Tillery: In Memphis, Heisley is The Decider

In last year’s draft, the Grizzlies made what appears to have been a tremendous mistake by drafting project center Hasheem Thabeet over players like Steph Curry, Tyreke Evans, and James Harden. This season, the Grizzlies have a chance to redeem themselves with three first-round picks. 

With that in mind, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal decided to take a look at how the Grizzlies front office has made draft decisions since team owner Michael Heisley took control of the draft process in 2008: 

Now, as the Griz prepare for their 10th draft since moving to Memphis, the organization’s preparation and mode of operation is described as collaborative at different levels — but with Heisley ultimately making the final call.

That means the team’s scouts, coaches and general manager Chris Wallace form opinions independent of each other. They feed information to Heisley, and whatever decision the Griz make Thursday during the draft — they have the Nos. 12, 25 and 28 picks of the first round — will come from their Chicago-based billionaire boss.

“But I don’t want people to think that I’m the guy who picks the player out of nothing,” Heisley said. “What I do is I take the opinions of various people. I question them. I try to evaluate their opinions. I put that together, and then Chris and I make a decision. Do we all sit down and take a vote? No. Somebody has to make the decision.”

According to Tillery’s article, Heisley’s two-year reign as the Grizzlies’ Draft Decider has led to the following:

— In 2008, Heisley was “determined” to trade the Grizzlies’ pick; after trying and failing to move into Miami’s spot and draft Michael Beasley, Heisley (with newly extended GM Chris Wallace’s approval) traded Kevin Love’s rights to Minnesota for O.J. Mayo, even though the majority of the Grizzlies’ basketball people wanted Love.

— In 2009, Heisley, with head scout Tony Barone Sr. supporting him, made the decision to take Hasheem Thabeet with the 2nd overall pick when “at least half” of the front office wanted to take Steph Curry with the pick.

Tillery’s article also gives some fairly explicit indications that Heisley’s front office personnel often serve as glorified advisors to Heisley rather than executives with the power to make actual decisions on their own:

“Everyone has an option to voice their opinion on players,” [Scouting Director Tony] Barone Sr. said. “My thing is, here’s the information. Here’s what I believe. If I was in a different role I might want more to say about it. But as the player personnel director, I’m providing information. You look at it and you make the evaluation based on what we say.”

There are indications that the team’s front office lacks strong voices — that those debates Heisley loves are often one-sided affairs.

Wallace would only say that “we can’t do anything that Mike is adamantly opposed to.”

And Heisley isn’t opposed to overriding seemingly sound opinions. Signing Allen Iverson isn’t the only move Heisley has made despite being vehemently opposed by his basketball people in recent years.

For his part, GM Chris Wallace doesn’t have a problem with his role in the Grizzlies front office or the fact that Heisley still consults fired Grizzlies exec Dick Versace and retired Grizzlies exec Jerry West when making decisions, calling decision-making a “fluid process” and saying that there aren’t many situations where a “czar-like general manager” has complete control of a franchise any more. 

For his part, Heisley explained his role in the Grizzlies’ draft process with some absolutely dazzling doublespeak:

“We don’t vote,” [Heisley] said. “Somebody eventually has to make a decision.”

“But I don’t think I’m running the team. I’m more active than I have ever been. So people take that as I’m running the team. I take responsibility for the mistakes because the buck stops at the top. Just like President Obama has to take responsibility whether he makes the mistakes or not. With the Grizzlies, it used to be Jerry West, now it’s Mike Heisley. It’s that simple. That doesn’t mean Chris doesn’t make most of the decisions.

“I’ve deferred to Chris. I deferred to Chris and Iavaroni on the (Pau) Gasol trade. I’m not upset. I made that decision. But I think Chris would be the first person to tell you that they recommended it to me. Do I make the decisions for HEICO (his company)? Yeah. Do I talk to Stan Meadows (HEICO and Grizzlies lead attorney)? You bet your (butt). Sometimes I defer, and that’s decision making.”

There’s no telling what the Grizzlies will do with their three first-round picks. However, it is fairly clear who the man making the decisions that will decide the future of the Grizzlies franchise will be.