Ja Morant could only watch as it all fell apart.
The plan for Memphis to keep their heads above water during Morant's 25-game suspension was clear: Give the ball to Desmond Bane, and bring in veterans Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose to not only add maturity to the Memphis locker room but also help run the offense until Morant returned. Then he would put them back on the pace we saw the past two seasons (when Memphis won 50+ games and was the No. 2 seed).
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Nothing went to plan.