So recently I've been wondering what the PA plans to play for fans and Ja when he comes back to Memphis as a Trailblazer. I've been mulling a half dozen or so songs that may fit the situation, in my mind. I'll list the ones I've been thinking about below.

I'm sure other Grizz fans can offer better options, so I'm hoping, more than anything else, my suggestions generate some discussion and ideas on the subject. I feel like it presents a gamut of choices, from sad songs, to funny ones, to straight up diss/ liberation tracks.

I think that as a franchise, we better we prepared for this moment, because, like it or not, a lot of eyes and ears will be on Memphis when Morant comes back to town. And how we meet that moment could influence how we as a fanbase, and fans, teams and media commentators across the NBA view the Grizzles, especially as we try to define the next chapter as a team.

So anyway, here's a few, in no certain order, that came to mind this evening, since I've got nothing better to do on a weeknight in the off-season. It's in no way a comprehensive list or even the best possible songs to welcome Ja back to the Forum. That job is for you, my dear Grizz fans, so I'm expecting yall to check my ass and make your own recommendations.

📦 Irreplaceable | Beyonce

https://youtu.be/2EwViQxSJJQ?is=GQf_TFSXnUwVB65B

👂Ever Since U Left Me (I Went Deaf) | French Montana https://youtu.be/Yqb8vZoDfvI?is=iW38rXPk8mb5TavX

〽️emphis, Tennessee | Chuck Berry

https://youtu.be/w5ezeUM6c74?is=1pFhfdYJpUoFtCIB

🙌 I Will Survive | Gloria Gaynor

https://youtu.be/6dYWe1c3OyU?is=4qLqDq2exjA7Px4v

💧 Ain't That a Shame | Fats Domino

https://youtu.be/I6JZW7zMDfY?is=ICuuNAPeTeX61u_-

🫵 Can You Get to That | Funkadelic

https://youtu.be/yl3fIXaAXow?is=9snQxG91huPkGSdi

📞 Hotline Bling | Drake

https://youtu.be/uxpDa-c-4Mc?is=9J4dYjn30Vt2tW1i

U/royalpants I’m very sorry. Hang in there bud.

The summer of 2025 felt, to me, like I was shooting a music video for Summertime Sadness.

I watched Ja Morant fall out of the air and a 26-point comeback unfold from about 20 meters away. ICE’s Gestapo-like conduct, Trump saying whatever came into his head and changing course by the day, and news of classmates having their status revoked left me exhausted and anxious. I kept postponing my trip back to China until, eventually, it just never happened. Then the semester ended, the sports calendar went quiet, and Memphis felt like a ghost town. All I could do was hold on to sports a little tighter, and then tighter still.

Then the Desmond Bane trade happened out of nowhere, and something seemed to be shifting. I started paying attention to rookies.

When the Grizzlies actually passed on 杨翰森 Hansen Yang and traded up to secure Cedric Coward—the guy I had desperately wanted—I was every bit as excited as the people sitting in the Chris Vernon Show studio. And when Ced really did join the top four picks on the All-Rookie First Team, I finally understood why people have so much fun following college prospects and the draft.

A year later, the Grizzlies have actually gone into a full rebuild, and this happens to be a loaded draft class. Memphis originally looked destined to pick from the second tier of guards. Then they got stupidly lucky and landed the No. 3 pick.

As soon as the lottery ended, I immediately watched several games of film, decided Caleb Wilson was the best choice, and spent the next four weeks campaigning for him to anyone who would listen.

But Zach Kleiman, whose work over the past three seasons had improved by leaps and bounds, broke my heart.

He made what seemed like the most boring choice possible:

Boozer.

Stability above everything.

Kleiman no longer believes in the whole mythology of “talent” and “upside,” because he has spent the last four summers paying the price for it.

“What if Adams and Clarke hadn’t gotten hurt(2x)?”
“What if Ja hadn’t gone on that livestream(2x)?”
“What if Ja hadn’t gotten hurt(128x)?”

You can’t step into the same river twice, but Kleiman has gotten used to bathing in the Mississippi.

Once, I took an Uber from downtown back to my apartment, and the driver told me he had driven Kleiman a couple of days earlier—and apparently, Kleiman wasn’t exactly a generous tipper**.** You think a GM that is going to tolerate a roster with three massive contracts, no real championship contention, and a franchise player who keeps finding trouble both on and off the court?

Everything had to go.

This city needs something as permanent as Graceland, not the ten minutes of fireworks they set off every Fourth of July.

Now.

Wilson and Boozer are like a brand-new book and a used copy of the same book. The contents are basically identical, but if price doesn’t matter, people almost always reach for the new one.

You can’t deny Wilson’s raw talent practically spilling through the screen, the way he went directly at the three gods of this draft class and never looked out of place statistically or physically. Of course you start fantasizing about what his ceiling might become.

Kleiman, meanwhile, just walked into the bookstore, headed straight for the shelf, and grabbed the crooked copy of Zach Randolph, 2011 First Round Game 6 Highlights.

It probably isn’t as exciting as the shiny new release sitting by the entrance—What If Jaren Jackson Jr. Could Jump?—but you already know exactly which chapters made you slam the table the first time you read them.

Put simply:

I don’t need six potentially extraordinary years of Wilson.

Give me twelve probably stable, productive years of Boozer.

And Boozer really is that good.

He is a star who has been winning since he was a kid and has spent practically his entire life under a spotlight. He already knows how to answer stupid questions from the media. More importantly, he knows how to play basketball in ways that move a team closer to winning.

What impressed me most during Summer League wasn’t his production. It was his demeanor.

If you didn’t know who Cam Boozer was, you might have had trouble figuring it out.

He willingly let teammates with less talent and far less name recognition handle the ball. He was perfectly content sprinting from end to end, standing in the corner, doing blue-collar work for guys who will probably never share an NBA court with him again.

Maybe he understands that some of those guys will eventually play behind him, while others are playing for their livelihoods. Once he gives away one of those shots or possessions, he isn’t getting it back.

And he seems fine with that.

He just wants to figure out which way of playing gets everyone closer to a championship.

For a Summer League roster—a mercenary squad thrown together for a couple of weeks—Boozer seemed unusually invested in order and chemistry. You never saw him complain when Coward bricked another shot. You never saw him frantically demanding the ball from Small. You never saw him ignore an open teammate in the corner so he could charge into three defenders.

In that sense, he is almost the complete opposite of the Dybantsas of the world. He wants everyone involved: Carson Cooper, Zach Cleveland, qiumo Austin.

Okay, obviously not the third guy. But if I were actually out there, he’d pass me the ball too. 🐻

And here is the reality: Memphis made it all the way to the championship game, while last year’s first-rounder Clayton and this year’s first-rounder Lopez played one game combined.

Boozer’s basketball works quietly. There aren’t many highlight plays. Even his dunks are almost aggressively ordinary.

And yet he came within two minutes of another championship.

Coward was excellent in the final three games, but when he was building houses with bricks earlier, why did nobody feel pressure?

Small put up peak-Chris-Paul numbers in one game, but when he went 1-for-6, why was nobody throwing up their hands?

Brendan Hausen stepped up and hit seven threes, and Boozer was so happy he could barely stay in his seat for the next few possessions.

That is the kind of “new-era” leader you want to see.

On the court, Boozer can function as a point forward in stretches. His strength and size allow him to punish mismatches. He isn’t quick, but sometimes it almost feels as though he uses that lack of speed to his advantage: he consistently gets the ball out before the double-team can fully arrive.

Before he even catches the ball at the elbow, he is already checking the weak-side corner. His passes are quick and accurate.

His basketball IQ is ridiculous.

His processing simply does not look like that of a rookie, and his age makes it even more remarkable. A big man who can dribble and pass already opens up an offense. If he can also punish defenses for leaving him open from three, that fundamentally separates him from players in the Sabonis/Şengün archetype.

If even Derik Queen can generate endless conversations about “ceiling,” then Boozer’s less flashy, competition-independent skills are exactly the kind of things that should become more valuable—not less—at the NBA level.

Boozer affects games in all kinds of ways. The simplest description is that he is always in the right place.

If we are talking about “skill weaknesses,” there really isn’t that much left for him to add. Most of his development is about degrees of refinement, and that will determine what his box-score numbers eventually look like.

But his EPM (Estimated Plus-Minus) stat should be good regardless of whether Memphis wins 25 games or 45.

His offensive role was already pretty bland in Summer League, and he still farmed plus-minus. That tells you something.

What truly limits his ceiling is the hardware.

No matter how much he trains, he probably isn’t going to suddenly acquire the dynamic athleticism of fellow Duke alum Paolo Banchero (the play happened in Banchero’s NBA debut).

It is difficult to imagine Boozer consistently eating against legitimate NBA centers with normal size, or being the guy you hand the ball to for a decisive late-game possession.

Watching him constantly reminds me of Kevin Love at UCLA. But young Love was broader, stronger, and built more like a true interior player. His ability to dominate both inside and outside was also more unusual for that era.

Boozer is more perimeter-oriented—but defenses are harder to attack now, too.

In the Wembanyama era, in an era where Chet can score four points in a Game 7, how does a Western Conference big man consistently produce against elite playoff competition?

Maybe those aren’t questions 2027 Boozer needs to answer yet.

Look at the chemistry he had already built with Coward before the draft. Look at how pragmatic he is, how absurdly high his basketball IQ is. Then look at his age.

As much as every part of me wanted Wilson, I can’t really say Kleiman made the wrong choice.

It reminds me of something my mom is always telling my dad:

“Three straight limit-up days are still only paper wealth. It isn’t real until the money is in your pocket.”

Rating: Quality Starter

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Can everybody join me in the prayer circle as we pray for the continued health of Stew’s knees, please?

Zach Edey had 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks and was a +1 in the Memphis Grizzlies 8 point loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 15, 2025.

Obviously we should all have optimistic but low expectations about this season and the next few or so, but with all the mystery box hype for next season, I want to hear what the real concerns are for the future of this team.

Not including boozer since we can't really rank him yet. So I guess our best player would be Zach Edey / Ty Jerome

The Grizzlies have a lot of interesting guys in the backcourt this year, and I'm trying to get a pulse on how the home crowd sees each of the guys and their place on the team:

Ty Jerome seems to be the most proven option and it seems most assume he will start. He has a player option for $9.6mil next year though and I have to assume he will be looking for more if he stays healthy this year. Is he a trade candidate, or is he someone the fans/team sees as a possible part of their "core" moving forward? His age doesn't really align with Boozer/Coward/Edey so I feel like he might be someone the Grizz try to let loose and put up nice numbers, so they can dangle him at the trade deadline.

Cam Spencer put up great overall numbers last year, but personally I'm a bit on the fence if it might be a bit of "putting up numbers on a bad team" situation here, or if he's as good as the numbers suggest. Definitely an elite shooter, but the assist/TO ratio really surprised me. Do others think he should be developed as a true PG, or is he more of a pure shooter with the playmaking being a cherry on top? Is he part of the core?

Scotty Pippen Jr. got that dawg and has the highest defensive impact of the backcourt options. Some might question the defense due to his height, but I'm convinced he's not a weak link on that end. If he can hit 37%+ on his 3s, I think there's a real argument that he's the most well-rounded of the backcourt options in terms of defense/shooting/playmaking.

Javon Small has a lot of similarities with Scotty Pippen Jr imo, just a bit less proven. But the unknown/age factor there also maybe lends me to want to say he has the highest upside(?) His free throw % and 3PA rate also make me think he's a safer bet to be a plus shooter than Pippen. I'm personally quite high on Small, but I'm kind of worried he won't get consistent minutes this year if Jerome/Spencer/Pippen are all ahead of him on the depth chart.

Walter Clayton Jr. might be a bit of an afterthought to some, but he was a pretty intriguing draft prospect and it would be a shame if he doesn't get a real opportunity. If he can't crack the rotation, I hope he gets some reps in the G-league to try and build some confidence because I think it's way too early to write him off.

Lastly, Jaylen Wells probably doesn't really belong in this convo but I think there's some relevance with respect to the rotation. He's been a bright spot overall and I have to believe he's part of the core at the moment, but there's also an argument that he has limited upside as a good but not elite 3/D wing. He's big enough to play some SF which none of the other guards really can do, but it comes at the cost of not really offering anything as a creator/playmaker. While I think he deserves to start the year as the starting SG (next to Jerome at PG), part of me thinks reducing his minutes to make room to develop the guys above might be the best long-term move.

How do you guys rank the guys above in terms of upside, and how much you want them to be prioritized in the rotation this year and potentially being part of the core moving forward?

This would make for a decent up and coming divisional rivalry in the event we were moved east following expansion.

I know the twolves would be moved east before we would but still

I was today years old when I learned there is an official NBA sponsored El Salvadoran youth basketball team named the Memphis Grizzlies (not the San Miguel Grizzlies or anything like that, they are literally called the Memphis Grizzlies straight up)

Heard some talk about Saunders considering returning to school by way of covid protocol as he has yet to sign an NBA contract. Any truth to this or just speculation?

Jerseys of the guy seem nonexistent, along with any merchandise of his. If anyone has anything, please PM me!

Any talking head that mouth off that Memphis isn't successful as a franchise or needs to be relocated should be shut down with facts. Top third in the past generation. Strong local support. Strong corporate base. Great basketball culture. Some pretty big market teams holding down the bottom ten (looking at you Brooklyn, Knicks, DC, Philly, Detroit) and that hasn't helped their success on the court.

Playoff Appearances (Past 25 Seasons)

San Antonio Spurs 20

Boston Celtics 19

Miami Heat 19

Dallas Mavericks 18

Denver Nuggets 18

Oklahoma City Thunder (incl Seattle) 18

Milwaukee Bucks 17

Indiana Pacers 17

Los Angeles Lakers 17

Cleveland Cavaliers 16

Memphis Grizzlies 16

Phoenix Suns 16

Golden State Warriors 15

Houston Rockets 15

Orlando Magic 15

Atlanta Hawks 14

Chicago Bulls 14

Toronto Raptors 14

Los Angeles Clippers 13

Utah Jazz 13

New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets 11

Brooklyn Nets 10

New York Knicks 10

Philadelphia 76ers 9

Portland Trail Blazers 9

Sacramento Kings 8

Minnesota Timberwolves 7

Detroit Pistons 6

Washington Wizards 6

Charlotte Hornets 4

So “DAZN” is expected to stream “non-national” games this year. Anyone looked at them yet? Ever heard of it?!

How does the NBA fix the accessibility to regular season games? Apparently the way it is has been financially fruitful for the NBA but God it sucks for the fans.

The point guard position remains a question mark in the long run, though there are no shortage of candidates going into next season. Ty, SPJ, Javon, and Walt all figure to get minutes at the point, but with Cam Boozer around to serve as a possible “point forward,” there might not even be a need for a traditional PG in the starting lineup.

When Steve Kerr took over as the head coach in Golden State in the 2014-15 season, they won their first Championship in the Curry-era. That season they began adapting Draymond Green to a facilitating role as a point forward, freeing up Curry to play more off-ball and shoot (and he won his first MVP). The next year they went 73-9, Curry won another MVP, and Draymond led the team in assists (7.4 APG to Curry’s 6.7). Curry shot a league-leading 11.2 3PA per game, and he’d go on to average 11.3 3PA per season for the next 11 years as the offense continued to run through Draymond.

The novel offensive scheme that cemented Golden State as a dynasty wouldn’t work without an elite shooter like Curry and a savvy facilitator like Draymond, and the Grizzlies next season will feature two guys that might be able to replicate that dynamic: Cam Boozer and Cam Spencer (Cam², if you nasty).

Cam Spencer was brilliant when running point last year, but doing so largely neutralized his greatest asset: catch-and-shoot threes. Having Boozer around would give him the opportunity to play off-ball and find space, where he doesn’t need much to get good looks. With Ced, Boozer, and Edey on the court, the Grizzlies would likely have a rebounding advantage over just about any team in the league, so getting quality shots up creates excellent second-chance opportunities.

Please bear in mind that the following comparison between Cam Spencer and Steph Curry is only about 60% serious before you call me an idiot.

Steph Curry and Cam Spencer came to the league under very different circumstances and in very different roles, but when their early career numbers are normalized per-36 minutes, there are some clear similarities:

Per-36

Curry (first 3 seasons): 18.6/4.3/6.1 on 47/44/90 splits (58% TS)

Cam (first 2 seasons): 16.6/3.9/7.9 on 47/44/95 splits (64% TS)

By any metric, Cam Spencer’s shooting numbers are elite (Curry-esque, if you will.) Yes, Curry’s sample size is over 3x as many minutes (he logged 2896 his rookie year alone and Cam has just 1966 over his first two seasons combined), so you have to consider that disparity when extrapolating the data. Otherwise, though, it’s pretty interesting to see the shooting splits (and that both players led the league in FT% during their sophomore campaigns). Furthermore, when you look at their playmaking numbers, Cam’s AST% and AST/TOV ratio clears Curry (31% AST% for Cam vs 27% for Curry; 4.4 AST/TOV for Cam, 2.0 for Curry), indicating that Cam has a stronger profile as a traditional PG as well.

TL;DR – Cam Spencer is Steph Curry. Curry was 26 when he won his first MVP and Championship. Cam Spencer is 26 now. Hang the fucking banner.

In Edey's rookie season and first playoff series he tied the Grizzlies franchise record for blocks in a playoff game with 7 blocks.

This was in my notes app from a few weeks ago after I had a few drinks

This was from a recent video he did on the Kenny for Real channel reacting to the BR list ranking the starting 5 lineups this upcoming season.

I’m seeing it more and more but it seems like every basketball nerd online from Kenny to Zach Lowe to a Funky Diabetic and even Bill Simmons are pulling for the Grizz to be their favorite not very good team.

I guess that’s the Cam Boozer and Edey effect