NBA Season Preview 2017-18: The Grit ‘N Grind Grizzlies are dead

Grit ‘N Grind is a phrase that captured the heart of so many basketball fans in Memphis over the last decade or so. It was a system, a mindset and, most importantly, an identity the Grizzlies embraced. Playing Memphis meant being beat up. It meant working for every inch, every rebound and every dribble. It hurt and it was ugly, and sometimes you won.

Grit ‘N Grind still lives in some ways. The 2017-18 Grizzlies still lack shooting on the wings. They still have two bigs who do their best work in the paint. They still project to have a better defense than offense. They still have Marc Gasol and Mike Conley as well, the two players who have been their best for years now.

But in the most important way, Grit ‘N Grind officially died this summer. For a while there was hope that it could still return in some shape, as Tony Allen dangled out on the free agency market. With Zach Randolph gone to Sacramento, Allen’s return would be the one thing that could allow the moniker to stay alive. However, Memphis had other plans, and The Grindfather now plays in New Orleans. And so this season becomes about a new identity, hatched on the backs of Gasol, Conley and David Fizdale.

There were signs last season that Fizdale’s arrival would shake things up. After shooting just 66 3-pointers in his first eight years in the NBA, Gasol put up 268 last season. Along the same lines, Conley saw a jump in usage, posting a career-high 26.3 percent usage rate, as some of the possessions formerly given to Randolph found their way to Conley’s hands. Suddenly a team known for years for pounding the ball into the paint and playing high-low games was a bit more modern on offense.

It wasn’t perfect. While Memphis still ranked out as the league’s 18th best offense by efficiency, though, it was a step in the right direction. But what exactly Memphis now does to build off of that is unclear and their biggest problem.

With the addition of Tyreke Evans to the wing rotation consisting of James Ennis and Wayne Selden Jr., Memphis still lacks shooting. Chandler Parsons feels like he could be a key swing piece to a creative offense, but it remains to be seen if he can stay healthy and productive after years crippled by knee injuries. JaMychal Green may or may not be back and Memphis doesn’t exactly have a glut of natural power forwards to replace him if he does not return. The roster lacks talent, cohesion and talented youth.

That last part is the one that really hurts Memphis and makes this year a big question mark. Gasol is already 32 and has dealt with injuries in the past. Conley is 29, and while great, has never made an All-Star team and probably never will. So if things start going south in a brutal Western Conference, Memphis will have to ask some hard questions.

The most obvious — and I’m sure will eventually be the most common — is should they trade Gasol? While he is clearly still playing at an All-Star level, Gasol likely won’t be on the next Grizzlies contender. But with the Grit ‘N Grind era dying this summer due to the losses of Allen and Randolph, that feels impossible. At some point Memphis has to do right by their fans and allow a member or two of that famous loveable group to stay in Memphis as long as they want.

Trading Conley brings about the same questions and seems even less likely. At 29, Conley likely still has a few more elite years than Gasol. He also plays a position that is becoming more and more important in today’s game, which makes moving him without a request hard to fathom. And again, can Memphis survive the backlash by trading such a beloved franchise face?

Which leaves one last question for Memphis: How important is contending?

With the Warriors running around for the next few years, Memphis is not close without a massive move they seemingly don’t have the assets to make. Yet with Gasol and Conley on the roster, Memphis won’t be bad enough during that time to end up with a pick early enough to give them a realistic shot at a star. Which means two or three years down the road, when most assume the Warriors will break up, Memphis will be getting bad enough to land a star. Is that time frame okay or should Memphis be looking to be ready once Golden State fractures? Only Grizzlies fans and management will know.

Next: Highly Plausible Win Projections for the 2017-18 NBA season

That is ultimately the funny part about the end of Grit ‘N Grind. After years of questions surrounding its ceiling and longevity, the end of the era has brought with it as many questions as ever. And now there isn’t even Tony Allen to confuse people with answers.