The Memphis Grizzlies are beefing up front with the acquisition of 6-foot-10 forward Brandan Wright who is expected to pick up the slack vacated by Kosta Koufos.
Koufos came to terms to play for the Sacramento Kings ($33 million for four years) but the void hardly mattered with the entry of Wright.
Wright last played for the Dallas Mavericks but hardly saw action. Aside from the Mavs, Wright also had stints with the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets.
Wright entered the league in 2007 where he was the eighth overall pick by the Charlotte Bobcats before being dealt to Golden State.
Wright admitted that he was given better offers by other ballclubs but chose the Grizzlies considering it was a home state team that has been constantly involved in the NBA playoffs.
He joins a familiar face, a high school rival to be exact in Marc Gasol. Wright recalls beating Gasol for a high school state championship during their high school days.
A look back would reveal that Wright's Brentwood Academy team defeated Gasol's Lausanne squad 68-49 in a 2003 state final.
This time, and at a professional level, things are different. Wright hopes that he and Gasol can team up to produce an NBA title for Memphis.
As a Maverick, Wright averaged 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks last season. Despite not-so-impressive numbers, general manager Chris Wallace has high hopes for Wright who he believes could be the missing element in the front court rotation of Memphis which includes Gasol and Zach Randolph.
Apparently Wallace believes that Wright's athleticism, ability to run the break and block shots will come in handy, and hopefully Wright will indeed rise to the challenge.
"He's one of the best runners -- a runner extraordinaire -- that you'll find in the frontcourt in the entire NBA," Wallace said. "Brandan is a shot blocker. He can score on lob passes from other players. He's got a great leaner in the lane. He provides defence, particularly from a pick-and-roll standpoint, which is just so important in the NBA today."
