Just like we’ve seen all too often in recent years, the NBA season has reached May and there is no sign of the Memphis Grizzlies. Once again, their season was cut much shorter than they would’ve liked, losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs.
Though the Grizz put up a surprisingly valiant fight and were ousted in six games, there was no reason for them to have to face a Western Conference powerhouse like the Spurs in the first round if they had performed as expected during the regular season.
No one knows this more than veteran center Marc Gasol. The 7-footer has been around with Memphis long enough to know that the 43 wins they put up is not going to get the job done.
In fact, Gasol took it one step further and told Commercial Appeal’s Ronald Tillery he saw their regular season as unacceptable:
Exit – Marc Gasol: "43 regular-season wins is unacceptable." pic.twitter.com/l31jBewvEj
— Ronald Tillery (@CAGrizBeat) April 28, 2017
The 43-39 record Memphis managed to finish with landed them the 7th seed out West and a date with the 2nd best team in the conference for their first round matchup.
Gasol has every right to view the Grizzlies regular season as a disappointment. The Western Conference was weaker this year than in the past and he and guard Mike Conley enjoyed some of the best seasons of their careers.
Though the signing of Chandler Parsons didn’t work out this year and will likely hurt them financially for years to come, most of the other role players such as Zach Randolph and JaMychal Green enjoyed solid campaigns as well.
With teams continuing to stockpile talent, the Grizzlies should be active this upcoming offseason if they hope to keep pace in the Western Conference.
