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Basketball Fan Franchise Player
Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Posts: 24741
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 2:18 pm Post subject: Grizzlies to retire Tony Allen's #9 |
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http://nba.nbcsports.com/2017/10/12/grizzlies-to-retire-tony-allens-no-9/
Quote: | Grizzlies to retire Tony Allen’s No. 9
Marc Gasol, sizing up last season why the Grizzlies must re-sign Zach Randolph and Tony Allen, said of the pair: “One is the president of Memphis. The other is mayor.”
Well, the Grizzlies let Randolph (Kings) and Allen (Pelicans) walk.
Now, the franchise trying to keep the bond, anyway.
Memphis already said it would retire Randolph’s No. 50. Now, Allen is getting similar treatment.
Grizzlies release:
Robert J. Pera: Controlling Owner, Memphis Grizzlies
“Tony was a driving force behind the Grizzlies’ seven straight playoff appearances and he remains a beloved member of the Memphis community. Tony played with a level of passion that is unrivaled. He helped establish a Grizzlies culture focused on toughness and effort, and he challenged every player that put on Beale Street Blue to match his fiery intensity. On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank him for his incredible contributions to the Grizzlies and the unique way that he inspired the city of Memphis. We are proud that the Grindfather’s #9 jersey will hang in the rafters of FedExForum alongside Zach’s one day.”
Chris Wallace: General Manager, Memphis Grizzlies
“Tony will forever be one of the Core Four responsible for the turnaround in the Memphis Grizzlies’ fortunes and our surge in popularity. There would never have been seven straight years of playoff appearances, the incredible electricity in FedExForum for home games, ‘Grit and Grind’ and ‘Believe Memphis’ without Tony Allen’s contributions to the team. In the process Tony became more than just one of the toughest defenders in the league – he became a true cult hero who was intertwined with the soul of Memphis like few athletes ever have in any city. Tony and his family will be missed but his impact on the Grizzlies and Memphis will never be forgotten.”
Allen was instrumental in creating the Grizzlies’ Grit & Grind persona. Not only did he coin the phrase, his toughness and defense embodied it. His seven years in Memphis coincided with the franchise’s best run – seven playoff appearances, including reaching the 2013 Western Conference finals and upsetting the No. 1-seeded Spurs in the 2011 first round.
The Grizzlies – who began as an expansion team in Vancouver in 1995 – have no numbers retired. In due time, they’ll honor this peak era. Gasol and Mike Conley, who still play in Memphis, will likely join Allen and Randolph with numbers in the rafters. |
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Vancouver Fan Franchise Player
Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Posts: 17740
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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Lol. C'mon now. _________________ Music is my medicine |
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adkindo Retired Number
Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 40345 Location: Dirty South
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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I demand #2 is raised to the rafters! White Chocolate.... |
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Basketball Fan Franchise Player
Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Posts: 24741
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 3:14 pm Post subject: |
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I get Gasol(both of them), Mike Conley and even Z-Bo the others? Yeah I don't agree. |
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Baron Von Humongous Retired Number
Joined: 02 Jul 2015 Posts: 32979
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 3:40 pm Post subject: |
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I guess, why not? He meant a lot to the community there. But the bar has been set so low now that if the Grizzlies ever win a championship, they're going to have to retire jerseys for the security staff. |
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rwongega Franchise Player
Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Posts: 20510 Location: UCLA -> NY
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Basketball Fan Franchise Player
Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Posts: 24741
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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rwongega wrote: | ROFL. His only claim to fame was injuring Kobe. |
He won a ring with the Celtics in 2008 but that is probably second to that. |
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activeverb Retired Number
Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 37470
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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I don't have a problem with this. Allen is one of the best perimeter defenders in NBA history. It's kind of nice to see someone have their jersey retired for defense. |
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ksmgf Star Player
Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 5045
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 6:06 pm Post subject: |
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Is he going to make the hall of fame? |
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activeverb Retired Number
Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 37470
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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ksmgf wrote: | Is he going to make the hall of fame? |
He won't come close to making the hall of fame, but two-thirds of the teams in the league have retired jerseys of guys who aren't in the hall. That's a criteria that only the Lakers have |
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non-player zealot Franchise Player
Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Posts: 21365
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Inspector Gadget Retired Number
Joined: 18 Apr 2016 Posts: 46492
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 7:22 pm Post subject: |
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non-player zealot wrote: | That's a franchise showing you that its own expectations for success are LOW. |
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lakersken80 Retired Number
Joined: 12 Aug 2009 Posts: 38750
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 8:13 pm Post subject: |
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You guys laugh but this is better than retiring MJ's number on a team he never played on or honoring Dan Marino's number in a sport he never played in.... |
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tnell Star Player
Joined: 23 Jun 2011 Posts: 3185 Location: Over the River And Through The Woods
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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rwongega wrote: | ROFL. His only claim to fame was injuring Kobe. |
Yeah I think his claim to fame is being named to the all defense teams 6x in his career. |
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nickuku Star Player
Joined: 09 Jul 2010 Posts: 7844 Location: Orange County
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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I should they should retire Pau and Marc's #s. |
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Magic Ball Rookie
Joined: 12 Oct 2017 Posts: 15
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 9:00 pm Post subject: |
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He was, at best, the fourth wheel on a team that never made it above pretender status, and which had limited playoff success.
This is absurd. |
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activeverb Retired Number
Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 37470
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 9:17 pm Post subject: |
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nickuku wrote: | I should they should retire Pau and Marc's #s. |
They probably will. Maybe Conley eventually. |
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non-player zealot Franchise Player
Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Posts: 21365
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 3:29 am Post subject: |
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lakersken80 wrote: | You guys laugh but this is better than retiring MJ's number on a team he never played on or honoring Dan Marino's number in a sport he never played in.... |
Haha. That's not saying a lot, but I get the point. In all fairness, Ton' isn't the only middling player who got his number retired. There are a lot of these "community" type teams with fanbases who love every fool who walks thru the door (think Sac). They cherished Vlade, we disdained him by about his 5th year. The historic franchises tend to be more picky in general, though Celtic stans today are forced to wear numbers like 74 and 92.
Regarding deaths, I don't know how teams determine whether a player on their active roster dies gets his number retired. Some have, others haven't. They gotta somehow determine whether the guy did "enough" for the franchise. I doubt the Lakers would've retired the number of Malik Sealy, Bobby Phills, Petrovic. Minny retired Sealy's number, but they had another player named Eddie Griffin who died in 2007 in a crash with a train (very intoxicated). A dental records type of identification deal there. He didn't get his number up'd. _________________ GOAT MAGIC REEL
SEDALE TRIBUTE
EDDIE DONX! |
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numero-ocho Franchise Player
Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 18190 Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 5:07 am Post subject: |
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I thought Allen had retired based on this announcement. While I agree it's setting the bar pretty low to commit early to retiring a jersey for a player with almost zero chance of getting into the HoF, no NBA franchise has standards for retired numbers or banners as high as the Lakers. No NBA team ever will.
Some teams just appreciate players who were there for long stretches and contributed to their moderate success.
Some teams just need something to fill their empty rafters. _________________ "Suck it up. Don't be a baby. Do your job." - Kobe Bryant |
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DancingBarry Editor-in-Chief
Joined: 07 Sep 2001 Posts: 40188 Location: O.C.
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 9:22 am Post subject: |
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Weird. |
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carlosLisboa Star Player
Joined: 02 Apr 2006 Posts: 3079 Location: Portugal
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Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2017 1:27 am Post subject: |
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Brad Davis II.
The Heat retired MJ's number.
Just a suggestion... _________________ -----------------------------------------------------
http://www.youtube.com/user/NBAMadeira |
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Huey Lewis & The News Star Player
Joined: 18 Dec 2015 Posts: 5234 Location: So what's the uh...topic of discussion?
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numero-ocho Franchise Player
Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 18190 Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2017 6:34 am Post subject: |
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I get it now. Memphis didn't want to be one of the last NBA franchises with no jerseys hanging in their rafters. They currently don't have any and I guess with TA leaving after such a long time and being closest to retirement, he gets to be the first.
Three of those four expansion franchises from the late 80s/early 90s (Heat, Hornets/Pelicans, Grizzlies and Magic) have at least one. I give the Grizzlies some credit for not stooping to such lame theatrics like the other three:
1. Heat retiring MJ's number
2. Hornets/Pelicans retiring Pistol Pete's number
3. Magic retiring number 6 for the fans
Among other NBA franchises, the Bobcats/Hornets and Thunder are still too new. The Thunder didn't retain any of the retired number rights from the Sonics but they already have/had players who will be honored at some point.
It should come as a shock to no one that, after 46 years of existence the Clippers have none. You would think they could have retired Bob McAdoo's Buffalo Braves jersey or even an All-Star player like Elton Brand. I think it speaks volumes about the Clippers franchise's rep for not giving a crap about their players. _________________ "Suck it up. Don't be a baby. Do your job." - Kobe Bryant |
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Basketball Fan Franchise Player
Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Posts: 24741
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Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2017 7:51 am Post subject: |
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lakersken80 wrote: | You guys laugh but this is better than retiring MJ's number on a team he never played on or honoring Dan Marino's number in a sport he never played in.... |
You're right it is but that's about as far as it goes. |
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activeverb Retired Number
Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 37470
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Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2017 9:08 am Post subject: |
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numero-ocho wrote: | I get it now. Memphis didn't want to be one of the last NBA franchises with no jerseys hanging in their rafters. They currently don't have any and I guess with TA leaving after such a long time and being closest to retirement, he gets to be the first.
Three of those four expansion franchises from the late 80s/early 90s (Heat, Hornets/Pelicans, Grizzlies and Magic) have at least one. I give the Grizzlies some credit for not stooping to such lame theatrics like the other three:
1. Heat retiring MJ's number
2. Hornets/Pelicans retiring Pistol Pete's number
3. Magic retiring number 6 for the fans
Among other NBA franchises, the Bobcats/Hornets and Thunder are still too new. The Thunder didn't retain any of the retired number rights from the Sonics but they already have/had players who will be honored at some point.
It should come as a shock to no one that, after 46 years of existence the Clippers have none. You would think they could have retired Bob McAdoo's Buffalo Braves jersey or even an All-Star player like Elton Brand. I think it speaks volumes about the Clippers franchise's rep for not giving a crap about their players. |
They've already announced they're going to retire Zach Randolph as well. I don't think it has anything to do with not having retired any jerseys. If anything, it's just about giving some salves to fans that they are letting a couple of longtime favorite leave. That's the only reason I can think that they announced it in advance. Beyond that, lots of teams have retired players at their level. I think is Laker fans we forget that because we are used to only retiring Hall of Famers jerseys |
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