Daily Memphian
Chris Herrington
Chris Herrington has covered the Memphis Grizzlies, in one way or another, since the franchise’s second season in Memphis, while also writing about music, movies, food and civic life. As far as he knows, he’s the only member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association who is also a member of a film critics group and has also voted in national music critic polls for Rolling Stone and the Village Voice (RIP). He now splits his time between Minneapolis-St. Paul, where his wife works, and Memphis.
This two-part column ranks the Memphis Grizzlies’ roster based on value going forward.
The conceit: Imagine the NBA was expanding this summer. Facing an expansion draft in which teams are forced to leave a portion of their rosters vulnerable to being poached, how would the Grizzlies prioritize their current players?
It’s not as simple as merely ranking the best current players. Other factors come into play: growth potential, trade value, age, contract status, franchise direction.
That direction is now a rebuild, which colors these rankings.
It’s the kind of thinking that might guide the contract and trade decisions to come this summer.
This is an excerpt of this story. To read more, please click here and subscribe.