The third pick belongs to the other expansion team, the Vancouver
Grizzlies.  The GM is:

  Carl Linder

The Grizzlies select:

  Stephon Marbury

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I. Team Needs/History
        The Vancouver Grizzlies finished their first year in the NBA at
a league worst 15 wins and 67 losses, a record which included a 19 game
and a 22 game losing streak. The Grizzlies obviously don't want to
finish 29th overall again next year.
        Although they probably most need a Power Forward, most likely
the Grizzlies will be trying to pick the best player still availible
when the draft. Also, some top prospects have stated unhappiness at the
idea of playing in Vancouver or Canada as a whole, which complicates
things greatly.


   A. CENTER
        After a slow start at the beginning of the year, 7 foot center
Bryant Reeves had a promising rookie season after he claimed the
starting spot from Benoit Benjamin(!), who was traded to Milwaukee at
the end of November. As a starter, Bryant averaged a healthy 15ppg and
8.5rpg. Reeves has a few good post-up moves, and didn't have problems
scoring on even the best opposing centers. He also was able to knock
down 15-to-18 foot jumpers on most nights, causing opposing centers to
have to guard him on the perimeter if his post game wasn't working. On
the defensive end, however, his lack of quickness and low jumping
ability hurt him, which shows up in his steal and block numbers.
However, usually he was able to contain his man and rebound well because
of good positioning. Though by no means horrible, Reeves isn't the
greatest passer out of double teams and should probably work on that
during the off-season. Also, Reeves didn't have the foul problems that
many people predicted. He averaged less than 3 fouls a game over 31
minutes and he fouled out of only 2 of 77 games.
        The back-ups last season, Eric Mobley and Rich Manning, did a
fair job. Rich Manning was basically an IR player for most of the
season, and he was even waived once, so he wasn't really a major
contributer. Eric Mobley, though the coaching staff wasn't enamored by
his work ethic all the time, showed his athleticism by blocking shots
and dunking, but had huge troubles at the line, where he finished at
about 45%. All in all, when he wasn't injured, he was one of the better
back-up centers in the league.
        All in all, the Grizzlies have a center combination that's young
(Reeves was a rookie, Mobley in his 2nd year) and has a lot of potential
to improve.


   B. POWER FORWARD
        Power Forward was the Grizzlies' most revolving and undermanned
position. Free-Agent signee Ashraf Amaya finished the season as the
starter, and over his 34 started games averaged 8 points and 7 rebounds
over 25 minutes. Pretty good for a man who tried out at a walk-in camp
last summer. Undersized for a 4 at 6'7", Amaya is an effort player who
gets a lot of hustle points and rebounds by chasing down loose balls and
such. If the Grizzlies resign him (he's a FA), he looks to be a pretty
good role player down the road.
        The other PF on the roster at the end of the season, Anthony
Avent, really had a bad time in the expansion environment. Though prone
to mind-boggling turnovers and the owner of a horrid 38% field goal
percentage, Avent was an adequate rebounder, averaging 5 boards in just
over 20 minutes of play. He's a Free Agent an his $900,000 salary, his
FG%, and his turnovers are all going to leave via Free Agency.
        Kenny Gattison was the other Grizzlie PF, but he injured his
neck in late January, and that ended his career. He was traded to
Orlando for Jeff Turner, who was consequently released, to free up cap
room for next season.
        This is one of the positions that the Grizzlies need the most
help on, since both PF's are free agents, and only one going to be
attempted to re-sign.


   C. SMALL FORWARD
        Chris King ended up being the Grizzlies' starter for most of the
NBA season. He opened up the season with flying dunks that he threw down
on opponents with regularity. But after opposing players started backing
off and making him shoot outside jumpers his FG% dropped dramatically.
King continued starting, however, since there really wasn't any other
options (Doug Edwards isn't *really* an option and Gerald Wilkins was
injured). After the All-Star break, King's outside stroke heated up. He
started knocking down threes, and by the end of the season, he lead the
Grizz with a .389 three point percentage. King is a Free Agent, and the
Grizzlies are going to have to come up with more money than he got last
year to re-sign him.
        Gerald Wilkins, a converted 2-guard, started most of the games
that King did not. Wilkins couldn't really find his shot after coming
back from being away for over a season (37% FG, 21% 3PT), in addition to
having huge troubles with the Grizzlies' motion, screen-based offense.
He's a Free-Agent, and he apparently doesn't think he will be back,
since he (according to him) doesn't really fit in.
        Doug Edwards, the Grizzlies' resident bench warmer, spent half
of the season on the IR with shin splints (yeah right). He was out of
shape when he came to training camp and has said that he "wasn't into
basketball" at the beginning of the season. Doug was probably
Vancouver's absolute worst pick of the expansion draft since he has a
big contract for the next two years, which the Grizzlies will just have
to wait it out.


   D. SHOOTING GUARD
        Throughout the season, Blue Edwards was the workhorse at the 2
spot. Averaging over 30 minutes per each of the 82 games he started, he
was the only Grizzlie not to miss a game. Blue is a incredibly streaky
player; on some nights he'll shoot the lights out and on others he'll
blow layups. One thing is for sure, only his shooting suffers; he'll
still give you great defense and hustle.
        Backing up Blue at Off Guard was the aged veteran Byron Scott.
In general he had a disapointing season, shooting only about 40% from
the floor and 33% from three-point range. Still, he was the first option
off the bench. Even though his stats weren't great, there were some
games where he was the Byron Scott of Lakers fame. He was an excellent
off-court leader throughout the season, and is likely to be resigned to
a one or two year contract.
        The third shooting guard on the roster was Lawrence Moten. The
Grizzlies first ever second round pick showed great scoring, averaging a
point every two minutes. Lawrence also was the point guard back-up to
Eric Murdock when Greg Anthony was injured. Stil, most of the time Moten
was chained to the bench because of his bad Free Throw shooting and his
horrendous defense.
        The FOURTH shooting guard on the roster at the end of the season
was Purdue rookie, ex-Atlanta Hawk, runner-up CBA rookie of the year,
and 10-day contract signee Cuonzo Martin. An incredibly popular player
on r.s.b.p, Cuonzo finished the season as the NBA's three point
percentage leader, going three-for-three over 4 games and a total of 19
minutes. He may be abck next year, and there really wasn't much to judge
him by.


   E. POINT GUARD
        Managing an astounding 18 technicals in 69 games played (8th in
the league!), Greg Anthony started 68 of the 69 games he played for the
Grizzlies this year. The Grizzlies' first pick in the expansion draft,
Anthony improved incredibly on his New York Knick numbers, and was up
above 16ppg and 8apg before injuries really slowed him downover the last
third of the season.
        The games that Anthony didn't start were started by Eric
Murdock. Acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks at the end of November,
Murdock didn't get much playing time for the first month he was on the
Grizzlies, playing third-string to the ever fiesty Darrick Martin. Then,
Darrick was traded to the TimberWolves and Murdock got his chance. Eric
started the season off horrible in Milwaukee, and didn't find his groove
with the Grizzlies until a bit after the All-Star break.
        This is probably the most questionable position going into next
year. The team has an option on Mudock's contract, and Anthony, as shown
by his technical numbers, was very unhappy with the constant losing that
Vancouver had to face. Both players are good enough to be a starting PG
on many playoff teams, and most likely one of them will not be on the
team come November.

************************

Everywhere is one big hole. Though they seem to have pretty good centers
and guards, the forwards *really* didn't do it over the course of the
NBA season, so PF and SF are probably the most urgent positions. Amaya,
Murdock, and King played well late, but injuries weighed them down as
the season finished. One thing that the real Grizzlies don't want is
headcases. A day after Byron Scott spoke out about Benoit Benjamin's
lack of effort (OK, Byron didn't really name Benoit specifically),
Benoit was sent to Milwaukee.

Right now, though, the best, non headcase player. As always, trading
down is an option.


II. Your Selection (and explanation)

Stephon Marbury, PG, Georgia Tech. Stephon is obviously a great talent
and will likely be an All-Star point guard before long. Incredibly
athletic, Stephon can run the fast break or play out of a half court
set, and he also can knock down jumpers with three-point range. Though
the Grizzlies already have Eric Murdock and Greg Anthony, neither are
likely a long-term answer at their positions. (Note: Stephon isn't
really high on Vancouver. He's quoted as saying it's too far away. If
this draft really happens, expect Stephon to be traded)


III. Others considered (and why considered)

Ray Allen, SG, UConn. His fluid scoring and offensive ability drew many
comparisons to Michael Jordan. In my opinion, he's more like Mitch
Richmond. A pure scorer, Allen needs to work on his man-to-man defense
to make the transition to the NBA. (Picked)

Allen Iverson, PG, Georgetown. Though he isn't really a natural point
guard, he has become a very good shooter and he is *incredibly*
athletic. He wouldn't fit in well with the Grizzlies, since he would be
running an up-tempo game, which most likely would cause Bryant Reeves to
catch "Othella Harrington Syndrome". Iverson to a reporter asking him
about playing in Canada: "No Comment." (Picked)

Marcus Camby, C/PF/SF?, UMass. Though Camby had a great junior season,
he doesn't seem to have the NBA body of a PF (let alone a center), and
his offensive game has a big chance of not translating to the NBA.
Though a great shotblocker, many question his ability to play defence
against much stronger opponents. Marcus Camby on who he'll hold
pre-draft workouts for: "I'll only work out for Philadelphia and
Toronto."

Kerry Kittles, OG, Villanova. Even though Kerry's stock dropped
incredibly as his senior year went on, he still is a great all-around
player and probably will make many NBA GM's hit themselves in the head
for not taking him. He plays intelligently, is a good defender, can hit
the open shot, and he moves incredibly well when he doesn't have the
ball in his hands. The main reasons his stock dropped were his sub-par
season which included groin injuries, triple teams and such.

John Wallace, PF/SF, Syracuse. A big showing in the NCAA's raised his
stock considerably. During his senior year he drastically improved his
perimter shooting. Wallace's post-up moves aren't great, and there have
been many questions about his attitude and work-ethic. I'm still not
sold on him, since he's a bit under-sized for a PF, and he doesn't have
the right skills to be an NBA small forward.


IV.  Who the team will probably take

Who knows. It basically all depends on the first two picks, since the
Grizzlies have shown interest in everyone from Ray Allen to Stephon
Marbury to Steve Nash and beyond. There are rumors flying about as
always about draft-day trades, but most likely the Grizzlies will stay
at 3rd overall. And who shall be taken there? I would say Ray Allen will
be their first option. If he has already been picked by Toronto or
Philly, then either Allen Iverson or Stephon Marbury will go 3rd overall
and they will probably be traded.


V.  Free Agents
(who should they keep?)

Ashraf Amaya, PF. Definitely. Amaya was the starter for the last 34
games, and played well. He's strong, and is a tremendous effort player.
He could be a great role player in the future (averaged 8 points and 7
boards). Hey, he's the only Grizzlie who wears a mouth guard, you gotta
love him!

Anthony Avent, PF. Nope. He can rebound, and not much else. He isn't
even that good of a rebounder.

Eric Murdock, PG, Team's Option. The Grizzlies should keep him around if
they don't draft a Point Guard or if they trade Greg Anthony. Even
though Murdock struggled when he first came to Vancouver and didn't get
a lot of playing time, he played well late in the season and when he
started in place of Greg Anthony. In a few words, the Grizzlies wouldn't
lose much with him starting instead of Anthony.

Chris King, SF. As long as his asking price isn't too high. He can drive
to bucket and dunk, and now that his outside shot has picked up
defenders have to play up on him. He has said he is worth at least 1
million a season since that is what the averge starting NBA small
forward made 3 years ago. With the Grizzlies' lack of small forwards, he
would be great to have around, especially if he can play like he did
over the last 3 months.

Rich Manning, C. He's the IR player. If the Grizzlies have any extra cap
room or roster room, they'll probably keep him. If they don't, he'll
probably end up in the CBA.

Byron Scott, SG. Most likely. He was the off court leader for the
Grizzlies through their dismal first season, and he always give 100%.
He's a classy and seasoned, and would be great to have around for the
young players. Also, he can still hit the outside shot.

Gerald Wilkins, SG/SF, Team's Option. He isn't going to be back. He had
a bad season, due partly to the season and a half off, due partly
because he had NO place in the Grizzlies' offensive game. Wilkins
himself has said he isn't going to be back because he doesn't fit in.


VI.  Other moves that the team should make
(In no particular order of importance)

1) Re-sign Amaya and King! Even though they most likely aren't future
stars, both showed that they could play in the NBA, especially late in
the season.

2) Acquire another Power Forward.

3) Trade to spread the SG depth around (Byron Scott, Blue Edwards,
Gerald Wilkins, Lawrence Moten, and Cuonzo Martin were all on the roster
at the end of April), especially if they draft a shooting guard.

4) Let Moten play and live with his mistakes. He has the talent to be at
least an above average off guard in the NBA, but he needs to play (and
work on his defense).

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