--When it became apparent that management was trying to decide whether to fire coach Marc Iavaroni in late January, it got an extra push from Grizzlies' players who publicly threw Iavaroni under the bus.
"We don't have an identity," rookie center Marc Gasol said at the time. "We run around like chickens with our heads cut off. Youth can be a good thing, but we use it as an excuse. We're always making excuses. We make excuses to the referees and to our teammates. We make excuses in practice. That's all some people want to do is make excuses. You're never going to get anywhere like that." Veteran Darius Miles added, "We ain't got no chemistry. That's why we're last in the league in assists and probably the last team in defense."
And Rudy Gay, supposedly the cornerstone of the franchise, drove in the last nail by saying, "I know the things we're working on haven't worked."
--Marc Gasol started the season as Pau Gasol's younger brother. The Grizzlies center ended the year as his own man, averaging 13 points and 8.1 rebounds. His field goal shooting percentage of 52.9 broke the club's rookie franchise record of 51.8 set by Pau in 2001-02.
"I'm not happy this season is over, because we were starting to play better," Gasol said. "I'm ready to play 40 more games. I'm excited about next season. I can't wait to get back to training camp after I play in the European Championships (for Spain) in Poland.
"All the work we put in started to show in the last month. We showed how we want to play."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Just be patient. We grew each and every day. We'll be even better next year. Down the stretch, we played for the team name on the front of the jersey instead of our names on the back of the jersey." -- Grizzlies rookie guard O.J. Mayo.
