| Grizzlies Battling Through Injuries Authored by
Patrick J. Austin
- April 5, 2005 - 3:03 pm
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First it was James Posey, then Pau Gasol, and now it’s Stromile Swift. It gets frustrating, especially when the team gets close to being whole, and then another player goes down.
But some how, this team has persevered and is a near-lock for the playoffs. Much of the credit needs to go to Mike Fratello. Not many people are mentioning him for Coach of the Year, but I would certainly give him serious consideration. He came into a potentially volatile situation and turned things around; and he’s kept this team competitive throughout all the injuries.
The role players also deserve much praise. I’m talking about guys like Shane Battier, Brian Cardinal, and Lorenzon Wright. All of them have stepped up their play big time, especially Battier. He’s been the do-it-all guy. You need him to score, he’ll drop thirty; you need him to play defense, he’ll lock down the opposing team’s best player; you need him to play shooting guard, small forward, and even power forward, he’ll do so with a smile on his face. He’s the consummate role player. Jerry West was smart to get him locked up contract wise. There are a number of teams that could use a Shane Battier.
As mentioned earlier, it looks like Memphis is going to wind up with either the seventh or eighth seed in the playoffs. I’m actually rooting we drop to the eighth spot since we match up much better against Phoenix. Going up against the Spurs for a second year in a row would probably produce the same results as last season(i.e. first round knockout). Though, if Tim Duncan can’t return from his ankle injury, then I’m all for going up against San Antonio.
I hope the Memphis fans feel proud of this team. Many forget how bad they were just two years ago. The strides they’ve made have been incredible and all of us need to appreciate that.
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