Grizzlies hold 3 1st-round picks, many options

Basketball Betting Lines

06/23/2010 -

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -The Memphis Grizzlies have three first-round draft picks and many options Thursday night.

They can package picks and trade for a current NBA player, combine picks and one of their players to move up or simply use all three to bolster their roster. Or they can concoct something else entirely with the No. 12, 25 and 28 selections.

``I think we're prepared to use all the picks in any way, whether we trade to move up, whether we decide there is value to the pick that we could sell a pick, or whether we can move down to the second round and make a value pick there,'' said Tony Barone Sr., the Grizzlies director of player personnel.

Memphis wants to improve its roster after going 40-42 and missing the playoffs for a fourth straight season. The Grizzlies need a backup point guard, more athleticism on the perimeter and more accurate 3-point shooting.

``We won't hit all of them in the draft, but we could address multiple needs,'' general manager Chris Wallace said.

Whatever Memphis does, team officials hope to avoid the somewhat lost pick from a year ago. Sitting in the second spot with Blake Griffin going No. 1 to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Grizzlies opted for Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet.

The 7-foot-3 Thabeet was supposed to give Memphis a defensive presence in the middle. Before the season was over, he was so much of a project that he became the highest drafted player ever demoted to the Developmental League. He is part of a second unit that included fellow rookies DeMarre Carroll and Sam Young and was spotty at best.

The Grizzlies' bench managed only 20 points a game last season, and it's why Memphis wants more production from its reserves.

The push for a point guard comes a year late. John Wall of Kentucky is expected to go first to the Washington Wizards. After that, the next best point guards, such as Eric Bledsoe of Kentucky, Nevada's Armon Johnson and Oklahoma's Willie Warren could be available when Memphis picks late in the first round.

The Grizzlies worked out Kentucky forward Patrick Patterson and could be interested in Kansas guard Xavier Henry or Nevada forward Luke Babbitt with the 12th pick. Paul George of Fresno State worked out for the team Tuesday and also seems to be drawing some attention.

``I could come here and add a lot of depth to this team,'' George said when asked how he might fit in with the Grizzlies. ``Hopefully, we get Rudy (Gay) to come back. I wouldn't mind if he leaves. That would be an extra spot. But it would be a good team.''

Wallace quickly said he was glad George didn't work in the front office because keeping Gay, a restricted free agent July 1, is a priority.

Barone sees very little difference between players after the top 10 prospects. Barone said their decision could change depending on who's still available when the Grizzlies are on the clock.

And the possibilities continue to change with lots of trade talk, including the Grizzlies trying to swing a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves to use their second and third picks to move up. The Grizzlies' last big draft night deal came in 2008 when they took Kevin Love with the fifth pick overall only to trade him away within hours for O.J. Mayo.

``All of that stuff is swirling around right now,'' Wallace said. ``It's like the trade deadline. Then you get down to post time, and the things that were talked about won't be reality at that point.''

Owner Michael Heisley was at Wednesday's final pre-draft workout and shot down reports he said he had been reading.

``We don't have an active trade on the books,'' Heisley said.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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