With the Utah Jazz set to take on Marc Gasol and the Memphis Grizzlies, we talked to Christian Dudley of Blu3WorldOrder.com for an insider’s view of the Grizz and the game.
Following their recent five-game road trip, the Utah Jazz are finally back in Salt Lake City. However, there’s no rest for to be had for Gordon Hayward and Co. The weary Jazz band will play host to Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and the Memphis Grizzlies at Vivint Arena on Monday night.
For the Memphis perspective, I asked Christian Dudley of Blu3WorldOrder.com and ESPN 93.9 Louisville about the Grizz season and the game.
After checking out his thoughts, you can follow him @ChristianDudley for more on Memphis.
What’s the feeling on David Fizdale’s coaching performance in the early season?
Christian Dudley: Head Coach David Fizdale has changed the culture in Memphis. Typically, in seasons’ pasts, Grizz coaches would not play their young guys. This is one reason why the NBA Draft has felt somewhat useless for the Grizzlies’ fan base. They rarely utilized the youngsters they received.
However, with Fizdale, he is attempting to lessen the minutes from vets such as Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, while developing our youth. He has moved Z-Bo to the second unit to boost bench production while implementing third-year big man JaMychal Green into the starting lineup.
James Ennis — whom Fizdale coached in Miami — has been an integral part to Memphis’ wing rotation this season. Now we are seeing Jarell Martin receive playing time. Fizdale did not hesitate with immediately naming Wade Baldwin IV the primary backup point guard. The list goes on.
Yet, the Grizz stand at a record of 4-5. They’re slightly out of the top-eight in the Western Conference. While key injuries have played a role in these outcomes, Coach Fizdale has publicly admitted a few coaching mistakes — such as pulling Zach Randolph from the game for a breather in late-game situations, costing the team the victory.
It is going to take some time to acclimate Fizdale to his new role as a head coach. Overall, he has definitely not been terrible. The players love him. It is nice to see him play the young guys. He just needs to focus on the finer details now.
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Even with escalating player salaries, is Mike Conley worth a $153 million contract?
CD: Mike Conley stands out for his new $153 million contract, though this will become the norm for max-level contract players. Regardless, it is a lot for him to show quick return on investment. With Mike, you know what you will be getting from him. He’s consistent. He can shoot the ball well from nearly anywhere on the floor — 43.9 percent accuracy from behind the arc and 42 percent shooting accuracy overall.
He’s averaging a career-best 18.8 points per contest. This is meshed with his current averages of 6.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals. Last season, Conley actually topped the LA Clippers’ Chris Paul for a league-best assist-to-turnover ratio on the year.
His numbers may not be eye-popping, but Mike Conley finds ways to get the job done — collecting victories. He’s a leader of the Grizzlies’ underrated star-studded bunch of him, Gasol, Randolph, and newcomer Chandler Parsons.
Get UP, @chandlerparsons! @Budlight pic.twitter.com/BMtw8ZksCy
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) November 9, 2016
What’s up with Chandler Parsons?
CD: Chandler Parsons is coming freshly off of a significant knee injury. He missed all of training camp and preseason action and he has only appeared in two of the Grizzlies’ nine games thus far. The training staff is still monitoring his progress and his status is remaining on a game-by-game basis.
Parsons will be questionable for Monday evening’s matchup with the Utah Jazz.
Many have opined that the Jazz are following the Memphis model with two talented bigs, strong perimeter defenders flanking an anchor down low, slow-paced bully ball and three-point shooting — do you agree and, if so, do you think the Jazz can match or surpass what the Grizzlies were able to do?
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CD: I agree that the Jazz are forming a similar model to the Grizzlies’ game plans, though Memphis is new to the whole three-point shooting topic. The Utah Jazz have been great via the NBA Draft and are finally seeing their patience pay off through Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gobert, Rodney Hood and others.
Speaking of Hood, plenty of Grizz fans still talk about wishing Memphis would have drafted Rodney Hood rather than Jordan Adams in the 2014 Draft. Hood is becoming a talented NBA scorer and shooter while Jordan Adams never had the chance to get his feet wet due to injuries, and was cut from the roster prior to this regular season.
The Jazz are scary. They have formed a solid core, much like the Grizz. Now they are adding important veterans by the likes of George Hill and Joe Johnson. They should be a huge threat to the Grizzlies because I expect Utah to make the playoffs, and that may push M-Town out of the playoff hunt.
Utah has given Memphis fits in recent seasons, and this is why I hope the Grizzlies bring their A-game tonight. This would be a big win for the Grizz, who are playing a team of similar style.
Can the Grizzlies sneak into the playoffs again this year?
CD: The Grizzlies have had high hopes of a top seed in the 2017 NBA Playoffs, especially after retaining Conley and signing Parsons as a free agent, but they have to start stringing together victories as soon as possible.
The West is always tough, and it is only getting tougher. They are currently third in the Southwest Division and, honestly, they should be closer to the top.
The reasons for their regression are of course their new coach, but also their injuries. Tony Allen continues to bounce in and out of the lineup with a groin injury. Parsons has been out while recovering from a knee injury. Gasol and Conley were on a minutes restriction and were beginning to sit out one game of back-to-back scenarios until the coaching staff realized they cannot compete without the duo of Marc and Mike.
If a good level of health can be attained, count Memphis as a playoff squad. If not, they will be a borderline, middle-of-the-pack type of team, which they cannot afford with their core reaching the end of their prime years.
Next: Gordon Hayward Officially Has Star Cred
As an Indy guy, what are your thoughts on George Hill’s season with the Jazz so far?
CD: George Hill is truly playing like an MVP for the Utah Jazz. Of course, he is playing more of a style of play that really suits himself, whereas in Indy with the Pacers, he was forced to play out of position and was stuck in a stagnant offense. I’m very happy to see George playing at a high level, showing flashes of his former self as a Spur — yet better.
Hill is playing at a career-best level with the Jazz and he is getting others involved, too. He may be the key cog Utah needs in order to make a deep run in the postseason. After all, he has plenty of postseason experience and he’s a vocal leader the Jazz must have to round their troops.
Finally, what are you predicting for Monday night’s game?
CD: Grizz win, 97-91.