The unraveling of the Grit-N-Grind Grizzlies has been a slow and sometimes painful process over the past several years, as one-by-one, the core group that elevated the team to Western Conference contention and a decade worth of respectability and prestige was traded off as the organization looked toward the future.
Just this past year, we saw Marc Gasol head to Toronto, where he would win his first championship with the Raptors, and after much speculation, Mike Conley was finally traded to the Utah Jazz, bringing the era to a close.
It’s an emotional time for Grizzlies fans, and especially for the players who spent such a significant part of their life in the city of Memphis. Conley decided to honor that on Friday with this video message to the city and its fans via UNINTERRUPTED, titled “Dear Memphis.”
Dear Memphis,
All good things must come to an end. #SincerelyYours, @mconley11 pic.twitter.com/il9Hc111LY— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) June 28, 2019
In the letter, Conley reflects on coming to town as a teenager and spending the next 12 years of his life there, as well as all the work and he and other Grizzlies did off the court during their time there.
With the rest of the squad scattered to the four corners of the NBA universe, Grizzlies fans can now turn their focus to a new generation that includes the likes of Jaren Jackson Jr., No. 2 pick Ja Morant, and others, which is immediately one of the best collections of young talent in the league.
While the dissolution of the Grizzlies is clearly a sad occasion, there are plenty of reason for optimism, and plenty of room to keep cheering for the former players who gave so much to the city and the organization, regardless of where their next journey takes them.
