Grizzly talks Blue streak and reporters say thanks (Toronto Star)

Spirit of the West:

Grizzly talks Blue streak and reporters say thanks

The Toronto Star, December 31, 1996

Ask a boring question, get a boring answer. In sports, it’s an axiom that often holds true.

With Blue Edwards, however, it’s a completely different story.

Edwards is never at a loss for words. Win or lose, good performance or bad, Blue can be found in the Grizzlies locker room talking to any and everyone on any given topic long after all the other players have gone home.

So, when this reporter approached the Bears to ask for their new year’s resolutions, he wasn’t surprised to hear vague generalities on family, God and black-eyed peas. Until he headed over to Edwards.

Edwards can turn the most mundane question into thoughtful discourse.

When asked if he was the type of fellow who makes resolutions, Blue responds, “I don’t lie to myself like that. How many people do you know who make a new year’s resolution and stick with it? I’m sure there are a few, but probably 85 per cent of the people don’t.

“I know people who say, ‘I’m not gonna do this, I’m not gonna do that.’ You can do that for a month or so, but then you’re right back to your old way. Probably every day I can say I want to change something. But new year’s, I’m not going to lie to myself.”

Okay, then. If he had the willpower to stick it through for a whole year, what would he change? Never at a loss for words, the most talkative man in the NBA mulls this over before coming up with his response: “I would probably talk more.”

Pardon? Let me predict that Edwards won’t attain his goal. How could he? 1997 isn’t a leap year.

“Aside from (the media), I really don’t talk that much,” he insists. “I may walk into a room and see people that I’ve known for a long time and I may not speak to them. I guess I’m so used to being isolated, people speaking to me first. I haven’t grown out of that.”

You could say he’s a lone wolf – a lone wolf who likes to talk.

“I’m a loner,” he says. “I like being by myself. Sometimes people can be a distraction. I grew up in a town of 200 people and I’m used to being by myself.

“I think a lot of people think that I’m aloof, conceited. That’s not me at all. It’s just that when I’m walking down the street, shopping, eating, getting ready for a game, that’s what I’m doing. If you want to say hi, fine. I’m gonna say hi and go back to what I’m doing.”

All this from one uninspired question. We in the media pray that Moody Blue keeps talking.

As for me, I resolve to ask more intelligent questions in the new year. After all, not every athlete is a Blue Edwards.

Recalling one wild, wacky week in land of Grizzlies (Toronto Star)

What a strange and wonderful week for the Vancouver Grizzlies.

They saw their record rise 125 percentage points, all the way to, well, .125 for one brief and shining moment. Sure, it was only one win. But when you've lost your first seven by blowout margins, any win is cause for celebration.

Along with a near-record lack of team scoring, a franchise record for individual scoring, and a B.C. boy coming home to a thunderous ovation, the strange week continued with lightning, a solar eclipse and a snowstorm.

Sure, the storm was in Vancouver while the game was played in Seattle, but your faithful servant had to drive through it to get to the game. And the eclipse is just one of those cheap sports metaphors. But there really was honest to goodness lightning. And a thunderous ovation.

Against the Clippers, Vancouver raced out to a 20-point lead and figured the only way they could lose was through divine intervention. Bingo. During the first of two overtimes, mighty Zeus sent forth a bolt of lightning so great as to render GM Place in total darkness, save for the auxiliary lights.

But this being the NBA, the show must go on. Playing in minimal lighting, the Grizzlies got their paws Clipped 99-92 in double OT.

Not one to use darkness as an excuse, Blue Edwards said, ``It was great. It's like being on the playground at 12 o'clock at night.''

The Grizz picked up their first win of the youngish season against the likewise winless Suns, led by Victoria's own Steve Nash. With the crowd clearly behind the only Canadian on the court, it was almost like a home game for the visitors. But as then-Phoenix head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said, ``We're not very good at home, either.''

Suns forward Robert Horry understood the fans' fascination. ``It's supposed to be like that,'' he said. ``He's Canadian. He's in his homeland. He's supposed to get some props.''

Once the game started, the terrible two combined for the second-fewest points in a second quarter in NBA history. But when all was said and done, Edwards cast a mammoth shadow over the Suns (hence the witty solar eclipse reference above) and willed his team to victory, with a Grizzlies record 34 points on 12-for-14 shooting.

Fan favorite, but seldom used, Lawrence Moten went for 20 points, including the winning three-pointer. Still, Edwards couldn't help getting in a good-natured jab at the man they call Poetry. ``We get on Moten a lot because he's the kind of guy who gets the ball and passes up a lot of shots,'' he said. ``He's gotta go through his (routine), between his legs. I'm like: `Lawrence, just catch and shoot the gol-darn ball.' Only he didn't say gol-darn. We now have a pretty good idea why they call him Blue.''

The Grizz dropped a 104-96 decision in Salt Lake City before their 10-point loss to the Sonics.

Going nine minutes without a field goal at one point, Vancouver still managed to stay close to last season's Western Conference champs. But 25 turnovers didn't help.

Edwards chalked it up to inexperience.

``Seattle is illegal every time,'' he said, referring to their supposed defensive prowess. ``All they do is double and trap everything. They want to get you to play in a hurry. If you do that, you play right into their hands.''

Vancouver has been playing into a lot of opponents' hands this year. But in this very strange week, the fans found a little ray of hope. Losing to the Clippers, Jazz and Sonics by a grand total of 25 points, the Grizzlies are showing signs of life. Throw in the three-point win over Phoenix, and they're not even the worst in the league.

Strange and wonderful, indeed.

Spirit of the West will appear regularly throughout the NBA season.

Horrid Grizzlies could be in for long season (Toronto Star)

Horrid Grizzlies could be in for long season

‘We’re not a good basketball team,’ veteran grumbles

Spirit of the West

They may be the worst team in the NBA, but look on the bright side: The Vancouver Grizzlies would be one of the top four teams in the Vancouver women’s league.

Blue Edwards gave a state-of-the-team address after his Grizzlies were declawed in their home opener. And, boy, what a state the team is in.

“Everybody’s talking about how much we’ve improved,” the always talkative veteran said after the Grizz were blown out 114-85 by the Portland Trail Blazers. “We’ve improved on paper. But let me ask you guys a question: Do you think we’ve improved? Didn’t look like it. We did the same thing we did last year. We didn’t play hard, we didn’t get back, we didn’t defend, we didn’t communicate. We don’t look like guys who have been practicing for a month.”

Edwards went so far as to compare the Grizzlies to his wife’s recreational team. “I went and watched my wife play the other night. And there were probably three teams that played better than we did tonight,” he said. “That’s the honest truth. You saw ladies fighting over screens. I mean, it’s gotta be the funniest thing – women actually playing better than we did.”

Edwards isn’t buying into the notion the 0-6 Grizzlies are an improved team. Not yet, anyway. “We didn’t really improve basketball-wise,” he continued. “There’s a lot of things you do basketball-wise. You pass, shoot, rebound, play defence. And we haven’t shown we’ve gotten better in those areas.”

He warns that if things don’t change soon, Vancouver could be in for another dismal season.

“Right now, we’re not a good basketball team,” he said. “We could be the worst team in the NBA. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but we don’t have to settle for being the worst team. We gotta prove that we belong and that we’re a good team, (that) we are improved.”

Edwards rolls his eyes at the suggestion the Grizzlies have more talent than last season.

“That’s on paper,” he said. “That’s potential. Potential plus 50 cents can get you a USA Today – at least in the States it could. I don’t know about here. About $1.60 out here.”

***

“You play half a team and they still outrebound you. That’s not a good sign.” So said Greg Anthony after the Grizz were beaten in almost every category by a severely understaffed Golden State team.

After a trade the day before the game and an injury to Joe Smith, the Warriors dressed only eight players. At times, Rick Adelman went with a four-guard offence.

Vancouver coach Brian Winters felt forced to match the Warriors size for size, instead of pounding it inside in an attempt to get the smaller Warriors in foul trouble.

“You can’t just roll big guys out there because (Chris Mullin and Latrell Sprewell as forwards) are too good out on the perimeter and too quick,” he said.

Anthony, who averaged 14 points and more than 11 shot attempts a game last year, has seen his production reduced. In four games, the 6-foot-1 point guard has averaged fewer than 10 points and eight shots a game.

“You go out there and try to do what they ask you to do,” he said. “Let the young guys grow and let the new guys get acclimated to the system.”

Showing suprising patience for someone in the final year of his contract, Anthony says, “My time will come. Right now, I think it’s more important for the team that the other guys get their feet wet, get a little more experience.”

***

Roy Rogers, the Grizzlies’ second pick in the first round of June’s college draft, continues to impress with his shot-blocking ability. The 6-foot-9 forward, who played centre at Alabama, has led the Grizzlies in swats in limited minutes, drawing comparisons with another undersized intimidator – Bill Russell.

But a guard was his basketball role model.

“I was always a big Magic Johnson fan,” he says.

Spirit of the West will appear regularly throughout the NBA season.