Grizzlies majority owner Michael Heisley isn't exactly a popular guy in Memphis. He traded the franchise player, Pau Gasol, for next-to-nothing, got a stiff like Kwame Brown to clear cap space and has just about erased his minority owners.
And it disturbs Grizzlies fans even more when they hear Heisley say he's happy that Gasol landed with a winner in the Lakers and has done well when he's healthy. "Honestly, we were not going anywhere with Pau, and there was a tremendous sentiment against him in Memphis," Heisley said. "I traded Mike Bibby to Sacramento. I traded Jason Williams to Miami. When it works out I'm very happy for them. But we made the trade because we had to take on a new direction and start rebuilding this team."
Gasol said he owes a lot to Heisley.
"I'll probably be thankful to Michael Heisley for the rest of my life," Gasol said. "He allowed me to be here (in Los Angeles). That's something I'll always remember."
And so will Grizzlies fans as they count the days to the end of the season.
CLIPPERS 110, GRIZZLIES 97: In an extremely cold arena -- there was a hockey game in Staples Center earlier on Saturday -- the Grizzlies folded in the fourth quarter. Memphis didn't play with much energy in the final 12 minutes. Al Thornton scored a career-high 39 points for the Clips. Memphis went cold from the outside, not hitting a 3-pointer until the final minute of the game and finished 1-for-14 from behind the arc. The Grizzlies had only 17 assists and never got in a flow. They also had 17 turnovers, leading to 24 Clippers points.
