Houston Rockets | iheartgrizz

Shane Battier shows off his toughness in this NBA promo, while playing with the Houston Rockets.

There is never a dull week in my old position as a die-hard Grizzlies fan and my new position as a Grizzlies blogger.

Grizzlies Versus Nuggets B-Team

The Grizzlies started the week with a dreadful game against the Denver Nuggets minus Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. The Nuggets only had nine players available for the game because of the blockbuster trade the night before. The Grizzlies only had one player who wasn’t dealing with the effects of an all-star hangover, Tony Allen.

Allen had 26 points and appeared to be the only Grizzlies who realized the All-Star break was over and Blake Griffin was back to dunking over people, instead of cars.

This game will go into the “another game the Grizzlies should have won” category. However I am willing to give the Grizzlies a pass for three reasons.

It was the first game of this long stretch without the Grizzlies second-leading scorer, Rudy Gay. Yes, the Grizzlies have played some inspired basketball games without him, including the win at Oklahoma City and the overtime loss at San Antonio (who have a 26-2 record).

But this isn’t a one-game incident, the Grizzlies have learned how to adapt and play without one of their two most critical players (Zach Randolph being the other one) for an extended period of time. So they needed this game to work it out.

The New Look Nuggets

Also Denver looked like a completely different team then the one the Grizzlies destroyed over the last quarter and a half in Memphis, two-weeks ago.

As the Grizzlies came back from 18 points back to eventually win by eight, Denver players looked demoralized and exhausted. And who won’t be exhausted from season-long trade drama and uncertainty.

So, Tuesday night the Grizzlies played a Nuggets team with something to play for, pride. Every NBA player is aware of the LeBron James fiasco of the summer and the current state of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Denver has to prove they can win without their best player. Hmm that sounds familiar, it’s the same thing the Grizzlies have to prove.

If either team is going to play a competitive playoff series against the best Western Conference teams (the Spurs, Lakers, and Mavericks), they will need plenty of fortitude.

Grizz Challenges

This season has provided the Grizzlies with plenty of tests and challenges: the fight on the team plane, the early season injuries to Marc Gasol and Randolph, OJ Mayo’s 10-game suspension, and Gay’s injured shoulder.

After each test, the Grizzlies have responded. Following the fight with OJ Mayo, Allen started playing inspired defense that has become contagious in the locker room (the Grizzlies are now the 10^th best defensive team in the NBA).

Gasol and Randolph both have avoided further injuries and Randolph has played above all fans expectations. The Grizzlies tallied an amazing 8-2 record during Mayo’s suspension with wins against the Orlando, Oklahoma City and an overtime loss at Houston.

So my question after the Denver loss was, how will the Grizzlies (and specifically Zach Randolph) respond?

Grizzlies Versus Kevin Love (aka the Timberwolves)

A loss to the Timberwolves (as one of only three under .500 teams the Grizzlies will play in the next month) would be a crushing blow to the Grizzlies playoff hopes.

But they didn’t lose. Instead the Grizzlies dominated the game and the Timberwolves didn’t lead again after they were up 2-0 in the opening minutes. This is not the same early season Grizzlies who balanced winning streaks with longer losing streaks.

Randolph dominated Kevin Love for the second straight game and reinforced what all Grizzlies fans already know, the wrong player went to the All-Star game.

Randolph’s double-doubles (24 points, 10 rebounds) help the Grizzlies win games. Love’s double-doubles have no effect on the team’s performance (their record is 13-45). Playoffs are more important than individual streaks.

So Love got this tenth rebound with three minutes left in the game. In return, Randolph received a win for the Grizzlies and the understanding of his dominance in the match-up with Love.

For Grizzlies fans this game serves as an example of how far this team has come. Watching Timberwolves fans cheer wildly when Love got his tenth rebound was a sobering reminder of those 20-win Grizzlies seasons.

Those seasons are a distant memory, the Grizzlies are currently in eight seed in the Western conference and most players have bought into the importance of playing team-basketball.

But the Grizzlies cannot be complacent, in the Western conference one day you’re a playoff team and the next you headed for the draft. If anything the last two games, the failure in Denver and the success in Minnesota, shows the players what works and what doesn’t.

What works: playing team basketball and assertive defense, posting up Randolph and Gasol first and then passing out to the jump shooters. What doesn’t work: setting up isolation plays (for anyone other than Gay) and playing individual, lazy basketball.

Battier is Back!

Anyways on to the elephant in the room, the Grizzlies trade deadline moves. In general, the Grizzlies were successful for two reasons. The Shane Battier for Hasheem Thabeet trade was completed and the Mayo for Josh McRoberts trade was not completed.

The Grizzlies traded Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll, and a future first round pick to the Rockets for Battier and Ishmael Smith. For the sake of full disclosure, I am and always have been (like the rest of Memphis) a huge Battier fan. He brings a special quality to every team he plays for.

This is also a smart basketball trade. Battier can fill the void left by Gay and help steady the sometime turbulent locker-room. The Grizzlies are making moves to help make the playoffs (this year) and fans appreciate the effort.

I would be surprised if Thabeet ever matured into a successful NBA center. After over a season and a half in a Grizzlies uniform he still struggled to rebound and catch simple passes.

The Grizzlies cannot re-do their number two pick in the NBA draft, but it indirectly resulted in the return of a fan-favorite, and more importantly a player who knows how to win.

Battier can still make his trademarked corner three-point shots and plays gutsy hard-nosed defense that will give Allen a run for his money as the best defensive stopper on the team.

Grizzlies Can’t Hold the Mayo

As for the potential Mayo trade, Memphians breathed a sigh of relief when ESPN reported it was not submitted before the 3 p.m. deadline. Yes, Mayo has been a massive disappointment this year, but most fans think he can return to his rookie year form.

Mayo is worth more than McRoberts who averages around seven points and five rebounds per game and a draft pick. If the Grizzlies were determined to trade him, it is hard to believe no team offered a better package.

But the Grizzlies are substantially better than they were 24-hours ago and have merged some of the players from the last playoff team with the next playoff team.

All Grizzlies fans should come out Saturday night and welcome past and present Grizzly, Shane Battier, back to the team and back to the city.

Other national and local responses to the Grizzlies, Rockets trade (mostly positive for the Grizzlies and negative for the Rockets): Finally some positive national press for the hometown team!