O.J. Mayo may very well be the x-factor as the Memphis Grizzlies try to upset the number one seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs. Mayo has been coming off the bench as the 6th man, bringing a much needed scoring punch off the bench. The Grizzlies have been without Rudy Gay since the All-Star break and will need Mayo to help replace some of his numbers.

O.J. Mayo is back from his 10 game suspension but will he still be in a Grizzlies uniform next week after the NBA trading deadline? If you were to ask NBA analyst last week, the answer would have likely been “no” but with Rudy Gay’s shoulder injury that will cause him to miss at least 4 weeks, the Grizzlies may have to keep Mayo if they want to make a push for the playoffs.

To say that O.J. Mayo has been struggling is an understatement. Since moving to the bench, his minutes and production are at career lows. Always known to be one of the hardest workers off the court, there is no doubt Mayo has the talent to be a star in the league. So what’s wrong? Anyone can speculate but here are 3 likely reasons:

1. O.J. Mayo will be a free agent soon – since the Grizzlies signed Rudy Gay to a max contract and Mike Conley also got paid more than expected, the Grizzlies may want to de-value Mayo’s contribution to try and sign him for less. Not to mention Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol will want contracts as well.
2. O.J. Mayo isn’t used to the bench – Mayo has been a starter all his life so adjusting to a bench role can be difficult as it takes a different mindset and is takes more time to get warm and adjusted. Mayo has been inconsistent but has shown flashes of brilliance that would give the Grizzlies the pop off the bench that would make them formidable opponents against the top teams.
3. O.J. Mayo could be injured – lets face it, the NBA season is long and all players get hurt, some more than others. Often times, it does not get out to the media. While Mayo has looked okay out on the court, a small injury can have a big impact on his performance

What do you think is wrong with O.J. Mayo?

O.J. Mayo has had a pretty good preseason averaging 9.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in only 20 minutes of play. He has also had some chances playing point guard to give the Grizzlies another shooter on the floor. The Grizzlies open the season on Oct 27th against the Atlanta Hawks.

While NBA teams are battling it out in the Playoffs, the off season for O.J. Mayo and the rest of the Memphis Grizzles has begun. Mayo, who is known to be a hard worker in the off-season, will no doubt be improving on all facets of his game. He finished his 2nd year (17.5 points per game, 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assist) with similar stats to his rookie year but did it playing with more talented players and a better team.

The Grizzlies entered the season as the youngest and least experienced team in the league and a disastrous start of the season (1-8) and selfishness of Allen Iverson made it seem like it was going to be a long year. But after Iverson was released, the Grizzlies started playing better, including a hot December and January, to finish the season 40-42, 16 games better than last season, including a franchise record, 11 straight home wins.

Despite the improvement and having a lot to look forward to, Grizzlies majority owner Michael Heisley wasn’t happy with the lack of fan support at home. There were often a lot of empty seats in FedExForum, which was a bit of a surprise since the Memphis Grizzlies had one of the cheapest basketball tickets per game, at $5 each.

Next season, the Grizzles have under contract O.J. Mayo, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Hasheem Thabeet, Hamed Haddadi, Darrell Arthur, DeMarre Carroll, and Sam Young. They will also have 3 first round draft picks in the NBA draft, including a lottery pick. The top priority will be resigning Rudy Gay and Ronnie Brewer, who will be restricted free agents. Head coach Lionel Hollins just signed a three-year contract extension.

If they are able to resign Rudy and their core players improve, the Grizzlies figure to have a great shot at making the Playoffs next season.



1. How will Mayo adjust to having to handle more point guard responsibilities?
2. Mayo is known for being a hard worker in practice while AI is known for his practice rants
3. Iverson said in his press conference that he was on a mission but does that mean he is playing for himself or will he incorporate the team?
4. Was AI brought in just to sell tickets?
5. Iverson has publicly stated in the past his desire to start. Would he take a bench role to allow Mike Conley to grow?

How will the Memphis Grizzlies acquisition of Zach Randolph affect O.J. Mayo this year? Z-Bo is a career 20 points / 10 rebound player but needs the ball to be productive. Mayo will likely get less shots but players will not be able to focus on him as much. Was this a good or bad move by the Grizzlies? Will we see such highlights as below from Zach?

With the NBA Draft lottery order set for Tuesday, the Memphis Grizzlies have a chance to add another top talent to their young team. Who would you like to see share the court with O.J. Mayo and help the Grizzlies make the Playoffs next year?

Some of the top prospects include:

• Blake Griffin
• Ricky Rubio
• Hasheem Thabeet
• Jordan Hill
• James Harden
• DeMar DeRozan
• Brandon Jennings
• Stephen Curry
• Chase Budinger