5 Goals the Memphis Grizzlies Should Set for Themselves in 2011-12

Who is the best young team in the NBA? The Chicago Bulls? The Oklahoma City Thunder?

What about the Memphis Grizzlies?

The Grizzlies have quietly put together a tremendous roster that is loaded with young, athletic players.  They have size, quickness and depth that should see them contending for a high seed in the Western Conference for years to come.

Last year, the Grizzlies upset the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round and then lost to the Thunder in a thrilling seven-game series in the second round. In that series against the Thunder, the Grizzlies won Game 3 in overtime and then lost Game 4 in triple overtime.

The series was that close.

When you consider the Grizzlies were playing without their most talented player, 6'9" guard/forward Rudy Gay, who missed the entire postseason with a shoulder injury, I personally think the Grizzlies are poised to take a giant step forward this year.

Here are the five goals the Grizzlies should have in mind for the 2011-2012 season.

First Goal: Run Your Offense Through Zach Randolph

Zach Randolph (or Z-Bo) is the best power forward in the NBA. 

Z-Bo averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds per game last season. He used the NBA playoffs to serve notice to anybody who didn't believe what I just said: "Zach Randolph is the best power forward in the NBA."

In the first round, he went toe-to-toe with Tim Duncan, the greatest power forward to ever lace 'em up, and he outplayed Duncan. In the second round, he banged with Kendrick Perkins (one of the best defensive post players in the NBA), Nick Collison (a terrific defensive player) and Serge Ibaka (one of the most athletic post players in the NBA). 

It didn't matter who was in front of him; Z-Bo destroyed them all.

I think the biggest reason that Z-Bo took his game to another level was the absence of Rudy Gay. You see, with Gay and Randolph in the lineup at the same time, it gave the Grizzlies too many choices on offense. 

With Gay out, the game plan became simple: Get the ball to Randolph.

The Grizzlies need to establish this same style of play from Day 1 of the 2011-2012 season. Randolph is the kind of player that can command a double team against any power forward in the NBA. If the Grizzlies run their offense through Randolph, they will pick up right where they left off last season.

Second Goal: Turn Rudy Gay into Scottie Pippen

It has been rumored that Rudy Gay is on the trading block. I guess that makes sense if you consider that Gay isn't the Grizzlies best offensive player (that honor belongs to Zach Randolph), or their best defensive player (that role goes to the Shane Battier/Tony Allen tag team). 

The Grizzlies played their best basketball last season after Gay got hurt, so I guess I can kind of, sort of, almost see where people are coming from...

Until I remember that Rudy Gay is only 25 years old, he is 6'9" and he is a freak athlete.

The Grizzlies have to find a way to incorporate Gay into the lineup with Randolph and let these two guys play off of each other.  They also need to convince Gay that he could be a lockdown defender with his tremendous athletic ability.

I see Gay being a bigger, more athletic version of Scottie Pippen.  Yes, I just compared Rudy Gay to Scottie Pippen.  Please stop hyperventilating, because I grew up as a huge Bulls fan.  So I understand that I just compared Rudy Gay to a Hall of Famer.

My point is, Gay could be the ultimate "glue guy" on a great team.  With his size, length and quickness, Gay could shut down any small forward in the NBA.  He is one of the few players with the physical tools to match up to Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James or Kevin Durant.

I'm not saying he would shut those guys down, but he could sure make them work for their points.

Offensively, Gay has the tools to score 22-25 points per game, but in my opinion, he is not an "elite" scorer. I guess the best way to put it would be, Rudy Gay can put up numbers, but if he was your go-to guy, then you would be an average NBA team.

Again, Rudy Gay is Scottie Pippen.  He would be a perfect second option on a good team.

Gay could be an 18-20 point per game scorer for the Grizzlies, even if they never ran a play for him! He could score a ton of points in transition, on the offensive glass and from a couple of open looks per game behind the three point line.

Randolph should be the Grizzlies focal point on offense, but Rudy Gay has the talent to be the Grizzlies best all-around player.  It's up to Coach Lionel Hollins to sell him on this role.

Third Goal: Marc Gasol Needs to Play at an All-Star Level

Marc Gasol is only 26 years old. He is 7'1" and he weighs 265 pounds. There aren't very many guys this young, this big and this strong in the NBA today.

Gasol also broke out during last season's playoffs by averaging 15 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. However, Gasol actually had his worst statistical season last year, averaging only 11.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

If you dig deeper into the numbers, Gasol did put up very similar "per 36 minute" numbers compared to his first two seasons in the league. This means Gasol's effectiveness was about the same, but he just played less last season (31 minutes per game compared to over 35 minutes per game). 

Also, the dramatic increase in his playoff numbers can be attributed to Rudy Gay being out of the lineup. The Grizzlies had to inside more to Randolph, and this also meant that Gasol got more touches.

I think Gasol, along with Randolph, gives the Grizzlies one of the most powerful front lines in the NBA.  With Yao Ming and Shaq both retired, Gasol now becomes one of the biggest, strongest players in the NBA today.

I think it's time for Gasol to take that next step forward and become an All Star.  If Gasol can average 15-16 points and 10-11 rebounds and play physical defense, then the Grizzlies will have a distinct advantage at the center position against most other teams in the NBA.

Furthermore, with Randolph, Gasol and Guy, the Grizzlies will have the best front line in the NBA.  That is the kind of foundation this team needs to compete for a championship.

Fourth Goal: The Young Backcourt Needs to Take the Next Step

Mike Conley, Jr. and O.J. Mayo are the difference between "good" and "great" for the Grizzlies.

As I said, they have the best power forward (Randolph), one of the biggest, toughest centers  (Gasol) and one of the best all around players (Gay) in the NBA. The Grizzlies are going to be "good" even if they get average play out of their guards.

But if Conley and Mayo can take that next step, the Grizzlies could be special.

Conley put up 13.7 points and 6.5 assists per game last year.  His numbers shot up to 15.2 points and 6.4 assists per game during the playoffs, but it was also in the playoffs where Conley's weakness was exposed.

Conley only shot 29.7 percent from the three-point line during the playoffs. 

Mayo, on the other hand, has seen his production decrease in each of his first three seasons in the league.  Last year, Mayo averaged only 11.3 points and two assists per game.  He shot 40.7 percent from the floor, a pitiful percentage.

Mayo's problem is he is the dreaded "tweener" guard.  He isn't a point guard (only 2.8 assists per game for his career), but he isn't a shooting guard, either (he is only 6'4", and he is only a 37.8 percent three-point shooter for his career).

So what do the Grizzlies do with their two young guards?

Personally, I would love to see Conley take that next step and become a "second tier" point guard. He isn't Derek Rose or Chris Paul, but I think he has the quickness, the toughness and the savvy to be better than half of the point guards in the NBA.

Mayo needs to be moved into the "Ben Gordon" role of a super scorer off the bench. By forcing him into the starting lineup and trying to make him be a shooting guard, the Grizzlies are not only limiting Mayo's effectiveness (he is not a shooting guard), but they are also taking shots away from Randolph and Gay.

Because O.J. Mayo is going to shoot. He is a scorer! So bring him off the bench, and let the man do what he was born to do.

So the core of the rotation is now set, with Conley at the point, Gay at the small forward spot, the bash brothers (Gasol and Randolph) playing inside and Mayo providing instant offense off the bench.

Fifth Goal: Find Roles for the Role Players

As you can see, the Grizzlies have the foundation for a very good team with their "core players."

I think the "other guys" give the Grizzlies a chance to be special.

In basketball, you can't win without those guys on the roster that want to do the dirty work. You need a couple of guys who don't care if they score or not. You need some guys to just accept their role as a rebounder or a defender, and you need those players to attack that role with a lot of enthusiasm.

Look at every championship team.

Last year, the Dallas Mavericks had guys like Tyson Chandler (rebounder/defender), DeShawn Stevenson (defender/spot up shooter) and J.J. Barea (spark off the bench/pesky defender). That was the biggest difference between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavs had role players. The Heat didn't.

I think the Grizzlies have a chance to have a really good bench. Tony Allen is one of the best wing defenders in the NBA. Any team that has any playoff aspirations in the Western Conference is going to have to figure out how to stop the prolific scoring wings in the West.

I'm talking about Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant.

Tony Allen is a guy that lives for those type of challenges. Shane Battier is another key cog in the rotation that is a great defender.  I would love to see the Grizzlies play those guys at the shooting guard spot and rotate them for each other. 

I think this would allow the team to work Gay back into the rotation seamlessly, and it would also allow Gay to guard opposing teams' second best wing.  A lot of nights, this would allow him to roam on defense and wreak havoc from the help side of the floor.

The odd man out in the rotation would be Sam Young, a nice looking young player.  Young plays a similar position to Gay, and he would be a nice player to bring in for Gay from time to time. 

I also love Darrell Aruther, a 6'9" power forward out of the University of Kansas.  He is the kind of young player that excels as a reserve because he plays with great energy, and he is a tremendous athlete.

Grevis Vasquez also did a great job as a backup point guard last year.  I look for him to play with even more confidence this year. 

Another "X Factor" is 6'6" shooting guard Xavier Henry, who missed most of last year with injuries.  Henry is a great shooter, and he is the kind of athlete that could knock a veteran out of the rotation.

So How Far Can the Grizzlies Go?

The Grizzlies actually have a surplus of perimeter players, and they might try to engineer a trade to swap one of those guards for a backup center. Maybe if the whole Hasheem Thabeet experience would have worked out, the Grizzlies wouldn't need help inside, but that is another story altogether!

For now, Grizzlies fans have to really excited about their team. If Randolph, Gay and Gasol emerge as the best front line in the league (and they should), their guards take the next logical step in their development (and they should) and their bench players accept their roles (no reason to think they won't), then this team could be a major player in the Western Conference.

I think the Grizzlies might be the best young team in the NBA! Some people might kill me for saying that, but look at how far this team went last season without Rudy Gay! Grizzlies fans should expect big things from their team this season.

Now, just end the lockout already!