Grizzlies' West thriving in a state of Graceland

The only way to top what Jerry West has done for Memphis would be for Elvis to play a halftime show for the Grizzlies.

As it is, the people of this southern river city will have to settle for an NBA team that has come out of nowhere -- actually Vancouver, B.C. -- to jump right into the thick of the 2004 Western Conference race.

And in some circles, that would be considered as difficult a task as bringing Elvis back to life.

Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley opened his checkbook for Jerry West and it has paid off handsomely.(AP)

"It's very gratifying for all of us," West said. "We haven't done anything yet, but it would be some incredible story if we could make the playoffs. That would be an unbelievable story from where this franchise has been."

"Doldrums" would be an understatement before West -- also known as the silhouette for the NBA logo as an All-NBA guard and the architect of two separate Los Angeles Lakers multiple championship runs -- was hired in August 2002.

Born in 1995 with the hopes that the gorgeous city of Vancouver would support the NBA as well as it has the NHL, the Grizzlies averaged fewer than 17 victories for six seasons. The fan base was shaky and the revenue/sponsorship even worse. So Michael Heisley, the third owner in six years, packed his bags and headed for Memphis with promises of a new building, heavy-duty sponsorship, and some local limited partners.

The problem was basketball. They horribly botched the personnel and coaching situations, failing to win more than 23 games again that first season in Memphis -- so Heisley decided to open his checkbook in August 2002 to the tune of $7 million for West, who had retired from the Lakers two years earlier with what was believed to be hyper-tension. With 14 seasons as the vaunted "Mr. Clutch," a handful more as a coach and consultant, followed by 19 as an executive, West essentially had been a key component in the Lakers organization for the better part of 40 years.

"Jerry missed basketball," said Mitch Kupchak, who West groomed as his replacement with the Lakers. "He got to the point that he needed a break, and the hiatus he took was just what he needed."

That's all well and good, but Memphis? Granted, the money is spectacular, the challenge unmistakable and he is, after all, originally from West Virginia, where he was an All-American and then an Olympian on the gold-medal winning team in Rome.

"I'm from the south, the people are wonderful down there, and it's been a great experience for me," West said. "It's been an awful lot of fun watching a team that had little success, prosper a little bit."

But it didn't happen overnight. It just seems like it. The Grizzlies lost their first eight games last season, and West fired coach Sidney Lowe. There had been all kinds of speculation about him hiring Mike Dunleavy, who he'd picked to replace a burned-out Pat Riley in 1990 with the Lakers.

Out of nowhere came the name of Hubie Brown, who was 69 and hadn't been a head coach since he was fired by the New York Knicks in 1986. He'd spent a generation as the NBA analyst for Turner, and most of the young players in the league had no idea he had ever been a coach.

"I wasn't surprised," Indiana Pacers president Donnie Walsh said. "For years at the Chicago draft camp, I would walk in and Jerry and Hubie would be already sitting there on the baseline huddled together on players. I'm not saying they were best friends, but there was obviously a mutual respect between the two."

There were other reasons. Turner had made a change and wanted Brown in the studio instead of as a game analyst until the playoffs. Besides, he was already plugged into the Grizzlies because his son Brendan was a scout for them. He had already been watching as many of the Grizzlies games as he could in support.

But still, "there were a lot of people in the league who cocked their heads in disbelief," Kupchak said. "They just don't know Jerry West very well."

Oh, the Grizzlies still lost their first five games with Brown, but he was picking them up on the fly. There was an immediate change in atmosphere, from the defensive approach to the general attitude about winning and losing.

"He's everything I thought he would be and more," West said. "Solely the reason for the success is him, not me. No one else except him and the players."

Well, sort of. It was a good fit all right. The 28-41 mark after an 0-5 start notwithstanding, it was already a new franchise record for wins.

"Everything about it was right," Brown said. "I had had other franchises come to me to be coach, to be president, to be president and coach. I didn't want to because of the situation. This worked because of the organization, my son and Jerry. I already knew the chemistry of the team, or lack thereof. I was ready for it and I was prepared to handle it my way because of my age.

Hubie Brown and Jerry West have had the same vision for the Grizzlies since teaming up in Memphis.(AP)

"Jerry is by far the best NBA executive I've ever been around. He comes with the total package. He was a great player, he was a coach who understands the ups and downs, and he has this incredible success building the Lakers. But above all else, he's a man. Don't ever ask Jerry West a question unless you're prepared to deal with a brutally honest answer. He's not a chameleon. He says and does what he thinks is right in every instance. It's not about what other people think. And we're a lot alike in that way."

So they marched on. West had added backup point guard Earl Watson behind talented but erratic Jason Williams the first year, unloaded rookie Drew Gooden and Gordan Giricek for Mike Miller and Ryan Humphrey, then swapped places in the draft with Boston to pick rookies Dahntay Jones and Troy Bell. They signed free agent James Posey and traded a draft pick, plus aging Wesley Person, for explosive Bonzi Wells.

All of a sudden, the Grizzlies became a force, shattering all previous positive records for victories overall and winning streaks at home and on the road.

And they're just getting going, really. The thing is, there are plenty of talented general managers in the league. Basketball is not rocket science ... neither is the salary cap, contrary to popular belief. Isiah Thomas certainly has proved that in New York, turning over virtually an entire team that was tens of millions over the cap in a matter of weeks.

So what makes West special?

Most believe it's the same reason he is considered one of the greatest guards and clutch shooters of all-time -- the unerring belief in his talent and judgment.

"There are plenty of people in his position that get similar opportunities, but he's courageous in that regard," Brown said. "For whatever reason, they can't pull the trigger because the deal involves a popular player or an All-Star. The media can crucify you, and the media did kill him when he traded Norm Nixon for Byron Scott (after the 1982-83 season) for a pure shooting guard to play next to Magic Johnson). He got killed for that, and I'd say it turned out OK."

But there are other reasons. When Bob Whitsitt became a general manager in the 1980s, he watched West closely. Some of the basis for success was talent, but there was more. Whitsitt took both the Seattle SuperSonics and the Portland Trail Blazers to the Western Conference finals, but this past season resigned from the Blazers to focus on being president of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks.

"A lot of guys just get mesmerized by him because he's Jerry West," Whitsitt said. "He makes great deals and has such a great feel, other guys call him and ask his opinion about players and deals. So in that way, he's already got them if they have somebody he wants. And that's the key. If you identify a player you want, you figure out how to get him. He's always been one of the best at that. Too many guys sit back and wait for calls."

The best example was in the summer of 1996. The Lakers were good, but not good enough to challenge for the title. All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal had expressed discontent in Orlando, and West had become enamored of this high school talent in Philadelphia, namely Kobe Bryant.

O'Neal had made it clear he was enthralled by the possibilities in Los Angeles considering his desire to make records and get involved in movies. But West had to clear salary cap room and coincidentally found a willing partner in the Grizzlies. But first, he dealt starting center Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets for the 13th pick of the draft, Bryant. He then unloaded George Lynch and Anthony Peeler on the Grizzlies. That set up the big pitch for the Big Diesel, and O'Neal stunned the folks in Orlando when he signed a free-agent contract with the Lakers two days later. So in the eight-day period from July 11-18, 1996, West changed the face of the NBA.

"We had a backup plan once we cleared the salary cap space," Kupchak said. "Dikembe Mutombo and Dale Davis were both free agents too, but obviously we felt good about Shaquille. And Jerry just felt Kobe had all the tools to be a great player.

"But one of the things I learned from him was work is never done. It wasn't like there was a party or anything. The next day, he was back at work and we had plenty to do. He's just so competitive and focused, and he's got a memory like a steel trap."

And that hasn't changed at the age of 65. For some reason he thinks the media has been unfair to him all these years, saying, "I take a lot of heat for everything I do. I'm never right?"

That's the conundrum of being Jerry West, so revered and often leaving people in awe. But somewhere deep inside, that kid who was known as "Zeke from Cabin Creek" still is insecure. It's why he couldn't watch Lakers games late in his career, leaving Kupchak in amazement as he'd walk out of the Forum and wander around the parking lot talking to people instead.

Drain him of that emotional involvement, and the genius comes to the surface. The two years away calmed his nerves for the task in Memphis. He loves the young players of today but is strongly opinionated of them needing far more nurturing in college or otherwise before coming to the NBA.

He turned off the rookie/sophomore game during All-Star Weekend because it turned into a dunk-a-thon, and he blames the too-young league on the revolving door of coaches.

"I couldn't stand to watch it," he said. "I love substance over style, always.

"It's hurt the college game and it's certainly hurt the NBA game to some degree because we're not a teaching league and a development league instead of a polished league. And it's not a good thing. If you can tell me who the No. 1 (college) senior is in the country ... I think any NBA team would like to know."

He thinks teams should be able to put players on a "minor-league" team and reserve the rights to call them up because they're paying them anyway. Magic Johnson should just keep doing what he's doing as a businessman and part-time NBA analyst rather than get himself tangled up with a job as a team president. He believes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar deserves a chance in the league and is one of the most misunderstood and underrated superstars ever. And he knows Pat Riley will be back as a coach very soon and find success wherever he lands.

But most of all, it's about winning. Now. In Memphis. Yes, Elvis would be darn proud.

"No success he has would ever surprise me," Walsh said. "Look at all the talent he's got there now. Where they are now is probably a year ahead, but now he's got the ability to start trading some two-for-ones and find that one piece that can change things."

Including Kobe Bryant, a free agent this summer.

Anything is possible when West sets his mind to it ... that's why he's the NBA logo.