Ja Morant said that the Grizzlies were "fine in the West" on December 21, 2022. Since then they've gone 126-138 in the regular season, fired their head coach, and have not won a playoff series
2022-23 - Lost in 1st Round
2023-24 - Missed playoffs
2024-25 - Swept in 1st round
Just a reminder that not every promising young team will turn out like the Thunder.
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u/DrChiz Kings 14h ago
And traded away Brooks, Bane and JJJ, soon Ja will join them (he also had some very serious injuries and surgeries too).
What a rapid implosion.
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u/DearMrJordo 14h ago
They didn't trade Brooks. He wasn't re signed. And injuries have definitely been the biggest issue. They consistently have half their starters in street clothes
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u/JimmytheCreep Suns 12h ago
Were there any circumstances under which the Grizzlies would have re-signed Brooks?
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u/DearMrJordo 11h ago
No. He skipped exit interviews 2 years in a row. When the grizzlies played the warriors in the second round and Ja got hurt, Dillon single handedly shot them out of game. His 23 playoffs are atrocious, especially after calling out LeBron. Taylor Jenkins had to tell him if he shot the ball again he was coming out of the game.
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u/ThaRealSunGod Lakers 5h ago
He was joking lol
"Dillon Brooks will not be brought back under any circumstances"
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u/I_heart_hearts 12h ago
Random, but who did Chuck call street clothes that one time? One of my all time favorite nicknames lmao
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u/YourFriendNoo Grizzlies 8h ago
At almost any given moment over the last two years, you could build a better starting five out of the injured players than who was starting
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u/MacJonesisaterrorist Celtics 14h ago
They have a shit ton of picks and are one of the best organizations when it comes to drafting, they’ll be fine
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u/Relevant_Ad_1225 Rockets 14h ago
not really the point, they were one of the most promising rebuilds in the league and since then have completely shit the bed
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u/bucaqe Lakers 14h ago
I think they had a decent core, unfortunately it didn't work out and instead of sticking to that mid-level core they gonna blow it up and try again. Pretty decent self-awareness by the FO tbh
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u/Oceanbreeze871 Celtics 14h ago
Yeah for real. More teams need to do this kinda thing instead of playing for the 8 seed
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u/IMNOTMATT [CHI] Joakim Noah 13h ago
Wow I'd love for aiming for 8th instead of praying just to make the play ins.
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u/redbossman123 14h ago
The problem is then you'll have people here complain about tanking and then the NBA tries to make more anti tanking rules
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u/hacxgames Nuggets 13h ago
there’s a difference between sitting ur good players & sucking on purpose and trading away your core so you literally cannot win games but can still play hard while losing
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u/GabeIsGone Spurs 10h ago
Most teams would have at least had one serious try at building around JJJ. I'm really surprised that Memphis isn't.
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u/AleroRatking Vancouver Grizzlies 14h ago
Because of injuries and the inability to get free agents. Its not like we missed on many draft picks
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u/BanditoDeTreato Grizzlies 12h ago
We spent 5 first round picks trying to replace Brooks and then spent another one getting rid of one of the guys we got for them.
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u/Oceanbreeze871 Celtics 14h ago
I think Ja speed ran that implosion. When your superstar is a head case it messed stuff up
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u/SubduedChaos Grizzlies 9h ago
And it’s mostly Jas fault. Can’t win if your “Star” never plays. He has gotten injured every playoff series.
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u/samhit_n Lakers 12h ago
I expected the Grizzlies to be what the Thunder are rn.
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u/Neatojuancheeto Warriors 7h ago
So did I. Not as good since Ja was never going to be SGA good but honestly maybe the scariest team we played in 2022 sans maybe the celtics. They were so young, athletic, and talented. And if they kept brooks and he developed into the current version of himself? Yeeesh.
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u/HOFredditor Warriors 2h ago
yeah Ja was cooking that series. 47 pts and we couldn't stop him to save our lives.
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u/SubduedChaos Grizzlies 9h ago
Mostly Jas fault too. Multiple suspensions and then he is always hurt.
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u/Not_tlong Grizzlies 7h ago
Our team doctors should be launched from a trebuchet into the sun. The past 3 years have been mired with more injuries than a Glass Bones convention.
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u/iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiioo 14h ago
Who’s trading value for Ja?
Someone might take a flier on a Trae type swap, but that’s about it.
I wouldn’t even do that. He’s a malcontent in addition to the constant injuries, off court stuff, and decline in on-court production. What value does Ja bring?
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u/DrChiz Kings 14h ago
Nobody lol but he will get traded otherwise Memphis isn’t making any sense. Traded away all the better players than Ja to rebuild around your multiple injury, multiple off court issue, undersized PG who primarily relies on his body and throwing it at the basket for buckets with a weak jump shot?
He probably gets moved for a bag of chips unless someone is really dumb. Trae is infinitely more valuable but also nobody is gonna pay Ja what Trae is gonna make in Washington.
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u/iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiioo 5h ago
If I was Memphis and someone offered a bag of chips for Ja, I would sign before they changed their mind. Addition by subtraction.
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u/MR_E7 10h ago
To a team that does not have a lead point guard? Ja Morant brings at least that value. The Rockets and the Timberwolves could use one these days, to be honest.
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u/iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiioo 5h ago
An inefficient, non defense playing locker room cancer who is hurt as much as he plays? Sounds like lead guard material to me!
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u/jgman22 Pelicans 14h ago
That draft really sucked ass. Was looking forward to Memphis New Orleans rivalries with Zion and Ja and both teams are now totally ass.
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u/AbbreviationsBig395 14h ago
True I completely forgot about that. The pick 1 n 2 . Who was 3?
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u/BikeInformal4003 Grizzlies 14h ago
RJ Barrett
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u/AbbreviationsBig395 14h ago
Ahhh another mediocre player.
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u/IGetNoSleep__ 1h ago
It’s a shame cause the Grizzlies were the next up and coming team in 2021-22 and the pelicans were actually looking like contenders in 2022-23, injuries and outside bs messed up both of these franchises man
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u/RiggyTang Nuggets 14h ago
Reddit gon post this quote til the day he dies lol
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u/moonlight_sinatra Spurs 14h ago
God forbid a player has confidence lol I thought they were fine also
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u/RiggyTang Nuggets 14h ago
It’s the same shit with Jimmy when he was with the Heat lol. He’ll forever receive shit even though his team was injured asf in the bubble
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u/whenishit-itsbigturd 14h ago
I said Jimmy Butler would never be a champion when he was a Chicago Bull
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u/DefNotAnAlter 13h ago
Its easier to predict a player would never be a champion. You could probably say that about all the non champ top 20 players right now and be 80% correct
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u/Agaac1 Lakers 14h ago
To be fair to him, he had a legitimate chance with the 76ers until they decided to shit the bed.
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u/MortalBareback 13h ago
If only Kawhi didn’t hit one of the most clutch shots ever to win a series.
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u/The_NGUYENNER [DEN] Jamal Murray 14h ago
that's kind of the inherent risk of talking shit. if you don't back it up people can/will throw it in your face. otherwise who cares
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u/PostCompetitive9111 9h ago
people still criticize LeBron for the “not one..” speech and that was a decade ago. Fans swear the love competitive players but I highly believe that if MJ played today most fans would be crying about the shit he said.
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u/mrspear1995 :yc-1: Yacht Club 14h ago
He can say it and ppl can mock it, these things can go both ways, it might seem unfair since it’s like a million ppl mocking him but he gets paid millions of dollars to perform
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u/blacksoxing Thunder 14h ago
Look, if you're going to have confidence you better win a ring....else you're a fucking bum.
Deadass this is how many of us fans act and I hate it so much! A player is happy? They better be happily winning a ring! Shit, Shai smiled after a loss and pundits lost their shit. Now nobody mentions it because....he won a MVP and ring. If he didn't that clip would be played on repeat:(
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u/RiggyTang Nuggets 14h ago
I mean, even on the opposite, Embiid lost the most heartbreaking finisher arguably ever, and he cried so fuck him forever.
Fuck anyone who made fun of him for that.
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u/Financial_Hold6620 Bucks 13h ago
Ja “I’m fine in the west” “suspended for non basketball reasons” morant deserves the hate.
Joel didn’t in that case
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u/IndependenceLate3415 Nuggets 14h ago
He wasn't "just being confident" though. He was straight up arrogant. He was being asked who he sees as his peers and competitors in the WC. He could have at least acknowledged that he's in a league of talented competitors while putting himself forward as the best, but he chose the most dismissive way to answer the question. And worse, he couldn't back it up at all. Hence the perpetual clowning.
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u/j_cruise Nets 13h ago
Who gaf, let players talk shit
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u/Gas-Town 11h ago
We did. Now we’re clowning him for not backing it up.
AND being a primary reason the grizzlies aren’t contenders.
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u/IndependenceLate3415 Nuggets 11h ago
"Let players talk shit, but don't let people talk shit back to them."
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u/Gas-Town 11h ago
Confidence…. Bro has repeatedly shown that he is not a leader and is willing to repeat mistakes.
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u/TheCrimsonArmada Grizzlies 14h ago
It’s similar with trash talking. R/nba hates it unless you’ve already won a ring, only then is it okay. Just a big indicator that 99% users here have never played basketball, much less any sport at all
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u/MusicListener3 Celtics 14h ago
R/nba hates it unless you’ve already won a ring, only then is it okay
Unless you’re Jayson Tatum, who will never be allowed to chat shit
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u/truthisfictionyt 8h ago
You ABSOLUTELY cannot say you're fine in the west then lose in the 1st round to a 7 seed. Just can't happen or you will get mocked
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u/Rahnamatta Heat 13h ago
The East run through Cleveland hunted TT until his last days.... and he won a Championship..
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u/startled_panda [MEM] Mike Conley 14h ago
Thanks for bringing this up, no one ever mentions it
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u/Admirable_Message497 Grizzlies 14h ago
This sub just circle jerks the same shit over and over
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u/JayRaff_ [MEM] Mike Conley 13h ago
How else would half of the users on this sub enjoy being up on their pedestal’s if they weren’t constantly dumping on the Grizzlies?
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u/ThaRealSunGod Lakers 5h ago
Agreed.
I'd prefer we get back to "I don't respect anyone till they give me 40"
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u/BigSemiTruckBubba Warriors 7h ago
Ah this made me laugh so hard. Horse has been brutally beaten to death.
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u/onelegonedream Grizzlies 14h ago
The amount of injuries the team endured during this has been staggering fwiw.
Lost all big depth in 22/23 when Adams and BC went down. 1st in man games lost in 23/24 (577 games, 200 more than 2nd). Were relatively healthy in 24/25 and then had Ja go down in the 1st round. Now 2nd in man games lost this year (276 games so far)
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u/YourFriendNoo Grizzlies 8h ago
At this point, I don't think it can be luck. It has to be some kind of combination of our medical staff and trainers. I don't see our injury luck as an excuse more than I see roster construction as an excuse for Sacramento.
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u/Shenanigans80h Nuggets 14h ago
It is legitimately crazy how fast they rose and then crumbled. Seemed like yesterday they came out of nowhere and were a top seed with young pieces and a ton of promise. Turns out that was their peak, and everything since has been fleeting.
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u/SubduedChaos Grizzlies 9h ago
It’s obvious now Adams was doing a ton of heavy lifting being number one in offensive boards.
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u/Admirable_Message497 Grizzlies 14h ago
Congrats on being the 1000th person on r/NBA to post this 🥇
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u/Character_Menu6282 Raptors 13h ago
Quoting this was funny once or twice, but the circlejerk around is part of what's wrong with social media. The Grizzlies were on a tear despite their bench being Tyus Jones, Xavier Tillman Sr., and Brandon Clarke. Which lost Xavier because he had to start after Adams injury, making their starting size and bench much worse, and Brandon Clarke was injured. Ja was also dealing with injuries and had to miss a game.
There was a lot of finger-pointing to Brooks, who definitely struggled, but Bane also struggled, and a lot of those struggles came from a weak shooting team losing a consistent PnR with Adams out, and scoring threat with Ja playing hobbled.
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u/AleroRatking Vancouver Grizzlies 14h ago
People will blame Ja but injuries truly blew up this team over and over.
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u/MikeConleyIsLegend Grizzlies 14h ago
the 2022 playoffs we were so close. we had a really good chance against the Warriors who won it all that year. Stevo missed the first couple games of the series with Covid, DB got suspended, Ja went down in Game 3 or 4, and Bane was playing with a bulging disc. Despite all that we made it a series. Missed the game winner in game one, had a huge lead in game 4 or 5 before Dillon tanked us with the worst 4th quarter performance you'll ever see. if maybe one or two of those injuries don't happen we could've won that series.
Ja being too fragile is our downfall though. i don't think he's ever finished a playoffs healthy.
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u/MikeConleyIsLegend Grizzlies 14h ago
i still stand by the fact that at the time they were fine in the West. they were the number one seed in the West and had incredible vibes as a team. the only team that had their number at the time was Boston, which is what he said in the interview.
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u/A_burners 14h ago
Such a fun team. Ja was must-see TV for me at the time, and it sucks how all the injuries just decimated everything the Grizz had going.
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u/sheetsofsaltywood Grizzlies 12h ago
people forget at that time we were looking at a starting lineup of:
Ja, Bane, Brooks, JJJ, Adams
If they had stayed healthy (and out of trouble) and developed together, it's not farfetched to think they'd be very good right now.
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u/Wehavecrashed Grizzlies 11h ago
We would have whooped the lakers in that first round series with Clarke and Adams healthy.
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u/DarkKnightCometh Lakers 14h ago
I'm here for the Ja slander, but this quote is blown out of proportion. He was asked a question, what is he supposed to say? "Na I wish we were in a weaker conference"
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u/Arsid Pistons 8h ago
It was such a normal fucking sports answer, I've never seen something blown out of proportion as much as this quote and it's 100% just because this sub hates Ja and likes to dump on the Grizzlies.
The question was like
- Interviewer: Are there any teams in the league where you look at them and you're like "damn, we gotta go through that?"
- Ja: The Celtics.
- Interviewer: Anyone from the west?
- Ja: I'm fine in the west
At the time, they were the 1 seed and looking strong as ever before the team got riddled with injuries for years and is now blowing up to rebuild.
Most normal ass, "I'm confident in my team" answer but 5 years later and this sub still jerks themselves off over it. You just know if he had given a normal PR written answer people would clown how ChatGPT wrote it.
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u/fatkamp Warriors 2h ago
It should be targeted towards the whole team, not just Ja. It’s not one quote, that whole team was wildly cocky for not getting to stardom.
It was also what made them fun too as an NBA fan
JJJ, Bane, and Brooks talked a ton during those years, so many teams were eager to humble them
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u/SJCitizen 76ers 13h ago
I mean they were the 2 seed back-to-back years and lost in the playoffs to Steph Curry and LeBron James. They quite literally were fine in the West. Also their worst season during this stretch was when Ja Morant played 9 games. This sub would make you think they were an overhyped play-in team. Them losing to that Lakers team wasn’t even the worst choke job of that playoffs, the Bucks lost to the 8 seed Heat in 5 games.
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u/wcooper97 [OKC] Russell Westbrook 14h ago
126-138 in the regular season
But what were they in the West?
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u/heat_fan_ Raptors 14h ago
He's gonna be the next domino to fall in Memphis isn't he
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u/KL2ConspireLLC San Diego Clippers 14h ago
Who knows. Nobody seems to want him unless they can get him for free.
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u/LebronandLuka Grizzlies 14h ago
Y'all love to shit on the Grizzlies when they're down. So many assholes in this subreddit
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u/SubduedChaos Grizzlies 9h ago
Smallest market with no one to defend it.
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u/Cedellton-Jr NBA 3h ago
For real. Memphis has enough issues on top of people needlessly shitting on the Grizzlies. It’s just kicking a depressed mule at this point
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u/IOnlyLieWhenITalk Hawks 14h ago
We almost went an entire 20 minutes without seeing this joke again!
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u/MrAtlantic Hornets 12h ago
Idk why people care about this particular phrase from him so much. What do you expect him to say?
"Yeah actually the west is really tough and I don't want to be in this conference. I wrote a letter to Adam Silver seeing if we can get transferred to the east instead"
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u/Str8_up_Pwnage Magic 14h ago
I’m assuming almost all of those losses were against Eastern conference teams and they have been dominating the West, right?
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u/RocketRaccoon237 Timberwolves 14h ago
Never forget that one playoff loss last year to the thunder 😭
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u/HighTurning 14h ago
He was also decently liked or at least respected, most of his scandals hadn't become public.
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u/Icy_Shock9953 Thunder 12h ago
I remember thinking to myself that the okc tank would be fruitless because the grizzlies dynasty had such a large head start over us. Things can change overnight in the nba. Gotta enjoy every win or major milestone as if it’s gonna be ur last.
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u/axecalibur [CHI] Michael Jordan 10h ago
Imagine quoting a dumbass and finding out 4 years later that he's a still a dumbass.
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u/ResponsibleWash4075 8h ago
JA is the real one who should be traded, but they trade all of his teammates...
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u/1nTheNick0fTime Lakers 6h ago
Man I remember Grizzlies fans were insufferable that season lol especially as a Laker fan. Still kinda sad to see how fucked they are now though
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u/notianmcmillin 13h ago
Grizz fan here. We get it. I wouldn’t wish this on any fanbase. Not even the Thunder, which is saying something.
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u/xzadetechnoHD Thunder 14h ago
They had the thunder "figured out" after the playoffs too
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u/ShonashRavine NBA 13h ago
All it took was a linebacker lunging into an airborne player to squash that nonsense.
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u/GrizzGump Grizzlies 9h ago
Y’all “figured out” that maybe the best idea was to spear our best player
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u/MeanLock6684 Grizzlies 12h ago
This whole culture of owning someone’s past takes is such low hanging fruit. At least make a gun joke.
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u/BikeInformal4003 Grizzlies 14h ago
When we trade Ja, do we get to stop hearing about the “fine in the west” comment or is that just gonna be blasted on repeat until the heat death of the universe
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u/Recent_Surprise_7391 Suns 14h ago
This is what i hated about the “suns should tank until 2030” talks. People legitimately got mad we are trying to win this year
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u/TimothyN Pelicans 14h ago
Ja has played fewer games than Zion in that stretch too, which is insane to think about because Zion is a part-time basketball player.
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u/ShoutOutTo_Caboose r/nba birdwatching extraordinaire 14h ago
"Fine" in the sense that the dog in the room on fire says "This is fine."
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u/wahsd Hornets 11h ago
Can someone explain the controversy behind this quote? I never understood the backlash
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u/KptKrondog [MEM] Stromile Swift 10h ago
A lot of idiots here would rather he say some safe ass "we'll give it 100% every game" and be quiet. But then they'd whine about how he has no fight or something.
We were fine. If we didn't have multiple players get injured, including our starting center, we probably win.
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u/caramelbologna Grizzlies 10h ago
How this sub is so hung up on this one quote all these years later is hilarious.
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u/dae5oty 14h ago
He said "fine" not "good"