2017 NBA Playoffs Roundup, Day 13: DeRozan Dominates, Bye Bye Bucks And Spurs Get A TP TBT
Memphis In Memoriam
Another season of commendable Grit-N-Grind, another postseason ended by the Spurs. But with so many key role players hitting free agency this summer and the season ending in the first round again, how does this franchise move forward?
Marc Gasol (2018-19, player option for 2019-20) and Mike Conley (2019-20, player option for 2020-21) are locked in for the foreseeable future, so the Memphis Grizzlies will retain their two pillars for long enough.
Mike Conley told me earlier he wanted to play Game 6 with no regrets. He shouldn't have any. Franchise in his great hands moving forward.
— Michael Wallace (@MyMikeCheck) April 28, 2017
The fans are still turning out in droves at the Grindhouse, and even without a championship parade down on Beale Street yet, they still appreciate a consistently good, hard-working, easy-to-love team like this.
Watching that series — even one that ended in a home loss with Tony Parker turning back the clock and Kawhi Leonard stealing people’s souls — it was hard to come away feeling anything other than optimistic about Conley, Grit-N-Grind and this team’s future under head coach David Fizdale.
Don’t forget, the Grizz were missing both Tony Allen AND Chandler Parsons on the wings for this entire series.
Outside of Gasol and Conley, however, the question remains how Memphis will assemble a true title contender as their marquee players enter their early and mid-30s.
Even this summer presents problems in that respect, with the 35-year-old Zach Randolph, 40-year-old Vince Carter and 35-year-old Tony Allen all being an unrestricted free agents, plus JaMychal Green being a restricted free agent.
With the perennially injured Parsons already looking like a bad investment, the Grizzlies may need to look to get his contract off the books in the near future, especially if they go on a spending spree to retain Z-Bo, Allen and/or Green this summer. Even if someone did want Parsons though, will Memphis really invest in such an aging albeit lovable core?
Next: 10 Random 1st Round Playoff X-Factors We Weren't Expecting
No matter which path they choose, the Grizzlies will either be capped out for space, capped out at their ceiling or capped out at max capacity for fan endearment. Grit-N-Grind won’t ever look the same as it did this year or in recent years, so enjoy the 2016-17 season for what it was before the summer brings the winds of change.