News & Notes On The Memphis Grizzlies Latest Moves

- Memphis is reportedly interested in signing veteran free agent Mo Williams. While there are plenty of teams still in the race for the point guard who averaged 12.8 points per game for the Utah Jazz last season, Marc Stein of ESPN reports that Williams has now started to strongly consider joining the Grizzlies.

Any contract would likely only be for one or two seasons, as the team doesn't have the cap space to offer Williams the kind of long-term deal he is searching to land this offseason. If he were to sign a one year deal with Memphis, he would have the opportunity to once again play for a contender and then have the option next summer to return or try to sign with a team long-term for more money.

Williams has played in the spotlight before, as he was one of LeBron James best teammates during his days in Cleveland and helped lead the Cavaliers deep in the playoffs on a couple of occasions. After spending last season with the struggling Jazz, Williams is strongly leaning towards joining a contender for the season at this point after a lack of interest around the league in giving him the deal he wants.

- Mike Miller has decided to return to the Memphis Grizzlies. Miller chose returning to Memphis after being courted by a number of teams including the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, and others. He has said he decided to return to the Grizzlies because he believes they are the closest team to being ready to make the NBA Finals in the West.

Miller played in Memphis from 2002-08 and still has a home in the area. While he was a big contributor to the Heat over the past few seasons, Miami was unwilling to pay the massive tax hit that would've came if they had decided to keep him. If can stay healthy, which has always been a problem for Miller, he could be the missing piece the Grizzlies lacked during this most recent postseason run.

Expect the coaching staff to play Miller on limited occasions during the regular season in an effort to keep him near 100% for when the playoffs begin. New head coach Dave Joerger would be wise to let his younger players get the minutes during a bulk of the regular season, then start working Miller comfortably into the line-up towards March or April for the postseason.

- The Grizzlies and second round pick Jamaal Franklin have officially agreed to a three year contract, with the third year being a team option. Franklin, who Memphis selected with the 41st overall selection, was considered a late first round pick by many scouts and has been viewed as one of the steals of the second round by many draft analysts.

Franklin spent three years at San Diego State and averaged 16.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in his final season with the Aztecs. He is also talented on the defensive side of the ball, making him a solid all-around addition to the team. However, he needs to work on his shooting, especially from distance, as Franklin only averaged 27% from three last season.

If he can develop his shot, Franklin could turn into a very solid contributor off the bench for the Grizzlies. While he may struggle to get minutes early in his career, I wouldn't be surprised if Franklin eventually becomes one of the team's most important players on the bench. He could also develop into one the team's best defenders, as many people have started to compare Franklin to teammate Tony Allen on that end of the floor.

Should The Grizzlies Bring Mike Miller Back To Town?

Following his departure from the Miami Heat, which was a result of the team using it's one time amnesty clause, Mike Miller is fresh on the hunt for another contender to sign with and there have been reports linking him to quite a few teams with title dreams. However, some of these teams may have certain advantages against their rivals in getting Miller to sign on the dotted line.

Among the teams that have potential interest in adding Miller to their rotations, including the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, I see three that really stick out to me as being possible front runners.

Miller has openly stated since his release that he would explore signing with the Clippers, a decision fueled by his desire to re-unite with new Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, whom Miller played for back in Orlando early in his career. While the Clippers may have mutual interest with Miller, I'm not convinced they would sign him after their medical staff evaluates him. He has been plagued by injury/illness in recent seasons, making it a gamble for any team to sign him. However, I think he is due for a pretty healthy season and for him to be ignited by the fact he isn't in South Beach anymore.

The Thunder, who according to Ken Berger, might be the front-runners, as he said Miller has been telling friends he was signing with Oklahoma City. The Thunder obviously makes sense as a destination, since many still have them pegged as the front-runner in the West this season. While Miller could be brought in to replace some of the output the team lost when Kevin Martin went to Minnesota, that could lead the team to push Miller too far with minutes, practices, etc. with his known injury history.

The Grizzlies would make sense because Miller still owns property here and has plenty of friends in the region from his previous stint with the franchise from 2002 until 2008. While Memphis might not be as close to winning a title as the repeating champion Heat, the San Antonio Spurs (their latest victim), or the Oklahoma City Thunder, the addition of a shooter like Miller could potentially be the team's missing piece from making it to the NBA Finals and potentially bringing a title to town.

Miller would give the Grizzlies a threat that would make it much easier for the team to space the floor on offense and make things easier for Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol inside the paint. Also, with both of the Grizzlies' front court stars being terrific passers for their size, they could get the ball back out to Miller and more often that not, end up with open look from a player with a career average of 40% from downtown and was a scorching 45% during the 2011-12 season.

Miller would also bring a championship mentality to the team, which would be another major positive in bringing him back. Tony Allen brought it from his run with the Boston Celtics, and the team has improved every season since he signed here. Bringing Tayshaun Prince in this past season definitely didn't hurt like many critics thought it would, as the team made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history with him. Bringing in Miller may just be the final piece to pushing the Grizzlies to the championship level.

With so many teams being interested in the two-time NBA champion, it may take at least a few days for a deal to be reached with any franchise. Miller could sign virtually anywhere because he really could play for virtually nothing this season, as he will still be receiving his salary for this season he was scheduled to receive, which is in the area of $6.2 million. With Miller already reeling in that money, he will likely sign with a team for the veteran minimum.

Hopefully, when it comes down to it, Miller will choose to come play back somewhere he feels at home and already has a network of close friends. The Grizzlies could guarantee him a role as sixth man and have him relieve Tony Allen and Tayshaun Prince for about 20 minutes a game or so, depending on what the team medical staff thinks will be best for extending his career and avoiding more injuries.

While teams like the Spurs and Thunder might give him better odds of winning a title, would he be as fond of one of those cities as much as he is of Memphis? As I mentioned, I believe Miller could be the last piece we need to finally get to the main event and make the NBA Finals, and hopefully when he is evaluating the rosters of his suitors, he will realize the same thing when he gets to the Grizzlies roster.

Grizzlies Cruise Past Wizards 90-83 In Opening Round Of Inaugural Vegas Summer League Tourney

After mighty struggles through their first three games out in Vegas, losing all three of their games to Chicago, Cleveland, and Phoenix heading into the tournament, the Grizzlies finally figured things out in the opening round of the Vegas tourney.

The Grizzlies, behind 43 combined points from guard Tony Wroten (23) and Jack Cooley (20), with Donte Greene adding another 16 points, got out to a big lead after three quarters. It was the second time Cooley has dropped 20 points in the tourney twice, turning him into one of the more watched players in the tourney.

The Wizards didn't just roll over and die, cutting a 17 point lead entering the fourth quarter all the way down to seven. Unfortunately, it just wasn't quite enough for them to get a win over Memphis.

Chris Singleton (16), Jan Vesely (15), and Glen Rice Jr. (14) were the top three scorers for the Wizards, but they just couldn't pull far enough out of the hole they were in after the first three quarters.

The Grizzlies next tourney game will come against the Charlotte Bobcats, who have been led by potential tourney MVP Cody Zeller, who has put up some pretty impressive numbers so far in summer league play.

Hopefully, the Grizzlies can find a way to get past the Bobcats and keep their tournament chances alive. While it's definitely not the NBA Playoffs, winning the Inaugural Vegas summer league tourney would be a pretty impressive finish after a 0-3 start heading into the tournament.

Meanwhile, I can continue to hold out hope that Jamaal Franklin will get his ankle healthy enough to play a few minutes in summer league to give Grizzlies fans a preview of what we have to look forward to this year and hopefully for a long time.

How Have The Grizzlies Done So Far This Summer In Free Agency & The Draft?

The Grizzlies have done a great job thus far during their first offseason under new owner Robert Pera, making the moves seemingly necessary to continue on their track towards their first NBA championship.

In their first order of business, the team re-signed guard Tony Allen to a four-year, $20 million deal that will keep the originator of the Grizzlies "grit and grind" defensive style in a Memphis uniform for the foreseeable future, something that will excite many Grizzlies fans as Allen has grown into a team favorite amongst local fans since arriving here three years ago.

The team also decided to bring back Jon Leuer, liking him enough after acquiring him midseason in  a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers to sign him to a three-year, $3 million deal. He likely won't be a major contributor moving forward, however, he will be able to provide solid minutes off the bench when needed.

In the 2013 NBA Draft, the Grizzlies might have had one of the best nights of any team in the league, all without even having a first round pick. After trying to find a deal to move into the late part of the first round and failing, Memphis rolled the dice and hoped their guy would still be there for their 42st pick.

Luckily, the team hit the jackpot, drafting combo guard Jamaal Franklin out of San Diego State and landing the same player they were trying to move into the first round to acquire. The 6'5 Franklin played three seasons at San Diego State, averaging 16.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.6 blocks this past season.

Although I didn't see many (if any) San Diego State games this past season, I've heard Franklin plays with the same defensive ferocity of Tony Allen and he apparently has a decent jump shot, averaging 43% during his three college seasons. He also shot 78% from the free throw line, something that could be improved upon, but isn't terrible by any stretch either. If Franklin lives up to expectations, he could be one of the pieces to take us to the next level.

Instead of drafting someone with the 55th pick in the draft, the Grizzlies packaged the pick with forward Darrell Arthur and sent them to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for center Kosta Koufos. Koufos started for the Nuggets last season ahead of JaVale McGee and averaged 8.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game with a PER of 17.22 for the season.

He will provide a clear upgrade in the front court and finally give Memphis a reliable big man to come off the bench behind Marc Gasol. And by moving Arthur, the Grizzlies freed up more playing time for promising young power forward Ed Davis, who played extremely well in stretches last season after being acquired from Toronto and should be a major contributor to our roster this season.

The Grizzlies also took Janis Timma with the 60th and final pick of the draft, however, he will likely remain overseas for at least another season or two, if he ever ends up making the leap to the NBA at all.

The team is still reportedly talking with several free agents, with Travis Outlaw's name being one of the most commonly mentioned. If the Grizzlies are able to add someone like Outlaw who is able to stretch the floor on a consistent basis and keep teams from loading the paint on defense, it could be the move that truly makes Memphis a title contender.