The Team That We Use To Laugh About.

It is a depressing and sobering thought that this Memphis Grizzlies franchise was once the Vancouver Grizzlies. Not the fact that they left Vancouver which in its own right is depressing and sad. The fact that this franchise has been around for the same amount of time as the Raptors and look at them now. Yet look at where they are currently and look at where we find ourselves. Like I said it is depressing and sobering and perhaps even a source of anger. While the Raptors have been in a free fall to the bottom of the Eastern Conference the Grizzlies have been on the rise in the West.  

Memphis: 
2009-10: 40-42 (Fourth In Southwest- Missed Playoffs) 
2010-11 46-36 (Fourth In Southwest- Lost in Second Round to OKC) 
2011-12 41-25 (Second In Southwest- Lost in First Round to Clippers) 

Toronto: 
2009-10 40-42 (Second in Atlantic- Missed the Playoffs) 
2010-11 22-60 (Last in Atlantic- Missed the Playoffs) 
2011-12 23-43 (Fourth in Atlantic- Missed the Payoffs)

Speed ahead to tonight and the Raptors are 3-12 while the Grizzlies come in 10-2 and one of the best teams in the league so far this season. We use to laugh at this franchise while in Vancouver as the Raptors seemed miles ahead of them. Now the shoe is clearly on the other foot. Rudy Gay may in fact get talked about more by Raptors fans than the folks in Memphis. A lot of fans clamoured for Bryan Colangelo to pull of a deal to land Gay in Toronto. No doubt he is talented but he comes with an over priced contract. Still he produces and maybe no more so than against the Raptors. He averaged 24.5 points in the two meetings last year.

The Raptors actually split the series between the two teams hanging on to win in OT 114-110 in the building the play tonight the Fed-Ex Forum. They played another close contest earlier in the year up in Toronto in which Memphis got revenge 102-99. That is the good news. Here is the bad that win by the Raptors win snapped a 6 game losing streak to Memphis which speaks to that change in fortunes displayed above. More bad news when you look at career performance against this club.

No one particular does well against them. Andrea Bargnani is the best scoring wise at 15.3 a game well off his career average. This is another former club of Kyle Lowry as well. Last night against the Rockets he didn’t set the world on fire.

Unlucky loss number 13 would seem almost a sure thing for this one.

 If you missed it earlier in the day had the interview with DeMar DeRozan we teased on this week in Raptorland up this morning if you want to go check it out.

UPDATE 6:55 PM: You wanted No Andrea Bargnani....YOU GOT IT....No not traded out with a bump ankle....Klezia is going to start rumour has it. Oh yeah this is going be interesting.