CHICAGO – It was long after those four ping pong balls delivered the Grizzlies
the No. 2 overall pick in that sequestered hotel ballroom, and long after Elliot
Perry’s wide-eyed gaze from the stage an hour later on national TV registered
the reality of that amazing moment in franchise history.
It was also long after the bright lights had dimmed, the production sets were
dismantled and the young basketball stars and media in the room had vacated. The
Chicago Hilton hotel staff was removing chairs and equipment while breaking down
the massive room to signify the ending of a major event.
And it was then when the most subtle but perhaps vital scene unfolded for the
Grizzlies.
It was then when Jaren Jackson Jr. sliced through a crowded lobby and into an
emptying International Ballroom, embraced Jaren Jackson Sr. and then retreated
to a quiet corner of the stage to sit with Zach Kleiman, the Grizzlies’
executive vice president of basketball operations.
Elliot Perry, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Zach Kleiman pose for a photo after
receiving the second round pick in the NBA Draft Lottery at the 2019 NBA Draft
Lottery on May 14, 2019 at the Chicago Hilton in Chicago, IL.
“Hell yeah!” the 6-foot-11 Jackson yelled as he approached. “Did you see what
pick we just got!”
Kleiman was taking a brief break from responding to the 115 text messages that
bombarded his cellphone in the span of an hour. The two young and talented
leaders of the franchise – 30-year-old Kleiman and 19-year-old Jackson – spoke
at length about how the Grizzlies entered the lottery slotted eighth but emerged
with the No. 2 pick.
But more importantly, Jackson Jr. and Kleiman talked about stepping into a
bright future – together.
Kleiman’s message to Jackson at that moment was similar to one he shared earlier
Tuesday night while sequestered in a different ballroom to observe the official
lottery drawing alongside 13 other executives representing each team in the
lottery.
“I’m thrilled for our organization, our fans and the city of Memphis that we
have this second pick,” Kleiman said. “Having Jaren plus whatever we do with
this No. 2 pick is a pretty exciting position to be in. This is a great outcome
for us. We look forward to where this process takes us.”
The Grizzlies now pivot from the sheer euphoria of the lottery to the meticulous
process of meetings, measurements and evaluations of the NBA Draft Combine the
rest of the week in Chicago. With the Pelicans winning the lottery and the
Grizzlies landing second, the NBA is positioned for its two smallest market
teams to the make the top two selections in next month’s draft at Brooklyn’s
Barclays Center.
David Griffin, the Pelicans president of basketball operations, tried to remain
coy on national television about his team’s draft plans after the lottery
results were broadcast. But an hour earlier, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry
provided plenty of comic relief to break the tension in the room.
When the Pelicans’ four-numbered sequence hit – 7, 4, 12, 13 – Gentry threw both
hands skyward, exploded from his chair, yelled a few celebratory expletives and
started to randomly high-five other team executives who were far less
enthusiastic about NOT winning the lottery. Didn’t matter to Gentry.
Coach Alvin Gentry reacts to the @PelicansNBA winning the 2019 #NBADraftLottery.
pic.twitter.com/miV5cmVT3Y
Moments later, Gentry could barely keep a straight face as reporters in the
sequestered room asked him whether the Pelicans would indeed use the No. 1 pick
on consensus top draft prospect Zion Williamson.
“We’re going to talk as an organization and see what’s best -,” Gentry responded
before breaking out of the sarcastically serious routine. “Yeah, right. You’re
damn right we know. Before I sat down in here, I wrote down on my notepad ‘This
Is Our Moment.’ And I said the only thing we need to decide is where we’ll
celebrate, because we’re turning in a big receipt tonight (on our business
expense report).”
For Gentry and the Pelicans, the initial lottery reaction was a feeling of
redemption for the tenuous saga that unfolded last season with superstar forward
Anthony Davis and his desire to leave New Orleans. As the night unfolded in the
sequestered room, executives and select media learned the lottery results about
an hour prior to the televised show but had to remain locked away until the end
of the broadcast.
Some of the most entertaining banter came between Gentry and Lakers general
manager Rob Pelinka as ESPN’s analysts were speculating whether the Lakers and
Pelicans would re-engage in potential trade talks surrounding Davis.
Standing a few feet behind Pelinka in the room as everyone watched the
broadcast, Gentry loudly scoffed at any mention of the Pelicans doing anything
other than making a determined pitch to sell Davis on playing alongside
Williamson moving forward.
NBA Draft Prospects Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish and RJ Barrett look on at the
2019 NBA Draft Lottery on May 14, 2019 at the Chicago Hilton in Chicago, IL.
Photo by Jeff Haynes via Getty Images.
“You got that right, dammit,” Gentry shouted at one point as the room broke up
in laughter, even generating an awkward turn and smirk from Pelinka.
Meanwhile, Kleiman’s designated seat for the Grizzlies was right next to
Gentry’s on the second row in the room. Yet the approach and reaction from the
two couldn’t have been more diametrically opposed. After Gentry’s celebratory
strut up and down the aisle, the balls were reset to award the No. 2 pick in the
random-but-weighted lottery.
Kleiman reached for his NBA pen and began circling a sequenced set of numbers
assigned to the Grizzlies as the machine spit out each of the four ping pong
balls 20 seconds apart.
The first number was 5. Then came a 7. Next was 10. And finally, a 12.
A league official matched the numbers to a large board posted along the wall,
where 1,001 combinations of four-set numbers were assigned to specific teams,
and then announced the result.
“The Memphis Grizzlies!” the official confirmed to the room.
The normally stoic Kleiman nodded in approval, unleashed a brief smile and
motioned with his left hand. The Grizzlies had just secured the No. 2 pick for
the fifth time in the franchise’s draft history.
A year after Memphis entered the lottery seeded second but fell to the fourth
pick, which was used on Jackson, it jumped six spots in the order from eighth to
second. The Grizzlies entered with a 6.3-percent chance of landing the No. 2
pick, but a 26-percent shot to jump somewhere into the top four.
A month after being promoted to the lead role in day-to-day basketball
operations, the lottery delivered Kleiman and the Grizzlies a major jolt in the
midst of a major offseason makeover. Having already reshaped the front-office,
the Grizzlies are also in the middle of a coaching search and could be headed
for significant trade decisions, including settling on the immediate future of
franchise leading scorer Mike Conley and the potential free agency of Jonas
Valanciunas.
But the developments at the lottery put the Grizzlies in position to operate
from a position of strength, with valuable assets and options. With the Pelicans
strongly connected to Williamson, Memphis will have the chance to choose between
the two other consensus top-three draft prospects in Murray State point guard Ja
Morant and Duke swingman R.J. Barrett.
Theoretically, picking Morant would allow the Grizzlies to rekindle trade
discussions for Conley and further restock the roster with young talent and
picks that any deal for the 31-year-old catalyst would command. From a skillset
dynamic, a Jackson-Morant pairing could be similar in potential to a young Kevin
Garnett-Stephon Marbury tandem in Minnesota back in the day.
“Regardless where I go, I’m going to be the same Ja as I was before the
lottery,” said Morant, a sophomore All-American who became the first player in
NCAA history to average at least 20 points and 10 assists in a season. “I’m
going to continue to work, and whichever team drafts me has obviously seen a lot
in me, and I’ll be happy to go there. I’m just going to come in and try to make
an immediate impact. Not just on the court, but off the court as well – being a
positive role model to look up to.”
First reaction from Ja Morant after the draft lottery unfolded in Chicago.
Grizzlies hold the No. 2 pick entering the June 20 @NBA Draft.
pic.twitter.com/rFfO2m96ZY
On the other hand, Barrett offers a Joe Johnson-type frame and game, which could
make him the answer at shooting guard the Grizzlies have been seeking for years.
A Conley-Barrett-Jackson-Valanciunas lineup offers enough intrigue to perhaps
keep Conley and Valanciunas around to remain in playoff contention and to
provide balance and veteran leadership for the transitioning roster.
So the options are limitless.
Speaking of timing, many team executives and reps brought lucky trinkets or
other items to bring them luck at the lottery. Kleiman pointed to a symbolic
watch he wore Tuesday into the sequestered room.
It was a black leather band, with a personal inscription on the back side of the
timepiece. The watch was a 2009 gift from Kleiman’s mother, Teri Zenner, who
passed away five years ago from cancer.
Zenner was a corporate transactions lawyer in Chicago and was an inspiration for
her son to pursue his career passion in law and basketball operations. Kleiman
not only wears the watch in tribute to his mother, but also insists on his name
including the middle initial Z. when listed to carry on her legacy.
“This watch is all I’ve got,” Kleiman quietly and cautiously mentioned when
asked after the lottery drawing if he carried any secret charms into the room.
“To come back home, to have this (watch) and to be here for what just happened,
it’s all obviously really special to me.”
Just one of many examples of how lottery night timing was everything for the
Grizzlies.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis
Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Michael Wallace are solely his own and do
not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations
staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known
to the Memphis Grizzlies and he has no special access to information beyond the
access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the
media.
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