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What Marc Gasol's jersey retirement can mean for Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies | Giannotto
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- What Marc Gasol's jersey retirement can mean for Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies | Giannotto
The sentiment came from Kevin Durant of all people, an NBA superstar whose legacy is perhaps defined by his willingness to jump from team to team in pursuit of a title. But of all the things said about the Core Four era of the Memphis Grizzlies over more than 100 minutes of "Marc Gasol: Memphis Made," the team-produced (and wonderfully nostalgic) documentary commemorating Gasol , it was Durant's ode to Grit and Grind that seemed to best encapsulate its legacy within the greater context of the entire league.
"They had a perfect structure here," Durant said, "and even though they didn't win the championship, playing against them every year in the playoffs, I felt like they were a dynasty type of team. I know a dynasty, when you say it, it's about winning championships. But when you got a consistent group together for that long in the NBA, which is rare, I think it should be celebrated."
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The latest party Saturday, when Gasol's No. 33 joins Zach Randolph's No. 50 up in the rafters of FedExForum , should be a blast. We get to look back once more at a team and a player who helped forge an enduring bond between this franchise and this city – a welcome distraction from the injury-mangled gap year of a season that is about to end.
If it's anything like Randolph's coronation in December 2021, the current members of the Grizzlies will make their way back to the bench once they're done playing the Philadelphia 76ers and bask in the past just like the fans in the crowd. The timing seems almost fitting, on the cusp of an offseason in which Memphis will be in search of someone to man the center position Gasol did so sublimely for more than a decade.
Beyond that, however, bringing generations together like this is also cause for reflection – of what Gasol and his teammates accomplished, of course, but also whether this current iteration of the Grizzlies will be able to match or surpass them.
This team led by Ja Morant , Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane has been through a lot since we last got together for the purposes of retiring a number more than two years ago.
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Memphis had a 16-11 record back then, when Z-Bo sat on that throne, former coach Lionel Hollins and General Manager Chris Wallace made their first public appearances inside FedExForum since the team moved on from them, and Gasol flew in on a red eye from Spain after playing a game to be there. The Grizzlies hadn't yet orchestrated back-to-back second-place finishes in the Western Conference. They hadn't been calloused by playoff losses to the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers .
Former Memphis Grizzlies great Zach Randolph is celebrated during his jersey retirement ceremony, the first in franchise history, at FedExForum on Saturday, December 11, 2021.
Morant was only beginning his ascent and hadn't run into the off-court detours and injury issues that have temporarily paused his career. Jackson wasn't playing due to a foot injury that occurred on the heels of a knee injury, a far cry from the durable and steadying force he is now. Bane had just entered the starting lineup after an encouraging rookie season. None of them had the nine-figure contracts they do today.
The way last season ended and the way this season went halted the organization's momentum, and provided these players with the first real roadblocks of their career. There are plenty of reasons to believe Morant, Jackson and Bane can return the Grizzlies to being Western Conference contenders as soon as next season. But it will also be their fifth year together – enough time to realize the NBA waits for nobody.
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For context, Memphis had seven seasons with Gasol, Randolph, Tony Allen and Mike Conley all on the roster. It won four playoff series, including that run to the 2013 Western Conference Finals when Gasol was named the NBA's defensive player of the year. What they lacked in aesthetics, they made up for with sheer will – the kind that left a lasting impression on players of the era like Durant.
FROM 2019: The Memphians who coached Marc Gasol at Lausanne watched him win an NBA title together
Gasol embodied this mentality maybe more than anyone. The process of winning (and losing) consumed him. It's what endeared him to teammates, aside from his multi-dimensional skill-set, even if Gasol himself admits in the team documentary this sometimes manifested itself in ways he regrets.
"I think I get how he's feeling more now as I get older," said Jackson, the only current Grizzlies player to play with Gasol. "You should want to win that bad where things are uncomfortable. Things aren't going to be comfortable winning. You aren't going to win a championship being comfortable. And he proved with that level of desperation, you can win a lot of games."
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We're still learning how much the current Grizzlies can withstand, and if they are desperate to win in the same vein as Gasol. It's why Saturday could be such an important moment for the franchise, for a player whose legacy is already cemented and the players still trying to figure out what exactly their legacy will be.
You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on X: @mgiannotto
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Marc Gasol jersey retirement meaning for Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
