A Sanguine Requiem for the Current 2021 Memphis Grizzlies

Learning how to look to the future optimistically while properly appreciating the present is difficult. Things can always be better in our brains. They either used to be better than this or will be better than this. How about this though? This is pretty good. It may not even be that important this time next year. But, this, is pretty good. Remember when that, the previous this, was bad? Not even looking forward to the next day. When that was your past this, but that is no longer this? Sure, by now you’re confused and realizing I didn’t go to school for creative writing. Good for you. I would be proud to be able to recognize poor writing when I see it. Maybe in the future I will. But, for now I am just happy to be a fan of the 2021 Memphis Grizzlies. SMOOTH TRANSITION RIGHT? The franchise I’ve been cheering for in varying capacities since I was 11. I always had favorite players on other teams, but always wanted the Grizz to win. They did not do that for many years. But! Then they did. Grit N’ Grind was born. They beat a number 1 seed in the playoffs. They made it all the way to the western conference finals. It was very fun. They fell off after that. Gave it a few try’s but never reached that level again. Guys got older and drifted away. Then they were very bad. Still fun, playing hard, but bad. Now the future looks bright. The future can always be bright. The present though? This? This isn’t always that way. So I’m trying to enjoy that. Because this is almost over. Cheering for a sports team means you always get to look towards next season. Some faces might be different but that city and the name of the team is the same almost every time. But living in the past is encouraged for sports fans. Nostalgia has always been important to narratives and winning people over. Even the worst parts of sports bring people together. Sometimes even more than the good times. Everyone knows how to handle a win. Losing is much harder. Community helps that. But, reminiscing will only get you so far before you get bored and frustrated with the present. This will become that soon.

I didn’t know if I wanted to be a dad. I guess I always assumed I would be. A strange assumption looking back. Assuming you’re going to be half responsible for another life and having a small part in creating one is BOLD. I had one serious relationship before I was 26, and even calling it that feels a little juvenile now. I talked to the love of my life everyday for years before I knew she was that. She got pregnant, it didn’t fully take, we grieved, and tried to move on. The proper amount of words that could be given to that experience would be lengthy and melancholy. That’s not what this is right now. She did get pregnant again soon after. Now I’m looking at being a father this summer. It’s easy to look forward to that. It’s better to enjoy this moment right now. The foundation of what’s to come.

The 2017-18 season was horrible. Mike Conley had only played 12 games due to injury, Chandler Parsons hadn’t worked out at all, Jarell Martin played the 3rd most games for the team. Coach David Fizdale started 7-12 and they fired him. J.B. Bickerstaff took over and they finished on a 15-48 clip! Marc Gasol played in 73 games, but Tyreke Evans was their 2nd best player. It was Gasol’s worst shooting season of his career at 42%, along with the most turnovers of his career. They went 22-60 and everyone knew it was time for a change if things didn’t get better. They drafted Jaren Jackson Jr. and brought in some veterans to help.

When I moved back from Chicago in 2019 I knew I was in for my lifelong relationship. Hers or mine. Whichever ends first. Ideally, both at the same time. We had discussed having children together but weren’t “trying” and just waiting to see what happened. The amount of life change during the pandemic and having a life together can be overwhelming. But, having the person I want to spend most of my time with makes everything feel easier. We are moving into a new house. Getting all of it ready. We are moving into it after some of her family members passed away. An ending begat a new chapter for us. Wanting to keep this house in her family and starting our new one all in one. Keeping their memory alive while creating new ones. It’s what we do as humans everyday.

In October 2018 there was hope the Grizzlies could give it one more run. The Grizzlies began the 2018-19 season in with Conley, Gasol, Chandler Parsons, JaMychal Green and Garrett Temple as their starting 5. Fans knew it wasn’t the best Grit N Grind has to offer, but maybe they can get into that middle of the pack of playoff teams. They were blown out by the Pacers, then beat the Hawks and by game 3 Jaren Jackson Jr. was starting against the Utah Jazz. They won that game 92-84. The Grizzlies started the season 12-5. Amazing start considering what they had on their roster. A feeling I was used to as a fan. They always overachieved. When they underachieved it was because they had previously overachieved so much. They set their own bar. It was not a championship or bust. After a 5 game win streak to get them to that previously mentioned 12-5 record, they finished the calendar year going 6-13 for a 19-18 record. Not terrible but something was off. That feeling continued and they lost 16 of the next 20 games until the trade deadline. They traded Marc Gasol to the Toronto Raptors for Jonas Valanciunas, C.J. Miles, Delon Wright, and a 2024 second round pick. The Raptors went on to win the NBA championship thanks to Kawhi Leonard and a little help from Marc. I was very happy for him with a tad of bittersweetness to it. The Grizzlies went 11-15 down the stretch. They ended the year on a win against the resting Warriors with a lineup with the top 5 most minutes played by Delon Wright, Bruno Caboclo, Ivan Rabb, Tyler Dorsey, and Justin Holiday.

Due date for our little girl, we are naming her Valley, is July 31st. They say it can come 2 weeks before or after that too. I’m ready to be a dad. Having a steady line of work, taking care of all that needs worked on around the house, and more practical things I am anxious to take care of in our lives. We don’t have traditional gender roles in a lot of ways. I do the laundry and dishes. I take care of our dog and run errands. She works a lot and makes more money. I enjoy the reversal. But I do worry I don’t do enough. As a unit we make a stable team. We balance each other out. She brings out my best and I hope to add some positivity to her life. I care more about the emotional, physical, and mental health of my daughter than the more tangible elements of life. I want her development to be full of joy and understanding how the world works.

After the season the Grizzlies fired Bickerstaff in a necessary move, Chris Wallace was finally removed as executive, and they hired Taylor Jenkins. A young up and comer with a Coach Pop recommendation. They drafted Ja Morant at number 2 overall. It felt like a new team already. Soon after they traded Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz for Grayson Allen Darius Bazely, Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver, and a protected 2020 first round pick. They had already traded Bazely to the Thunder on draft night for a future pick and Brandon Clarke. They signed Tyus Jones, traded for De’Anthony Melton, and started the year with a rebuilding outlook. The starting lineup in game 1 in the 2019-20 season was Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks, Jae Crowder, Jaren Jackson Jr, and Jonas Valanciunas. They lost that game by 20 and from opening day to January 1st they went 13-21. They weren’t full on tanking anymore. They were trying to develop. One year of tanking, and now we are here. The future starts. In the month of January they went 11-4. You saw glimpses of what they could be. Ja, Jaren, Dillon Brooks, Jonas, and Brandon Clarke looked like a real foundation for a team. They lived inside the 3 point line, and they were in the top 5 in rebounding and assists. They turned the ball over too much, shot free throws poorly, and in the bottom 10 of three pointers. The defense was bad too, but that’s to be expected with a young team. Fans knew there was something special with this group. They made it to the play in game, and lost to the Blazers. The bubble experience wasn’t great but their ability to even get where they had gotten was impressive. This team was ready to take the next step just after one season.

I am working on being present all the time. Having a baby has made me look ahead in ways I hadn’t before. It makes you question all your past decisions that could’ve made their life easier. Things I could have done so when she gets here there won’t be as much to worry about. But, there will always be things to worry about. No matter how much money and time you have there will still be issues that arise. It makes it a whole lot easier, but everyone has their own problems. We have a wonderful support system, her parents are the hardest working and generous people I’ve met. I have no doubt our child would probably be better off with them. Having them there to guide us in anyway is enormously helpful. My grandmother is equally generous and willing to help anyway she can. Friends to the amount that would cause us to count on all four of our hands that would do whatever we needed. I feel so fortunate. It makes me want to be better because of that luck.

The 2020-21 season started against the Spurs on December 23rd with Ja, Dillon, Jonas, Kyle Anderson and Grayson Allen. Jaren Jackson Jr. had torn his meniscus and out for most of the year. They started 15-15 and stayed around .500 most of the year. Ja Morant became a star, Dillon Brooks has become a favorite of people who don’t even watch the Grizzlies, Jonas had his best season of his career, and the bench was arguably the deepest in the NBA. They had 9 players average over 9 PPG and play over 20 minutes per game. The defense was top 6 in the league! The offense had risen to league average. They still don’t shoot three pointers well, but the other improvements evened that out where they finished the season at 38-34 and had a team of lovable guys who all had their moment. They made it to an 8 seed in the playoffs. They are expected to be swept or maybe get one game. They got that game immediately. Game 1 in Utah they win 112-109. Utah didn’t have Donovan Mitchell, but it was still a nice win. Dillon went for 31, Ja for 26, and they had 12 steals as a team. It felt great. They subsequently lost the next 3 games. They kept them all close. At some point in the second half in all 3 of those losses they were winning or within 2 points. Game 5 was another story. The Jazz stepped on the gas and Grizzlies ran out of it. That’s how it goes sometimes.

The past may be memorable, and future may be bright, but I’m appreciating the present. Marc Gasol and Mike Conley were so fun to cheer for and watch for 12 years. They won so many games and made it very fun to cheer for a team with no history. They are the team’s history now. Marc got his championship, and I’m hoping Conley can get his this year if things break right for this Jazz team. The future with Ja, Dillon, and Jaren seems fun. I’m looking forward to getting to watch what they become. Currently though, I am loving this group. They are flawed. Ja can’t shoot threes well enough to scare anyone, Dillon takes bad shots, Jonas & Kyle Anderson are too slow sometimes to help when they need it, Their bench, while deep, isn’t consistent enough to really make a difference when it matters. Jaren is coming off a serious injury and isn’t back to himself yet. BUT…. Ja is incredible and knows how to take over in crunch time towards the end of games. Dillon Brooks plays harder than just about anyone and has been the best player for them in the playoffs. He guards the other team’s best player the entire game and puts up 25+ points. His intensity is contagious and I love it. Jonas is a monster in the paint and makes life so hard for opposing big men. Grayson Allen, Desmond Bane, Kyle Anderson, De’Anthony Melton, Xavier Tillman, Tyus Jones, and Brandon Clarke have all contributed in such ways that I actually trust them. That’s 11 guys I trust on this team. I can’t remember having a team like this to root for previously. I’ve just enjoyed every game. Even the frustration of not being able to keep the Jazz from make 17+ threes a game, the officiating being porous, and the struggling on offense to keep up has been part of the fun. They need a lot to take the next step. They need Brandon Clarke to get back on track to where he was a year ago, and they need Ja, Jaren, and Dillon to keep improving. I haven’t even mentioned Justise Winslow’s disappointing return from injury. I’m cheering for him. But, I do hope they don’t pick up his option for 13 million next season. Assuming they don’t, they will have 30+ to sign some help. And next season is the last season most of the team is under contract. There’s a chance 2021-22 is going to be the last ride for the team as it is now. That’s to be expected. The better the top gets the more the supporting cast must change to accommodate those great players. But, look at me getting ahead of the present. It’s an easy thing to do. Our brains always are looking for what’s next or looking back at what we had. I will be nostalgic for this group, no doubt, maybe even by next season. For now though, I am loving every minute of the youngest team in the NBA, and the 2nd youngest team to make the playoffs in the last decade. Being young means you have potential. Having potential means there’s a chance you don’t live up to it. The development along the way is where we spend most of our time. I want to be present for all of it.

I started thinking of my future while thinking of the Grizzlies because my love for them has risen as my love for my future child has as well. Having a baby has made me lose interest in some things and latch on even more to others. I want to appreciate everything I have while I have it. I want to do a healthy amount of worrying but never too far towards frightful. I am so excited to bring this girl into the world. I want to take her to see Ja Morant in 6-7 years. Explore Beale Street and buy her a little jersey. I want the future to be bright. I’ll worry about that when I get there. For now, I’m happy with the present.