Grizzlies brought back to live by West

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Without a single superstar, Grizzlies president Jerry West revived this inept franchise.

His low-key deals have slowly turned Memphis into one of the deepest teams in the league and given the franchise its first chance at making the playoffs.

``We've been fortunate because we have one of the best evaluators of talent ever in the history of the game,'' said Grizzlies coach Hubie Brown, who was hired by West.

As general manager in Los Angeles from 1982 to 2000, West built the Lakers into consistent winners on the shoulders of superstars like Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.

In Memphis, his team matches its uniforms: blue collar.

The Grizzlies have no marquee names, but at least two solid players at each position, and Brown plays a 10-man rotation, rewarding hard-nosed, unselfish play with more time on the court.

``A team is not five guys playing all the minutes,'' West said. ``He keeps players pushing and trying to get better all the time.''

West took over in 2002, a year after the hapless Grizzlies moved from Vancouver. At 65, he was bored with retirement and wanted to transform a bottom-rung team into a contender.

But the Grizzlies were no Lakers, a franchise West led to seven NBA championships as general manager and one as a player in 1969. The best record the perennially awful Grizzlies had ever managed was 23-59.

``It was pretty evident to me that we needed to do things differently around here, and fortunately I have an owner who allowed me some latitude in being aggressive,'' West said.

Now, only forward Stromile Swift remains from the Vancouver era.

Five players in the Grizzlies media guide, which is put out shortly before the season begins, are no longer with the team. Four new faces don't appear.

The no-name Grizzlies have beaten some of the biggest names in the NBA, including the Western Conference-leading Sacramento Kings and Lakers, and set a franchise-record eight-game winning streak.

``The talent level has gone up,'' center Lorenzen Wright said. ``We've got the type of guys who fit Hubie's system.''

With little fanfare, West brought in three players _ Mike Miller, James Posey and Bonzi Wells _ who are among the team's top five scorers and key to its resurgence.

Miller, a strong outside shooter, was acquired from Orlando along with Ryan Humphrey and two draft picks in February 2003, in exchange for Drew Gooden and Gordan Giricek.

Miller played only 16 games with Memphis last season because of muscle spasms in his back, but he's started every game this season, averaging about 11 points and four assists.

``What Mike Miller is doing now is what we expected him to do,'' Brown said. ``He's an excellent passer and he makes the right plays, so we've got another ball handler on the break.''

James Posey, a starter who is averaging about 11 points, came to Memphis from Houston as a free agent.

``He's a great teammate because he's all about winning,'' Brown said. ``When I say he's a real professional, I mean that. You could not ask for a better guy at both ends of the court and in the locker room and off the court.''

The biggest surprise might be Wells, who was traded to Memphis and left his bad reputation behind in Portland. In Memphis, he's also a crowd favorite, a decided change from the Trail Blazers.

Though a starter in Portland, Wells has adapted to spending more time on the sideline in Memphis. Still, he's averaging about 12 points, and scored 30 points against Dallas on Dec. 27.

Brown and West were never concerned about his attitude and gave him a fresh start.

``He's every bit what we thought he would be,'' Brown said. ``Everything about Bonzi Wells has been terrific.''

Perhaps the only stars on this team are Pau Gasol, the 7-foot Spaniard who leads the team in scoring with about 17 points per game, and point guard Jason Williams, who was flashy and unpredictable in Sacramento but has settled down under Brown.

The new players have ``certainly done what we want done here and given us a chance to have a team that we think is pretty competitive right now,'' West said.

So, for now at least, West has no immediate plan for trades.

``You never turn a deaf ear to anywhere you think you can help yourself, but we're not anxious to do anything at this point,'' West said.

Last year, the Grizzlies had their best season in franchise history with only 28 victories. But by the halfway point of this season, they already had 23 wins, following an 88-82 victory over the Lakers.

The only goal now is the playoffs.

``We're trying to get to 41 and 41,'' Brown said. ``Once you get there, you're in the hunt.''

Via Associated Press

Memphis Grizzlies

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Old school coach helps young Grizzlies improve

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) At 70, Hubie Brown is the NBA's oldest coach. So there were some doubts about whether he would be able to relate to his players on the Memphis Grizzlies.

Could he handle a pack of brash young millionaires? Would he be out of step with a team that has an average age of 25?

``For somebody to think you could not relate _ that story is naive,'' Brown said. ``It's not about your age; it's about the substance of the sport and what you're teaching.''

It looks like the Grizzlies are paying attention.

Memphis was off to the best start in franchise history at 17-17, heading into a West Coast road trip this week that was interrupted by a snowstorm, postponing games against Portland and Utah.

It's by far the latest in the season the franchise has been at .500. Last season at this point, the Grizzlies were 11-23.

``Hubie Brown has turned this team around,'' said center Lorenzen Wright, at 29, the team's second-oldest player. ``Hubie gets us organized and tells us how to win.''

Brown joined the Grizzlies in November 2002 after a 16-year break from coaching. He led the Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks in the 1970s and 1980s.

He hasn't changed his uncompromising style. There's still no touchy-feely ego management, and Brown has no hesitation about getting in a player's face.

``When you have such a young group of kids, they don't understand what it takes to be in the playoffs, because they haven't been to the playoffs,'' Brown said.

No one gets special treatment. At his first practice with the team, Brown introduced himself by saying, ``We're going to work on discipline. Either you play or you sit, OK?''

Brown isn't the only coach to show that older coaches can work with younger players.

At 72, Jack McKeon led a young Florida Marlins team to a World Series championship, while 68-year-old Felipe Alou guided the San Francisco Giants to the playoffs. In college basketball, 69-year-old Lute Olson's Arizona is ranked No. 3. The Washington Redskins are bringing back Joe Gibbs, 63, after more than a decade in retirement.

Brown, who has a master's degree in education, said he has no trouble communicating with younger players because he sees himself as a teacher as much as a coach.

``Teaching has not changed,'' he said. ``What it comes down to is demanding the organization, the discipline.''

His players also respect his knowledge of the game.

``There's nothing out there on the court that he hasn't seen, and he's got an answer for everything,'' said Pau Gasol, a 24-year-old who was the No. 3 pick in the 2001 draft.

When Bonzi Wells came to Memphis from Portland last month, he brought along a bad reputation. But Brown gave him a fresh start, demanding only hard work and unselfish play.

Now Wells is averaging 25 minutes and just under 15 points, second to Gasol's 17.5 points. Wells came off the bench Jan. 2 for 21 points and six assists to help the Grizzlies end a seven-game losing streak, their only extended slump of the season.

The same approach worked with point guard Jason Williams, who had a reputation for flashy but unpredictable play. He's now seventh in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio.

To be sure, Brown isn't the only reason for the Grizzlies' improvement. Since April 2002, Memphis has been in the hands of team president Jerry West, who spent 40 years with the Los Angeles Lakers as a player, coach and executive.

West rebuilt the team, bringing in Mike Miller, Earl Watson, James Posey, Bo Outlaw and Wells to join Gasol, Williams, Wright, Shane Battier and Stromile Swift.

Brown uses a 10-man rotation to keep the Grizzlies fresh for the up-tempo play and aggressive defense he prefers. Brown still isn't satisfied, but Memphis is near the top of the league in steals and blocks.

Posey, who came from Houston as a free agent and leads the Grizzlies in steals, said he hopes to be a coach like Brown after his playing days are over.

``With his coaching pointers and things, telling us what to do, I'm always taking notes,'' Posey said. ``I might need to remember this.''

Via Associated Press

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Weather postpones Grizzlies-Jazz game

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Memphis' game at the Utah Jazz was postponed Wednesday because snow and ice prevented the Grizzlies from leaving Portland, Ore.

It was the second straight night the Grizzlies couldn't play because of bad weather. Their game Tuesday at the Trail Blazers was postponed until March 3 because freezing rain and ice made travel dangerous after a storm dumped several inches of snow downtown and in the suburbs.

More than 140 flights were canceled at Portland International Airport on Wednesday.

No makeup date was immediately set for the Grizzlies-Jazz game.

Via Associated Press

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