Do the Grind Era Memphis Grizzlies Have an Expiration Date?

As the Memphis Grizzlies' championship window closes, they adjust to keep the big picture bright. Owner Robert Pera found his peace after shaking up the front office almost two years after buying the team. Then, he committed to the perfect complementary leaders in basketball operations, a gut-driven scouting eye in Chris Wallace and an analytic mind in John Hollinger.

Moreover, he has at least two long-term players, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley. Neither is a world-beater, but both are top-five at their respective positions and cause problems for opponents on both ends of the floor.

Above all, Pera is learning from experience to be an effective owner in a small market.

His trial came through a tumultous offseason, which included the resignation of Jason Levien, the firing of player personnel director Stu Lash and near departure of coach Dave Joerger. 

Also, during that time, the Grizzlies said David Mincberg, who gained power and seemed to cause trouble, wouldn't have a significant front-office role, per NBA.com's David Aldridge.

The Grind Era has consisted of four straight playoff appearances after Tony Allen arrived to help tighten the defense, three of which featured the Grizzlies as dark horse NBA Finals contenders. The end of the era would be marked not by cessation of contention, but a deteriorating quality of play amid defensive collapse.

Memphis won't become the San Antonio Spurs, which set the bar for long-term success. That's a holistic formula that the Grizzlies have yet to learn.

The Grizzlies lacks San Antonio's draft success. The Spurs took advantage of their No. 1 spot in 1997 by taking future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan. Wallace's best pick was Conley, who is only a borderline All-Star.

Memphis may match the Spurs in other areas, such as international scouting, player development, coaching continuity and organizational peace.

One organization's blueprint for sustenance doesn't fit all. In six years of Wallace and Hollinger, the Grizzlies have etched out their own, consisting of unequal parts cashing in on underrated draft picks, making risky trades, adding complementary free agents and finding a one-to-one relationship with an NBA D-League team.

Getting in the middle of the title conversation would take time and another major piece, but the Grizzlies will stay good while retaining their "grit 'n' grind" identity past Tony Allen's departure. Allen might embody it, but the era is defined by tough team defense, rather than one player.

Rarely can small-market franchises say that about the long run.

Making the front office work

The Grizzlies are sticking with a blend of metrics and player study, both of which are needed for successful team building. 

Wallace, who edited and published a yearly college basketball guide before working in the NBA, built the Grind Era with a few questionable moves. He drafted Conley, who was described by Draft Express that year as a "freak" athletically who needed much work as a shooter. 

He pulled off two deals that eventually gave Memphis a wonderful frontcourt marriage. Getting a package including the rights to Gasol in exchange for his older brother, Pau, was unpopular at the time, but, like Conley, the center became a fruitful project.

Zach Randolph forever stands as Wallace's signature move. Before Wallace threw Quentin Richardson to the Los Angeles Clippers for him, the league had written off the power forward as an inefficient malcontent.

Since Gasol and Randolph totaled three All-Star appearances, they validate the general manager's ability to win against dim odds on the trade front.

These deals indicate that Wallace can reload the roster if needed with a sharp trade.

Hollinger, whom ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported will remain the vice president of basketball operations, meshes well with Wallace, bringing information that helps the decision-making process.

His analytic expertise should help drafting. As noted before, Wallace doesn't have a great draft record, as seen in Conley's win shares outnumbering the combined total of the other picks.

Chartgo.com chart

This year's draft offered a glimpse of what the Grizzlies will do in the future. As Fox Sports Southwest reporter Rob Fischer tweeted, a group converged in the room:

Indeed, this may result in different people receiving credit for picks. Libertyballers.com's Michael Levin was among those labeling Jordan Adams a Hollinger pick via Twitter:

These reactions arose because Adams was more attractive as a prospect for his numbers than his athleticism. DraftExpress.com stated Adams was the second-best finisher at the rim in the halfcourt, tops in field-goal percentage among shooting guards and fifth at his position in points per possession.

Chris Herrington of Memphis' The Commercial Appeal pointed to Hollinger, as well as president of business operations Jason Wexler, as ideal to Pera, saying, "Hollinger and Wexler seem to embody the progressive approach to team-building and management that Pera promised from the beginning."

Hollinger's trades, which sustained Memphis both in terms of competition and financial flexibility, redeem this notion. In 2013, the Rudy Gay and Marreese Speights trades saved the Grizzlies from the luxury tax, sending Gay to the Toronto Raptors and Speights to the Cleveland Cavaliers and saving $12 million.

Roping Tayshaun Prince for Gay helped recharge the offense and made it a bit more efficient. 

Picking up Courtney Lee added a shooter to a roster that badly needed one. He found ideal young backups by acquiring Kosta Koufos and Nick Calathes in low-risk deals.

Roster building

The Grizzlies have a couple more seasons with their current core trio of Randolph, Conley and Gasol, but the long-term focuses on the latter two.

Gasol becomes eligible for an extension on Dec. 12. That will bring the first chance when Memphis can ensure the future with their six-year pro. Pera told The Commercial Appeal (subscription required), "I think re-signing Marc is at the top if not THE top priority for the team."

Not only do the Grizzlies ensure their identity for the long-term by having two former All-Defensive Team members, but also a game-changing defender who effectively covers two positions by making up for Randolph's lapses.

Gasol was fifth in defensive rating in 2012-13 and made the Memphis defense one of the best down the stretch in 2013-14 by allowing 101 points per 100 possessions.

Both are disciplined while forcing turnovers. Gasol grabbed a steal per game in four of the past five seasons. Conley, who lowered his defensive rating three straight years before last season, was 20th with a 2.4 percent steals rate in 2013-14 and was fourth at 3.4 percent the year before.

Conley, who has two years left on his contract, has emerged as a veritable scorer at the right time. The 26-year-old averaged 17.2 points per game in a season when Randolph furthered his decline as a shooter, making 46.9 percent from the field.

Also, Conley showed dependability as a lead guard as he put an 11.5 percent turnover rate next to a 24.6 percent usage rate.

The pair shared facilitation duties. Conley had six assists per game last season. Gasol, who averaged 3.9 assists per 36 minutes, distributes the ball from the elbow. 

They form a foundation with their passing and above-average scoring. Since they likely won't post much more than a collective 32 points per game, maintaining a group of shooters around them will be part of the process in the long run.

An owner awakened

The 36-year-old Pera grew tremendously in his second full offseason with the Grizzlies. After Joerger was close to joining the Minnesota Timberwolves, Pera reached out to Joerger. He and Joerger had a heart-to-heart talk that led to a greater understanding, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (subscription required).

"What's between Robert and I is like wow," Joerger said afterward.

Amid the front-office fallout, Pera reached out to John Hollinger to stay, per Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal (subscription required).

Speaking on the SB Nation Drive & Kick podcast, Paul Flannery reports Herrington described Pera as "extremely bright" and well-meaning while adding, "He's very new to this and it's showing in sometimes painful and awkward ways. It's a combination of naivete and confidence."

Pera, who had been quiet and disengaged before shuffling the basketball operations, decided to become more involved after the shakeup.

After emphasizing the importance of keeping Gasol in the aforementioned article, Pera discussed organizational strategy, saying:

"

We're not going to be able to build a championship team by going into free agency and getting superstars (like the Lakers or Heat).

What we're going to have to do is, we're going to have to become the best team or one of the best teams in the NBA at player development and developing the pieces and we're going to have a tight culture that brings out the most in our pieces, our players.

"

Part of that includes use of their new NBA D-League partner, the Iowa Energy. Partly, that's committing to developing players the way Gasol and Conley were brought up.

Conclusion

Pera's renaissance came at a time when Grizzlies fans needed reassurance. After being knocked out of the first round of the playoffs for the second time in three years, Memphis might have seemed like a team on the edge with an aging leader in Randolph and a star heading toward a contract year in Gasol.

He recovered from turmoil by leaning on a pair with expertise and experience to work toward the future. Wallace has managed to find the right opportunities to build the team. Hollinger has developed analytics and maintained a forward-looking mentality in management.

They start at this future with two peak-level players, Conley and Gasol, who can ensure success through defensive leadership and facilitation on offense.

The Grizzlies will need to make trades or draft players to transform from a team that will stay good to one that consistently contends for titles. But that will depend on Pera's vision and, particularly, players Hollinger and Wallace may identify.

Unless otherwise noted, advanced metrics come from Basketball-Reference.com.