If you want to find O.J. Mayo, look no further than the practice court. That’s where Mayo can be found shooting jumpshot after jumpshot. It has translated on the court, where Mayo has been scoring more and has been doing it efficiently. His teammates have noticed

Tony Allen:

“One thing about Juice is that he’s a competitor. He loves to win. When a person has that much fire in him, with his talent and the way he shoots, it’s a great attribute to our team. For him to get through all that (he has gone through), that just shows mental toughness. I’m glad he’s my teammate.”

Mike Conley

“I look up to him for the way he’s handled himself. It seems unreal what he’s had to go through the whole year. It seemed like issue after issue popped up out of nowhere but I knew once he got comfortable in his role he’d get back in a groove. He’s making shots he’s used to making.”

Zach Randolph

“He’s in the gym late at night working on his game and you can tell. He understands we need him and he’s big for this team.”

Coach Hollins:

“We had a conversation and I told him, ‘Shoot the ball when you’re open. That’s what you do’ I’ve never taken you out when you miss shots, so don’t think that you can’t take a shot because you might miss it. You can’t make them if you don’t shoot them.’ He’s come on and shot the ball extremely well. It’s important for us as we go forward that he continues to shoot the ball well. He’s a big factor on our squad. We need him to make shots.”

The Memphis Grizzlies can rest assured that they will get the best of O.J. Mayo in the Playoffs.

With the trade deadline approaching, the Memphis Grizzlies had many offers for O.J. Mayo. Mayo was about to be dealt to the Indiana Pacers but time expired before an agreement could be reached. One hot rumor at the time was a possible trade that would have landed Mayo in Chicago playing alongside Derrick Rose. Here’s what Mayo thought of the opportunity:

“It would have been cool. I stay here in the offseason and work out with Tim Grover. But I’m happy (with the Grizzlies).”

As it turns out for the Grizzlies, who are battling for a Playoff position, trading Mayo may have been disastrous as their leading scorer Rudy Gay has since been shelved for the rest of the season.

For the past few games, O.J. Mayo has been coming off the bench, not because of poor play, but so the Grizzlies can have a better bench. Coach Hollins was quoted as saying:

“I’ve been thinking about how we can balance our line-up. Everybody talks about how bad the bench is. We were not getting anybody on the bench that was a true, pure scorer so I have always been trying to figure out what is best to do. O.J. is a good shooter and he does have a scoring mentality. When you put him with the second unit maybe they’ll develop an identity.”

While Mayo is disappointed, he is committed to winning and doing what’s best for the team:

“You just have to be patient and stay enthused. I just want to help my team in any way possible. I just want it to be a winning decision. I won’t do anything to bother this team because I’m definitely a team player.”

Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley isn’t happy about reports that the Grizzlies offered starting shooting guard O.J. Mayo in a package deal for New Orleans Hornets all-star point guard Chris Paul. Heisley was quoted saying:

“Unequivocally, O.J. Mayo was not part of any discussions about a trade for Chris Paul. That is not true. Where do these people get this stuff?”

Heisley did admit that he inquired about Paul’s availability but that Mayo was not part of the package discussed.

Mayo doesn’t seem like he will be in Memphis long. Would he consider going to the new Anaheim Royals franchise?

Looking to improve their point guard play next season, the Memphis Grizzlies have been spending the summer working with O.J. Mayo on his ball handling and decision making. Mayo intends to play a few Summer League games in Vegas to work on his skills to be the backup point guard.

Mayo knows he has a lot to work on:

I’m not scared to say that I’m not the best point guard right now. I’m probably horrible right now mainly because I haven’t played with the ball in three years. But I think through repetition I can be good.

I’ve played with the ball all my life. I got to college (at USC) and coach (Tim) Floyd liked me at the two spot because of how I shoot. Then, I got here and wasn’t able to have the opportunity. We have Mike Conley, who is a great point guard and has been since he was 10. I’m not scared to say that I’m not good at it right now. I just need to work on my ball handling and find a way to dominate the game without scoring.

I’ve been telling some of the guys on the team that I’m not going to be a perfect point guard right away. But I think I’ll get better. I just have to have the opportunity. I’m not trying to step on the heels of Mike Conley. I just want to get better so I can stay on the floor.

And explains what led him to want to get better:

Stephen Jackson was backing me down and hitting jump shots. For the first time in my entire life I had to sit down at the end of a game because I couldn’t guard my man. From that day on, I was like, ‘I have to get better at ball handling and being a lead guard.’ There may be a ceiling for me at shooting guard. Every night I’m battling guys 6-6, 6-7 and it’s kind of tough for me.

Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins explains his thoughts on the move:

We want to see if he can change his mindset and see if his skill level makes him capable of playing the point. I’m not looking at him as the starting point guard or a 30-minute point guard. But the more versatility we have the better our team is so we can keep our main guys on the court longer.

If Mayo is able to develop and improve his skills for next season, he’ll add some much needed versatility, scoring to the offensive end while being a defense nightmare to opposing point guards.

The Memphis Grizzlies renounced the rights to Hakim Warrick last week to give them more flexibility in free agency. Many are speculating the move was made to bring in Allen Iverson. How does O.J. Mayo feel about the move:

“If it’s to make room for Allen Iverson, I definitely think we’re making a step forward and as a young player in my second year in the league (it) definitely gets me excited that we’re going the right way and making some good choices for the organization.”

On people comparing him to LeBron or Kobe:

“I like DWade, Gilbert Arenas, a young Ray Allen when he played for the Bucks.”

On Losing:

“Losing is the hardest thing – it’s the worst thing about my NBA experience so far.”

On the seemingly bias coverage he’s been subjected to:

“I just have to keep working hard and keep my nose clean and just try to be the best player I can be.”

“I think the world of him,” Bryant said. “I think he’s extremely talented. I think he has a great overall game that a lot of young players don’t have in terms of skills. He can handle, he can shoot, he can pass, he’s fast, he’s quick, so that’s the whole package.”

Mayo ended with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists but shot 6-for-20 from the field, including missing 7 straight shots at one point. Rose finished with 9 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists but had 5 turnovers.

“I’m just trying to get better as a player,” Mayo said. “I’m not perfect, but I strive to be perfect. Nobody plays perfect but I just try to get better.”

“I feel like as a ballplayer and as a competitor who wants to win, anything short of a national championship will be a failure for the team this year”