BY
FRANK MURTAUGH | JUNE 25, 2007
With the
pining and whining over Greg Oden and Kevin Durant finally behind
us — or is it? — the time is right for breaking down the leftovers, er,
hidden jewels of this week’s NBA draft. Just whom might the Grizzlies take
with the fourth selection in Thursday night’s main event? I’ve heard and
read more opinions on this subject of late than I have on the 2008
presidential field. (The most informed, if you ask me, is my colleague Chris
Herrington’s.) Just so I don’t feel left out, here’s a look at the four
players — in ascending order — who I feel would fit best in Memphis for
2007-08 and beyond.
4) Brandan Wright (forward, North Carolina) — James Worthy, Sam Perkins,
Michael Jordan, Kenny Smith, Rasheed Wallace, Jerry Stackhouse, Antawn
Jamison, Vince Carter: The track record over the last quarter century of NBA
stars from Chapel Hill is too impressive to ignore. While UNC has given us
an Eric Montross here or a George Lynch there, the Tar Heel alumni wing of
the Hall of Fame is worth a glance when considering the merits of Wright,
even if he spent but a single season wearing powder blue. A quick, versatile
forward with a body type that doesn’t appear prone to excessive weight gain
(see Hakim Warrick) is a commodity any NBA team will value. (Some muscle
would do Wright good, though, as upper body strength is generally considered
his biggest weakness. Consider, however, that he’s no more slight than
Durant.) Among the players listed here, Wright would require the most
patience from Memphis fans. He could be a star by, oh, 2011-12.
3) Joakim Noah (forward, Florida) — Tried and true Griz fans see the
same
thing in Noah I see: Pau Gasol with a ponytail. Which is why Noah would be
the perfect pick for Memphis . . . if they trade Gasol. A rangy — “long” —
forward with a nice offensive touch and shot-blocking skills, but a little
shy in the strength department, Noah would be a cheaper version of Gasol,
should the Grizzly brass find the right taker in a deal involving the
current face of the franchise. What I like about Noah is another attribute
he shares with Gasol: supreme confidence at a young age. Noah will take his
bruises against the likes of Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan. But there won’t
be any backing down. He would also bring some rare emotion to the floor for
a team that allowed Mike Fratello’s game face to rub off a bit much.
2) Acie Law (point guard, Texas A & M) — Two words from the hoops
dictionary
I adore: “tough guard.” It’s highly unlikely no, not even remote — that
the Grizzlies would spend the fourth pick on a guard, much less one like
Law, who comes without the “superstar upside.” But what about dealing the
fourth pick and grabbing this warrior a bit lower in the first round? The
Grizzlies have put some good teams on the court, solid defensively if not
electric offensively. But they’ve never been called tough. (When James Posey
is the toughest player you can remember . . . . ) Look at what Deron
Williams has done for the Utah Jazz. A tough guard who wants the ball with
his team down in the last two minutes, that’s a rare commodity. And I’m
convinced Memphis would get a healthy infusion of this kind of grit should
the Law come to town.
1) Al Horford (power forward, Florida) — Charles Oakley and Brian Grant
had
long careers as lunch-pail tough guys for solid teams. Not quite perennial
All-Stars, Oakley and Grant did the muscle work to support stars like
Jordan, Ewing, and Mourning. I see Horford playing a similar role in the NBA
(as he did for his more star-quality teammates, Joakim Noah and Corey
Brewer). Horford’s size and strength would complement Gasol’s interior
finesse game, and likely draw the attention of defenses that have clamped
down on Gasol in recent years. Add Horford to a youth mix that includes Kyle
Lowry, Rudy Gay, and Warrick, and you have what could be a formidable unit
three years from now, if not sooner. Best of all, in adding Horford to the
roster the Grizzlies would infuse an expectation to win. Two national
championships in college will do that to a player. And that kind of winning
is a hard habit to break.
