A Tale Of Two Cities: Oklahoma City and Memphis

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Going into the 2009 NBA draft, the teams drafting second and third have much in common, yet expectations for their teams could not be more diverse. On paper, they both have talented young players and cap flexibility, putting them in a position to be the next Portland Trailblazers. Yet, Oklahoma City is the fashionable pick for future greatness while Memphis might not have an NBA team a few seasons from now.

Frankly, it sucks to be the Memphis Grizzlies.

They finished fifth in the only division with four playoff teams. They won second place in a draft widely considered to have only one sure pick. Both of the other projected Top three picks reportedly refused to workout for them. They are one of the few teams with cap space but none of the marquee free agents will likely end up there.

Yes, it sure sucks to be the Memphis Grizzlies.

In theory, this season had plenty of positives for them.

First and foremost, O.J. Mayo has established himself as a dynamic scorer and possible franchise cornerstone. He finished second in the ROY race in a very impressive debut season with 18.5 ppg and 3.2 apg while playing in all 82 games with a team high 38.0 mpg. Together with team top scorer Rudy Gay, they form probably one of the best young wing duos in the league.

The prize of the Pau Gasol trade was the rights to Marc Gasol who had a solid 11.9 ppg while averaging a team high 7.4 rpg and 1.10 bpg. Stepping in as a rookie, he proved immediately he was NBA-ready and despite being less skilled and refined than his elder brother, his rugged 7'1" physique and toughness was an ideal foil to Mayo and Gay.

After Kyle Lowry was traded away, Mike Conley finally paid some dividends as the No. 4 draft pick in 2007 averaging 14.6 ppg and 5.7 apg for 3 months. In Mike Conley, the Grizzlies appear to have their point guard of the future.

This season, Darko Milicic and his expiring $ 7.5 m contract will finally be a trade asset. As already mentioned, the Grizzlies are approximately $20 million under the cap, joining the Thunder and the Pistons as the only teams in this enviable position. 

These positives foretell the Grizzlies becoming major players in the 2010 free agent bonanza.

Now, for the bad news.

The Grizzlies have reportedly been up for sale for some time. Players and commentators alike question the Grizzlies' commitment to winning, and rightfully so. Despite trading away former franchise player Pau Gasol last season to acquire cap space, the best they did with it was to offer a contract to Josh Smith which the Hawks were able to match.

Given the front office's reputation, small wonder the Grizzlies are not in the conversation for landing Lebron or Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade come 2010 no matter how much cap space they have.

On other end of the spectrum lies the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The season started in horrendous fashion for the newly christened Thunder. With a 1-12 start, many were already forecasting a historic worst record for the Thunder. Since then, they fired P.J. Carlesimo and finished 23-59, not exactly a sterling record but at least maintaining some semblance of dignity.

Despite a finishing with a 28.0 winning percentage, there is much to like about the Thunder's first season.

For starters, Kevin Durant is the real deal, a bona-fide franchise player finishing his second season with averages of 25.3 ppg and 6.5 rpg. There is little doubt Durant is on his way to becoming a future All-Star (maybe as soon as next season) and the go-to player for this young team.

The next bright spot is Russell Westbrook. Selected with the fourth pick, many gasped at how high this combo guard went. Well, averaging 15.3 ppg and 5.3 apg has a way of shutting the naysayers up. Westbrook may not have much range with 27.1% from downtown but he is only 20 and can still grow his game.

The final member of OKC's Big Three—Jeff Green—had a solid year as well with averages of 16.5 ppg and 6.7 rpg while spending time at both forward spots. Together with Durant and Westbrook, Green's best years are still in front of him.

In addition, GM Sam Presti had added some useful pieces to the roster with Nenad Kristic, providing some of the rebounding and interior presence they sorely needed while Thabo Shefolosha is a nice pickup with his defensive qualities. Shaun Livingston could prove to be an astute signing as well.

There are very few negatives for the Thunder. Especially when last season's lousy contract is this year's trade asset like Earl Watson, Chucky Atkins, and Damien Wilkins, who combine to provide $ 13.4 million in expiring contracts. Coupled with Malik Rose and Robert Swift coming of the books, the Thunder are in an enviable position.

Still, they have two glaring needs to be filled. First is the hole at shooting guard. Thabo is a good one-on-one defender but he does not provide the range shooting to space the floor. Playing him with Westbrook for significant minutes will clog up the interior.

Second, the Kristic-Collison tandem may be serviceable but it is not exactly playoff-caliber in the hotly-contested Western Conference.

What the Memphis Grizzlies do with the second pick will ultimately affect the entire landscape of the draft.

Do they draft Ricky Rubio and hope he does not stay in Spain? The most likely scenario is that they will draft Hasheem Thabeet and hope he really proves to be Mutombo Jr., giving them rebounding and a shot blocker.

A starting five of Conley-Mayo-Gay-Gasol-Thabeet in theory should be challenging for the playoffs, at least a wee bit beyond the All-Star break.

As for free agency, apart from re-signing Hakim Warrick, it's anybody's guess. The Grizzlies could use a veteran presence to lead the team, someone like Carlos Boozer who will also give them scoring in the low post and rebounding.

Unfortunately, as already mentioned, they are the Memphis Grizzlies, who would want to play there?

If the Grizzlies pick Thabeet, the most likely scenario is the Thunder selecting James Harden who will provide decent size in the backcourt as well as much needed three-point shooting. Harden still needs to work on his perimeter shooting but playing alongside Durant might earn him some easy looks as he grows his game.

There has been talk that Oklahoma City might sign Ben Gordon, if Thabeet falls to the Thunder, they might go that route. However, I would have my reservations about Gordon playing along Durant.

Alternatively, the Thunder could sign Marcin Gortat for the interior presence they covet, although I do not see him as an upgrade over Kristic. Sam Presti might also pull another Tyson Chandler, offering the expiring contracts for someone like Bierdins or Dalembert.

All in all, the future for the Oklahoma City Thunder looks very bright indeed, especially with Presti at the helm.

They could make the playoffs, if not this season, then next. Which is more than what I can say for Memphis.