http://tinyurl.com/3q8g4 Grieving Griz will play for Poier By Ronald Tillery Contact January 22, 2005 DENVER -- Players and coaches reacted with shock and extreme sadness Friday night to the sudden death of Grizzlies announcer Don Poier. Many of those associated with the team didn't learn that they had lost The Voice of the Grizzlies until boarding a bus for the Pepsi Center, where Memphis played Denver. Griz coach Mike Fratello called it "strange" that Poier didn't attend the team's morning shoot-around. The news of Poier's passing was simply "a devastating thing for the franchise," Fratello said. "... He's just a special person." Fratello purchased several black ties for his staff to wear. Players wore black bands on their uniforms. Several players also wrote "Don P." or "D.P." on their sneakers. No one knew Poier, the team's original broadcaster, better than trainer Scott McCullough and assistant coach Lionel Hollins. That trio made up the only people who have routinely traveled with the team since its inception a decade ago in Vancouver. McCullough hurt especially because he shared a personal relationship and family-like bond with Poier. "I lost my best friend," McCullough said, fighting back tears. "I lost my brother. I spent all my time with him. I'm going to miss him." Griz guard Mike Miller became quick friends with Poier after he was traded to Memphis from Orlando. Miller wanted to know everything about the Grizzlies at that time, and who better to ask than the man who hardly missed a play in nearly 10 seasons. "It's a big loss," Miller said. "The one thing I feel really bad about is his family. He loved his wife (Barbara) so much. She was at every game. It's tough to see something like happen because he loved what he did so much and his wife loved what he did. They were such a happy couple. When you see something like that happen to people like that it's difficult." The Grizzlies will dedicate this season to Poier's memory. "We have to play for him," Miller said. "He was the guy who always wanted to see this franchise go up and up. He loved the franchise, and it's on us to see that it escalates to where he wanted to see it go." Swingman Shane Battier pointed out that Poier may have held the toughest job in the organization. "I'll always remember him for his unbelievable optimism," Battier said. "When times were really bad, Don always looked at the bright side of things. And we had a really bad team. He probably had the hardest job of everybody because he had to talk about us. But he did an unbelievable job of making us feel good, and making us feel like we were growing. He's had a very underrated part in our success by just being with us and helping us grow." Hollins agreed. Poier played an important role by using his energy and knowledge of the game to make even the hapless Grizzlies worthwhile. "It's a sad day for the Grizzlies family and a sadder day for his wife and family," Hollins said. "He loved the Grizzlies and he loved basketball. Everybody is not blessed to do what they love to do and get paid. He was blessed on both accounts. "I can just remember in Vancouver when we were really bad, and how he would try to put a positive spin on the games during the postgame shows. He was trying to keep people interested regardless of what happened. He was great to be the voice of the Grizzlies. He was perfect for the job. " I even got kicked out of a few games. Don was around for all of them." -- Ronald Tillery: 529-2353 --

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