Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE
With training camp only a few weeks away, the Memphis Grizzlies have released forward D.J. Kennedy. Kennedy was acquired in the trade that sent second year guard Jeremy Pargo to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Last season Kennedy averaged 6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game as a Cav.
With Kennedy gone, the roster stands at 13 total players entering training camp. The core remains the same with Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley and consists of role players Tony Allen, Darrell Arthur, Marreese Speights, Jerryd Bayless and others.
If the season started today the depth chart would most likely resemble this:
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Mike Conley | Tony Allen | Rudy Gay | Zach Randolph | Marc Gasol |
| 2nd string | Jerryd Bayless | Tony Wroten Jr. | Wayne Ellington | Darrell Arthur | Hamed Haddadi |
| 3rd string | Josh Selby | Quincy Pondexter | Marreese Speights |
The Grizzlies will look to add a few players coming into training camp. One that I hope the team takes a flyer on is veteran shooting guard Michael Redd. Word is that Redd is looking for more than the veteran’s minunimum and that is the only contract the Grizzlies can offer him. After failing to get Ray Allen earlier in free agency and desperately needing a player that can draw attention to the three-point line, it would not be a huge risk if the team took a flier on the 38 percent career three-point shooter.
There isn’t much for the team to have to fulfill and after last year’s playoff debacle, it is clear that the team has to figure out who will be the alpha-dog amongst Gay, Randolph and Gasol before the season starts and stick to it throughout the year. At most this team could walk away with the fourth seed and at worst a seventh seed, but it all begins in training camp and hopefully this crew can get things sparking before October comes.
