August 29, 2008 – Dr. Anklesnap
He was the only player to average a double double in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He was the 2008 Olympic leader in blocks. He was the 2008 Olympic leader in rebounds. No, we are not talking about USA’s Dwight Howard here, it’s the Iranian national team Center Hamed Haddadi. This guy is 7’2″, 260 lbs and plays with passion and hunger. After his performance at these games in Beijing, I think everyone was put on notice that this guy belongs in the NBA and would be headed there shortly.
Here’s what confused me to no end this week, Haddadi was signed by none other than the Memphis Grizzlies. I realize a lot of GM’s around the league believe in signing the best available talent as an asset over signing a player to fill a specific need, but given the crowded front court in Memphis and the recent signing of Spanish Center Marc Gasol, i’m just plain confused. The waters have now been muddied in Memphis.
The front line rotation in Memphis now includes the following personnel; Marc Gasol (C), Hamed Haddadi (C), Darko Milicic (C), Darrell Arthur (F), Rudy Gay (F), Hakim Warrick (F), Antoine Walker (F).
Maybe Memphis GM Chris Wallace is just hedging his bets by signing three young studs, who each have a lot of upside potential to be a quality center in the NBA, that way they can dump the least valuable of the 3 into a future trade with someone requiring an interior presence. Another scenario may be playing Gasol and Haddadi side by side in the future, especially if Gasol continues to lose weight and increase his speed to go along with his great hands and touch around the hoop. Sort of like an international Twin Towers. The fact that Haddadi has come so cheap (signing for around the cost of a mid first round draft pick) leads me to believe that Darko may be the odd man out in the future rotations for the Grizz. On the surface it seems that Wallace has taken another gamble here, but when you think about the relatively cheap cost, and the poor regular season record of the Grizzlies the past few years, what does he have to lose?
Regardless of how Hamed Haddadi performs this year, come training camp some innovative coaching and roster moves are going to be needed to make this thing work. Marc Iavaroni….I hope you’re ready to start earning your pay check!
