Marc Gasol against Meyers Leonard (Photo : Getty Images Sport)
The Memphis Grizzlies are struggling in the NBA and are fast losing their contender status.
All the buzz in the West concentrated on five teams: Warriors, Clippers, Rockets, Spurs and Thunder. All these teams, except for the defending champion Warriors, made significant improvements this summer.
The Memphis Grizzlies used to be in that league, but they seem to have stagnated. While the talk of their decline was dismissed to be overblown, their opening week record speaks otherwise.
Now, the rumors are starting that Coach Dave Joerger is on the hot seat. ESPN's Marc Stein did admit that the Grizz was not given any favors with their tough schedule, but the team was still disappointing.
"Yet it's the manner of the three defeats, sources say, that has led to fears within the organization that owner Robert Pera won't wait long to make a drastic change," Stein said. "The Grizzlies lost their home opener to the Cavs by 30, got blitzed soon thereafter by Cleveland's conquerors in the NBA Finals by an unfathomable 50, then fell behind by 26 points in the Pacific Northwest before settling for a 19-point defeat to the Blazers."
The Warriors are undefeated, but despite how they downplay it, losing by 50 points (119-69) is embarrassing, to say the least. The Blazers were supposed to be a much weaker team, but they also won convincingly over Memphis.
Their fans are already debating on whether to push the panic button, as shown in Beale Street Bears. While there are already trade rumors involving the team (Mario Chalmers), this is not seen as a real solution.
"The team just may need to be blown up in order to win a championship. It doesn't sound like much fun, but is it really fun to go to the playoffs every year only to get crushed by the Warriors, Thunder, or some other Western Conference contender?"
Is this the last season of the Memphis Grizzlies as we know it?
