Memphis Grizzlies

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports With a young core of Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters and a veteran like Anderson Varejao returning from injury, the Cleveland Cavaliers believe they are close to becoming a playoff team. The Cavaliers caught a break and may have taken another step towards their first playoff berth since LeBron James left when they landed the top pick in the 2013 draft at the lottery last month. At first glance, Kentucky center Nerlens Noel seemed like the perfect pick. Every team could use another big man and he could help build a solid defense while the backcourt of Irving and Waiters provided the most of the offense. Noel is a seven-footer, a fantastic athlete and has plenty of room to grow into a very good NBA player. Despite tearing his ACL last season, he seems like a worthy top pick. The Cavaliers, however may not be so sure. Many experts have been began to speculate that Maryland center Alex Len sits atop the Cavaliers draft board and there have been rumors the Cavaliers would prefer to trade out of the pick and possibly acquire a veteran to help get the Cavaliers back into the postseason in 2014. According to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, the Cavaliers continue “to aggressively shop this pick.”  However, Cleveland may have trouble striking any kind of deal, because Mannix, citing an executive, says the Cavaliers have “”have completely overvalued it.” This could help other teams, like the Orlando Magic or Washington Wizards, who own the next two picks, trade down in the draft, if they wish too. Follow Andrew on twitter here.

Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports Earlier today, we expected the trade talk between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers to pick back up some time before the NBA draft next Thursday. According to Adrian Wojnrowski of Yahoo, it has. Wojnarowski says the talks have been restarted at the urging of superstar point guard Chris Paul, who “wants the deal completed.” Paul, who will become a very agent next month, has a desire to play for current Celtics coach Doc Rivers and with current power forward Kevin Garnett. That “ has been a significant motivator for Los Angeles.” The deal would involve DeAndre Jordan and draft picks heading to Boston in return for Garnett, one of two veterans guards – Jason Terry or Courtney Lee and essentially Rivers. The Clippers supposedly thought giving up two first round picks was too steep of a price to pay and Wojanrowski reports, citing a source that it continues to be about the draft pick and “the money is not a hang-up in this right now.” The proposed deal does not include Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe. Wojnarowski, again citing a source,  says “privately, Clippers officials are expressing a stronger optimism about getting a deal complete.” Follow Andrew on twitter here.

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The Memphis Grizzlies will conduct a second interview on Wednesday with Chicago Bulls assistant Ed Pinckney for the team's vacant head coaching position, according to CSN Chicago's Aggrey Sam. More: Grizzlies coaching search coverage at Grizzly Bear Blues Pinckney first interviewed with the Grizzlies last week after the Bulls granted permission. Pinckney seems like a long shot to replace Lionel Hollins for the Memphis job, with George Karl, Alvin Gentry and current Grizzlies assistant Dave Joerger currently in the mix. However, Pinckney impressed enough in his first interview to garner a second, so he's clearly still in the running. Pinckney began his coaching career in 2003 at Villanova, his alma mater, under Jay Wright after spending six years with the Miami Heat as a radio and television analyst. Pinckney then moved on to the NBA in 2007 when he became an assistant for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Pinckney joined Tom Thibodeau's staff in Chicago in September 2010 and has enjoyed a lot of success. More from SB Nation: • Miami rallies to force OT, survives with 103-100 win • Like a Bosh: Chris saves game with block at buzzer • GIFs: Shoeless Mike Miller | Ray Allen forces OT • Chris Paul OK without Doc in LA • SB Nation's blogger mock draft • NBA mock draft: Best-case scenarios | Scouting reports | Big Board

The Memphis Grizzlies will open their NBA Summer League 2013 schedule on Saturday, July 13 against the Chicago Bulls.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports According to ESPN’s Chad Ford, Kansas guard Ben McLemore has seen his stock slip during team workouts. Ford says the Orlando Magic, who worked McLemore out one week ago, thought his “workout wasn’t terrific.” “His lack of preparation for the draft is hurting him,” writes Ford. “Multiple sources told me that his workout in Phoenix was not impressive. McLemore, according to sources, wasn’t in shape and struggled to keep up in the workout. I heard similar things in Orlando.” McLemore’s home and road splits throw many off. At Kansas, McLemore scored almost 200 more points and shot 51.7% from the field and 46.1% from beyond the arc compared to 44.4% from the field and 34.1% from three on the road. McLemore has had problems off of the court as well. He was thrown out of Oak Hill Academy in high school and was arrested back in 2011 for underage possession of alcohol and failing to appear at his court date for that arrest. “McLemore is in a tug-of-war right now between advisor Rodney Blackstock and his agency Rivals,” Ford added. “It’s kept McLemore out of the gym and, for the most part, out of workouts. How much will all of this affect the draft stock? I’m told teams are worried. But how worried? Enough for one of the most talented players in the draft to slide further? Stay tuned.” McLemore remains projected as a top 5 pick. Follow Andrew on twitter here.

Jun 16, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) reacts during the fourth quarter of game five in the 2013 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT Game 6 is here, finally. We’re either going to be crowning a new NBA Champion tonight or we’re going to be canceling all of our plans for Thursday night. Here’s what the Twittersphere is saying prior to tonight’s big matchup… Joey Crawford is the lead referee for Game 6. Hooray!!! Oh, Joey Crawford is the lead referee for tonight’s Game 6. Welp. #Heat Game 6 starting lineup: PG Joey Crawford SG Dwyane Wade SF David Stern PF LeBron James C Chris Bosh — NOT SportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) June 18, 2013 Joey Crawford refing tonight. Duncan says JC has "personal vendetta" against him. Last refed Gm 2 (another Mia "must win") — RJ Bell (@RJinVegas) June 18, 2013 Why are the refs in the NBA bigger stars than in other sports? Will never understand this fascination. — Shandel Richardson (@ShandelRich) June 18, 2013 Popovich > Flo Rida Flo Rida's manager Freezy has been asked by the NBA not to attend tonight's Heat game. @FreezBlackHeart joins us now to give us the scoop. — Marc Hochman (@MarcHochman) June 18, 2013 The next three days will define the last three years for the Miami Heat. That’s unfortunate, but it’s the nature will live in now. Spo, "We have to bring it tonight. Hopefully we'll have our best game of the series tonight." — Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) June 18, 2013 Spo: Our group is hardened. We've been through just about everything. We know right now what's at stake. — Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) June 18, 2013 Anticipating a Heat loss? Well, I found this very interesting regarding LeBron’s legacy. LeBron would be 1-3 if he loses tonight. Jerry West: 1-9 in Finals RT @hbryant42: If Heat lose, nothing happens to LeBron's legacy. Magic: 5-4 in finals. Dr.J: 1-3. Bird: 3-2 — Jason McIntyre (@TheBigLead) June 18, 2013 Hinting at Spo’s adjustments? "I think Bird will impact tonight. Got a feeling." Shane Battier #NBAFinals #MiamiHEAT — Hot Hot Hoops (@hothothoops) June 18, 2013 Bosh on Green: "He won't be open tonight." — Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) June 18, 2013 Danny Green’s rebuttal? And Danny Green's response: if Heat crowd him, it opens up driving lanes for Parker, Ginobili: "you have to give up something." — David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) June 18, 2013 Explanation to Green’s absurdness? Indeed. RT @netw3rk: The Finals are a small sample and weird stuff happens in small samples. — Couper Moorhead (@CoupNBA) June 18, 2013 Nothing to leave in the tank tonight. Spo pulling out all the tricks up his sleeve. Mario Chalmers: "We got a specific game plan tonight (for Tony Parker) and we're going to execute it." — Shandel Richardson (@ShandelRich) June 18, 2013 This is the t-shirt giveaway for tonight’s game in Miami. A little premature, no? I’m sure the Spurs have no issues with that shirt tonight. #firstto16 Shirts tonight. Not a super go-go slogan since Spurs have 15. pic.twitter.com/xVw3MOYu9i — Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) June 18, 2013 Does LeBron know something that we don’t? LeBron's newest pair of sneakers from NIKE show that he is a 2 time NBA Champion, with this years date…hmm. pic.twitter.com/nHdAQsGk0a — NBA Legion (@MySportsLegion) June 18, 2013 Almost game time. Off to the arena. — Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) June 18, 2013 Chris Bosh doesn’t plan on playing nice tonight. Chris Bosh says Heat need to “hit them in the mouth” (VIDEO) http://t.co/6Yc5YUqxWV — Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) June 18, 2013 Shane Battier? https://twitter.com/MySportsLegion/status/347123011410870272 Spo? Spoelstra says lineup will be as much about "how" as "who." My hunch: he&

So as everyone with a Twitter feed knows, the Celtics and Floppers Clippers are edging toward a deal that would send Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers to the Clippers and DeAndre Jordan and picks to the Celtics. Now while Brandon Knight has nightmares about having to play Jordan more and Blake Griffin drives around in his time machine Uvo to see what KG used to be, I found myself thinking about how the Grizzlies could take advantage of this situation. So often major deals need a third team to work out the kinks so everyone is happy with the outcome (see Gay, Rudy). Then I remembered this from Celticblog a while back... NBA Trade Rumor- Grizzlies Interested in Courtney Lee And then I did some research and found this, from Hoopsrumors.com... Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, who also believes Bargnani is on his way out, hears that the Grizzlies tried to send Darrell Arthur to the Raptors as part of the deal, but Toronto opted instead for Haddadi, whom they will reportedly waive. And then, I did this... 2 (Desire to get Courtney Lee)+2 (Thought of moving Darrell Arthur)=... The Grizzlies could ship DA out of town and get a solid wing who the front office has been interested in. OR, if the Celtics are not as interested in DA as they were in the past and just want to dump salary as they begin to rebuild (which is more likely, I would say) and if the hangup in the trade is the Clippers unwillingness to take on that contract, here is where those nice trade exemptions from earlier this season come into play. We could, in fact, get Courtney Lee for...(insert nothing joke here). Thoughts? So as everyone with a Twitter feed knows, the Celtics and Floppers Clippers are edging toward a deal that would send Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers to the Clippers and DeAndre Jordan and picks to the Celtics. Now while Brandon Knight has nightmares about having to play Jordan more and Blake Griffin drives around in his time machine Uvo to see what KG used to be, I found myself thinking about how the Grizzlies could take advantage of this situation. So often major deals need a third team to work out the kinks so everyone is happy with the outcome (see Gay, Rudy). Then I remembered this from Celticblog a while back... NBA Trade Rumor- Grizzlies Interested in Courtney Lee And then I did some research and found this, from Hoopsrumors.com... Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, who also believes Bargnani is on his way out, hears that the Grizzlies tried to send Darrell Arthur to the Raptors as part of the deal, but Toronto opted instead for Haddadi, whom they will reportedly waive. And then, I did this... 2 (Desire to get Courtney Lee)+2 (Thought of moving Darrell Arthur)=... The Grizzlies could ship DA out of town and get a solid wing who the front office has been interested in. OR, if the Celtics are not as interested in DA as they were in the past and just want to dump salary as they begin to rebuild (which is more likely, I would say) and if the hangup in the trade is the Clippers unwillingness to take on that contract, here is where those nice trade exemptions from earlier this season come into play. We could, in fact, get Courtney Lee for...(insert nothing joke here). Thoughts? Poll Do you think the Grizzlies should get Involved in Celtic-ageddon? Yes, get Courtney Lee! Yes, get Lee but ONLY if DA is part of deal. No, let them do their thing, I don't know, but I hate the Clippers so much. 1 votes | Results

Jun 16, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (right) and small forward LeBron James addresses the media after game five in the 2013 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT LeBron James and the Miami Heat have been here before. Down 3-2 in an NBA Finals series, heading home for Games 6 and 7. We know what happened the first time. We know LeBron came up small in the biggest moment of his career up to that point. We know the Heat failed. We know the Dallas Mavericks went on to win the championship. But that was different. At least, that’s what the Heat are hoping. LeBron was simply a prince then. He shied away from pressure. He relied on a Dwyane Wade to get him out of trouble, sometimes even a Chris Bosh. Things are different now. He welcomes it now, as a King should. LeBron: "We've got an opportunity to do something special and we look forward to it." — Ethan J. Skolnick (@EthanJSkolnick) June 17, 2013 He’s saying all the right things, now it’s a matter of putting together his best game of the season so far in order to save his fellow super friends. Just like they have done time and time again to LeBron in the past. During the summer of 2010, the Heat came together to win Championships. Nothing else. In order to do that they have to win Game 6, worry about Game 7 later. LeBron says that we’re going to see if this team has improved from the 2011 squad that failed in this same situation. It’s almost like poetic justice. Hasn’t anything that the Heat accomplished been that? When the Big Three came together, many thought it would be easy. They thought they would just bulldozer through the League. That isn’t/wasn’t the case. Then again, when is it ever that easy. In 20 years we’re going to look at this team in one of two lights. We’re either going to look back at a moment that changed the NBA forever with the implication of “Super Teams” OR we’re going to look back at one of the biggest disappointments in NBA history. The bust of superstars coming together. Either way, LeBron is going to be at the center of it. His legacy could very well hinge on his next two games. We’re either going to put him in the conversation of best ever, or he’s going to be put into the category of a freak talent that never closed the deals in Finals. If Miami and LeBron lose this Finals, James would be 1-3 in Finals series. Definitely not fit for a king. Especially not King James. So, have the Heat improved psychologically — and as a team – since 2011? Not sure, but we’re definitely about to find out. This is going to be fun.

Let me be perfectly clear about this: I was supposed to publish this piece last Wednesday, and I’ve been stalling, because Dexter Pittman’s brief sojourn with the Memphis Grizzlies was so short, so remarkably nondescript and totally useless that I have almost nothign to say about it. So I was thinking that I would write some sort of humorous dialogue between Pittman and coach Lionel Hollins about how useless his time was, but then two things happened: Lionel Hollins got sent packing by the Grizzlies I realized that Dexter Pittman is just a dude, who is making money playing professional basketball, and I probably shouldn’t make too much fun of him, because he didn’t do anything to deserve my heaping scorn on him. This blogging thing is a funny business. We’re here to write things tahat you want to read about the basketball team that you ostensibly love watching. But what happens when that turns on a player? Why did I feel the need to ridicule Dexter Pittman for not being very good, when I’m sure he plainly realizes that playing 20 minutes spread across 7 games and scoring exactly two points is not a recipe for longevity in the league? What good does that do anyone? Dexter Pittman’s time as a Grizzly was pretty dadgum useless. So no, Dexter Pittman’s time as a Grizzly was pretty dadgum useless. He essentially served no purpose other than to fit in a trade exception, and give the Grizzlies another second round pick which, if the Heat win the title this year, will literally be the last pick in the draft. But you know what? Who cares? He’s a guy doing a job, filling a spot on the roster. I hope that his career takes a better turn after being waived this year, and that he finds a way to stick around, because I don’t know Dexter Pittman and to mock him makes me a small person. After the trade that sent Marreese Speights and Wayne Ellington in exchange for Jon Leuer, I seem to remember Lionel Hollins saying in a press conference after a game that he didn’t have anybody to play backup center anymore. (You know, even though Darrell Arthur and Leuer were both on the team, and it was clear that the roster would have to be filled out.) Well, Lionel, you got Dexter Pittman, and you played him 20 minutes and then he got waived, because he’s not at a level where he’s an effective NBA rotation player. But, readers, that’s no reason to be a jerk on the Internet. Anybody can do that. Grading Production: Nope.General Grizznosity: What?Clutch Performance: LOL Overall Grade: Incomplete. Poll How would you grade Dexter Pittman's season as a Grizzly? A B C D F I thought I was voting for Sonic milkshake flavors Burger King Incomplete 5 votes | Results