Memphis Grizzlies Practice in Spain

BigFootFool's Preview:

The NBA season is still weeks away, but all over the United States and the World NBA teams have begun preseason practice, exhibitions, and scrimmages all to prepare for the regular season that doesn't matter.

Following a Wednesday Scrimmage in which Pau Gasol's team lost to Darko Milicic's (largely due to 13th year veteran Damon Stoudamire) 34-40, the Grizzlies headed over to Pau Gasol's Homeland, Spain. In Spain they will be gearing up for a Tuesday matchup with Unicaja Malaga. Unicaja Malaga of course being spanish for "Has sex with a goat".

The Griz barely scraped 22 wins last season and hope to have a repeat of their '05 and '06 playoff runs of 0-4 and 0-4 respectively. The differences in this Grizzlies line up are not surprising, but the front offices look startlingly different. No more Jerry West. New GM and most of that office has been overhauled. Marc Iavaroni has taken over the reigns left by Tony Barone, Mike Fratello, and Hubie Brown.

Many Grizzlies Fans are hoping to see Phoenix Suns type numbers from the pupil of Mike D'antoni, but should just hope to see a winning season again in Memphis. Seeing a winning season shouldn't be that surprising because the thinnest PF in the league, Pau "I have a beard" Gasol, is starting the season uninjured, as is starting PG Damon Stoudamire (not to be confused with arthroscopic knee surgery Amare Stoudemire that JTExperience has a huge boner for).

Soon to be the best rookie in the NBA (Mike Conley II), has been challenging Stoudamire for the starting spot, but will probably be relegated to clean up and relief when Damon starts remembering how old he is.

Other tools the Grizzlies will be using this season.

Mike "the lesbian PE teacher" Miller

Darko "I'm a crazy Serbian" Milicic

Rudy "Gay Husky" Gay (a little redundant)

Hakim Warrick (I'm not making fun of Hakim ... he'll fuckin' kill me)

This is the Grizzlies team for the next year and I look for them to make nearly as big a turnaround as the Warriors did last year. I still think when they moved from Vancouver we shoulda called them the Fighting Elvises!

JTExperience's Preview:

Fool, I think you hit it right on the head, pretty much, so I'll be brief.

• Hells yeah I got a boner for STAT! Who don't? I want him to have my children.

• Darko's been freed. Darko and Pau together will kick some ass once they get used to playing together.
  

• I think Junior Conley will play a bigger role than you think. Kyle Lowry Esquire will challenge him for playing time, and we'll see a lot more of these guys with less of Creaky Knees StoudAmire as the season progresses.
  

• In Ivaroni's style of play, look for the Stro-Show to have a breakout 8th year in the league. I just feel it; it's his time.
  

• The Grizz are young and stacked. Pau, Darko, Gay, Stro, and Warrick look like a pretty damned good frontline. Junior, Lowry Esq., Michelle Miller, Juan Carlos Navarro, sharpshooter Casey Jacobsen will be REAL good after a little seasoning, with Ole' Creaky lookin' after 'em. That's runnin' 11 deep right there, not counting three other cats, of which Tarence Kinsey showed a lot of promise late last year.
  

• Yes, Hakim Warrick will fuckin' kill you. He might even add the g on the end.
  

I bet they can win at least one playoff game this year. They'll fasho be one of the most fun teams to watch, next to Phoenix and Golden State. It's just too bad that they're the gayest team in the league, with two of their top 3 players being a lesbian P.E. teacher and a dude whose name actually is 'Gay.' ::sigh::