http://tinyurl.com/bhnlw Some love for J-Will, but adios to Watson, Swift By Ron Higgins Contact May 10, 2005 Shhhh. Don't tell anybody. I've snuck into Griz president Jerry West's office while he's at lunch. That's right. I'm sitting behind The Logo's desk. In my hand, I have the special Logo hotline phone that flashes directly to other team presidents and general managers. It's sort of like the Bat Signal of the NBA. Step right up. Who wants to make a deal? I've got a used Bonzi that needs an attitude alignment , a Stro with relatively good shocks and an Earl with a fast set of wheels. My job is to make this team better before The Logo returns from shooting toothpicks in the ceiling at Huey's. I'm on the clock. 1. Keep Jason Williams Call me crazy (my wife would agree) or call J-Will crazy (he would agree), but despite his flaws, he's the only Griz guard capable of breaking down a defender off the dribble and making the impossible shot. No , he doesn't play great defense and granted it would be nice to see him spend more time in a defensive stance , because he has the quickness and the hands to disrupt. But how many great point guards are dynamic stoppers ? Steve Nash, league MVP? Don't think so. Tony Parker? Jason Kidd? Nope. Granted, J-Will can be a problem child, such as griping about playing time , or sometimes getting into his own little world on the bench. Maybe you solve that by naming him a permanent team co-captain with Shane Battier. Jerry West needs to tell J-Will that for better or for worse , he's the Griz's starting point guard and he needs to show the maturity of someone about to start his eighth pro season. 2. Large, angry presence in the middle Make no mistake , this isn't a knock against Lorenzen Wright . How can you be critical of a guy , who in his ninth season, had one of the best years of his career? He played in more games this season than ever in his career and he brought it every night. But if the Griz want to move up the NBA food chain , especially in the Western Conference , they've got to a find physical , big body . That's easier said than done. The list is limited. Seattle's Jerome James (7-1, 272) is a free agent, but also a huge puzzle. He has career regular season averages of 4.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 15.2 minutes , yet has started 160 of 268 regular season games. But so far in the playoffs , he's playing like a man ( 15 points , 8.2 rebounds ) who wants to be offered a nice contract somewhere. There's also a list of other unproven commodities , such as Chicago's Eddy Curry, Seattle's Vitaly Potapenko. Personally , I'd go after Nene of the Nuggets . He has a year left on his contract ( the last year on a four-year deal ), he's a chiseled 6-11, 260, he turns 23 in September and he's hungry because his playing time has dropped with the addition of Marcus Camby . He doesn't mind beating on people -- he almost broke Pau Gasol's nose a year ago. Pau needs an enforcer to deal some pain , and Nene might be the man to do it if a trade can be made. In going after free agents , you must understand that the Grizzlies are up against the odds. Not only is money a factor, but Memphis is simply not as attractive , considering the history of the franchise and the city lacking a cosmopolitan feel. 3. Sign-and-trades with Watson, Swift You'd like to get something out of Earl Watson and Stromile Swift before they jump ship. More teams than you think covet Swift, whose mind-boggling athleticism is overshadowed by his game-to-game inconsistency . And there's the thought that his game would improve if he could play power forward instead of an undersized center. Watson should also have his pick of teams , because those in the know in the league appreciate Watson's work ethic and his professionalism. If Earl can keep working on his shot and start consistently knocking down the open jumper, he could become a starter somewhere in the league. 4. Get Dahntay Jones on the floor more No Griz player improved as much from last year to this as did Jones, a 6-6 swingman. His outside shot took a huge leap ( 25 percent in 3s last year to 38.3 percent this year) , he made better decisions and no other Griz could beat a defender off the dribble and elevate on drives like Jones . Plus , he loves defense and is fearless. In a four-game stretch in February when he played 30 minutes per game ( because of injuries to other players ) , he averaged 14 points , shot 50 percent from the field and 71.4 percent in 3s . And in the two playoff games he played 29 or more minutes, he averaged 11 points and 4.5 rebounds. 5. Unleash the monster in Pau Gasol When you're paid to be the man , you must play like you're the man. Gasol has to bring it every night. He needs to find a drill sergeant personal trainer for cardio and muscle, then have someone close to his size beat on him every day in one-on-one post drills . The only way to learn how to consistently play aggressively and physically, to obtain that mentality, is to practice against it to the point where playing that way is second nature. As indicated by his jaw-dropping second playoff game against the Suns -- 28 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists -- Gasol has the talent and beast within him. There's no excuse for him not averaging a double-double. --

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