If Memphis is going to get a basketball team, it will be the Vancouver
Grizzlies. That much is certain, since the Charlotte Hornets backed out of
their relocation application last week. The Flyer asked Don Poier, the
Grizzlies’ play-by-play commentator for the past five years and the official
“voice of the Grizzlies,” to comment on this team.
Flyer: Who are the names to watch for?
Don Poier: First and foremost would be [forward] Shareef Abdur-
Rhahim [20.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 3.1 apg]. He is one of the finest men you will ever
meet and is immensely talented. The joke is that he is the most talented
player in the league that nobody knows about. A lot of that is because he is
up in Vancouver. At 6’9″ 230 [lbs.], he was on the Olympic team and is
highly regarded among coaches and players who know him. He’s just not had as
big a supporting cast around him. That’s the thing.
Tell me about that supporting cast.
Other than Shareef, you’ve got Mike Bibby [15.9 ppg, 8.4 apg] and
Mike Dickerson [16.3 ppg] as the point guard and the shooting guard. They came
from Arizona, where they won the national title. They have developed and
gotten better. Mike Dickerson had a down year because of injuries. He didn’t
keep developing like he did during his second year. He’s the kind of guy who
can slash to the hoop; he can shoot from outside. He was a great three-point
shooter with Houston his rookie year. They are still trying to develop that
with the Grizzlies. With Bibby, his numbers speak for themselves. He was in
the top five in the league this year in assists. He’s a young guy who’s just
starting to grow up. They’re a nice pair. That’s your nucleus of a team, those
three guys.
What are this team’s strengths?
Shareef and his ability to play either forward spot. I think with
Bibby, and Dickerson to a certain degree, the ability to shoot from the
outside. They all like to run with the ball. Of course the key to running is
that you need rebounding and that’s something this team needs to work on.
What are the team’s weaknesses?
They were 27th of 29 teams in rebounding percentage. Out of 29
teams, they were 26th in points allowed per game. And a real key in
basketball, whether it’s the University of Memphis or the NBA, is field-goal
percentage defense. Are they contesting every shot? They were 26th out of 29
teams [in that category]. They need to improve dramatically there and they
know it. That is, I’m sure, high on the priority list of management.
Tell me about the draft.
The Grizzlies will get, at worst case I think, the 6th pick
overall. They’re going to get one good player. I think they are in a position
to take whoever is the most talented player out there. Sure they need help
inside, they need more big people. They need more strength in rebounding and
defense inside.
What else does this team need?
Probably leadership is the biggest thing. The real key for this
team is that they need some guys who have been to the playoffs [and who] know
what it takes to win, so they can lead the young kids who have a lot of talent
but who don’t know how to get it done. These guys will play with anyone. This
team beat Portland twice. But right at crunch-time, the last three minutes of
the game, that’s how you win in the NBA, with the stretch [scoring] run.
What kind of coach is Sidney Lowe?
He played for Jim Valvano at North Carolina State when they won
the national title. He was the point guard for that team. Sidney comes from a
winning background. He was in Cleveland [with the Cleveland Cavaliers] when
they were winning with Mike Fratello. He’s learned a lot of winning things
with Flip Saunders [of the Minnesota Timberwolves]. I just have high regard
for Sid. He’s one of the younger coaches in the league and that’s important.
And he tries to relate to these younger kids and that’s one of the challenges
as the NBA gets younger and younger. He’s very positive, very hands-on. He’s
one of the most animated guys on the sidelines in the league. It’s fun. I’m
usually dodging left and right, trying to call the game and look around
him.
Why has this team been unable to put it together over the last
five years?
The philosophy of the previous ownership was to make draft picks
important, live by the draft picks, and wait for them to get better and grow
into winners. Conversely, with the Toronto Raptors with Glen Grunwald as the
general manager, if something didn’t work, they made a trade. And Glen, I
think, has done an outstanding job of getting better players instead of
waiting for the players to get better. I think a lot of people wish that there
could have been some trades made instead of trying to stick with certain guys
for a long time.
You can e-mail Chris Przybyszewski at chris@memphisflyer.com.
