The Grizzlies came to existence in 1996 in Vancouver and played six years there before making the move to the continental United States. The team struggled before moving to Memphis before the 2002 season. Last season, the team won 50 games and also made their first playoff appearance before being swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. The team was led by forward Pau Gasol who averaged 17.7 ppg to go along with 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. The Grizzlies had 10 players average at least 20 minutes a game and eight players average at least 8.5 points per game. The Grizzlies boast some of the best depth in the league which improved in the off-season when the team kept most of their pieces while adding Brian Cardinal from the Golden State Warriors. Cardinal averaged 9 points and 4 rebounds a game while only averaging 21.5 minutes per game so he should fit right into the system that Coach Hubie Brown has established.
The Grizzlies will move into the very difficult Southwest division along with the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Hornets, and Houston Rockets. Each of these teams got better in the off-season so the Grizzlies will need to keep their chemistry rising and their talent growing if they plan to compete in such a strong division. The Memphis Grizzlies will likely have a starting lineup featuring Pau Gasol at power forward and James Posey at small forward. Jason Williams, a.k.a. “White Chocolate”, has matured at the point guard position and Mike Miller will join him in the backcourt. Lorenzen Wright will fill the lineup at the center spot. The Grizzlies also have a second squad of Earl Watson and Bonzi Wells in the backcourt with Shane Battier, Bo Outlaw, and Stromile Swift in the frontcourt.
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