Veteran Grizzlies forward Hakim Warrick doesn't have such an ego that he gets his nose out of joint when he has to come off the bench.
Warrick has bounced in and out of the starting lineup the last two seasons. He had started a bunch of games recently but struggled offensively. Now that rookie Darrell Arthur has regained his shooting touch, Arthur is in as starter and Warrick is out. And Warrick is perfectly happy being an effective sixth man.
"I can see how things go, and come in and be aggressive," Warrick said. "You have to be ready no matter what. It doesn't matter. My role is to be an active body and get up and down the floor."
Griz coach Lionel Hollins said Warrick is simply more of a force coming in as a reserve.
"He plays better off the bench," Hollins said. "He's good at seeing and observing how he fits in playing against second-line guys who are less physical."
THUNDER 99, GRIZZLIES 92: Terrible first and third quarters did in the Grizzlies, as well as poor free-throw shooting (19 of 30) on a snowy night in Memphis. The Grizzlies scored a combined 33 points in the opening quarter of each half, not good enough to beat a Thunder team that was without Kevin Durant, who sat out the game with a sprained ankle sustained Friday night. The Griz didn't play with much energy until the end of the game, when they had several chances to make it a one-possession game but kept missing free throws.
