Memphis Grizzlies: NBA Draft Team Needs

2007-08 Record: 22-60; 5^th Southwest

Draft Picks: 5, 28

Key Free Agents

G Juan Carlos Navarro (restricted)

How they got here and what they need

The season went downhill in a hurry for Memphis; leading some to wonder if they were the second-best team in their own arena at one point (the Memphis Tigers also play in FedEx Forum). Finally the Pau Gasol era came to an end, with him being traded to Los Angeles for essentially peanuts and some cap relief in the form of Kwame Brown's expiring contract. The departure of Gasol means that there's some room for another big man on the roster, since neither Hakim Warrick nor Darko Milicic will scare opponents with their game or stature.

With two first-round selections, Memphis may also look to add a wing player to the roster, bringing him off the bench to spell the likes of Mike Miller and Rudy Gay. But they could really use some size, and a good basketball IQ wouldn't be a bad thing either.

Who they take

This could be a tough decision for GM Chris Wallace. While they could definitely use a player like a Kevin Love to add to the interior, the allure of a talent like OJ Mayo may be too much to pass up. I'll go out on a limb and say that the Grizzlies select Mayo with the fifth pick.

Draft History (since 2000)

• - 2007: Mike Conley Jr. (4^th)
• - 2006: Kyle Lowry (24^th)
• - 2005: Hakim Warrick (19^th)
• - 2004: Sergey Lishchuk (50^th)
• - 2003: Marcus Banks (13^th), Kendrick Perkins (27^th)
• - 2002: Drew Gooden (4^th), Robert Archibald (32^nd), Matt Barnes (46^th)
• - 2001: Pau Gasol (3^rd), Shane Battier (6^th), Will Solomon (33^rd), Antonis Fotsis (48^th)
• - 2000: Stromile Swift (2^nd)

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