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GritGrindGrizz: Call me crazy, but maybe it’s time for Hubieball 2.0

The Grizzlies have made no secret that the franchise intends to buck the trend in today’s run-and-gun, bombs away NBA. They intend to reinvent “Grit ‘n’ Grind”  for today’s style of play — which presumably means they intend to be a physical squad that plays elite-level team defense.

“It’s going to take a mindset,” Mike Conley said Monday at Media Day. “If we believe we can be that good defensively, we can be.

“We’ve been talking a lot about creating havoc defensively – using our long arms, getting in the passing lanes,” Conley continued. “That’s what we’re going to try to re-create. Everyone (on this team) has a defensive mindset and that’s what makes us special already.”

That’s all well and good. But the NBA isn’t slowing the game down or shooting less threes. Any elite defense will need to involve defending at a fast pace and chasing more shooters than ever off the arc.

Furthermore, with so many NBA teams using switches to create mismatches (think Conley defending Kevin Durant on the block), an elite defense needs to have versatile defenders at multiple positions.

So what will this new version of “Grit and Grind” look like? What should it look like? Honestly, I’m wondering if the current roster doesn’t lend itself more to an even earlier Grizzlies’ style. I’m thinking it’s time to update Hubieball.

Hubieball: A refresher

Memphis enjoyed their first playoff run nearly 15 years ago, with the 2004-05 squad. Led by a coaching legend in Hubie Brown,  the Grizzlies rolled out a starting lineup of Jason Williams, Shane Battier, Pau Gasol, James Posey and Lorenzen Wright.

I don’t think it disrespects that squad to say that it was not the most talented. But what it lacked in talent, the team made up for in depth, hard work and a rotation pattern than was distinctly Hubie: The 10-man rotation.

The idea was as ludicrous then as it is now: At a certain point in the game, pretty much regardless of how his team was playing, Brown’s starting five would come out of the game — all five players at once — replaced with a completely different second unit. Guys like Earl Watson, Mike Miller, Bo Outlaw, Jake Tsakalidis, Bonzi Wells and Stromile Swift not only brought a change of pace to the game, they also brought fresh legs.

Hubie often said that the 10-man strategy ensured regular minutes for 10 players, helping to keep a more peaceful roster. But it also meant that when his starters returned to finish games, they weren’t tired.

It was pure Memphis joy to watch a well-rested, highly disciplined and relentless Grizzlies defense attack opposing teams in the fourth quarter – full court press, diving for balls, picking off weary passes. So many of those 50 wins the Grizzlies earned that season came from Memphis simply wearing out their opponents with fresh legs.

Hubieball came to an end early the following season, when Brown’s health and/or a rebellious locker room forced him back into retirement. Turns out that despite the success of the 10-man rotation, some players still wanted more minutes. So at the end of the day, NBA-sized egos prevailed.

But what worked with Hubieball? And how could current coach J.B. Bickerstaff apply its principles?

JayBeeBall 1.0?

So let me take this off the table right now: I don’t think Bickerstaff should swap out five players at once on a rigid schedule. I could see that strategy deployed occasionally, maybe a few times a season as the situation calls for, but not at the 9-minute mark of every game.

But make no mistake: Bickerstaff has ridiculous depth on this roster — particularly on the perimeter – and he should use it. Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons are healthy. Andrew Harrison and Dillon Brooks made progress last season. Pencil Marshon Brooks in as the designated scorer. And rookie point guard Jevon Carter will be jockeying for minutes.

And all of that was before Sept. 17, when the team officially introduced Kyle Anderson, Garrett Temple, Shelvin Mack and Omri Casspi. That day, I asked Bickerstaff if he intended to use that depth as a weapon itself.

“I think that’s the key word. It is a weapon,” Bickerstaff said. “And it’s our responsibility to use it as such. We’ve got the opportunity with guys here, we can go 12-13 (players) deep, very easily, and we’re excited about that.”

Bickerstaff mused about Anderson’s ball-handling, and what lineups could be built around those skills. I’m all for that, but in the interests of going against the grain, I might go a few steps further in what I’ll call “JayBeeBall:”

Fluid lineups. As in, the starting lineup changes almost nightly around Conley and Gasol. As in, sometimes, sometimes . . . Gasol or Conley come off the bench.

My logic? How do other teams even really scout for that? Coaches could build a defensive scheme around slowing Mike Conley in the first quarter, except . . . Anderson gets the start at PG, alongside Marshon Brooks. Later in that game, a fresh Conley terrorizes an opponent’s second unit.  The next game, maybe Conley and Anderson start together. Or Conley and Parsons.

Let me be clear: I’m not calling for Conley to come off the bench permanently.  I only use that example to show how an unpredictable lineup could create matchup problems for other teams right from the opening tip. It would take a MASSIVE amount of buy-in, especially from Conley and Gasol as team leaders. But routinely rotating starters would be a creative way to leverage the Grizzlies depth.

Fresh legs. While I’m against Hubie’s five-for-five rotations, I do believe it’s wise to distribute playing time so that Memphis can deploy a harassing, full-court press-style of defense throughout the fourth quarter – including when closing lineups with Conley and Gasol are back on the floor.

Much as it did under Hubie, I think that approach could produce a lot of deflections and turnovers for a hyper-aggressive Memphis defense – hopefully leading to easy transition buckets and wins.

And then there are fresh legs in general. At 19, rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. has already wowed his teammates with his ability to defend on the perimeter while still being a weak-side shot blocker. Anderson (25), Dillon Brooks (22), Wayne Selden Jr. (23) and Andrew Harrison (23) are all part of a youth movement and have proven to be capable defenders. Let the young legs run.

Going deep into the roster also puts a premium on defense, which depends on effort . . . which depends on energy. Regardless of how Harrison (or any other player) is shooting, he can still chase a guy all over the court on defense for 10 minutes a night.

The Long Game. Routinely deploying 10-12 players should also have the benefit of controlling minutes — thus presumably reducing injury risk — for Conley, Gasol and other veterans Memphis will be relying on for a hopeful playoff run.

And then there’s simply the benefit of playing with confidence. Young players need game minutes to get better and gain confidence.  Investing rotation minutes in young players in November could pay off with veteran-level play in the Spring.

Conclusion

Many sports pundits have picked the Grizzlies to finish outside the playoffs, and it’s understandable. The Western Conference, as always, got tougher and Memphis is coming off a down year.

But if they can stay healthy and gel as a team while regaining their defensive identity, there’s no reason this team’s depth and versatility shouldn’t put them in the thick of the playoff hunt.

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