Recently Sports Illustrated did a report of the 5 best and 5 worst owners in the 4 major sports in America (NBA, NHL, MLB, and NFL).
Here's the NBA report:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/ba...ndex.html
Quote:The billionaire was eager to move the team after promising not to leave Vancouver when he bought it. Since then it's been thrift city. Heisley has refused to allow the Grizzlies to go anywhere near the luxury-tax threshold. This season, they flirted with a third straight 60-loss finish, and nothing has drawn the ire of fans and owners across the league like the salary dump of Paul Gasol last season to the Lakers. "What do they want me to spend, $100 million?" he barked at the Memphis Commercial Appeal in '06. "The point is we're out-spending San Antonio and we're out-spending Phoenix. So the point is whether you're spending money means squat." Guess the playoffs mean squat, too.
Not much I can disagree with there, to be honest.
The SI article leaves the impression that Heisley never paid the luxury tax when in fact - as mentioned by the CA - he endured the tax during the Jerry West era. Also, IMO it is not the trade of Gasol causing discord but the relative lack of value in return.
(05-13-2009 06:25 AM)Tiger1983 Wrote: [ -> ]The SI article leaves the impression that Heisley never paid the luxury tax when in fact - as mentioned by the CA - he endured the tax during the Jerry West era. Also, IMO it is not the trade of Gasol causing discord but the relative lack of value in return.
In sports, except for two or three circumstances, their is no such thing as a fair trade. For the most part, all trades are one sided because of one team needed to move one player out of town. Rarely do you get a trade where both teams are happy, and trades like that usally on draft day(think of the nfl). Trading a star player is not generally fair, ask orlando about the shaquille o'neal trade, or minnesota about stephon marbury for good examples. If you don't want to have a chance to improve your team, besides free agency and the draft, a trade is the only reasonable way to get a good player on your team. What we did with Pau Gasol, however makes me want to scream.
I don't think Heisley is that bad. Maybe had some of those ping pong balls gone another way people would think differently about him. I just wish the Grizz had picked up Joey or CDR last year, but neither one of them would turn this team into a playoff team...now Blake Griffin, that may be another story...Hopefully we get lucky in the draft, for once.
i dont think he really cares for this team. he will do his best in two years to move the Grizzlies to another location. I wish we had a owner that actually cares and is there for all the games and knows what he is doing.
(06-12-2009 01:36 AM)TigersFan8486 Wrote: [ -> ]i dont think he really cares for this team. he will do his best in two years to move the Grizzlies to another location. I wish we had a owner that actually cares and is there for all the games and knows what he is doing.
i'm sure he cares just on the fact that he has financial investment in the franchise.
"Grizzlies owner Mike Heisley has said he won't spend on old guys who won't be around when the Grizzlies are ready to contend for a title." That's from the CA.
He just believes that young players win championships. They need veteran players that know how to win in the playoffs.
By that he doesn't mean he won't have any veteran leadership on the team. What he was saying is he's not going to rush out and send these huge offers out to guys like Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson, who, let's be honest, are past their prime. It may not please the fans in the short term, but Heisley is building the team the right way. Think about it. You have Mike Conley, who, if he continues to develop like he did under Hollins last season will quickly turn into one of the best PGs in the NBA. You have OJ Mayo, no more needs to be said. You have Rudy Gay, one of the more athletic 3s in the country. Like Conley, he too needs some time to develop and improve his defense. Marc Gasol is turning into a serviceable C who can more than hold his own against the elite centers in the league. If you look at it, the Grizzlies are 2, maybe 3 pieces away from having one of the better squads in the West. The one thing they need is stability. I think Rudy has been in the league for like 3 years and had like 4 different coaches. We need to keep these guys together under one coach and let them develop and then 2-3 years down the road when you think they are ready to make a deep run in the playoffs, that's when you go out and get your "older" guys like Heisley mentioned. The most intriguing thing about the Grizzlies to me is that they are one of,if not the youngest team in the league while alot of other teams in the West are getting older. If the team is built the right way in the next few years then you will not only be getting into the playoffs but you will be a serious contender.
(06-21-2009 05:21 PM)Jenkz Wrote: [ -> ]By that he doesn't mean he won't have any veteran leadership on the team. What he was saying is he's not going to rush out and send these huge offers out to guys like Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson, who, let's be honest, are past their prime. It may not please the fans in the short term, but Heisley is building the team the right way. Think about it. You have Mike Conley, who, if he continues to develop like he did under Hollins last season will quickly turn into one of the best PGs in the NBA. You have OJ Mayo, no more needs to be said. You have Rudy Gay, one of the more athletic 3s in the country. Like Conley, he too needs some time to develop and improve his defense. Marc Gasol is turning into a serviceable C who can more than hold his own against the elite centers in the league. If you look at it, the Grizzlies are 2, maybe 3 pieces away from having one of the better squads in the West. The one thing they need is stability. I think Rudy has been in the league for like 3 years and had like 4 different coaches. We need to keep these guys together under one coach and let them develop and then 2-3 years down the road when you think they are ready to make a deep run in the playoffs, that's when you go out and get your "older" guys like Heisley mentioned. The most intriguing thing about the Grizzlies to me is that they are one of,if not the youngest team in the league while alot of other teams in the West are getting older. If the team is built the right way in the next few years then you will not only be getting into the playoffs but you will be a seriously contender.
Exactly. We just have to be smart with our picks and put the right pieces together around this core.
I hope we make smart picks cause I keep fearing Heisley will do something to try and get the Grizzlies out of Memphis.
How about a trade of the Grizzlies for the Rams?
From espn nba draft buzz:
Chad Ford: The NBA has experienced workout mania the past few days, with some of the best workouts of the draft happening as teams bring back their top-rated prospects to battle each other.
• Maybe the biggest news is about the workout that didn't happen -- UConn big man Hasheem Thabeet dropped out of a workout scheduled for Sunday with the Memphis Grizzlies.
The official explanation was a sore shoulder. The unofficial explanation? Thabeet doesn't want to play in Memphis and wanted to stay in Los Angeles to talk Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti into drafting him at No. 3.
Why doesn't Thabeet want to play in Memphis? For the same reason that Ricky Rubio, Stephen Curry and others have refused workouts. Said one source in explaining the Grizzlies' reputation: "They don't spend any money anymore. They don't have a commitment to put a winning team on the floor right now. It's not where an agent wants to send his star pick."
Rubio and Thabeet have said no to Memphis, and James Harden bombed a workout there, so who are the Grizzlies taking?
I think it's likely they still will take Thabeet.
But I have no idea how Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley is going to react to this latest twist.
So, if you add johnny flynn, that makes at least 5 players now that don't want to come here? Is that right?
If we draft Thabeet at #2 then forget everything I said earlier. I still say we draft Rubio and then make a trade. Should be an interesting draft night. The Grizzlies did fly to LA to meet with Thabeet though so I don't know if that's a good thing. Sounds bad.