NBA 2013: Hollins Frustrated With Grizzlies' Lack Of Center Depth

Marc Gasol, con la camiseta del Akasvayu Girona, durante la disputa del tercer partido de los cuartos de final de los play-off de la liga ACB 2007-08 en el Pabellón Olímpico de Badalona. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lionel Hollins has been left scrambling to fill the center position beyond Marc Gasol for the Memphis Grizzlies following the trades of Mo Speights and Hamed Haddadi.

The Grizzlies were outmatched by Luis Scola and Marcin Gortat when Gasol got into foul trouble in the Grizzlies' 96-90 loss to the Suns.

"One of the issues that I have is that neither Darrell (Arthur) or Ed (Davis) are fives. We don't have another big guy. We weren't able to play big and have two bigger people across the board because we don't have a bigger guy to put in the game."

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/225979/Hollins-Frustrated-With-Grizzlies-Lack-Of-Center-Depth-Following-Trades

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NBA News 2011: Marc Gasol Off The Market?

Image by Getty Images via @daylife
The Grizzlies are finally stepping up to the plate, first by overpaying Rudy Gay to make sure he stayed in town, and more recently by inking Zach Randolph to a contract extension. Randolph was understandably concerned about what the might be on the horizon for his team before he committed the bulk of his prime to Memphis, and he liked what he heard. First and foremost, his front court mate - Marc Gasol - is expected to be re-signed, as well.

"It feels good to know I'm going to be in Memphis for another four years. It feels real good. A little bit at the beginning of the year I was distracted by it (the lack of a new contract). I put it out of my mind about halfway through the season. I haven't been thinking about it lately until now. I'm glad that it's done and I'm staying here. But I definitely want Marc here with us."

It is precisely the front court pairing of Randolph and Gasol that has made Memphis a tough customer all season. Even as they've dealt with injuries at other positions, the fact that they have two big men who patrol the paint and puts points and rebounds on the board in bunches has helped them stay in the playoff chase. The two combined for 49 points and 23 rebounds in Game 1 in San Antonio, which the Grizzlies won 101-98.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?STORY_ID=19486

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NBA News 2011: Grizzlies pulling off rare feat on … defense?

Image by Getty Images via @daylife
We’re at the point now where it will be a surprise if Memphis does not make its first post-(Pau) Gasol playoff appearance, which shouldn’t be shocking, considering how close this group got last season and the talent level of its young core. Toss in another monster season from Zach Randolph — a guy who is totally unguardable for at least 75 percent of the league — and a win total in the mid/high-40s should have been the expected outcome for the Grizzlies.

What might be a bit surprising is how the Grizzlies have made their push over the last 20 games, in which they are 14-6. Over that span, they have played defense at a level only a half-dozen or so teams have reached this season. Those teams are known defensive royalty. The Grizzlies are not, and it was their borderline top-10 offense that carried their shaky defense to 40 wins last season.

That has flipped this season. The Grizzlies have jumped all the way to eighth in points allowed per possession, and in their last 16 games, they have allowed just 101 points per 100 possessions, according to Hoopdata. That is just about what the Hornets, Bucks and Spurs have done for the course of the season, and it’s a stingier mark than the Lakers and Mavs have put up.

http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2011/03/03/grizzlies-pulling-off-rare-feat-on-defense/

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NBA News 2010: Why Greg Oden Will Be One of the Best 5 Centers in the League

Image by Buou via Flickr

In 2007, with the No.1 draft pick, the Portland Trail Blazers chose a stud on defense named Greg Oden who was expected to use his size, athleticism and skills to dominate on defense in order to make his team a title contender.

To this point, Oden has shown that he can be what the Blazers need him to be, but his health is the biggest concern for their center's and franchise's future in this very competitive league.

What's impressive about Oden is, not only that he can contest shots in the paint and clean the glass, but he also can bottle his man while helping out his teammates since he is a terrific one-on-one defender in the post. He has held Timmy, Noah, Marc Gasol and Jefferson to very bad shooting days.

Offensively, he has a short arsenal of moves to be considered as a threat which can score 30+ against few opponents, but he has a nice hook shot with either hand, he can finish strong with a dunk, he can lay up and with his size, he's tough to guard.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/505639-dominant-presencewhy-greg-oden-will-be-one-of-the-best-5-cente

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NBA News 2010: Serbia tops defending champ Spain

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Serbia knocked defending champion Spain out of the world championship Wednesday when Milos Teodosic made a long 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds left for a 92-89 quarterfinal victory.

Spain erased an eight-point deficit in the final four minutes to tie it on Marc Gasol's basket with 25 seconds remaining. After a timeout, Serbia patiently ran its offense until Teodosic -- 1-of-7 on 3-pointers at that point -- pulled up from straightaway, well beyond the arc.

To foul or not to foul. That was the question facing Spain in the final seconds against Serbia on Wednesday, writes Chris Sheridan Blog

"He's a great player and he has a great feeling for the big shot," Spain coach Sergio Scariolo said.

The Spaniards couldn't get a final shot off, with Jorge Garbajosa losing the ball after a timeout. Serbia's players celebrated at midcourt as Spain's Sergio Llull kicked the ball deep into the stands.

"I think it was a very, very tough game. Maybe the best one until now in Istanbul," Serbia coach Dusan Ivkovic said.

Serbia advanced to face Turkey in a semifinal game Saturday.

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/olybb/news/story?id=5546777

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