Memphis Grizzlies: The team sits at a crossroads

The season has been trending downwards for the Memphis Grizzlies over the last six weeks. Do they keep gunning for a playoff spot or embrace the tank?

Monday night’s loss to the Houston Rockets was the Memphis Grizzlies‘ 15th loss in their last 20 games and dropped them to 19-24 on the year. With that record, they sit 14th in the Western Conference, four games behind the current 8-seed, the Utah Jazz.

It was an ugly December and those December blues seem to be carrying over into January. The bad luck continued with the announcement that Dillon Brooks will be out for the rest of the year and Kyle Anderson will be missing the next 2-4 weeks with an ankle sprain. Possible forward replacement Chandler “forever injured” Parsons and the Grizzlies announced they’ll be separating.

New addition Justin Holiday has looked beyond horrible in his six games with the team so far. Holiday is just 5-for-32 shooting and has hit one 3-pointer since arriving to Memphis. He was brought to the team for 3-point shooting and a scoring punch, but has provided neither so far.

Neither J.B. Bickerstaff nor general manager Chris Wallace have pointed to a possible tank yet. If the Grizzlies go down that road, they will surely try to unload Marc Gasol or Mike Conley. Gasol was not a happy camper last year as the Grizzlies tanked last year, throwing out a LeBron James-esque passive-aggressive social media post and just being frustrated.

Even though Gasol is almost 34 years old, he’s proven he’s still a quality big man who can anchor a defense. However, his offensive production has slipped significantly as the year has gone on, casting doubts as to whether or not he can return to a high level. Gasol is making just north of $24 million, so finding a suitable trade partner could be hard, especially if the Grizzlies aren’t willing to take on future salary.

Conley is arguably having his best season so far, but comes with a high price tag: $30 million this year, $32 million in 2019-20, and $34 million when he will be 33. Conley comes with a history of injury problems that may make teams wary, but if the Grizzlies decide to tank, they would be wise to explore the market.

The Grizzlies are toeing a precious line with tanking, as they owe their 2019 first round pick to the Boston Celtics if it falls between 9-30. Right now, the team is tied with Orlando for the eighth pick in the draft. If the Grizz tank, it will have to be outright to be sure they stay in that eighth spot or worse. They can’t afford to be ninth place in the West, which would mean the worst of both worlds with no playoffs and no draft pick.

The Grizzlies’ schedule does soften up a little bit in late January and early February, as they will have a six-game homestand and then some very winnable away games on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks.

This is a precarious time for the Grizzlies. Being four games out is not insurmountable by any stretch of the imagination, but the team’s recent play has put everything in doubt. The trade deadline is about three weeks away, so that window is closing. The next two weeks will decide the team’s fate for the rest of the season, and possibly beyond.