The Grizzlies decided to give former first round pick Marcus Williams a chance to re-establish himself this season but it just hasn’t worked out. He is bending the rim at a alarming rate this season. Williams is shooting 37.1% from the floor, 21.9% from the three point line and 67.9% from the free throw line this season. He has played in 30 games (1 start) for the Grizzlies this season and he is averaging 12.4 minutes, 3.7 points, 1.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. The Grizzlies shouldn’t let Williams play much until his shot gets sharper.

The Grizzlies need more out of back-up point guard Jamaal Tinsley. He has played in 34 games (1 start) for the Grizzlies this season and he is averaging 16.0 minutes, 3.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Tinsley is only shooting 37.3% from the floor and 19.4% from three point range this season and that is just not good enough. The Grizzlies took a big chance in bringing in Tinsley and it has not paid off as of yet.

Starting point guard Michael Conley doesn’t have the kind of game the Grizzlies need. He has played in 34 games (all starts) this season for the Grizzlies and he is averaging 30.1 minutes, 10.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The Grizzlies need a pass first type of point guard to run the offense as they already have enough scorers on the team. It looks like Conley will be safe for the rest of this season as long as the Grizzlies don’t make a big trade to bring in someone like Andre Miller of the Blazers who would be a perfect fit on this team.

The Memphis Grizzlies won this game with their shooting as they hit 52% from the floor last night. Mike Miller led the way for the Grizzlies with 25 points and 4 rebounds. Pau Gasol was a beast in the paint as he finished up with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocked shots. Juan Carlos Navarro was outstanding off of the bench with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists in only 27 minutes. Bobby Jones got a rare start and he ran with it as he scored 20 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, dished out 7 assists and stole the ball 3 times. The Grizzlies improved to 11-28 on the season with this win.

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The Grizzlies spent a lot of money on Darko Milicic in the off-season with the idea of starting him at power forward but he has been a disappointment. In 4 games in December, Milicic is averaging 27.5 minutes, 2.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per game. He also is shooting a horrible 21.7% from the floor this month. The Grizzlies are stuck with Milicic so they hope he starts playing better soon.

The Grizzlies signed Jacobsen in the off-season because of his shooting prowess which is the only real skill he brings to the table and he’s been really off. Jacobsen is only shooting 36.4% from the floor and that just won’t get the job done. In his first 16 games of the season Jacobsen is averaging 14.0 minutes, 3.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. If his shooting doesn’t improve soon he will get nailed to the end of the bench for the Grizzlies.

Damon Stoudamire hasn’t played well lately and he’s been losing playing time to Chucky Atkins. In his last 7 games, Stoudamire is averaging 23.1 minutes, 5.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He also is only shooting 34.8% from the floor in those games and that needs to improve or his minutes will continue to diminish.

Eddie Jones has the look of a totally washed up basketball player. He’s bringing absolutely nothing to the table and doesn’t really deserve and playing time. He has played in 23 games this season and is averaging 18.2 minutes, 3.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists. He’s also lost his only exceptional skill which is his shooting. He’s only hitting 29.5% from the floor and he’s only hit 10 of 50 (20%) of his three point shot attempts.