MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Rudy Gay emerged as a budding All-Star. A year ago in a shaky rookie season, his outside shot was unsure and he didn't have decisive moves to the basket. He fixed that in the off-season, improving every facet of his game. His scoring average jumped from 10.8 points last year to 20.1 this season, as he became the third Grizzly after Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Pau Gasol to average at least 20. He also set a single-season franchise scoring record for most points with 1,632. He's the first second-year player in three years (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony in 2004-05) to average 20-plus points.
MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: Free agent Casey Jacobsen was supposed to give the Grizzlies some outside shooting pop. But when he showed he couldn't do that, he was worthless. He can't guard and he can rarely beat anybody off the dribble. Management finally ordered Marc Iavaroni to cut his playing time next-to-nothing. FREE AGENT FOCUS: C Kwame Brown, F Casey Jacobsen, F Andre Brown and G Juan Carlos Navarro are the Grizzlies who are now free agents. Navarro will likely be the only player that Memphis will try to re-sign.
PLAYER NOTES:
--The Grizzlies have nine players with guaranteed contracts for next season. They are Mike Miller ($9 million), Darko Milicic ($7 million), Brian Cardinal ($6.3 million), Jason Collins ($6.2 million), Mike Conley ($3.6 million), Rudy Gay ($2.57 million), Hakim Warrick ($2.1 million), Kyle Lowry ($1.16 million) and Javaris Crittenton ($1.38 million).
--G Juan Carlos Navarro was named to the NBA's All-Rookie Second Team. Playing his first NBA season after a 10-year professional career in Spain, Navarro placed in the top five among rookies in scoring average (10.9 points per game, third), three-pointers made (156, first), three-point field-goal percentage (.361, second), assists (2.2, fourth) and free-throw percentage (.849, second).
Navarro's 156 three-pointers were just two shy of the NBA's rookie record held by Kerry Kittles (158 in 1996-97).
"This has been a very positive experience," Navarro penned on his website from Barcelona. "I went (to the NBA) with the intention of playing minutes and to be able to show my ability. I think I won the respect of players and also the teams."
--If second-year F Rudy Gay learned anything this past season, it was that he became the face and the future of the franchise when the team traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers.
"Pau was here so long and he's what people knew in Memphis," Gay said. "Now, he's gone and the city has to turn to something else. Someone has to step up. I feel like I can because that's the person I am."
