Getting Fiery in Memphis

Via BDL, Ronald Tillery writes at The Memphis Edge that a recent Grizzly practice got all sorts of heated. That's a good thing.

For the first time in Memphis Grizzlies history – and I'm the only beat writer the team has worked with – a fiery, healthy, competitive spirit is evident AND we're talking about practice.

Tillery tells of O.J. Mayo getting furious at a pick-up loss and getting into it with Darko. (!) Also, Mike Conley's two pips, Javaris Crittenton and Kyle Lowry, have gone hard after each other and Rudy Gay is popping off at teammates. As Tillery repeats, this is good news.

Memphis has a severe talent deficiency, at least until Conley and Mayo develop and one of the bigs (Darrell Arthur, Darko, Marc Gasol, Hamed Haddadi) joins Hakim Warrick among the living. But energy and spirit can make up for a lot in the long march of the NBA season. Last year, the team's only fire seemed to come from Mike Miller and Lowry (and occasionally Warrick). Pau Gasol resembled a dead man walking. The veterans Memphis added in the Gay-Love swap aren't exactly your everyday leaders (Antoine Walker, Marko Jaric).

So the kids propelling the team's effort will have to be the way it's done. Who knows how many wins it could possibly mean -- that's not the important part. Again, this team needs development. That work is only buoyed if the game is exciting and fun, something the cats can't get enough of. Having spirit means you're in more games, and that means the good feelings bubble up. (Sacramento was in a similar situation last year: the loud effort provided by guys like Mikki Moore and Francisco Garcia helped keep the most important players driving and playing hard ... at least from my vantage point.)