Daily NBA Fix: Grit And Grumbling From Memphis And Around The NBA

When is it too early to panic? Five or 10 games in? After the entire month of November?

There isn’t exactly a deadline for when panicking is no longer in the realm of paranoia and has moved on to the certainty of reality. But after last night’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies fans are somewhere in between the two right now, judging from Twitter.

https://twitter.com/MookieOnLock/status/662511175750537216

Despite last night being an acceptable road loss and the Grizzlies being 3-3, it seems several factors, including a 50-point blowout from the Golden State Warriors, has shaken the fan base of one of the Western Conference’s playoffs team from last season.

Time to panic? Time to trade everyone? Is the Grindhouse no more?

More from NBA

• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• Constructing the NBA’s perfect all-under-25 starting five
• Grading every NBA team’s highest draft pick in the last five years

Eh, let’s pump the breaks for a moment.

On the other side of the NBA in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls and their fan base were in a similar situation. They sat at 3-2 going into Thursday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder and a loss against the Charlotte Hornets set off talks of whether Derrick Rose was washed up, if the Bulls needed to break up the team, and, I’m just guessing here, some wondering if Michael Jordan had a few games left in him.

But then Rose went off for 29 points along with seven assists and five rebounds in Chicago’s win over Oklahoma City. I’m not sure if the calls for Memphis to blow up the team have gotten this loud, but in Chicago before Thursday’s win they were loud enough that Rose address them in an interview with Craig Sager after the game.

Funny how a win can change things.

Is it time to panic in Memphis? No, not yet. A rough start to the season doesn’t mean “grit and grind” no longer works, but that doesn’t mean you can’t look at the team and search for improvement. Knowing their offense and second unit could use some help, the Grizzlies have began to address that issue as ESPN reported they are interested in the Miami Heat’s Mario Chalmers.

That is a big difference from blowing up the entire team and declaring the team’s bigger, more defensive approach a failed experiment in the modern NBA. It wasn’t too long ago we were told that a jump shooting team couldn’t win a championship but then the Warriors won a title and it was time for everyone to go small-ball.

The Grizzlies might need to adjust how gritty and grindy their team is, but to declare Memphis a failed state in the world of basketball might be a bit premature.

It’s wasn’t from 96 feet, but…

Dwyane Wade stole the ball with only seconds remaining in the first half of the Heat’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Seeing he wasn’t going to get any closer he heaved up a shot and nearly swished it in from 49 feet away. And unlike Jae Crowder‘s 96 footer from out of bounds, this one counted for three points.

Mavericks Extend Carlisle’s Contract to 2022

The Dallas Mavericks extended Rick Carlisle’s contract for another five years and he’ll be paid $35 million over that time.

There is something to be said for stability in an organization even when things aren’t going as smoothly as planned. It is a different sport, but one of the most successful franchises in the NFL are the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have only had 3 coaches since 1969. I have to imagine Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin have an easier time doing their job when they don’t have to look over their shoulder if the team hits a rough stretch.

The same can be said for Dallas right now by locking up Carlisle. It isn’t his fault the Rajon Rondo experiment didn’t work out, nor is it his fault that DeAndre Jordan backed out of a verbal agreement. As long as the coach has the locker room, I think you need to be very confident in your choice before firing that head coach.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Week 2

Carlisle has time to sort things out as the team rebuilds without the fear of getting axed any time soon. Of course all that is assuming things don’t completely bottom out, which is the exception whether you have the confidence of the players or not.

Chaos rarely breeds a winning organization and perhaps the Grizzlies and Bulls will remember that before hitting the panic button.