The NBA’s all-time starting five: Memphis Grizzlies

You’re in your second semester of AP Basketball History, you love really good teams, and you love lists. With precious little drama left in the NBA’s 2015 offseason, why don’t we hit the barroom and/or barbershop, pour ourselves a frosty mug of Barbicide, and get to arguin’ over each franchise’s most formidable starting five-man lineup.

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Because we don’t like making tough decisions, the lineups will reflect the All-NBA line of thinking. There will be no differentiation between separate forward and guard positions, and the squads will be chosen after careful consideration of individual merits only – we don’t really care if your team’s top shooting guard and point guard don’t get along.

These rankings will roll out based on when each franchise began its NBA life. We continue with the Memphis Grizzlies, a team that has played in two of North America’s most spectacular cities.

C: Marc Gasol. The team’s current franchise star wasn’t just a throw-in tossed out there to keep fans happy in the infamous 2008 deal that sent his brother away from Memphis, it was understood that Marc had NBA-level talent and size already in place. Questions surrounded his weight and conditioning, though by 2008 Marc was well on his way toward slimming down from the large frame that limited his ability as a Memphis-area high school prospect. In seven seasons with the team Marc has made two All-Star squads while averaging around 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a block and a half in 33 minutes a night. He also won the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year award.

F: Pau Gasol. The first go-to guy to lead the Grizzlies franchise to the postseason. Memphis dealt the only star the Grizz had ever known in a sure 20 and 8 contributor in Shareef Abdur-Rahim for the rights to an unproven 19-year old who was playing just 25 minutes a night for his Spanish league club. Gasol assuaged any fears almost immediately by busting out to win Rookie of the Year in 2001-02 while leading the Grizz to the playoffs in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Prior to being dealt to the Lakers, he averaged 18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, three assists, 1.8 blocks and just 2.6 turnovers a game.

F: Zach Randolph. Considered a millstone at best and a heavy contract cancer at worst upon his introduction to Memphis, Randolph turned his game and career around as a well-respected member of the Grizzlies. Zach’s production stayed about the same in box score numbers, but it was the way he went about piling up his double-doubles (not dominating the ball, moving well defensively) that helped turned the Grizzlies into winners. Randolph has averages of 17.5 points, 10.9 rebounds and just 2.1 turnovers with the Grizz, and he’s made two All-Star teams while in his adopted hometown.

G: Tony Allen. As with Zach Randolph, Allen’s career was at an absolute low point prior to finding a home as the heart and often face of the Memphis Grizzlies franchise. Never the steadiest shooter (or even layup-maker!), Allen’s devastating work on the defensive has made him an irreplaceable cog in the Memphis machine. He’s yet to even average double figure points with the club (nine points per game on average with the Grizzlies) but Memphis hardly minds.

G: Mike Conley Jr. Considered by some to be a bit of a reach with the fourth overall pick in the 2007 draft, Conley has made a career out of outperforming the expectations of the doubters. We’re not sure if his designation as the “greatest active player to never make an All-Star team” is an accomplishment or a diss, but he has managed the Grizzlies expertly for years while averaging 13.4 points and 5.6 assists in just 32 minutes a game, while often sacrificing point and assist totals to his scoring and passing big man teammates.

It’s easy to slough off Shareef Abdur-Rahim’s Vancouver averages of 20.8 points and eight rebounds a game as empty, considering his version of the Grizzlies never even sniffed a playoff race, but he truly was a fantastic player burdened by too many terrible teammates to name (and an incompetent front office).

Mike Miller brought an A-level all-around game to Memphis during his second year, and averaged over 13 points (in just 30 minutes) and 42 percent three-point shooting in seven seasons with the club. Rudy Gay was much maligned for his so-so efficiency in his time with Memphis, but he still came through with nearly 18 points per game over six and a half seasons with the Grizz. His polar opposite would seem to be no-stats All-Star Shane Battier, but both contributed successfully in their own ways. O.J. Mayo may have disappointed in the end, but he did average over 15 points per game while in Memphis.

That’s our five. Who are you going with?

Previous entries: Golden State. Boston. New York. Detroit. Sacramento. Los Angeles Lakers. Atlanta. Philadelphia. Washington. Chicago. Houston. Seattle/Oklahoma City. Phoenix. Milwaukee. Los Angeles Clippers. Cleveland. Portland. Utah. Brooklyn. Indiana. San Antonio. Denver. Dallas. Charlotte. Miami. Minnesota. Orlando. Toronto.