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How dominoes game has ignited Memphis Grizzlies' team chemistry
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- How dominoes game has ignited Memphis Grizzlies' team chemistry
Cam Spencer was distracted.
While playing a game of dominoes on a plane ride earlier this season with Memphis Grizzlies teammates Jock Landale, Santi Aldama and John Konchar, Spencer couldn't focus. His eyes were glued to his iPad as he watched basketball film. His lack of multi-tasking skills constantly delayed the game, so Landale took his iPad.
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Landale has three places he'll hide it: between the seats, in his pocket, or he'll sit on it.
"Cam lives and breathes basketball to an unhealthy point, in my opinion," Landale said. "He's always trying to watch film. It's always either his brother, himself or his opposition. We made a rule with Cam that when dominoes are out on the table, the iPads and phones are away. He couldn't handle that."
NBA players spend most of their days together during the season. Road trips, especially plane rides, are where some teammates form a bond.
Booray is one of the most popular card games favored by NBA players. Grizzlies players often have played euchre, but Landale has introduced dominoes.
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"It's just like naturally, you get to get that feel for one another," Landale said.
Aldama, Landale, Spencer and Konchar are usually the quartet of players on the table. If someone is tired or needs a break, rookie wing Cedric Coward substitutes in for a game.
The competition
Things get fierce on the dominoes table. Landale's teammates said he gets the angriest after a loss. Spencer and Aldama are the biggest trash-talkers.
But who is the best? Well, it depends on who you ask.
Landale has been playing the longest and has the most experience. Aldama and Konchar both needed a refresher, and Spencer has been learning and asking questions as he goes.
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Coward is a California native, where dominoes is a popular game. However, he has had to adjust to a different style of play with his teammates.
"Cam and (Konchar), they're just fillers," Aldama said. "They're just there so we can play the game."
"Cam's definitely the worst," Konchar said.
Spencer didn't agree. In fact, he said that Konchar may need to be drug-tested for his opinion.
"I was a little slower to pick up the game and the tactics of it, but since the iPad has been taken away and since I've been putting more into dominoes, I'm a top player on that table for sure," Spencer said.
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Landale called himself the best player, and Aldama drew strong reviews, too. The teammates were dishing much praise to Coward, who claims he won his very first game when playing on the table.
"It's always a fun time," he said. "We talk a lot of crap."
Dominoes strategy
With four players in each game, each participant gets seven dominoes. Some people count points starting as small as five, but others, like the Grizzlies players, start at 10.
In a funny way, the dominoes strategy of each player is somewhat translatable to his style of play on the basketball floor.
Konchar, for example, is known as one of the most instinctual Grizzlies players. When he enters the game, rarely is a play drawn up for him, but he somehow always finds himself around the basketball.
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And in dominoes, well . . .
"He always ends up with the best dominoes ever," Coward said. "It doesn't make sense. He always ends up with 6-3 and the person before him has 6-6. It's an automatic 15 points. It makes no sense."
Aldama is one of the more aggressive offensive players on the team. He's a high volume shooter who isn't afraid to make high-risk, behind-the-back passes.
In dominoes, he's a big-game hunter, too.
"I try to be aggressive," Aldama said. "I like when the board is high because that's when you get a lot of points."
Landale's communication and assignment understanding skills have stood out since joining the Grizzlies in July. In dominoes, he often can tell what pieces will be played based on what has already been put on the table.
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"He's pretty smart," Coward said. "He knows how to read the board well."
Coward is making a name for himself as a rookie with his versatility. He has played on and off the ball for Memphis. When he isn't shooting well or scoring, he can still affect the game with his rebounding and defense.
While Spencer and the other aforementioned players carry more offensive-minded mentalities, Coward is a bit different. He prides himself on adjusting to an offensive or defensive mentality based on how the game is being played.
"It's three other guys on the dominoes table, so I can't determine everything," Coward said.
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Prioritizing chemistry
The dominoes table is an example of how the Grizzlies are prioritizing building chemistry in ways that extend beyond the hardwood. Memphis has a mix of new players like Landale and Coward, plus the longer-tenured ones like Aldama and Konchar. The table is one of many areas that have allowed Coward's comfort level to grow.
"You got to find other ways to bond with your teammates," Coward said. "Basketball is obviously the centralized sport and centralized thing we do, but at the same time, if we're able to do all these different events and stuff together outside of the game, that's getting us closer and closer."
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also has been instrumental, inviting teammates to multiple outings, including a get-together at Topgolf.
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For Caldwell-Pope, these bonding exercises are what he learned while playing with the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers. He won a championship at each of those stops.
"Just trying to bring people together outside of basketball," he said. "We together all the time. Just trying to hang out, have fun and get to know each other."
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies players building chemistry through game of dominoes
