With the Grizzlies out of town on a four-game West Coast swing and other work intruding, I haven’t written in a few days. The plan was to post a road-trip reaction piece tomorrow afternoon once I’m off deadline at the paper, but what happened tonight deserves an immediate reaction.
The Grizzlies lost 107-102 at Phoenix on the final game of a four-game road trip and the second night of a back-to-back. Big deal, right? Well, in this case it wasn’t the outcome that felt so momentous but the journey. We may have seen an aberration tonight, but we also may have seen the most meaningful loss in franchise history.
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I'm not really interested in speculating on potential Mike Conley deals at this point, at least not in print, though that time will come.
I will respond, though, to a couple of suggestions made by commenters to last night’s post:
1. One commenter mentions Portland's Brandon Roy as a trade target. This is crazy talk, as I think the commenter knows. It would take a major opportunity to get Portland to part with Brandon Roy, and Conley isn't it. There are plenty of potential deals that might send Conley to Portland, but none of them would include Brandon Roy. Besides, as good as Roy is, he's more likely to duplicate Mayo than complement him.
2. A second suggestion was the Bulls’ Kirk Hinrich. I take this suggestion much more seriously, or would, since Hinrich just had thumb surgery and will be out for three months. No one is trading for Hinrich any time soon.
But, I think this suggestion illustrates the kind of player who would make sense for the Grizzlies. If O.J. Mayo is going to be this team’s lead guard in the sense that Roy is in Portland or Dwyane Wade is in Miami — the primary ballhandler and playmaker in halfcourt sets — then what kind of player would make a good backcourt partner for him?
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A little reaction from around the web on the O.J. Mayo Emergence:
Mayo moves up to 4th on David Thorpe’s Rookie Rankings. Too low! He’s joined in the Top Ten by Marc Gasol (5th) and Darrell Arthur (10th).
Here’s what Thorpe has to say in his rankings comments:
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4. O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies
As I've stated before, Mayo's shooting stroke is beautiful. And he is lighting up teams from deep when they rotate away from him. Soon teams will start treating him like the terrific shooter that he is and not leave him open as often. Then we'll get to see his midrange game.
Thus far, he has taken 41 3-pointers and just 25 free throws. Still, he has been incredibly productive in his past few games (84 points on 63 shots) and is proving to be more than just a deep shooter.
Free Darko's Bethlehem Shoals on Mayo:
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Mayo, he's for real like Beasley and Rose. I like that, despite his profligate scoring, he also makes smart plays, resourceful plays, almost mature-beyond-his-years plays that bespeak a certain calm and wisdom. Maybe it's just the beard, which frames his face in way that's anything but post-Bron. I just get the feeling that he's never really in a hurry, and that when he starts going off, it's because he's decided the time is right. There's something Joe Johnson-esque to it.
And Hardwood Paroxysm getting all worked up about Mayo's game:
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Mayo's leadership has also been brilliant. There's no T-Mac hesitation in his decisions ("Do I want the ball? Should I shoot? Maybe I should pass. I don't know..."), nor is there a Ricky Davis obliviousness to defensive positioning or using his teammates. He wants the ball, he's going to score, and he's doing it to win, not for glory. The look on Mayo's face isn't one of joy, it's of drive. When he loses, he's not heartbroken. He knows this is a long term project, and each game they get closer. I have yet to see Mayo upset with his teammates, only frustrated when he loses his handle late in games (as he did against the Suns), or when fouls break his rhythm. Mayo hasn't been dynamite, sublime, or mystic. He's been iconic. And it's not only possible but likely that this is only the beginning.
Finally, Dime magazine asks who Mayo’s ideal comparison is.
I’ve made the Evolutionary Joe Dumars comparison a few times lately. I’m feeling that right now. Or maybe an Arenas/Billups hybrid. Still don’t think he has the athleticism to warrant any Kobe/DWade talk.
