Memphis Grizzles Dynasty (vs. Bucks - Game Recap)

From this southern part of the world, a new dynasty is born...
The Memphis Grizzles have done the of the worst player movements in NBA history, letting go Bonzi Wells, James Posey, Jason Williams and Stromile Swift, among others.
People at Memphis started to quarrel, and the quarrel became almost a civil war in the city. Grizzles GM had no choice but to fire Mike Fratello, and was pushed to look down south in search for a new answer to Grizzles dark future... and the answer seems to be in Argentina, home land of the 2004 Olimpic Champions...
TV reportes stated... "in a desperate search to bring peace back to Memphis, Grizzles board of directors decided to hire Andres Susic as the team Head Coach. Susic will be the first Argentinian coach to ever appoint a job in the NBA. "If Grizzles want to stop the riots in Memphis, Susic is the one and only option", fellow Spurs' argentinan Manu Ginobili said in press conference".
Andres Susic grabbed the bull by the horns, and as soon as arrived at his new team decided that rebuilt work must start NOW.
The rest of the story is yet to be written...

Starting Rooster:
Shane Battier F 6-8 220
Antonio Burks G 6-0 195
Brian Cardinal F 6-8 245
Pau Gasol F/C 7-0 240
Ryan Humphrey (FA) F 6-8 235
Bobby Jackson G 6-1 185
Dahntay Jones G-F 6-6 210
Eddie Jones F-G 6-6 200
Raul Lopez G 6-0 175
Mike Miller G 6-8 218
Lawrence Roberts F 6-9 240
Damon Stoudamire G 5-10 174
Jake Tsakalidis C 7-2 290
Hakim Warrick F 6-9 219
Lorenzen Wright C 6-11 240

"The only player that will be surely wearing a Grizzles jersey this season in Pau Gasol... the rest must sweat for a place, and are trade meat if I see any of them not giving 100%" coach Andrés Susic stated uppon beign introduced to his team.



Hi everyone!
My name is Andrés Susic, and I will be posting my first dynasty!
I will be playing most of the times on weekends, updating latest info during the working week.

Dynasty Details:
Season Length: 28 Games
Play Game Quarter Length: 8 minutes
Sim Quarter Length: 12 minutes
Playoff Length: 5-5-5-5
Fantasy Draft: No
Simulation Type: Intervention (will try to avoid simulation, and play all games)
Rules: NBA rules
CPU Assistance: Off
Shot Control: User
Sliders: Andrew's 2.0 (+55 fatigue for the 8 minute qtrs).
Starting Rooster: Andrew's rooster ver 1.15 + player movements until August 9
Difficulty: Superstar
Platform: PC
PC Specs: AMD Atlhon XP 2800+, 512 Mb RAM, ATI Radeon 9600 PRO 256 MB Graphic Card, Samsung 17" Monitor.

Last edited by Argentinian Power on Fri Aug 19, 2005 3:41 am, edited 3 times in total.

Good luck to you Andres!

Good luck, but there was no sign of a civil war here I would like to see you keep the team for awhile though to see how good they actually are before trading most of the people away. I've been waiting on a new Grizzlies dynasty with the new roster.

Suerte Andres!! Good luck with this dynasty...Hope you take it far
Vamos Argentina!

Good luck in this dynasty...can't wait for yourv second game

Looks good man!

Many thanks for all the suport!!!

I would like to see you keep the team for awhile though to see how good they actually are before trading most of the people away.

I will not trade away the team, but a minor adjustment surelly will be made...

I have generated the season, and I will post the Season Preview in a few minutes.

Brief corrections to my previous post:
Sliders: Fatigue is at 60
Season Lenght: It will be 29 games, not 28!
NBA Roosters: I created Fabricio Oberto at Spurs, as C with 61 overall rating.
Grizzles Rooster: I let Ryan Humprey go free agency, and keeped Earl Watson.

Regards!

2005/2006 SEASON PREVIEW

Pre-season Training: New head coach Andrés Susic is determined to make his Memphis Grizzles a counter-attack team, trying allways to explode the transition game, focusing in defensive rebounding and a quick all court passage. In order to achieve that, he instructed the teams coaches to focus the Pre-Season Training 50% on Offense, and 50% on Conditioning. Shooting and Defense will not be addressed at this time, since Mike Miller, Eddie Jones, Bobby Jackson and Shane Battier are already reliable shooters and defenders, and also Paul Gasol and Lorenzen Wright know how to do their homework in the paint.


Season Schedule: The dice has been rolled, and the opening night couldn't have been hardier. Season starts on November 2 for the Grizzles, visiting last season's finalist Detroit Pistons on the Motor City. Ten days later, action moves to Salt Lake City and on November 18 the Grizzles will be hosting their first game, against the Raptors.

This the complete November schedule.


Memphis Grizzles Rooster: After reviewing carefully the raw material on his hand, Andrés Susic followed the advice of his fellow colleague SbHzMaFiA©, the head coach is decided to see the team in action before thinking in major player movements.
Nevertheless, the lack of a reliable back up for Lorenzen Wright and the 4 PG in the rooster are matters that have to be addressed soon, so Susic is already planning a trade involving the ugly faced center Jake Tsakalidis, whos rating of 40 does not appear to be up to the team needs, and the Memphis born Antonio Burks, who could be supporting the team from the IR if Raul Lopez hadn't came to town. Susic is aiming for a back-up C, who should be ready to jump to the court any time Lorenzen and Pau require a brief rest.


Season Expectations: Playing at Superstar level, Andrés Susic is amining at least to clinch a playoff place with his re-born Grizzles.

good luck with the grizzlies

2005/2006 GRIZZLES TEAM ROOSTER


SUSIC SHOWS HIS HAND ON GRIZZLES FIRST TRADE

Memphis, August 9.- Following the arrival of argentinan coach Andrés Susic, the Memphis Grizzles GM has announced the first trade completed by the franchise.
Per Susic's direct instructions, Memphis were looking for a back up Center, deffense minded, and they were likely to loose Jake Tsakalidis and Antonio Burks in the process. After trying, with no success, to lure latvian kid Andris Biendris to Memphis, the Grizzles turned they attention to Milwakee, where they finally got Susic's "B Plan" player for his tactical needs.
Dutch international Dan Gadzuric will be the one who will be wearing the Grizzles jersey this season, with one year remaining on his contract but with the firm intention of convincing Susic that he can stay longer in Tennessee. Having completed this transfer, the Grizzles not only acquire the player they needed, but also reduce their salary cap in 2.59 millions.
"I am very pleased that Susic put his eyes on me", an extatic Gadzuric told Memphis News, "I know he wanted Biendris in the first place, but I will demonstrate him that the 18 year old Latvian could still pee in his pants".
On the other hand, Tsakalidis didn't want to comment on the transfer, being afraid of kids fearing of his face on the TV, and Burke showed himself somewhat happy: "My wife is from Memphis, and they will stay here. So now in Milwakee I will have the chance to have an affair, and before I only could do that when on the road".[/size]

Transfer details:
MILWAKEE aquires Jake Tsakalidis (Greek, 25 years old, C, 40 rating, 2.90m x 3 years left) and Antonio Burke (USA, 24 years old, PG, 46 rating, 385 K x 2 years left) from MEMPHIS, in exchange for Dan Gadzuric (Netherlands, 26 years old, C, 54 rating, 1 year remaining at 695K)


After the trade, the MEMPHIS Rooster will be as follows:



The main problem that Susic faces is not in this season, but the next one. Many contracts run out at the end of 2005/2006, so the argentinian head coach will have to squeeze his brains to decide on which players focus the team's efforts and cap space.

Take a look at the GM Statement:



Head Coach Andrés Susic has been invited by Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith to their show, in order to "preview" the use that he will make of the team for this season, and the next. Here are the highlighted comments made by the Grizzles boss:

On squad size: "I think that having only 1 player on the IR will not harm us at the beggining. After deadline, we will see how fit our team is, and decide if we need to have more back up from free agency".

On the arrival of Eddie Jones, Bobby Simmons, Damon Stoudamire and Dan Gadzuric: "With Eddie and Bobby in the starting lineup, we keep the same defense strenghts we had with Bonzi Wells and Jason Williams, but also add some more 3 pt efficiency. Maybe assists will be reduced, but as I think in a counter-attack team, we cherish more for quick steals and running than fixed plays and good passing. Damon brings experience to the team, and will lead the back-up line, and Dan will make fans not to miss Wirght and Gasol when they are resting".

On having 8 players in their last year of contract: "All our PGs, and our role players Pau Gasol and Eddie Jones are in their last year of contract. Gasol will be surelly be re-signed, no doubt about that. I hope to have enough salary cap to retain Eddie Jones, it depends on how he performs how much he will be asking, assuming he will be 34 years old. Regarding PGs, Damon has a very large contract wage and will have to cut it if he wants to stay, because the effort will be put in retaining Bobby Jackson for this position. With the other contracts (Lopez, Watson, Gadzuric and rookie SF Warrick) we should have no problem to extend, but every player will have to strive and sweat to remaing in this team".

On how he plans to rotate the team: "Almost every player will get their share of minutes. Raul Lopez will start the season in the IR, but if he trains hard we can stand up and alternate with Earl Watson. Starters will be Lorenzen Wright at C, Pau Gasol and Eddie Jones as F, Mike Miller as SG and Bobby Jackson at PG. Players on the bench are likely to back-up on their natural positions, in exception of Shane Battier who will be our anchor 6th man, and will be playing both on SF and PF, since I want to give rookie Hakim Warrick several minutes instead of Brian Cardinal. This is because I want Warrick to aclimatate and develop, just in case we cannot retain Eddie Jones for next season and no better SF can be brought from free agency"



COMING SOON: Memphis Grizzles @ Detroit Pistons pre-match report.

great job in that trade, you got a big man and at the same time got rid of tsakalidis's contract

good luck with this dynasty

Gadzuric will be a beast for you on the boards and for blocking shots. Great trade!

Great trade

great job in that trade, you got a big man and at the same time got rid of tsakalidis's contract

Thanks, cwebbiverson... I wanted Biendris, since he is 18 and can develop much more, but the Warriors didn't let go... Gadzuric was plan B, as he is in the last year of contract...

Gadzuric will be a beast for you on the boards and for blocking shots

Hope so! I havent bring him to make 3pts!!!


Also thanks to all supporters!
Will try to have the Pre-Game report posted by today... if you're intersted, of course

Gadzuric will be a beast for you on the boards and for blocking shots

on superstar difficulty, the only blocked shots will be if you block it yourself; the cpu-controlled players on your team don't ever block shots, even with the shot-block slider at 100

I love how this dynasty is going Good luck Andres!

Dynasty looks great. Good luck bro.

OPENING NIGHT PREVIEW
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES @ DETROIT PISTONS
NOVEMBER 2, 2005

CONFIRMED STARTING LINEUPS




MATCHUPS PREVIEW

Lorenzen Wright vs. Ben Wallace: Lorenzen will be facing the Black Beast of the league, with the ultimate defensive skills and great presence in the paint. He couldn't have wished for a worse start. Andrés Susic has instructed him to keep defensive-minded during the game, staying very focused on winning inside post positions in order to grab rebounds and not allowing Big Ben to have many second oportunities bellow the rim. In the offensive end, Lorenzen will be concentrated on allowing second wind possesions, and trying to score when Pau atracts double-team from the two Wallaces. I'd say initial advantage goes to Detroit, unless Ben takes longer to return from vacations.

Pau Gasol vs. Rasheed Wallace: Quite a matchup! Very interesting to watch. Now we will see if Susic's work of conditioning in the Pre-Season has effect on Pau, and is quick enough to avoid Sheed sticky defense. On the other side of the court, Pau must double efforts to run Sheed and avoid his outside shooting, and also give a hand to Wright in containing Big Ben. No clear advantage, it depends on how each player wakes up that morning.

Eddie Jones vs. Tayshaun Prince: Eddie will have the weight of his debut against a good defender, who also is a threat in the offensive end with his 3 pt. accuracy. So, the 33 year old veteran will have to be in the best of forms in order to avoid the stickness and finding spots to hurt with his shooting, and also be quick to reach the outside perimeter quick enough, after double teaming, to prevent Prince from confort shooting. Quite a task. I would say that with Jones wanting to make a great first impression to Grizzlies fans, maybe he gets the momentum needed to go away conquering this matchup.

Mike Miller vs. Rip Hamilton: Poor Michael... opening night against one of the league's most reliable SG in the NBA. He will strive to find himself wide open, as Rip will run him for all over the court. And at the defensive end, Susic made a conference call with his fellow argentinian Manu Ginobilli, for him to give Miller one or two tips on how containing the Pistons, as seen by the Spurs in last year's finals. Obviously, Detroit have the advantage on this one.

Bobby Jackson vs. Chauncey Billups: Besides being a very good 3 pt. shooter, Jackson came to Memphis to perform defensive duties top of all, and therefore giving some balance to the offensive-minded Grizzlies. And his abilities on this matter will be put at the most challenging of tests having to "dance" with Billups in his debut at the Grizzles. Susic is very confident in Jackson quickness and trickery to recover the ball in every single chance he has. Dont forget that he will be defending Billups, and if Jackson does not give 101%, this can be a nightmare for Memphis.

Bench depth: Both teams have almost the same depth. Memphis will have in Stoudamire and Battier two good elements in the task of containing Pistons back line, while Dan Gadzuric will try to impress on his debut by making things for Rasheed and Big Ben really difficult. Detroit sixth man, Antonio McDyess, can be too much for Brian Scalabrine, and also veteran Lindsey Hunter has a crush on entering games and score.



COMING SOON (Posibly on August 11) - MATCH RECAP

good luck

Excellent trade, I LOVE IT! Very realistic deal, and good luck against the Pistons. Thanks for taking my advice too I guess Bjax and Stoudamire had alot of battling to determine who would get the starting spot. Great write-ups as well and very neat. Keep up the good work

Thanks to all you guys for all the support.
Tomorrow I will be posting my first match recap.
Please, if you have any suggestions about my dynasty, in terms of the way to post previews, matchups, recaps, trades, etc... please give them to me as I am very noobie at posting.
I think that this dynasty will have pretty the same cycle: preview - recap, and opinions and interviews in the middle. Besides the ocasional injury or trade reports. And maybe a monthly recap of things that happened and to happen.
About game highlight pics, I havent decided yet how to post them, if as text links, small thumbnails, or just the plain pic at 420x325 pixels. No more than 5/7 highlits per game, I promise. Suggestions?

Regards!!! Your help is no only appreciated, but also needed...

Great write-ups as well and very neat.

[br]Thanks Mafia! My neat writing has two origins: first, as argentinian, english has been learned... so I learned to speak and write correctly, as I use it for my job but allways in a professional way, not in casual circumstances. Then, as a journalist, I prefer allways to write and speak clearly.

Regards!

Good stuff so far. I like seeing the pics because in a dynasty you'll have the same guy dunking many times and if the link reads "Gasol makes the basket"... you will have seen that two days ago so...

GRIZZLIES INITIAL MOMENTUM GIVES MEMPHIS FIRST WIN
By Andres Susic


Against all odds. This three words describes accurately how the reborn Memphis Grizzlies, led by argentinian head coach Andres Susic, grabbed a narrow win against last year's Conference Champions, Detroit Pistons, in front of a crowded stadium that couldnt believe what they were seeing. The Motor City "Bad Boys" gave away first half too easily, and their effort in the final quarters was not enough to steal the win from Grizzlies hands.

The power duo from Memphis, Lorenzen Wright and Pau Gasol, managed to get a firm grip on the feared Wallace's, that besides their 21 combined rebounds were reduced at their minimal offensive expresion. Big Ben scored 2, and Rasheed only made 4 points. The Detroit big men had they share of steals, but all in all their production was nothing compared to Pau Gasol 18 points and 4 assists and 3 blocks. Lorenzen gave the team 7 rebounds (1 offensive) and 10 points (5-5 100% effective from the field) in a performance that has amazed everyone at Memphis.

The key to Memphis victory was to be 100% focused from right the tip-off. 1st quarter was won by a 14 point margin, and saw an inspired Eddie Jones making a couple of open shots and good runs on counter, and also teaming up with Bobby Jackson to prevent any kind of reaction from Billups or Rip. In this scenario, only Tayshaun Prince was up to the standard.

Second quarter was also favourable to the Grizzles, this time for 10 point difference. Andres Susic couldnt believe his eyes, as his big men confronted every attempt from the fierce Detroit forwards with so much courage. Nor McDyess or Campbell were able to give the Grizzles much work. Bobby Jackson continued his deffensive efforts, as Susic asks him to do, and rounded an impressive 7 steals in the first half.

The Grizzles bench also played also a major role in the first half. Every player from Memphis contributed, specially Shane Battier, whose 7 pts, 4 rebs and 2 steals just confirmed that he is definitly the 6th man of this team, above Damon Stoudamire. Rookie player Hakim Warrik had his share of problems on offense, with 2-7 from the field, but showed a lot of guts by grabbing 2 offensive rebounds, team's highest, in Big Ben face.

Detroit's coach gave his boys a very though word in the half-time, and the Pistons begun 3rd quarter as hot as hell. Rip and Billups got on fire, and started to make every shot they threw. The Grizzles, even though Detroit resurection, kept producing and so Detroit won the quarter by only 5 points.

But the serious game was seen in the last fourth quarter, and there the Grizzles had to show their maturity. As the Wallace kept struggling in every aspect, Detroits wingmans and Billups started a scoring inferno, hitting every shot they tried. Grizzles defense was not as intense as the previous quarters, and squad rotation didn't help Memphis in guarding their rivals. Under a rain of shouts and swears that came from Susic's mouth, the Grizzles saw how their comfortable advantage was reduced every possesion.

And right then, when the team was needing the best of him, Gasol stepped up with by scoring 4 points that gave Memphis a 5 point lead with 1:21 remaining in the clock. As expected, Detroit planned a move for his on-fire sharpshotters and Rip Hamilton was the executor, hitting a 3 pointer and leaving his time one basket away from victory or overtime. Bobby Jackson then stop attempting mid-range shoots (3-10 in the game), and drove to the basket to be fouled by Tayshaun Prince. He scored both free throws, and the final score of 84-80 was set.

"Happiness from this victory must not cloud our eyes", an estatic Susic said. "We had a very comfortable lead, and it came down like a card castle in the second half. We will have to work hard to improve our regularity and keep the advantages that we can get early in the games".

TNT broadcasted the match, and their commentators had a hard time choosing the Player of the Game. All in all, Billups (27 points - 4 ast) and Rip Hamilton (24 points - 4 ast - 4 steals) were solid candidates. On the winning team, the offense was very shared by all team, that used this tactic to avoid having Detroit defense focused on just one or two players. But in the end, the prize went to Bobby Jackson, who in his debut at the Grizzles couldnt make impact in the scoring, but defended like a lion and got 11 steals and 6 assists.

Now the Grizzles have another tought challenge, against Utah in Salt Lake City, before presenting the team in front of their own fans.


SCORE PROGRESSION:

Quarters.....1st....2nd...3rd....4th....TOTAL
Memphis.....27.....23.....17.....17.....84
Detroit........13.....16.....22.....29.....80


HIGHLIGHT GALLERY:


Bobby Jackson steals the ball from Big Ben. Defence was the key.



After a slow start, Rip Hamilton hurted Memphis from outside.



Rasheed denies Battier, for one of his 5 blocks.



Eddie Jones made 2-4 from three, for a total 6-10 from the field. Promising debut.



Pau Gasol was key to keep Big Ben and Sheed out of order. He made 3 blocks.



Gasol stood up when needed. His last 2 baskets made the final difference.



Susic shouts at his team for their final quarter poor performance.



Bobby Jackson's 11 steals granted him the Player of the Game choice. But other did well too.


Coming Soon: Post-Match Interview and Utah clash preview.

close game and Great win...nice start....good luck next game...Utah shouldn't be to difficult

Good stuff Andres, squeaking away with the win. Way to hold on for the win despite the gutsy Detroit effort.

While you are posting the pics, could you also put up the box scores, too?