Damichael Cole- Ice Cole Sports

27/12/2023

I sat down with Derrick Rose, and we talked about a lot.

Family, basketball, moving (back) to Memphis and how he’s cherishing the small things.

I wrote about it.

- A special basketball
- moving family to Memphis
- Ja and Jaren on Rose’s impact
- & more

Story:

Derrick Rose signed a two-year contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, but he's planning on being in the city much longer than that.

17/12/2023

News: The Grizzlies are expected to part ways with Kenneth Lofton Jr. as a result of the roster crunch with Ja Morant returning from suspension, per source.

Lofton was the G League Rookie of the Year last season and will generate league interest.

My story:

The Memphis Grizzlies are letting go of second-year big man Kenneth Lofton Jr. as a result of a roster crunch with Ja Morant's return on Tuesday.

19/07/2023

Today I was a guessed on Grind City Media’s “Grizz Beat.” We talked about the summer the Grizzlies are having.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eHL5DCR08R0&pp=ygULR3JpenogYmVhdCA%3

Tune in the catch up on all this Memphis Grizzlies with Memphis legends.----1-click Subscribe to GCM: http://bit.ly/subscribe2gcmDiscover the latest Memphis ...

11/07/2023

Emoni Bates told me he was “definitely” interested in getting drafted by the Grizzlies.

Why?

“Ja. That’s like my big brother.”

01/07/2023

Derrick Rose to the Grizzlies is about more than what he’ll do on the court next season. I wrote about what D-Rose brings that the Memphis Grizzlies have been missing.

The Memphis Grizzlies are hoping Derrick Rose can provide a veteran locker room presence in the next era of Grizzlies basketball.

26/06/2023

Last offseason, Ja Morant signed the biggest contract in Memphis Grizzlies franchise history. A year later, could Desmond Bane surpass him? One expert told me that he thinks so.

In this story, I outlined:

-why Bane could get max
- recent player comparisons
- impact on Grizzlies’ salary cap
- How CBA changes impact negotiations

Ja Morant signed the largest contract in Memphis grizzlies franchise history last season. Now Desmond Bane is in position to do the same.

22/06/2023

The Grizzlies aren’t getting Marcus Smart just to be an elite wing defender. They aren’t getting Marcus Smart to only be a backup point guard. Memphis wants Smart to do both.

Here’s my breakdown on what trading for Smart means for the Grizzlies going forward.

Read here:

Adding Marcus Smart gives the Memphis Grizzlies several lineup options while Ja Morant is suspended and after he returns.

22/06/2023

Acquiring Marcus Smart is big for the Grizzlies while Ja Morant is suspended. This allows the Grizzlies to roll out a potential starting lineup of:

G - Smart
G - Luke Kennard
F - Desmond Bane
F - Jaren Jackson Jr.
C - Steven Adams

Smart guards the top wing scorer. Huge move for Memphis.

16/06/2023

I’ll start dropping more of where you can find me speaking on TV/Radio/Podcast guest appearances for those who are interested.

So far today, I’ll be on the following shows discussing the latest with Ja Morant:

- Prime Video’s From the Desk of Master T at 3:30pm
- ESPN Radio Canty and Carlin at 5pm
- ESPN Las Vegas at 6pm

Come check it out.

16/06/2023

Here is the NBA’s full statement on Ja Morant. He will need to meet conditional thresholds before returning to play.

16/06/2023

BREAKING NEWS: Ja Morant has been suspended 25 games by the NBA. The Grizzlies star will miss the beginning of the 2023-24 season.

Story coming soon. Stay tuned for our coverage.

24/05/2023

A spokesperson from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to The Commercial Appeal that they checked in on Ja Morant after his IG posts this morning, and “he is fine.”
Social media break.

Story:

A Shelby County Sherriff's Office spokesperson said police conducted a welfare check on Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant due to Instagram posts.

20/05/2023

Former Grizzlies star Tony Allen says he contacts Tee Morant "every day," and he has tried to reach out to Ja Morant.

"I been through some of everything of what he's trying to portray. It can get rough."

Story👇🏽

Former Memphis Grizzlies defensive star Tony Allen said he's tried to reach out to Ja Morant to offer guidance. Here's what else he said.

14/05/2023

Here’s most of my coverage today on Ja Morant, how the sports world reacted to his suspension and more. We’ll have more coverage on Ja Morant and the Grizzlies this week.

Suspended from team: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/nba/grizzlies/2023/05/14/memphis-grizzlies-announce-ja-morant-is-suspended-after-gun-video/70216340007/

Sports world reaction: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/nba/grizzlies/2023/05/14/ja-morant-gun-suspension-woj-stephen-a-smith-kendrick-perkins-twitter-reacation/70216468007/

Many athletes and media pundits commented on Ja Morant's latest suspension after a gun video and shared their thoughts on what happens next.

10/05/2023

The Grizzlies don’t have cap space, so they’ll have to be creative in acquiring free agents. For this exercise, we used players that Memphis could possibly target with the mid-level exception. Nothing flashy, but cheap fits.

Here are five free agent options for the Grizzlies at small forward next season.

With Dillon Brooks unlikely to return to the Memphis Grizzlies, free agency is one way Memphis could acquire a new starting small forward.

09/05/2023

The Grizzlies have built a nice roster with depth, but this offseaosn, the team will be more aggressive while hoping to land a starting small forward. With that being the case, the Grizzlies could lose some players who have played alot of minutes over the past few seasons in order to upgrade the roster.

Here’s my story on which Grizzlies players may get traded to upgrade the roster.

The Memphis Grizzlies will have to be creative to upgrade their roster from the outside this offseason.

02/05/2023

At the end of the day, Dillon Brooks wants a bigger role, and the Grizzlies can't offer that.

DB on Sunday: "I was just there to three-and-D, shoot and play defense. I got way more to my game than that."

My story on how the two sides came to a split.

Unpacking Dillon Brooks' future with the Memphis Grizzlies amid a report that he will not return to the team next season.

30/04/2023

The Grizzlies conducted exit interviews today, where we talked to GM Zach Kleiman, Taylor Jenkins and many of the players. There were a lot of takeaways. I wrote about them.

- Dillon Brooks’ future
- Grizzlies offseaosn plans
- Desmond Bane’s next contract
- summer league

And much more.

Memphis Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said team will be aggressive in the offseason and said he would discuss Dillon Brooks’ future later.

30/04/2023

Grizzlies exit interviews today. We’ll be talking to GM/president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman, head coach Taylor Jenkins and players. Stay tuned for updates

28/04/2023

I’m out here in Los Angeles. Spoke to Taylor Jenkins yesterday. Here are some key things for you to know ahead of Game 6.

- Luke Kennard’s status
- How Memphis wants to use Dillon Brooks
- What the Grizzlies are emphasizing

The Memphis Grizzlies are hoping to have Luke Kennard in Game 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers, but they are preparing for all scenarios.

23/04/2023

Grizzlies News: Ja Morant is active. The Grizzlies are getting their star point guard back for Game 3 vs the Lakers. Big news. We’ll see how the hand holds up throughout the game.

The Memphis Grizzlies got good news with the addition of Ja Morant back in the starting lineup ahead of Game 3 against the Lakers.

21/04/2023

Ja Morant was a full participant in a non-contact practice for the Grizzlies today. He still has a few boxes to check off before potentially playing in Game 3, but Memphis got some encouraging news on Saturday.

“It’s so much better than it was two days ago.”

Ja Morant's hand is improving for the Memphis Grizzlies, and so are his chances of playing in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

19/04/2023

The Ja 1s were released in select retail stores today. One man, who came to see the Grizzlies play from Hawaii, searched around Memphis just so he could find a pair while he was in town. One person compared it to the release of retro Jordan’s. One man was told he could only buy one pair, so he did that and went to his car, changed clothes and came back to get another pair.

Me and The Commercial Appeal Columnist Mark Giannotto drove around Memphis to capture the scenes of the release of the Ja 1.

Ja Morant's first Nike signature shoe was released at select Memphis area retail stores Wednesday. It left some scrambling to buy a pair.

18/04/2023

Ja Morant shot the ball and dribbled with his right hand on Tuesday morning for the first time since reaggravating a soft tissue bruise he suffered a little more than a week ago. He is a gametime decision for Wednesday’s game, which is encouraging news for Memphis.

Here is what Taylor Jenkins said about how Morant looked at Tuesday’s practice.

The Memphis Grizzlies updated the injury status of Ja Morant ahead of their NBA playoff game against the L.A. Lakers.

16/04/2023

Ja Morant didn’t do anything with his right hand after the game. He couldn’t put his socks on because he didn’t use his right hand. He described his pain level as a 10, and he said his status for Game 2 is in jeopardy.

“I'm just pretty much numb to everything now."

Story:

Ja Morant didn't sound like he's intending on playing in Game 2 after suffering a hand injury late in a Game 1 loss against the Lakers.

14/04/2023

A year ago, the Memphis Grizzlies were the darlings of the NBA. Ahead of the 2023 playoffs, many have perceived them as the villains.

I spoke with Isiah Thomas and Rick Mahorn from the Bad Boys Pistons about the NBA’s latest villains.

Story link:

As the Grizzlies begin another playoff run, two former members of the 'Bad Boys' Pistons see some of themselves in what this Memphis team has become

09/02/2023

My story on Luke Kennard, a shooter who helps boost one of the Grizzlies’ main weasinesses at the trade deadline.

The Memphis Grizzlies traded for L.A. Clippers guard Luke Kennard to bolster their championship hopes in a loaded Western Conference.

09/02/2023

KD to Phoenix
Jakob Poeltl to Toronto
D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt to LAL
Kyrie Irving to Dallas

It all impacts Memphis.

Here’s how:

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/nba/grizzlies/2023/02/09/nba-trade-deadline-how-kevin-durant-trade-impacts-memphis-grizzlies-mikal-bridges-rumors/69887860007/