It seems like ages ago when the Memphis Grizzlies were one of the biggest dark-horse contenders in the NBA. They were a team you never wanted to face in a seven-game series. They had the pieces to make a run at the Western Conference Finals, or even the NBA Finals. Between the “Core Four” and some of the pieces around them — Rudy Gay, OJ Mayo, Tayshaun Prince, Courtney Lee, to name a few — they had the depth and the talent to go deep.
However, their status as “dark-horse contenders” has changed, and it didn’t even start this season.