Roughly three minutes into the first news conference, Mike Conley laid it right out there.

“We feel like we have a team to make a run for the championship,” he said.

Way to set the bar low, Griz!

“The sky’s the limit,” said Conley. As if on cue, his teammates joined in.

“The sky’s the limit,” said Zach Randolph.

“The sky’s the limit,” said Rudy Gay.

As possible slogans go, this franchise has come a long way from Dunkyland.

Yet it’s true, isn’t it? For the first time since the team moved to Memphis, Grizzlies fans can look forward to a season with no limit to what can be achieved.

This team isn’t trying to get to the playoffs. This team isn’t trying to win a playoff game. This team is trying to claim a place among the league’s elite.

“We’re looking at the big picture,” said Randolph. “Winning a championship.”

Small wonder the team was all smiles on the first day of camp.

“It feels like coming home,” said the irrepressible Tony Allen.

“I’m 200 percent right now,” said Gay.

About the only thing that could have made Gay feel any better: Having Marc Gasol suited up and in camp.

That was the only disappointment, really, that Gasol hasn’t yet been signed.

“Obviously, we need him,” said Gay. “There’s no more Gasol brothers out there.”

But nobody seemed alarmed that Gasol was missing. The Grizzlies continue to insist the deal will get done.

“When we get the big feller back, I’ll be happier than a kid at McDonald’s with a Happy Meal,” said Allen and, yes, it was good to be writing down quotes like that again.

They were your same lovable Grizzlies. They were just the way you remembered them.

All around the league, teams are scrambling to figure out their rosters. The Grizzlies know exactly who they are. They are Randolph and Gasol inside and Gay and Conley outside. They are O.J. Mayo and Darrell Arthur and Greivis Vasquez off the bench. They are Allen and the relentless ethic he inspired. They are grit and they are grind.

And if league officials — who left the Grizzlies off the Christmas television schedule — seemed to have forgotten all of this, well, it’s not like the players were surprised.

“They actually added a game with two teams that didn’t even play in the playoffs,” said Gay.

Isn’t the chip on the shoulder grand?

It’s what drove this team last year, what drives them to this day. Randolph got a contract extension during the playoffs and then spent the summer working out with the Memphis Tigers’ maniacal trainer, Frank Matrisciano.

“It’s definitely different for me, training,” said Randolph, who said he’s aiming for 30 — 30! — dunks this year.

And then there was the pickup game the Grizzlies held the other day, with some strange stuff going on.

“We were doing things in pickup games I didn’t ever think we’d do,” said Conley. “We were trapping the ball, rotating.”

It’s the winning mindset, taken hold.

None of which means the Grizzlies will actually win the championship, of course. That seems wildly improbable to me. But, then, last year was wildly improbable. It happened just the same.

At the end of the news conference, Channel 5′s Jarvis Greer asked Conley, Gay and Randolph to pick their favorite memory from last year. All three picked the scene at the airport, after the final loss. They appreciated the gratitude, the connection with the city their work had forged.

Gay said he even took a picture of the moment. Snapped it from his seat on the team plane.

“I still have that picture, I want to see it again,” he said. “Maybe on Beale Street one day.”

To reach Geoff Calkins, call (901) 529-2364 or e-mail calkins@commercialappeal.com. Visit his blog at geoffcalkinsblog.com.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)—The Memphis Grizzlies are coming off their most
successful season in franchise history and still don’t think they are getting
the respect they deserve.

As the players prepared to open camp for the lockout-shortened NBA season
they talked about playing with a chip on their shoulder, the benefits of
continuity and getting Rudy Gay back in the lineup.

They also feel confident that the only uncertainty at this point—the
signing of center Marc Gasol—will be resolved.

Memphis, which had never won a playoff game entering last season, dispatched
the Western Conference’s top-seeded team, the San Antonio Spurs, in six games
and then went to a deciding seventh game against Oklahoma City before being
eliminated.

Now, after waiting longer than expected for the season to start, the
Grizzlies are ready to carry that momentum with a new confidence.

“It’s obvious that as a team, we have a lot of optimism. We feel like we
have a team to make a run at a championship,” point guard Mike Conley said at
Friday’s media availability before the opening of preseason practice. “That’s
always been our goal each year. We’ve got the team. We’ve got Rudy back and he’s
ready to go, and he says he was 100 percent.”

Gay missed the last part of the season and the playoffs after suffering a
shoulder injury in February, leaving the Grizzlies without their second-leading
scorer and third-best rebounder. Gay continually talked about the drive he has
to return and fit into a team that some thought played better when he was out of
the lineup.

“Last year was a great season, but we’re not done there,” Gay said.
“Obviously, I’m hungrier than ever.”

A key factor in the team’s success will be the status of Gasol, who averaged
11.7 points a game and 7.0 rebounders. Gasol is a restricted free agent, and
team management has pledged to make sure Gasol returns, vowing to match any
offer sheet extended to him.

That is in keeping with what forward and leading scorer Zach Randolph was
told when he signed his own new contract with the team last year.

“I hope he’s on the way back now,” Conley said of Gasol, who was not at
the Friday media availability. “He’s our final piece, so I hope that we get him
back.”

But the Memphis players don’t believe their thoughts of their team translate
to others. Conley, Randolph and Gay all shook their heads when asked if the team
had earned the respect throughout the league.

They noted that even though they became an exciting team to watch with a
“grit-and-grind” approach and an unexpected playoff run, they still didn’t get
a Christmas Day showcase game.

“It seems like they are going to always try to keep us down some way,
somehow,” Conley said.

Randolph added: “We take it how it comes, but we’ve got to take care of our
business and hopefully we can get some more games on TV once we get to winning
some games.”

All three players mentioned that the highlight of the season was returning
home after the season-ending loss at Oklahoma City. Despite being eliminated, a
crowd gathered at the Memphis airport to welcome them home and congratulate the
team on the season.

Gay, who was a part of that celebration from the periphery because of his
injury, said he keeps handy a photo he took of the crowd at the airport.

“As a team, we still feel like we have a chip on our shoulder,” Conley
said. “We’re never going to play as if we’re the top team in the league. We are
always playing with something to prove. .We always play that way, and I don’t
think it is going to change.

“We’re still motivated. We’re not satisfied with what we did last season.
We felt like we could have gone further, so we were disappointed, even though
there was a bunch of celebrating going on. This season is hopefully, just
another stepping stone for us.”

They also feel confident that the only uncertainty at this point — the signing of center Marc Gasol — will be resolved.

Memphis, which had never won a playoff game entering last season, dispatched the Western Conference’s top-seeded team, the San Antonio Spurs, in six games and then went to a deciding seventh game against Oklahoma City before being eliminated.

Now, after waiting longer than expected for the season to start, the Grizzlies are ready to carry that momentum with a new confidence.

“It’s obvious that as a team, we have a lot of optimism. We feel like we have a team to make a run at a championship,” point guard Mike Conley said at Friday’s media availability before the opening of preseason practice. “That’s always been our goal each year. We’ve got the team. We’ve got Rudy back and he’s ready to go, and he says he was 100 percent.”

Gay missed the last part of the season and the playoffs after suffering a shoulder injury in February, leaving the Grizzlies without their second-leading scorer and third-best rebounder. Gay continually talked about the drive he has to return and fit into a team that some thought played better when he was out of the lineup.

“Last year was a great season, but we’re not done there,” Gay said. “Obviously, I’m hungrier than ever.”

A key factor in the team’s success will be the status of Gasol, who averaged 11.7 points a game and 7.0 rebounders. Gasol is a restricted free agent, and team management has pledged to make sure Gasol returns, vowing to match any offer sheet extended to him.

That is in keeping with what forward and leading scorer Zach Randolph was told when he signed his own new contract with the team last year.

“I hope he’s on the way back now,” Conley said of Gasol, who was not at the Friday media availability. “He’s our final piece, so I hope that we get him back.”

But the Memphis players don’t believe their thoughts of their team translate to others. Conley, Randolph and Gay all shook their heads when asked if the team had earned the respect throughout the league.

They noted that even though they became an exciting team to watch with a “grit-and-grind” approach and an unexpected playoff run, they still didn’t get a Christmas Day showcase game.

“It seems like they are going to always try to keep us down some way, somehow,” Conley said.

Randolph added: “We take it how it comes, but we’ve got to take care of our business and hopefully we can get some more games on TV once we get to winning some games.”

All three players mentioned that the highlight of the season was returning home after the season-ending loss at Oklahoma City. Despite being eliminated, a crowd gathered at the Memphis airport to welcome them home and congratulate the team on the season.

Gay, who was a part of that celebration from the periphery because of his injury, said he keeps handy a photo he took of the crowd at the airport.

“As a team, we still feel like we have a chip on our shoulder,” Conley said. “We’re never going to play as if we’re the top team in the league. We are always playing with something to prove. .We always play that way, and I don’t think it is going to change.

“We’re still motivated. We’re not satisfied with what we did last season. We felt like we could have gone further, so we were disappointed, even though there was a bunch of celebrating going on. This season is hopefully, just another stepping stone for us.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Rapper Rick Ross was supposed to be the featured entertainment for the evening, but he suffered a medical problem on a flight from Fort Lauderdale Fla. to Memphis, that forced him to miss the event.

Memphis, which struggled in midseason before winning the Conference USA tournament last March, returns its top six scorers from last season. The Tigers were eliminated in their opening game of the NCAA tournament, losing to 77-75 Arizona to cap a 25-10 season.

With the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies not playing because of a labor lockout, and a punchless Tigers football team struggling through a 1-5 start, the opening of basketball season is highly anticipated.

“It was electric just like last year,” sophomore Will Barton, the team’s leading scorer from last season, said. “It was just very exciting. The crowd was showing a lot of support and a lot of love.”

The Madness event had to deal with a bump when Ross was unable to make it due to the illness. He tweeted shortly after 5 p.m. that he was on his way to Memphis, an indication he had overcome the medical episode that first diverted him back to Florida earlier in the day. But he never arrived after a second effort to reach Memphis led to an unscheduled landing in Birmingham when he became ill again.

Despite Ross’ illness, it was a night for fun for the Tiger faithful to enjoy the opening of another season. From the introductions of the players, fans were on their feet all the way to the upper rafters of the arena. The crowd erupted into cheers when the lights went off and the opening video montage started.

The biggest applause during the introductions was reserved for freshman guard Adonis Thomas, the prize of this year’s recruiting class for coach Josh Pastner, Barton, post player Tarik Black and point guard Joe Jackson, all sophomores.

“I enjoyed it from the time I got on the bus until the end of it,” said Thomas, who played high school ball at Memphis Melrose. “It was a great experience for me as a freshman. It was probably beyond what I expected. I wanted to come out and just show the fans that I’m still the type of player they recruited for Memphis.”

There were fireworks, shooting flames from atop the backboards and sonic booms.

Guard Antonio Barton won the 3-point shooting contest. The dunk contest was judged by current and former NBA players Anfernee Hardaway, Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young and Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph.

There were plenty of misfires that drew groans from the crowd. However, Barton’s dunk over two teammates even brought Randolph out of his seat. Then D. J. Stephens took a high bounce and soared to the basket for his dunk. That helped Stephens take the title.

After a short scrimmage, the night of fun was over, and Pastner told his team it was time to get serious.

“It was a fun event, a fun evening,” Pastner said. “Obviously, the scrimmage at the end, I just wanted to avoid any injuries.

“ But I told our team: ‘It’s on. This was for you guys and the fans, but it is on from this point forward.’”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Though the NBA lockout is the top news story in the league, trade rumors and free agency talk are still all the buzz on the internet. The latest rumor as reported on Bleacher Report has the Memphis Grizzlies looking to acquire Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic.

Howard is in the last year of his current contract and most experts believe this will be his final year in Orlando. If the Magic don’t think Howard will return, look for the front office to trade their star center and acquire the most talent possible for his services.

Memphis has plenty to offer and though some other teams will covet the big man, the Grizzlies can give the Magic enough in return that Orlando won’t be in rebuilding mode. The rumor has Memphis sending Marc Gasol, Rudy Gay, and draft picks to Orlando for Howard.

This trade would make the Grizzlies a prime contender in the Western Conference as Howard would add a tremendous defender and rebounder, giving the rest of the team more chances on the offensive end. Orlando would get two terrific players and the team could actually be much improved on both ends of the floor with Gay as the scorer and Gasol as a defensive specialist.

It is not too often that a trade works out for both teams, but this deal could benefit both team on the floor and with their fans.