Memphis Grizzlies (so far)

Re-signed Mike Conley (5yrs/$135m). Added Chandler Parsons (4yrs/$94m), James Ennis (2yrs/$6m), Aaron Harrison (3yrs/$?). Drafted Wade Baldwin (#17), Deyonta Davis (#31), Rade Zagorac (#35), Wang Shelin (#57). Conley was a big get, thought he was gone for sure with the deterioration of the organization in recent years but the PG market was not as dynamic this summer as I anticipated and the Grizzlies were able to hang on to one of their cornerstones. They also stole Parsons away from the Mavs, could be fool's gold (man, is he worth all that?) but they need wing scoring desperately and Parsons should deliver. Ennis is a nice vet off the bench. And now they have both of the Harrison twins: hey, I still believe in them! They're big, play tough D, hit big shots and handle the ball well, why they both fell in the draft last year is a mystery to me. Not saying they'll be all-stars but they can both play and putting them together is a shrewd move for the Grizzlies. They did well to nab Baldwin and Davis on draft day, both have been playing in Summer League. Zagorac and Shelin will perhaps appear in the future (perhaps for other teams).

So far they've only lost Matt Barnes (Kings) and Chris Andersen (Cavs), but I think they've renounced both Lance Stephenson and Xavier Munford and it seems unlikely they'll bring back Mario Chalmers, PJ Hairston or Jordan Farmar. Not a big loss on any those guys, they were just bandaids to hold back the bleeding the Grizzlies suffered last season.

In this past post-season, the Grizzlies were perhaps the worst playoff team I'd ever seen. They were starting Jordan Farmer against the Spurs...Jordan Farmar! The fact that the Grizzlies held on to a playoff spot is a testament to the grit and grind philosophy they've held for years now. They got blasted by the Spurs, let Coach Joerger go to the Kings and it felt like without Conley this team would be in the doldrums for the forseeable future.

But they retained Conley, added a legit star on the wing in Parsons, wooed Coach David Fizdale away from Miami and made a lot of good moves to bring in young talent. Suddenly it feels like the Grizzlies are back in contention in the West (well, sorta). What looked disaster has left them looking stronger. If they can get through the year without crippling injuries, they could be back in the top four in the West and looming as a dangerous playoff team.