Grit-n-Grind The Second Act (NBA 2K19)

[hoopla32]

Rosters: Attention to Detail Roster
MyLeague Sliders: Schnaidt1's Game Play Sliders
My League Settings: Barnsey
Miscellaneous: 30 Team Control; 82 games; 7-7-7-7 Playoff Format; Progressive Fatigue Off; Team Chemistry On


Background
With Marc Gasol and Mike Conley on the trading block (in real life), I wanted to rebuild the Grizzlies around Jaren Jackson Jr. I traded Gasol and Conley, gathered a couple of of 1st round draft picks in semi-realistic trades, and I was on my way.

MyLeague Operation
I will provide some form of update for most games. I will rarely do in-depth write ups of games, but I will post full boxscores or, at the very least, the top performers and outcomes of most games. Typically, I SuperSim the first 3 quarters of a game and play the 4th quarter as long as the game is within 10 points. I will post league-wide updates at the end of each month.

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Re: Grit-n-Grind The Second Act (NBA 2K19)

Memphis Grizzlies Season Updates

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Re: Grit-n-Grind The Second Act (NBA 2K19)

NBA Season Updates

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Re: Grit-n-Grind The Second Act (NBA 2K19)

The end of an era is always something that’s hard to truly accept. It’s always something that fans of that team go through a period of denial. Something that can cause grief for a passionate fan. Even if the aforementioned “era” is one that didn’t provide high end dominance but, over a sustained period of time as very successful in a climate not naturally predisposed to success.

Such is the case for the Grit-n-Grind Memphis Grizzlies. The Grit-n-Grind Grizzlies who, for a number of years, were a playoff staple and seemed to be built for the playoffs. No matter the seeding, they were game for a highly competitive playoff series. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

Memphis neared the 2018-2019 trade deadline with a miserable record. By the February 7th deadline, their 17-39 record was the third worst in the league. For the second straight season they Grizzlies were headed towards futility. The writing appeared to be on the wall: it was time to think about a rebuild. Weeks before the deadline, that exact thought and discussion had been circulating around the Grizzlies front office. They just had to find a way to talk themselves into parting ways with long time, beloved franchise staples in Mike Conley and Marc Gasol.

“It was not an easy realization to come to and it certainly wasn’t easy shopping Mike and Marc to the rest of the league. I’ve seen their entire careers unfold up to this point and it’s been a real joy,” Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace commented after the season.

Finding trade partners for Gasol and Conley proved to be tricky. Despite their value as players and what they could provide to teams with championship aspirations, an aging 34 year old center is not something most teams were willing to give up a valuable asset for. In order to possibly receive a desired 1st round pick or young asset, Wallace knew he’d have to sweeten the pot for a potential suitor.

“Marc, as great and as beloved as he is, was a tricky situation. On the one hand, he could provide an instant boost to a team hoping to contend. But finding a contender salaries to match, while not stripping their roster too much, was not simple,” Wallace said. “We had to be careful in our approach.

Eventually, the Grizzlies were able to find a buyer for Gasol two weeks before the trade deadline: the Lost Angeles Lakers. In exchange for the Gasol, the Lakers sent the expiring contracts of Tyson Chandler and Lance Stephenson, along with a top-5 protected 2020 1st round draft pick.

A deal for Mike Conley would prove to be more tricky. “We worked hard, right up until the deadline, seeing if we could find a good spot for Mike and get a return we thought was favorable for us,” commented Wallace. Conley will be owed $32M in the 2019-2020 season and has a $34.5M option for the 2020-2021 season. Finding a team willing to pay Conley nearly $67M over the next two seasons was not an easy task.

It was reported by sources close to the situation who followed the Conley trade negotiations closely, that Memphis looked at two groups of teams: young, bad teams with unfavorable contracts that might be willing to give up a bad contract and a 1st round pick for a better player in Conley, or a playoff caliber team looking to improve with a 2.5 year window to still compete with Mike as their floor general.

In the end, the Phoenix Suns who possessed Ryan Anderson’s $20.5M contract proved to be the perfect suitors. Memphis was also able to finagle a 2021, top-3 protected 1st round pick from the Suns.


Grit-n-Grind was over. The door had closed on a memorable 10+ year era of Grizzlies basketball. Tough, blue-collar teams who personified the city’s small market, blue-collar lifestyle. A city who offered raucous support for their team. For now, though, the Grizzlies will hitch their wagon to Jaren Jackson Jr. and the bucketful of 1st round picks they now possess.

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Re: Grit-n-Grind The Second Act (NBA 2K19)

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[michaellowll]

Re: Grit-n-Grind The Second Act (NBA 2K19)

good luck in your rebuilding