Memphis Grizzlies: The Model For How Not to Make Personnel Decisions

There aren't too many NBA fans that will question the talent of the Memphis Grizzlies. Some may even argue that they have one of the best young cores in the NBA. This is a team that boasts ultra-quick Mike Conley at lead guard, one of the most publicized young players ever to grace a basketball court in the pure shooting O.J Mayo, a high flying slam dunk contest participant and former UCONN stud Rudy Gay, one of the most underrated young big men in the league in the bruising Marc Gasol and, to top it all off, they added shot blocking extraordinaire Hasheem Thabeet in the 2009 NBA draft. They also have a relatively new coach in former NBA great Lionel Hollins that helped develop this team in the second half of last season.

Why then is the picture for the 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies not so rosy? You can start with their overall ineptitude last season. I can point out the fact that they averaged the 2nd lowest points per game in the league at 93.87, had a general distaste for moving the basketball with the lowest average assists per game at 17.35, were the worst rebounding team in the NBA and, for the icing on the cake, boasted one of the worst overall records in the league at 24-58. Much of this can probably be contributed to the Grizzlies being the NBA's third youngest team last year but, the undeniable fact remains, last season left significant room for improvement.

The struggles of the 2008-2009 season made this offseason a crucial juncture in the team's short history and for front office head honchos, GM Chris Wallace and owner Michael Heisley, to prove that they have what it takes to take this team to the next level. The question they faced this offseason was how to approach improving their young team. Do they bring in veteran leadership? Role players to build off the talented young core already in place? A proven winner to help change the culture of this historically bad franchise? The answer: no to all. The Grizzlies acquired well known chemistry-killer Zach Randolph earlier this offseason and are now trying to ink one of the most selfish players in the NBA in Allen Iverson. I don't think I'm the only one left scratching my head about the Grizzlies' thinking.

These personnel moves lead me to a point that should be obvious to every General Manager in professional sports: successful teams are never built on talent alone. Period. There needs to be a strong base of talent there, sure, but you need to bring in guys that are willing to sacrifice to make others better, to put aside their own individual accolades for the pursuit of a title, and guys that aren't afraid to call out their teammates when they are dogging it.

For example, just look at all of the successful NBA teams over the past decade. Do the San Antonio Spurs have talent? Of course. But they also have/had guys like Bruce Bowen and Michael Finley to round out the team and help their established core. In addition, they have been built around a strong voice in the locker room. Tim Duncan is the unquestioned leader of that team and has led by example and his words when he needed to. The Spurs system of bringing in high character guys and building around a solid individual leader has proved successful, even up to this season as they expect to be competing for yet another NBA championship.

The Detroit Pistons were another one of the consistently great teams over the past few years. They had leadership in Chauncey Billups and a group of guys that understood their role and worked as a team, that is, until they brought in Mr. Iverson. The Spurs and Pistons represent the model of success in the NBA. The Memphis Grizzlies and their consistent desire to bring in talent alone, do not.

Let me first address the Zach Randolph acquisition. The record of teams he has played for during his time on each team (not accounting for games missed for injuries) is 222-386. He is one of the best known ball hogs in the league, with a career average of 1.7 assists and this YouTube clip to reinforce my point. He also has one of the fattest contracts in the NBA, netting him $33.3 million over the next two years.

To add to all of that, he hasn't been what one would call a model citizen. He has been arrested for drunk driving, investigated for street racing and bar fighting and has punched one of his own teammates in the face. Now doesn't that sound like the type of personality any young team would love to have?

Let me be clear, I'm not questioning Zach's talent. He is one of the few consistent 20-10 guys in the league and is sure to improve the production at the power forward position for a team that threw Darrell Arthur and Hakim Warrick out on the court on a regular basis. The problem is, Zach only plays for Zach.

Why would a team bring in a guy with as much baggage as Z-Bo over the likes of free agent David Lee who is an absolute work horse and will bust his butt for your team day in and day out. He may not score as much as Zach, but his teammates will certainly follow his lead and put the greater good above themselves. This is particularly valuable for a team that didn't bring back Darius Miles, in large part, because they were concerned about his influence on the young O.J. Mayo. When you have a young, talented, and impressionable group of players, the guys you bring in now can have a major influence of the long term culture of a team. What sort of culture does a guy like Zach Randolph establish?

Next I'll move to the Grizzlies near acquisition, a man well known for his strong opinions on practice, Allen Iverson. This is a guy that is one of the most prolific individual scorers in the NBA, a guy that pretty much single handedly led the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA finals in 2001 and, yet, a guy that nobody wanted to touch this past offseason. Why? First of all, because he wrecked the Detroit Pistons last year, with a 22-28 record as a starter and a significant negative impact on one of the Pistons stalwarts over the years, Rip Hamilton. He also openly expressed that he would rather retire than come off the bench showing that he serves himself over the needs of his team.

Iverson needs to dominate the ball in order to be effective. He plays his way and his way only and that is simply the way he approaches the game. That is why his time in Detroit was such a disaster, the team had a blueprint for success: teamwork and cohesiveness, and Iverson simply didn't fit the bill. Is this the type of guy you want to bring into a team that was last in the league in assists? A team that is trying to find their identity and learn how to work together. I don't think so.

Most of the blame for this disastrous offseason can be put on owner Michael Heisley who has a bad case of Al Davis syndrome, an owner who should just keep his hands off and leave personnel decisions to professionals. Chris Wallace is his GM but is truly more of a pawn. Heisley calls the shots and he flat out loves raw talent and guys that he thinks will put butts in the seats. I can't blame the guy for wanting to bring in some fans, Memphis had the third lowest average attendance in the league last year and that needs to improve. I can blame the guy for going about it the wrong way though.

Is anybody going to watch a team that reflects exactly what is wrong with the NBA and that has turned off so many fans over the years? A group of individuals. A group of guys that want to play 1-on-1 every time down the floor and get their stats. I know I wouldn't.This is a team that already has two guys who have a hard time even letting the ball touch the floor in Rudy Gay and O.J Mayo. This team needs leadership and cohesiveness, how are A.I and Z Bo going to help that?

We have seen what the model of raw talent alone has done to teams over the years. Look at the Dallas Cowboys and their implosion at the end of last year. The personalities of T.O. and Pac-Man Jones just became too much for the team to handle at the end of the day and they crumbled in crunch time. Look at the Jail Blazers era and the fall from grace of one of the most well loved teams in the NBA. Look at the New York Knicks and their success over the period of Isaiah Thomas' Lloyd Christmas like decision making as GM.These teams overlooked character for pure ability and paid a steep price.

Talent alone does not cut it. Teams need more. Teams need leadership, togetherness, and individuals with a willingness to put the success of the group over themselves. I'm not seeing that out of the Memphis Grizzlies. I can only hope, for their sake, that Allen Iverson pulls a Hedo and spurns them at the last minute, and that Michael Heisley changes his ways sooner, rather than later.