Ultimate 5: The best Grizzlies lineup since '95
While hoops remain on hiatus, theScore's NBA editors will be compiling ultimate starting lineups for each team in the Association. The catch: Only players who have been in the league since the 1995-96 season can be included.
In their 25-year history, the Grizzlies - who played in Vancouver from 1995-2001 before relocating to Memphis - have provided their fans more pain than glory. When the 2019-20 season was paused, the Grizzlies' franchise record was 824-1,161 - a winning percentage of just .415.
However, thanks to a strong run starting in the early 2010s, the team rose from the bottom of the NBA's all-time win-loss record leaderboard. The Grit and Grind era features heavily in this exercise to determine the Grizzlies' ultimate starting lineup since 1995.
Point Guard
Mike Conley
Despite never being selected to play in an All-Star Game, Conley is a clear-cut choice for this list. And it's not like his trophy cabinet is completely devoid of hardware; Conley was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2012-13, and he joins Grant Hill as the only players to win the league's Sportsmanship Award on three separate occasions.
In 12 seasons with the franchise from 2007-19, the steady-handed floor general averaged 14.9 points, 5.7 assists, three rebounds, and 1.5 steals per outing. Thanks to his long tenure, Conley ranks first in Grizzlies history in regular-season appearances (788), points (11,733), assists (4,509), steals (1,161), and made threes (1,086).
Wing
Mike Miller
Including a late-career stint in 2013-14, Miller played parts of seven seasons for Memphis. Over the five-season period from 2003-08, he averaged 14.6 points, five rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 41.2% from long-range. He still ranks second in Grizzlies history for made threes (844).
Miller helped the Grizzlies post the first three winning seasons (and playoff appearances) in franchise history from 2004-06. In 2005-06, he was named Sixth Man of the Year.
Wing
Tony Allen
Though Allen put up fewer than nine points and five rebounds per game in his seven years in Memphis from 2010-17, his defensive intensity was a hallmark of the Grit and Grind Grizzlies. He was consistently tasked with shutting down opposing perimeter stars. For his efforts, he earned six All-Defensive selections (he was named to the first team and second team three times each).
Frontcourt
Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol was the Grizzlies' first star.
From his selection at No. 3 overall in 2001 until his league-altering trade to the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2008, the big Spaniard put up close to 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and two blocks per game. He won Rookie of the Year and went on to become the franchise's first-ever All-Star selection in 2006.
His stint included a three-season stretch from 2003-06 in which Memphis averaged 48 wins and qualified for the postseason each year.
Frontcourt
Marc Gasol
When the Grizzlies acquired the rights to Marc Gasol in the Lakers trade, little did they know that Pau's younger brother would end up surpassing his sibling in organizational importance.
From his debut in 2008 until his trade to the Toronto Raptors midway through the 2018-19 campaign, he averaged close to 15 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and 1.5 blocks per game. Between the two brothers, Marc was the superior defender by leaps and bounds, topping out as Defensive Player of the Year in 2012-13. He was also a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selectee.
The younger Gasol and Conley copiloted the team to seven straight postseason appearances from 2011-17, including a run to the conference finals in 2013.
Just Missed
Zach Randolph
Randolph is the only player to have made the All-Star Game as a Grizzly without being a Gasol brother, earning the distinction in 2010 and 2013. From 2009-17, Z-Bo averaged close to 17 points and 10 rebounds. He was a central piece in the Grit and Grind era, but he falls just short of edging Pau for the second frontcourt spot.
Shane Battier
Battier averaged close to 10-5-2 with over a block and a steal per game and 38.1% shooting on threes in his first stint with the Grizzlies from 2001-06. He provided the steady 3-and-D presence that allowed Pau to blossom into an All-Star, and his immense value would've been better appreciated if he'd entered the league today.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim & Mike Bibby
Don't forget the franchise existed before it got to Memphis. Shareef Abdur-Rahim put up nearly 21 points, eight rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block per game for Vancouver from 1996-2001. For his part, Mike Bibby averaged just under 15 points and eight assists from '98-'01.
However, the Grizzlies never won more than 22 games in any of the six seasons they called Western Canada home. With so little organizational success, it's hard to put serious stock in the core players' individual stats. At least the jerseys looked cool.