Reaching playoffs becomes top focus for Grizzlies

Lionel Hollins isn't a big believer in one year spilling over to the next. Sure, the Grizzlies took a step, several in fact, in the right direction last season. But what that means for the upcoming one is worth about as much as a game-worn Zach Randolph headband.

New game, new headband.

"It's not about keeping momentum going," said Hollins, in his third stint as Grizzlies coach, going back to the franchise's time in Vancouver. "We're just trying to get better. Next season is totally different from last season.

"We've got to build a team that plays together and plays hard, has a good work ethic and competes every night. We're excited about where we are and where we came from, but we've still got a long ways to go."

The Grizzlies won 16 more games last season than they did in 2008-09 despite being the league's youngest and least-experienced team. They overcome their youth with some serious talent, assembling a roster built around athleticism and good old-fashioned muscle.

Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo both had USA Basketball tryouts, with Gay making the squad for the FIBA World Championship. Randolph (a first-time All-Star last season) and center Marc Gasol developed into the best rebounding duo in the league, while Mike Conley emerged as a capable point guard.

Still, the second-best improvement in the league left Memphis 40-42, 10 games short of the playoffs in the Western Conference and in the lottery for the fourth straight season. Breaking that cycle is a major challenge in the always-loaded West; hence an active summer in Tennessee.

Memphis demonstrated its commitment to the future by locking up Gay with a five-year contract for more than $80 million on the first day of free agency. The move shocked many league observers who expected Gay to survey the market and the Grizzlies to play it cheap.

The Grizzlies weren't done. Signing defensive-minded veteran Tony Allen away from defending East champion Boston filled a void in Memphis' backcourt behind Conley and Mayo.

"We need some veterans and we needed a defensive player, and I think he's a guy that can stop people," Hollins said of Allen. "He can play both one and two, and he can guard those positions, and he can guard some threes. That's a good addition for us as we go forward."

The Grizzlies also signed general manager Chris Wallace to an extension, but there have been speed bumps. First-round picks Xavier Henry and Greivis Vasquez remained unsigned in an odd contract standoff that kept Henry out of Summer League.

Assuming both situations get resolved, Hollins will have a deep team that hasn't lost any significant pieces.

"Having the whole group together for another year is important, not just Rudy and O.J., but Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, Zach," Hollins said. "The younger guys have gotten better every year. We added Zach [last year] and we're adding Tony Allen this year."

And while winning 40 games last season doesn't seem that impressive, consider the Grizzlies failed to notch more than 24 the previous three seasons. A new season brings an opportunity to get out of the lottery rut.

"We've got to at least make a 10-game improvement, but we don't know what that standard will be this year to be the eighth team," Hollins said. "The eighth team in the playoffs [Oklahoma City] was a 50-win team, so it's going to be tough.

"We just go out and compete, meeting the challenge every night and at the end of the season we'll see how many wins we have and see where it puts us as far as the playoff position."

Under Contract: F Darrell Arthur, F DeMarre Carroll, G Mike Conley, C Marc Gasol, F Hamed Haddadi, G Lester Hudson, G O.J. Mayo, F Zach Randolph, C Hasheem Thabeet, F Sam Young, F Rudy Gay (re-signed)


Free Agents: C Steven Hunter (Unrestricted), G Jamaal Tinsley (Unrestricted), G Marcus Williams (Unrestricted)

NBA Draft: Xavier Henry, Greivis Vasquez
Free Agents: F Rudy Gay, G Tony Allen, G Acie Law
Trades:

Free Agents: G Ronnie Brewer
Trades:
Waived:

Art Garcia has covered the NBA since 1999. You can e-mail him here and follow him on twitter.

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