GrizzNation, Its Draft Time!

The 2011 NBA Draft is tonight and for the first time in
awhile, the Memphis Grizzlies are not picking in the draft lottery.

The past three seasons, the Grizzlies have picked in the lottery.
Some of those picks were very questionable and mind blowing to Grizzlies’ fans.

In the 2008 NBA Draft, the Grizzlies selected Kevin Love
with the 5^th pick and then traded his draft rights to the Minnesota
Timberwolves for O.J. Mayo. The Grizzlies only won 24 games the following
season. O.J. Mayo is a fan favorite, but was he the right move for the
Grizzlies?

In the 2009 NBA Draft, the Memphis Grizzlies had three
picks, originally selected Hasheem Thabeet (the number two pick in the draft),
Demarre Caroll and Sam Young. Thabeet was a total bust! However, the Grizzlies
ended up trading away two of those draft picks, Hasheem Thabeet and Demarre
Caroll for Shane Battier. Sam Young is the only player that the Grizzlies
drafted that year that is currently on the roster.

The Memphis Grizzlies saw improvement the season following
the 2009 draft. The Grizzlies posted a record of 40-42 that season under head
coach Lionel Hollins. The Grizzlies were in the playoff hunt that season, but
fell short of making the playoffs.

In the 2010 draft, the Grizzlies had three picks in the
first round. The Grizzlies selected Xavier Henry (with the 12^th pick
in the first round), Dominique James (traded to the Dallas Mavericks) and Greivis
Vasquez. Henry earned a spot in the starting line-up before he suffered a
season ending injury. Vasquez had a great rookie season; he was a key
contributor for the Grizzlies’ bench.

Now that brings us to this year’s draft, what should the
Grizzlies do? I believe the Grizzlies should do nothing. I would not trade O.J.
Mayo; Mayo has proven that he can produce in the playoffs. Mayo was the key
component to the Grizzlies’ victory in game six of the Western Conference
Semifinals against Oklahoma City.

Then there is talk about trading Rudy Gay for a top draft
pick. Gay is a much better player than any of the players in this year’s draft.
I believe with a healthy Rudy Gay, the Grizzlies would have beaten the Oklahoma
City Thunder.

What do the Grizzlies need? The Grizzlies need outside
shooting, someone to space the floor. The Grizzlies were dead last in three
point shooting last year. So the Grizzlies need to address this need, but I believe
they already have. Xavier Henry is a good outside shooter and he has a NBA
body. Henry is a 6’6” 220 lb guard and I believe he can fill that void for the
Grizzlies.

So with the 49^th pick in tonight’s draft, I would
trade the pick for a future pick or money. To me, the Grizzlies are the most
dangerous team entering next season. The Grizzlies almost made it to the
Western Conference Finals without their second leading scorer. The Grizzlies
are an experienced team now and are deep in every position. The Grizzlies
should just focus on resigning Marc Gasol and keeping the team in tack and look
forward to making a bigger run next season. If there is a season next season,
NO LOCKOUT PLEASE!