The Grizzlies got punished again last night in Houston. The Grizzlies only shot 39.5% from the floor while allowing the Rockets to shoot 50% from the floor which were two big reasons for the beat down. O.J. Mayo led the way for the Grizzlies in this game with 19 points and 3 rebounds. Rudy Gay (18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists) and Zach Randolph (18 points, 10 rebounds) also had solid games last night for the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies are now 1-8 on the season and they have now lost 7 games in a row.

The Grizzlies will be without rookie center Hasheem Thabeet indefinately as he fractured his lower jaw when he collided with teammate Zach Randolph. Thabeet has played in 7 games (0 starts) so far this season for the Grizzlies and he is averaging 6.0 minutes, 0.6 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. Hamed Haddadi will likely see a bump in playing time until Thabeet is ready to return to action. Haddadi has played in 4 games (0 starts) so far this season and he is averaging 4.3 minutes, 1.0 point, 1.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

The Grizzlies only shot 37.2% from the floor last night and they were outscored 48-34 in the second half last night and those were the two biggest reasons for the beat down they received last night. Marc Gasol led the way for the Grizzlies last night with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. O.J. Mayo pitched in with a decent game finishing up with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Rudy Gay pitched in with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. The Grizzlies are now a very disappointing 1-7 on the year.

The Grizzlies have granted Allen Iverson a leave of absence for personal reasons. Iverson is once again showing how selfish he is by pouting because he’s not in the starting lineup. He has played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Grizzlies this season and he is averaging 22.3 minutes, 12.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. This will definately hurt the Grizzlies as they were counting on A.I. to give them offense off the bench this season. It will be interesting to see how willing the Grizzlies are to take back Iverson when he decides that he still wants to play. They could play hardball with him the same way the Knicks did with Stephon Marbury or they might try to trade him to a team that he can start for. It would be a shame to see Iverson’s career end this way as he still has the skill to help a team. Iverson has now played in 889 games (877 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 41.4 minutes, 27.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

UPDATE: Allen Iverson has been waived by the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies just fell a tad short last night at the Staples Center in L.A. Rudy Gay led the way for the Grizzlies in this game with 33 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Zach Randolph was very solid around the basket finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. Mike Conley did a good job of running the offense as he finished with 16 points and 6 assists. The Grizzlies are now 1-6 on the season.

The Grizzlies got thumped 38-24 in the third quarter last night and it was too much for them to overcome. The Grizzlies didn’t play any defense last night as the Lakers shot 50.5% from the floor and they also outrebounded the Grizzlies 49-37 which helps explain the beatdown. Rudy Gay led the way for the Grizzlies with 22 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals last night. Zach Randolph also had a great game with 21 points, 15 rebounds and 2 assists. O.J. Mayo pitched in with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. The Grizzlies are now 1-5 on the season.

The Grizzlies outrebounded the Warriors 46-35 but they didn’t play any defense as the Warriors shot 54% from the floor and that did them in last night. Rudy Gay led the way for the Grizzlies last night with 29 points and 8 rebounds. Allen Iverson was very solid off the bench last night with 18 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists in 28 minutes. Zach Randolph was tough around the basket for the Grizzlies in this game as he finished up with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. The Grizzlies are now 1-4 on the season.

Allen Iverson made his Memphis Grizzlies debut on Monday and it wasn’t as a starter.  Iverson was not happy about this and let it be known stating, “I had a problem with my butt from sitting on the bench so long…that’s the only thing I had a problem with.”  Iverson played only 17 minutes, where he scored 11 points.  He added 18 points in 28 minutes last night, so he is averaging 23 minutes per game in his first two games this season. Now Iverson should definitely be getting more than 23 minutes a game, but I’m not so sure Iverson should be starting.  Didn’t he learn anything while with the Pistons?  He is not going to start over O.J. Mayo at shooting guard and he is not a true point guard, so he wont start over Conley.  What he can do is accept his role and thrive under it.  He could be a great scoring option of the bench, bringing a spark to the offense.  He should get 30-35 minutes a game off the bench and play down the stretch when it matters.  Iverson said, “go look at my resume, it will show you that I’m not a sixth man.”  Iverson needs to realize that he is a 34-year old 6-footer who is not the same player he was a few years ago.  Yes, he can still light it up, but he is nowhere near the player he once was.  The Grizzlies and Iverson need to come to a middle ground before he poisons this team.  They are 1-4 now though, so I may be siding with Iverson as the starter soon if things don’t improve.

Marc Gasol is reminding a lot of Grizzlies fans of his older brother Pau who used to play for them when he first came to the U.S. from Spain. The difference between the two brothers is that Marc is tougher around the basket. Gasol has played in 4 games (all starts) for the Grizzlies so far this season and he is averaging 34.8 minutes, 19.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.5 blocked shots per game. The Grizzlies are pleased with Gasol’s offense but they really hope he keeps up the good work on the glass and on defense because almost all of the other starters on the team are offense first players.

The Grizzlies outrebounded the Kings 57-40 in this game but it didn’t matter as the Kings were super hot from three point range hitting 56% from there. O.J. Mayo led the way for the Grizzlies in this game with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Zach Randolph had a monster game with 30 points and 16 rebounds before fouling out. Rudy Gay was also outstanding with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 2 steals. Marc Gasol was effective around the rim with 16 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots. The Grizzlies are now 1-3 on the season.