Memphis Grizzlies 2009 Draft

The Memphis Grizzlies are a consistently horrible team that made a huge mistake when trading Pau Gasol to the Lakers. The only solid players on the Grizzlies roster are Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo. They are an extremely weak team that needs extreme improvement in size, especially at the center position where Marc Gasol is currently the starter. The Grizzlies were blessed with the #2 pick in this year's draft.

At pick #2 the Grizzlies should draft:
Hasheem Thabeet - Connecticut
C
7'2" 267 lbs.

Thabeet is the tallest player available in the draft which is the main reason that the Grizzlies will pick Thabeet. Thabeet compares with the great Dikembe Mutombo. His rebounding and blocking abilities are just sick and his extremely long wingspan doesn't harm those abilities. His lowpost scoring is commendable as well. His biggest weakness is his tendency to put the ball on the floor instead of just going straight up to score. His post game needs some small fixtures. Thabeet will start whereever he ends up, especially in Memphis.

At pick #27 the Grizzlies should draft:
DaJuan Summers - Georgetown
SF
6'8" 243 lbs.

Summers' assist stats may not show it, but he is a very unselfish player, letting his teammates get into a rhythm before he looks for his own shot. At 4.3 rpg, his numbers aren’t very impressive, but his leaping ability and wide shoulders allow him to clear out space and get to the glass. Summers is an athletic, explosive wing player, whose muscular physique makes him a very promising talent. Summers depends on his strength too much to get by his defender as his first step is not first class and his stroke is fairly smooth, but he takes too long to get his feet set and he tends to dip the ball before bringing it to his shooting pocket, which dramatically slows down his shot release.

At pick #36 the Grizzlies should draft:
Jeff Adrien - Connecticut
PF
6'6" 235 lbs.

Adrien is a college teammate of Thabeet's and their chemistry with eachother would be helpful to Memphis. NBA teams are more likely to take a chance on a guy like Adrien, who is undersized at the power forward position because of the recent success of similar sized players such as Paul Milsap, Jason Maxiel, and Leon Powe. Adrien is extremely tough and is very passionate. His huge weakness is his lack of speed, defensive ability, and athleticism. Adrien also is not that godd of a shooter.

Predicted 2009-2010 record: 19-63