3 Reasons the Memphis Grizzlies Went Underappreciated in the 2000s

MEMPHIS, TN - APRIL 19: The Memphis Grizzlies pose for a team 

photo on April 19, 2004 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee. 

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As told by Bonzi Wells, here is why the Memphis Grizzlies did not make more noise than what they did in the 2000s.

By Christian Dudley | Jun 27, 2019

Hubie Brown got the most out of his Memphis Grizzlies 

(Photo By Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Hubie’s Absence

The Memphis Grizzlies ranked 16th in team defense for the 2003-04 season, but things greatly improved once the franchise had Bonzi Wells for a full season. In 2004-05, they made the climb to sixth-best. However, it was not just Bonzi who made the difference. It was the enhanced coaching of Head Coach Hubie Brown. He had a special system that was made successful because of a handful of interchangeable components on the roster.

Wells explains with “I’m just thankful that Hubie Brown coached us. Then we just had a lot of like-minded guys that sacrificed. If you remember, we were only playing half the game. Coach Brown was like ‘hey, Mike [Miller], you play six minutes. Bonzi, you play the other six minutes every quarter. That’s kind of what we all did. We all bought into his system and it was awesome.”

Chemistry goes a long way, and while this group of Grizzlies were young overall, one year made a big difference. In Wells’ second season in Memphis, the Grizzlies followed the 50-win season by a 49-win season. This qualified for another trip to the NBA Playoffs, and the Grizzlies were rolling at this point in their existence.

Despite the success, the players were hurting because Coach Brown was hurting. Hubie coached just 12 games in 2004-05 due to personal health issues, so Assistant Coach Mike Fratello took over. Things were fine until the postseason arrived.

“It was tough. Fratello was coaching us. I think that was the beginning of the end. When he got in, when he started coaching, he did not have a vibe with the team. I know I didn’t play much when he got there. Stromile [Swift] didn’t play much. A lot of guys didn’t play much once he got there. We were excited going into Year Two, that with that group, we were going to make some noise, and when Hubie got sick, it was like the beginning of the end,” Wells recalls.

Indeed it was the beginning of the end for Wells’ and the Grizzlies’ charge in the 2000s. They never were quite the same following Hubie’s official announcement that he was going to call it quits on his coaching career, leaving Fratello at the helm. For the Grizzlies, it was time to retool and rebuild the roster. Bonzi was later traded to the Sacramento Kings in the summer of 2005.

Fountain of Youth

Bonzi Wells landed with the Memphis Grizzlies following a midseason trade involving the Portland Trail Blazers. He would go on to play in 59 games to round out the season with Memphis, clinching a playoff berth for the fourth time in his NBA career and the first time in Grizzlies franchise history. It was a historic time for the city full of history.

Regarding the trade to Memphis, Wells recalls the eventful day by saying “I got traded from Portland and I didn’t know what to expect. No disrespect to Memphis, but they were one of the bottom teams in the league at the time. When I got there, I just remember looking around the locker room, like ‘we got some talent in here.'”

Talent, he was right. The majority of his Grizzlies teammates were just getting started in the NBA ahead of some prolific careers. Even with a young roster, a little bit of veteran leadership — provided by Wells — was the key to success. It was enough to boost them into the postseason.

Wells claims “we were going to build around Pau Gasol, who was an up-and-coming player on the peak of being an All-Star. We had Lorenzen Wright — rest in peace, Lorenzen. Jake [Tsakalidis]. J-Will. Mike Miller. Shane Battier. [James] Posey. Myself. Earl Watson. Stromile Swift. When I looked at the crew, I said ‘we got a team, we’re just young. We need some experience.'”

That was the downfall for the 2003-04 Grizzlies squad against the San Antonio Spurs dynsasty in the first-round of the NBA Playoffs. Inexperience met experience. This aspect was on full display as San Antonio swept Memphis, squashing the buzz in the city for the time being. Regardless, it was a positive season to say the least. Plus, the team knew what to work on in order to become great.

“I just remember my goal and my mindset was to instill some toughness in our guys and a belief that we could win against anybody,” says Wells. “We had the great Hubie Brown, who was just leading us, and he had a formula on how we could win games. He broke the whole 82-game season down, showing us ‘if you take just two or three games at a time, win these games, small victories at a time, you’ll get 50 wins.’ And we ended up getting 50 wins that year. It was a franchise record at the time.”

Despite being on the wrong end of a playoff series sweep, momentum was building in Memphis, Tennessee. A few heads were turning in their direction after the 50-win season.

Hubie’s Absence

The Memphis Grizzlies ranked 16th in team defense for the 2003-04 season, but things greatly improved once the franchise had Bonzi Wells for a full season. In 2004-05, they made the climb to sixth-best. However, it was not just Bonzi who made the difference. It was the enhanced coaching of Head Coach Hubie Brown. He had a special system that was made successful because of a handful of interchangeable components on the roster.

Wells explains with “I’m just thankful that Hubie Brown coached us. Then we just had a lot of like-minded guys that sacrificed. If you remember, we were only playing half the game. Coach Brown was like ‘hey, Mike [Miller], you play six minutes. Bonzi, you play the other six minutes every quarter. That’s kind of what we all did. We all bought into his system and it was awesome.”

Chemistry goes a long way, and while this group of Grizzlies were young overall, one year made a big difference. In Wells’ second season in Memphis, the Grizzlies followed the 50-win season by a 49-win season. This qualified for another trip to the NBA Playoffs, and the Grizzlies were rolling at this point in their existence.

Despite the success, the players were hurting because Coach Brown was hurting. Hubie coached just 12 games in 2004-05 due to personal health issues, so Assistant Coach Mike Fratello took over. Things were fine until the postseason arrived.

“It was tough. Fratello was coaching us. I think that was the beginning of the end. When he got in, when he started coaching, he did not have a vibe with the team. I know I didn’t play much when he got there. Stromile [Swift] didn’t play much. A lot of guys didn’t play much once he got there. We were excited going into Year Two, that with that group, we were going to make some noise, and when Hubie got sick, it was like the beginning of the end,” Wells recalls.

Indeed it was the beginning of the end for Wells’ and the Grizzlies’ charge in the 2000s. They never were quite the same following Hubie’s official announcement that he was going to call it quits on his coaching career, leaving Fratello at the helm. For the Grizzlies, it was time to retool and rebuild the roster. Bonzi was later traded to the Sacramento Kings in the summer of 2005.

Just One Series

What could have been for the Memphis Grizzlies? It seems as if this question has been asked a handful of times within the fan base. What if Hubie Brown would have been able to remain healthy for the 2004-05 season, thus coaching another complete season? His game plan was working prior to his exit. Memphis had the momentum, but Brown’s exit derailed the train.

Though reaching the postseason was one of the Grizzlies’ goals which had reached completion, the group featuring Bonzi Wells was capable of accomplishing so much more. All the team needed was to win one playoff series to get over the hump. It would have taken Memphis to the next level. If that were to happen, who knows how great that Grizzlies group could have become?

“It was tough,” says Wells regarding the Grizzlies’ first-round matchup of the dominant San Antonio Spurs in 2004. From there, the road would continue to be difficult. In 2005, Memphis was faced with the surging Phoenix Suns. The result was the same. Memphis was on the wrong end of a playoff series sweep. Those consecutive sweeps were not a good look for the Grizzlies organization.

“Winning heals everything. When you win, people don’t have much to say. But when you lose, people have everything to say,” explains Wells. “It’s just part of it. That’s what comes with it. I dealt with it when I was in Portland. You can go as far as the Western Conference Finals, or even the Finals, but if you don’t win it, you’re still considered somewhat of a failure.”

One playoff series — even a first-round series at that — can entirely change the landscape of an NBA franchise. This is 100% evident via the Memphis Grizzlies organization over the course of their existence. However, the fan base admires characteristics more than hardware. That is why Bonzi Wells remains a fan favorite in Memphis, Tennessee to this day. If a player gives it a full effort and lays it all on the line, Grizzlies fans will always support them.

“I loved the grit that I instilled in the Grizzlies. I told them, ‘if we don’t win the game, we don’t win the fight. That was always my mindset. We got to be ready to fight. We had to be willing to fight. We even had Pau Gasol being tough a little bit, and he’s the nicest guy you’re ever going to meet,” says Wells laughingly.

It is safe to say the Grizzlies went underappreciated until the Core Four was assembled. Even then, Memphis had to dig deep to overcome the odds — which were against them — in order to become relevant as a small-market club.

Nobody said wins have to be pretty. After all, it took a lot of grit, grind, and a grimy display of basketball at times to achieve four 50-win seasons in the Grizzlies’ 24-year lifetime. It will take more “GNG” to accomplish the fifth.

While Bonzi Wells helped deliver lasting memories for the city of Memphis, one particular moment in his Grizzlies career will forever stand out to him.

“I remember when we opened the FedEx Forum. I still remember that I was starting at the time and the first play was for Pau Gasol to score the first bucket for the Memphis Grizzlies in the new arena. And I broke the play! And I scored the first bucket. I got fouled and hit a free-throw, so I scored the first point in FedEx Forum history, so that’s exciting, too.”