Whew, I’m Glad That’s Over

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Carmen Patton

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I don’t know about any of the rest of you, but I’m glad that the NBA Draft has come and gone for 2016. At first, I was anxious about it like a kid going to Disney World. You know the “are we there yet” kind of anxiety. Then, as we got closer, I was anxious like when you have to get a shot. You know, knowing it’s going to hurt, closing your eyes, and hoping to get it over with soon. That sounds weird, but if you think about it, a lot of times, our drafts have hurt. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a draft night that didn’t leave us scratching our heads asking “who” or “why”.

Memphis went into the draft with the #17 and #57 pick. They came out of the draft with the #17, #31, #35, and #57 pick. They were able to get the #31 and #35 pick from the Boston Celtics because they had picks on top of picks. In return, Memphis gave them the 2019 first round pick that they got from the Los Angeles Clippers with Lance Stephenson when Jeff Green was traded in February. The #35 and #57 picks were essentially both draft and stash picks.

Rade Zagorac from Serbia was chosen at #35. He’s a small forward, and word on the street is he can shoot. He’s 20 years old, and his game still needs a bit of development before he’s ready to come over to the U.S. and be a part of the NBA. Wang Zhelin from China was chosen at #57. He’s a 7’0” center. That sounds good, but word on the street is he isn’t quite developed yet either. Don’t look to see them in a Memphis Grizzlies uniforms anytime soon (if ever). That’s what draft and stash is; kinda like saving them for a rainy day. Having the draft rights to these players could lead to deals in the Grizzlies’ future (remember Janis Timma from 2012). Let’s talk about the #17 and #31 picks though.

The Grizzlies chose Wade Baldwin IV at #17. He’s a 6’4” guard with a 6’11” wingspan. Word?! He’s what I call our bird in the hand. A month ago if someone told me that we would have used our #17 pick to draft a PG/SG I would have been hotter than fish grease. I wanted a small forward that we could develop, and I minced no words expressing it to anyone that asked me. With the uncertainty of Mike Conley’s return growing with each passing day, however, picking a decent point guard probably wasn’t a bad idea, especially one that can play both ends of the floor. If Conley stays, they both grow under the leadership of Assistant Coach Nick Van Exel, and he makes a great back-up. If Conley goes and we can’t pick up a veteran point guard in free agency, we possibly go through a few growing pains with Baldwin. Let’s not forget, we did the same thing with Conley (this statement is more for me than any of you).

Deyonta Davis, who I heard likes to go by DD (did someone tell him I call everyone by a nickname), was the #31 pick. He’s a PF/C lottery pick from Michigan State that really wasn’t even supposed to still be available by the time we got to #31. He literally fell in our lap. When his name was finally called at #31, you could tell that Davis was disappointed. I don’t know that he was necessarily disappointed in hearing Memphis as much as he was disappointed in hearing “Number 31”. He’s got a chip on his shoulder because of that, and I like that. He feels looked over and is coming to a team that’s sometimes looked over and underestimated. This should make for a good marriage. Additionally, he can find a mentor here in Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, another Michigan State player that entered the draft after his freshman year as well.

No one asked me what I thought, but I’m happy about these picks. I’m not left scratching my head. I’m not left asking why. We needed a guard, and we got a decent guard. With an aging Randolph and Gasol, a young, athletic big guy wouldn’t go to waste on our roster either. Let’s recall how many times we called, waived, recalled, waived, and recalled again veteran Ryan Hollins last season. It’s a new day in Grizz Nation. We’ve got a coaching staff that prides itself on player development. Ironically, if we’re honest, the last rookie that we saw developed in Memphis was Mike Conley.

Speaking of Conley…now it’s time to hurry up and wait to see if this is the end of his chapter in the Grizzlies history book or the start of another chapter with he and Marc Gasol as leading characters. Apparently, the other three members of the Core Four have a special announcement for Conley on the 27th at 11:11 a.m. I mean it’s gotta be for Conley at that time doesn’t it?! If you need me, I’m over here being anxious about free agency now. Stay tuned for Whew, I’m Glad That’s Over Part II…