Grizzlies sign free agents Gardner, Taylor and Rogers

MEMPHIS, September 28, 2009 - The Grizzlies have signed free agents Thomas Gardner, Leon Rodgers and Mike Taylor, finalizing their training camp roster, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Taylor, a 6-2, 165-pound guard, joins the Grizzlies after spending the 2008-09 season with the Los Angeles Clippers, where the 23-year-old averaged 5.7 points, 2.1 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 15.1 minutes in 51 games (five starts). The Chicago, Ill. native became the first NBA D-League player ever to be selected in the NBA Draft with the 55th overall pick in 2008 by the Portland Trail Blazers, who traded the former Iowa State standout to the Clippers on draft night in exchange for a 2009 second round pick.

Gardner, a 6-5, 225-pound guard, spent the 2008-09 season with the Atlanta Hawks, where the two-year NBA veteran averaged 1.5 points and 0.4 rebounds in 6.1 minutes in 16 games (zero starts) after signing a free agent contract with the Hawks on Aug. 12, 2008. The 24-year-old Portland, Ore. native and former Missouri star holds career averages of 2.3 points and 0.6 rebounds in 7.1 minutes in 20 career games (zero starts) with the Hawks and Chicago Bulls (2007-08).

Rodgers, a 6-6, 217-pound forward, spent the 2008-09 season with the Jilin Northeast Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, where the Northern Illinois product averaged 35.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 43.5 minutes in 43 games (all starts). The 29-year-old has played professionally overseas in Germany, France, Ukraine, Netherlands and China. The Columbus, Ohio native also participated in the Grizzlies’ Free Agent Mini-Camp at FedExForum from May 11-13, 2009.

The roster currently stands at 18 players. An updated roster is attached. The Grizzlies will hold their annual Media Day from 1-3 p.m. today at the Don Poier Media Center at the FedExForum. Following Media Day, the team will depart for training camp in Birmingham, Ala. from Sept. 29-Oct. 5.

Grizzlies 2009-10 Season Tickets are on sale now and feature all 45 regular season and preseason home games. Grizzlies Season Tickets start at just $5 per game with 6,000 seats available at $10 or less per game. Call (901) 888-HOOP or visit Grizzlies.com. Preseason individual game tickets are currently on sale, with regular season single-game tickets available this Saturday, Oct. 3.