Memphis Grizzlies hold players-only meeting after tough loss
After a disappointing 89-72 loss against the Orlando Magic, Memphis Grizzlies players held a meeting in the locker room to discuss the team's direction. The players-only meeting is a result
of the players' unfulfilled expectations for the team.
Coming into the season, the team was looking to challenge the elite squads in the Western Conference. So far, things haven't gone as planned. In the game against Orlando, the Grizzlies
hit bottom as they looked sluggish against the Eastern Conference contenders. The team never had the lead and was hardly a competitive opponent against the Magic.
"It's never too early to have a team meeting,'' said Mike Conley, the team's starting point guard, in an interview with NBA Fanhouse.
"The issues that we have as a team, being held accountable individually, we have to accept as a team.''
Memphis scored less than 100 points for the third time in 11 games this season. The Grizzlies, which have a 4-7 record, struggled in the first quarter and never recovered. In the quarter,
the team committed ten turnovers and shot just 25 per cent from field goal range.
"We should be further along at this point in the season. We're still working the kinks out, and it's kind of late in the game to still be doing that,'' Memphis forward Rudy g*y told NBA
Fanhouse. He finished the game with just nine points.
"That (meeting) is for us to talk about. Obviously, we are not playing well right now.''
Just like g*y, the rest of the Grizzlies starters also turned in subpar performances. Zach Randolph, who was an All-Star last season, scored just nine points. Guard O.J. Mayo, on the other
hand, scored just 11 points, four points off his season average. Center Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 14 points and eight rebounds.
'We're a better team than this'
Mayo said: "Everyone here seemed to think this was going to be our season, and we bought into that, I guess.''
"We need to get back to playing like we have a chip on our shoulders, like underdogs again, scratching and clawing. Those are the kind of things we talked about.''
"We're a better team than this. We want to be a playoff team,'' Mayo added. "But to do that, we have to talk about some things, get us back on the right track. We weren't there tonight.''
"I wouldn't say we have any issues,'' Randolph said. "It was just a tough night.''
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