The 2015-16 NBA season is barely underway, and already we are seeing some major overreactions. One of the bigger ones happens to be with the Memphis Grizzlies, who are 2-2 (oh no, not .500 after four whole games). The latest rumors and reports say that they have made or are making attempts at a trade for the Miami Heat's Mario Chalmers, but the idea that a move like that would benefit this team simply makes no sense.
ESPN's Marc Stein first reported that the team has been looking into a deal for him, but my question is: why?
Chalmers isn't a bad player by any means, but he's not any kind of game-changer. That thought is ludicrous. And if the Grizzlies and their fanbase are worried about the team losing by 30 to the Cleveland Cavaliers and 50 to the Golden State Warriors -- both of which were in the NBA Finals last season -- Chalmers isn't going to make a difference in those types of blowouts. Not one bit.
In fact, I'm not so sure that incumbent backup Beno Udrih is all that much worse than Chalmers. One could argue that the former Kansas Jayhawk is a better three-point shooter and defender, but not by so much that this team could suddenly keep up with the top squads in the NBA any better.
I mean, as far as their careers are concerned, they're not that far off from each other statistically.
In Chalmers' career, he's averaged 8.9 points, 3.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per game.
For Udrih, he's averaged 8.7 points, 3.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds in only 22.6 minutes per. And he's also shot about four percent better from the field and turned the ball over 0.4 times less per game.
So what exactly would the Grizzlies be getting out of the backup point guard spot that they don't already have?
While it's true that two huge losses by a combined score of 80 could, at times, be alarming, Memphis just needs to chill. Those games took place on Oct. 28 and Nov. 2 in the long NBA season. Last year, with mostly the same team, they pushed the Warriors to six games in the Western Conference Semi-Finals before finally being knocked out. They will be fine; it's just a rough start -- nothing more.
In the words of the great Aaron Rodgers: R-E-L-A-X.
Nobody needs to be freaking out about anything after four games, less than five percent of the games during the regular season; and nobody needs to -- for some crazy reason -- think that Mario Chalmers of all people is the answer to their issues.
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