Memphis Grizzlies: Should The Grizz Have Chosen to Rebuild?

With an aging roster and a low ceiling in the West, was this summer the time for the Memphis Grizzlies to rebuild and plan for the future?

The Memphis Grizzlies made the NBA playoffs last season, but it’s hard to view their 7th place finish in the West as a positive result. Wracked by injuries, the Grizzlies limped into a four-game sweep by the San Antonio Spurs, an outcome that surprised nobody.

Now, the Grizzlies are aging. All indications are that they’ve hit their ceiling, and some analysts have called for a rebuild, and the official end of the Grit ‘n’ Grind era.

If you have a team that has reached the absolute pinnacle of what it can achieve and is aging quickly, the line of argument goes, it might be time to tear it all down and start again.

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This line of argument is wrong; the Memphis Grizzlies made the right decision by keeping their core together over the summer.

Mike Conley’s contract drew hundreds of quick reactions and hot takes, but it guaranteed the team’s future for the next few years and was the right move to make.

First of all, this is a good team that will probably be in the playoffs (barring injury) this April. The roster is old, but it’s not ancient yet, and there’s enough talent to make a postseason appearance more likely than not.

Memphis has established itself as a team that nobody looks forward to playing, and that shouldn’t change if everyone stays reasonably healthy.

This team may not win a championship, but it’s worth debating whether or not a ring should be the absolute, final valuation of a roster. Of course, every team wants to win at the highest level, but there is a lot of value in fielding a skilled, competitive team on a yearly basis.

The Grizzlies have accomplished some stunning playoff upsets over the last several seasons, and it’s brutally unfair to call those failures because they didn’t result in any finals appearances.

If Memphis chose to sell off its pieces and tank for draft picks, this team would be very bad for at least several seasons. This much is obvious, but losing 60+ games could be suicide for a small-market team. The Grizzlies don’t have the appeal of the Lakers or the 76ers.

“It’s no small accomplishment to consistently make the playoffs, and any team in that position is only a few lucky breaks from even greater success”

This isn’t a knock on the Memphis fan base, as the Grizzlies have a strong support base that makes them easy to root for when the playoffs roll around every year.

Rebuilds are long, though, and they’re a pain to suffer through. Economic realities alone make it worthwhile for this team to stave off shaking up this roster as long as possible.

Finally, rebuilding is hard and risky. The 76ers look poised to make a leap in the next few years, but they’re still very far away from being truly good, and teams like the Lakers aren’t in much better shape.

Everything has to go right for any team to get the first overall draft pick, and even a pick in the top five doesn’t guarantee a future superstar. If a GM swings and misses on a high pick, then a year of losing can be all for nothing.

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The Memphis Grizzlies may have reached their ceiling, and they may struggle at times this season. Nonetheless, their ownership made the right decision to keep the core together. It’s no small accomplishment to consistently make the playoffs, and any team in that position is only a few lucky breaks from even greater success.