Prince scored 14 off the bench in his Grizzlies' home debut 1 Feb against the Washington Wizards. Soon (if not tonight), I would hope Prince starts at the small forward position.
Since trading Gay away, Tony Allen has started at SF, while Jerryd Bayless started at shooting guard (Allen's normal position). My opinion - Allen, while a supreme competitor, is undersized at SF. Bayless started the season adjusting to playing backup point guard (behind Mike Conley), with some time recently at SG alongside Conley.
Right now, it seems Gasol, Randolph, Prince, Allen and Conley would be the best starting five, with Arthur (backup power forward, backup center against smaller opponent lineups), Chris Johnson (backup small forward, on his second 10-day contract), Bayless (backup SG) and Tony Wroten (the rookie first-round pick backup PG).
I look forward to see how coach Hollins deploys his guys against a Phoenix team that is struggling, to be charitable.
The Suns are working with interim coach Lindsey Hunter (team is 3-4 since Hunter was installed). PF Channing Frye has been out all season, and his 3-point shooting opens the floor for others. PF Luis Scola and PG Goran Dragic are two weapons Phoenix have counted on all year. Scola's active offense should be a problem for Randolph to deal with, especially in the open court. Backups SG Shannon Brown and SF Michael Beasley have had varying levels of success this year, and could be tough for Memphis' backups to cover.
I could see a 95-90 Grizzlies win tonight. Do not use my guesswork for placing bets. This is strictly for entertainment and discussion/argument purposes.
After the Game: I was close on the score. 96-90 was the final. "Bad" news is Phoenix won. Suns shot 51% from the field, with 52 points scored in the paint. Bayless got 29 off the bench, but Memphis' interior defense was weak. Scola and Gortat had their way inside, and even Jermaine O'Neal contributed offensively.
Tomorrow (Wednesday), Memphis plays at Atlanta, followed by a Friday home game against Golden State. Grizzlies and Warriors are gonna go down to the wire for the 4th spot in the Western Conference, so the Grizz have to fix these problems in a hurry.
After the Game: I was close on the score. 96-90 was the final. "Bad" news is Phoenix won. Suns shot 51% from the field, with 52 points scored in the paint. Bayless got 29 off the bench, but Memphis' interior defense was weak. Scola and Gortat had their way inside, and even Jermaine O'Neal contributed offensively.
Tomorrow (Wednesday), Memphis plays at Atlanta, followed by a Friday home game against Golden State. Grizzlies and Warriors are gonna go down to the wire for the 4th spot in the Western Conference, so the Grizz have to fix these problems in a hurry.
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