--Memphis entered the draft lottery slotted at four but fell one spot once the Seattle SuperSonics -- the league's second-worst team -- fell out of the lottery.
"It's a typical situation," Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley said. "We've been in the lottery so much and have never gotten the No. 1 pick. It doesn't make any sense. Last year, I said it was a screwed-up system. This year, I think it's a screwed-up system. But I still think we'll get a good player. This is a deep draft." --The Grizzlies hired former Arizona interim head basketball coach Kevin O'Neill as an assistant to head coach Marc Iavaroni.
O'Neill, who also has NBA coaching experience, will join the Grizzlies' staff as a defensive guru. He took over as interim coach when coach Lute Olson took a personal leave of absence last season. After Olson returned in March, he announced that O'Neill would no longer be a part of his staff. During his tenure as interim head coach, O'Neill led Arizona to a 19-15 record and the school's 24th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, the nation's longest active streak.
After tenures at Marquette, Tennessee and Northwestern, O'Neill became an assistant coach under Jeff Van Gundy with the New York Knicks. In 2001, he joined the Detroit Pistons under head coach Rick Carlisle. O'Neill became head coach of the Toronto Raptors in 2003.
--At the Orlando pre-draft camp, several of the college prospects now in the Grizzlies' radar at No. 5 said they wouldn't be mind taken by the Grizzlies.
"I don't know if Memphis fans would want me there after the showing I had in the Final Four," UCLA center Kevin Love said. "Other than that, I feel like I could contribute to that team. Memphis is a great spot, and, hey, I'm into Elvis, too."
USC guard O.J. Mayo said, "I played AAU games in Memphis before. I got the opportunity to play in the Nike Summit there. I like the city. I think I could fit in there. Any opportunity in the NBA is great."
Indiana guard Eric Gordon said he played against and with Grizzlies guard Mike Conley in high school.
"Mike Conley is a good player to play with," Gordon said. "I played with him in high school. I wouldn't mind playing with him again. There are other guys I wouldn't mind playing with, but he's a guy I'm probably more familiar with."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I think we expected to get better than the fifth pick, but there's a lot of talent in this draft so with the fifth pick we'll still be in a good position to get a pretty high-quality player." -- Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley on the team getting the No. 5 pick in the draft
