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NBA basketball is really truly right around the corner — at least for 22 of the NBA’s 30 teams. The Detroit Pistons and seven other sad-sack franchises have been left out of the NBA bubble and resumption of the season.
I am so basketball starved, I’ll probably watch as much as I can physically set my eyeballs on, but this got me wondering — if I do have to adopt a team which one will it be?
For me the answer is easy — the Memphis Grizzlies. No, they might not win the NBA title this season, but they are the franchise most suffused with Detroit DNA.
The Grizzlies have thrived in a blue collar city, the team’s previous success went by the monicker Grit N Grind. Tell me if Rasheed Wallace heard that in 2004, it wouldn’t have been the Pistons rallying cry for half a decade?
The team also has top-notch fans, a great legacy of music, barbecue and a majority Black city with a historic legacy every American should apprise themselves of.
Crucially, as Pistons fans think of everything that has gone wrong in the past decade, and what they hope will go right in the next decade, the Grizzlies are a great guidepost.
What have the Pistons lacked since the trade of Chauncey Billups? A dynamic point guard to build the offense around and help other players on the roster grow and succeed. What has most frustrated the Pistons for the past 7+ years? An extremely good big man with obvious offensive limitations that put a definitive ceiling on how good the team could be if said big got max money.
What does Memphis have? Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Morant is infectiously watchable, and it seems like his teammates love him. The Michigan State product is an athletic powerhouse who can block shots and is currently shooting nearly 40% from 3-point range. Jackson still has a ways to go building his body (and he might not be able to do much there) and learn elite-level big man defense, but, man, I’d kill for a player like that.
He’s a rich man’s Christian Wood but four years younger and with a higher ceiling. Remember how darn fun it was to watch Christian Wood all season, but especially after Andre Drummond was traded? That’s Jackson. Remember how fun it can be to watch Derrick Rose when he’s at his best? That’s Morant.
The dude is relentless. He is one of the fastest players in the NBA, drives to the basket consistently and is smart enough as a rookie to set himself and his teammates up for scoring opportunities. He is just shy of his 21st birthday and already he is one of the more exciting point guards in the NBA.
I am a Grizzlies fan for as long as they remain in the bubble and beyond.
But that doesn’t mean you agree. If you had to officially adopt an alternative franchise for the rest of this supremely strange season, which team would you adopt? Would you go high-tier championship contender — Clippers, Lakers, Raptors or Bucks? Would you reward the tough-as-nails Heat? The mid-Process Sixers? The shockingly effective Thunder?
I’d love to know which teams readers of DBB would love us to follow a little more closely and passionately as a site?
Poll
What NBA Team should Detroit Bad Boys Root for for the Rest of the NBA Season?
This poll is closed
-
4%
Milwaukee Bucks
(20 votes) -
2%
LA Lakers
(12 votes) -
1%
Toronto Raptors
(5 votes) -
1%
LA Clippers
(8 votes) -
0%
Boston Celtics
(2 votes) -
2%
Denver Nuggets
(10 votes) -
0%
Utah Jazz
(4 votes) -
2%
Miami Heat
(9 votes) -
1%
OKC Thunder
(7 votes) -
0%
Houston Rockets
(3 votes) -
1%
Indiana Pacers
(5 votes) -
0%
Philadelphia 76ers
(3 votes) -
3%
Dallas Mavericks
(14 votes) -
67%
Memphis Grizzlies
(284 votes) -
0%
Brooklyn Nets
(1 vote) -
0%
Orlando Magic
(1 vote) -
2%
Portland Trail Blazers
(12 votes) -
2%
New Orleans Hornets
(11 votes) -
0%
Sacramento Kings
(1 vote) -
0%
San Antonio Spurs
(3 votes) -
0%
Phoenix Suns
(2 votes) -
0%
Washington Wizards
(4 votes)