Counting on continuity

It may have been the Grizzlies’ first practice of the season at FedExForum on Tuesday, but it sure didn’t feel like it.

There was Rudy Gay throwing down a thunderous dunk; there was O.J. Mayo hitting jumper after jumper; there was Mike Conley running the floor; there was Zach Randolph finishing at the rim; and there was Marc Gasol making his presence felt in the paint.

All of the key components from a Grizzlies squad that experienced a 16-game improvement in 2009-10 were on the court, looking every bit as cohesive as they did when they rattled off 15 wins in 19 games in December and January last season.

“The first team, you could tell we’ve been together,” said Rudy Gay, who participated in his first official practice since re-signing to a multi-year deal with Memphis. “We know how each other plays and what to do. Last year we were kind of getting to know each other and didn’t get off to the best start. Now that we’ve been together for that year, we’re gelling. It makes it easier for us to get into the season.

“Of course, it’s not about us. It’s about the other guys that we added in and how they gel with the first group and how they learn the offense.”

While the Grizzlies return a starting unit that won over half of the 65 games they played together last year, there were indeed still plenty of new faces at the Coventry Health Care Practice Facility.

Lottery-pick Xavier Henry and free agent acquisitions Tony Allen and Acie Law made their Grizzlies debuts and were joined by four free agents—NBA veterans Luke Jackson, Kenny Thomas and Damien Wilkins, along with Tre Kelley—who donned Grizzlies practice jerseys while the ink on their freshly-signed contracts dried.

“Everybody came with a lot of energy,” Mike Conley said of his teammates, both new and old. “We had some times where we made some miscues, and that’s expected, learning some new things with a lot of new guys learning the system. Guys were out there playing hard.”

Though there was a healthy mix of Bluff City newcomers in the bunch, the continuity on the practice court was evident. In addition to the starting five, key reserves such as Darrell Arthur, DeMarre Carroll, Hasheem Thabeet and Sam Young all return hoping to continue to improve and contribute in their young careers. On the sidelines, Coach Lionel Hollins and his staff enter their second full season at the helm.

“It’s huge having the guys you’ve been around for a while, the same coaches and guys who have played in the system,” Conley said. “Everybody is about winning this year. We’re all about the same goal. As long as we do the things together as one unit, we’ll be fine and we’ll accomplish that.”

As always, winning is the ultimate goal, especially coming off of a promising 2009-10 campaign. Expectations are raised and there is a genuine buzz around the team as Coach Hollins has the Grizzlies in a position to make a run for their first postseason berth since 2006. But he knows he can’t rely on continuity alone to take the team to the next level.

“Every training camp is different and everything has to be built from scratch,” Hollins said. “The continuity is the fact that they’ve played together and as we go further they’ll know each other’s games a little bit better. They’ll understand (the coaches) a little bit better and how we coach, but that’s the only thing the continuity really gives to you.

“You still have to build it; the chemistry, the teamwork, the effort all has to be built right here in training camp.”