today is the first day in three and a half years that a fan of the Memphis Grizzlies can look at the standings and say, "If the playoffs started today, the Memphis Grizzlies would be in!" Believe it, folks. These guys are for real.

Last night was just another example in a long list of them, the Grizz are just tough to beat. You want to run? We'll run with Conley, Gay and Mayo. You want to slow it down? We'll pound the ball in to Randolph and Gasol. You want to pack it in? Conley and Mayo will burn you from three. These guys can beat you any number of ways and I don't see them fading as long as there are no injuries.

Now, that's the thing. There will be injuries. You just don't go through an NBA season as healthy as the Grizz have been. Mike Conley is the only starter to have missed a game and he missed just one after Carlos Boozer committed aggravated battery against him. That is not going to happen for the rest of the year.

To their credit, the Grizz front office is trying to fix this. They are being active in the trade market and I expect a swingman to be acquired over the next couple of weeks. On top of that, forgotten man, Darrel Arthur, should be returning within the next couple of weeks as well. At that point, I'll feel a lot better about our depth and our ability to make some noise in the very tough Western Conference.

One more thing... How about Mike Conley? This guy has become a real factor out there. Now his stats are not going to blow you away, but they don't have to. His assist numbers are never going to be really high because of the amount of iso's the rest of the starters get. His points will never be that high because he plays with four scorers. What he is doing is hitting threes (61% in January) and not turning the ball over. He also shows an ability to make plays on the pick and roll with Gasol late in the game. (See his hanging right handed finish and dish to Marc for a three point play last night.) I've always said that the guy just needs to figure out that he can get by anyone in this league. I think he knows that now. I think he also knows that he doesn't have to score for this team to be great. He just needs to be steady and hit open shots. He's doing that, and it shouldn't be overlooked.

That's all for now. Be on the lookout for Evilbro at the Grizz game on Wednesday in Detroit. He's got good seats and he likes to get rowdy. I expect an ejection. 'Til then, Go Grizz!!!!