TORONTO -- It was less than 75 minutes before game time, and Dave Joerger laughed as he said their names in rapid succession: “Beno, Kosta, Jon, Courtney, Tony.” Five rotation players were suffering from a stomach virus.
A reporter needed to clarify: “They’re all out?”
“Oh, yeah,” the Memphis Grizzlies head coach said with a massive smile on his face. “All of ‘em.”
Joerger had arrived at the arena late due to terrible weather and traffic, but he didn’t appear bothered. In Toronto with a league-leading 10-1 record on Wednesday, he knew his team faced a tough task. He also knew there was no point in worrying about it. He filled out his lineup sheet in the locker room, and a Grizzlies official told him he needed one more active player.
“Activate me!” Joerger said.
This, after all, was a minor inconvenience for Memphis. A little illness is nothing compared to what it went through last year. The Grizzlies endured a slow start and a November injury to center Marc Gasol. They jelled in January, got healthy, made a run and made the playoffs, but Joerger’s first season as a head coach was a trying one.
With a full year under Joerger and an understanding of what he wants, Memphis has been building brilliantly on what it started. Aside from a slip-up in Milwaukee, this team has knocked opponents off one by one. Every expectation has been exceeded.
“It’s a night-and-day difference from last year around this time,” point guard Mike Conley said.
The Grizzlies’ starting five is the same as it’s been since February 2012, and four-fifths of it was in place a year prior. Conley, Gasol and forward Zach Randolph are the stars of the show, and now there’s enough two-way talent around them to make them fringe title contenders. Forward Quincy Pondexter, who missed most of 2013-2014 because of a stress fracture in his right foot, has watched this battle-tested group quietly come together.
“We’re a mature team,” Pondexter said. “A lot of guys have grown up, they’re married, and they’re taking care of business. Our No. 1 priority is this team. We all have the same common goal of winning games, and everyone put their egos aside and just got it done.”
Joerger started last season talking about moving the ball, upping the pace and spreading the floor. He didn’t want to change Memphis’ mentality or identity, but he thought tweaks could be made. In time, the Grizzlies have made minor gains in each area. They still like to play through the post, but they get into their offense more quickly.
“Everyone’s really accepting of coach Joerger, Pondexter said. “Everyone loves him. He’s a great coach. The things that he did say, they’re all coming true. We’ve put a lot of faith and trust in him, and he’s taken us to a position that we didn’t think we would be in.”
Conley and Joerger have both been with the organization since 2007, the latter starting out as an assistant under Marc Iavaroni. The floor general saw Joerger adapt to his new role. It was a process.
“He’s gotten a lot more fire to him,” Conley said. “He’s a little bit short with the leash, he goes at guys a little bit more and he’s able to feel comfortable doing it. I think the first year he kind of just eased his way into it and now he feels like he knows this is his group, we’re going to follow him regardless.”
Pondexter, Courtney Lee and Vince Carter have allowed Joerger to change the way the team functions offensively. Their 3-point shooting has given the playmakers room to operate. While Pondexter said that team is still much more worried about getting stops, his coach thinks the improvement on the other end has been meaningful.
“I think players’ confidence comes from making shots,” Joerger said, “and teams’ confidence comes from being able to score the basketball.”
Memphis toughed it out for as long as it could against the Raptors. With a depleted roster, Joerger deliberately slowed things down. Conley and Gasol played 42 and 41 gutty minutes, respectively, and the Grizzlies held a five-point lead with about four minutes remaining. That’s when Toronto made a run and nabbed a four-point win.
Joerger said he was proud of the Grizzles’ effort. Conley concurred, though he said everybody in the losing locker room believed they should have won. Under the circumstances, neither sounded concerned.
It’s early, but Memphis is clearly on the right track. Carter is impressed with the ugly wins, and he's fine with the lack of national attention. Joerger thinks the defense is better than it was a year ago and the players are more focused. He’s still looking long-term and wanting more consistency, though he saw good groundwork being laid before half the team got sick. Pondexter and rookie Jarnell Stokes were added to that lengthy list after the Raptors game, and all seven of the ailing Grizzlies are questionable for Friday’s matchup with Boston.
Fortunately, the stomach bug has been the only obstacle that has stopped Memphis, the only team in the NBA with double-digit wins. If there are more setbacks on the way to the playoffs, the Grizzlies are well equipped to deal with them.
“We’re excited with what we’re doing,” Conley said, “but we know it’s nothing yet.”
