MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: The draft night trade with Minnesota to obtain rookie O.J. Mayo was one of the best moves the Grizzlies have made in recent years. Mayo began the year scoring in double-figures for 25 straight games, including four 30-point games. He showed all year he was unafraid to take and make the big shot. Though he hit the rookie wall in February, he rebounded nicely and closed the year averaging 18.5 points, setting a Grizzlies' rookie record for most points in a season.
MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: Center Darko Milicic was serviceable to start the year and just seemed to be finding his game when he broke a knuckle against the Pacers on Dec. 26. When he returned after missing 18 games, he wasn't the same player. By the end of the season, he was buried on the bench. FREE AGENT FOCUS: Quinton Ross and Hakim Warrick are the primary free agents. Ross is unrestricted and Warrick is restricted. The Grizzlies will make a hard run at re-signing Warrick, who has been a steady inside scorer off the bench. He could get mid-level money and would be worth about a $5 million investment. Besides, he's a four-year veteran and the Grizzlies' oldest player. No one in the Grizzlies locker room is as well-liked and respected as Warrick.
PLAYER NEWS:
--Rookie G O.J. Mayo blew up the Grizzlies' rookie record book. His new records included:
*1,516 points, breaking the old Grizzlies rookie mark of 1,494 set by Shareef Abdur-Rahim in 1996-97.
*3,120 minutes played, breaking Shane Battier's rookie record of 3,097 set in 2001-02.
*562 field goals made, breaking Pau Gasol's 551 set in 2001-02.
*38.4 percent from three-point range, cracking the 38.2 set by Chris Robinson in 1996-97.
Finally, Mayo set a franchise and rookie record for free throw percentage, 87.9 (247-of-281), surpassing the old mark of 87.3 set by Brian Cardinal in 2004-05 and the rookie standard of 84.9 set last year by Juan Carlos Navarro.
Mayo played with a maturity beyond his years, one year removed from playing just one year collegiately at USC.
"This league is definitely a lot different once you play in it compared to what you think about it before you play in it," Mayo said. "It's definitely a grind, and the great players bring it every night. I look forward to being at that level every game.
"There's so many games, you have to find something that gets you wired to play hard every night."
--Rookie C Marc Gasol was part of the trade a year ago when his brother Pau went to the Lakers. Marc was playing in Europe and the Grizzlies got his draft rights in the deal.
He was considered sort of a "throw in" on the deal, so nobody expected what happened with him this season. He started 74 of 82 games and averaged 30.9 minutes per game as one of the league's most physical and fearless centers.
"I definitely didn't expect to play as much as I did, but it was definitely one of my goals," Gasol said. "The only way to learn to play in this league, and get respect from your teammates, your fans, the officials and the other teams is to play as much as you can."
--Second-year G Mike Conley was easily the Grizzlies' most improved player. He went from being trade bait under previous coach Mark Iavaroni to a steady, consistent floor leader under Lionel Hollins.
In his 39 games playing for Hollins, Conley averaged about 14 points, four rebounds and six assists.
"Coach put his trust in me and that gave me a lot of confidence," said Conley, who finished the season averaging 10.9 points, 4.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds. "He let me run the team."
MEDICAL WATCH:
--F Quinton Ross (strained quad) and G Greg Buckner (strained left shoulder) missed the last few games of the season with nagging strains that should heal quickly with rest.
