Dear Mr. Wallace,

I know you don't know me from a hole in the wall but I am a Memphis Grizzlies fan. I know that does mean a lot to you because you have at least shown that much. First off, Welcome to Memphis! You have really been a breath of fresh air. Every since I read you were being considered for our GM and read your 3-part analysis on the 2007 NBA draft, I knew you were the right man for the job. From a fans perspective, I think you had an almost flawless offseason considering the resources you had at your disposal. Our team is just full of talented, young players and generally good guys. See, this isn't going to be one of those letters full of criticism.

The purpose of this letter is to get you to understand my expectations as a fan. I want to win. By winning, I don't mean going 42-40 and winning 2 games in the playoffs. See my fellow Grizz fans always tell me to be patient. These things take time. Well, I have been an NBA fan for well over 20 years and I know that is a lie. As a fellow NBA fan, I now you can remember a lot of promising, young teams that never amounted to squat. Some never even stayed together long enough to make the playoffs. Remember the Clippers with Brand, Odom, Miles, Q Rich and Andre Miller? I do. I remember the Three Js and Backcourt2000. So I know nothing is promised regardless of how you decide to build the team.

What I do know is that the NBA is not simply a talent driven league. The NBA is an experienced talent driven league. Saying that gets me to the point of this letter: BE PREPARED! Come January, Memphis fans will be a little giddy over the future promise of our team. Please save them!

See I moved to Memphis in 2001 after spending 7 years in San Antonio as a Spurs fan. I was in the Alamodome when The Memorial Day Miracle happened! Grizz fans only understand the underdog role. Being the underdog sucks! Until that season, the Spurs were a cuddly little organization. Always a good team but non-threatening as far as title contention in the NBA. 8 seasons later and they are the team every other contending team measures themselves against.

I am not asking you to make us the Spurs but for the love of basketball, make us one of the teams measuring themselves against the Spurs. I know, I know...patience right? Is seven years not enough time? I know this first six seasons weren't your fault but you inherit the history with the job....

...back to the purpose of the letter:

Come January, Memphis fans will be a little giddy over the future promise of our team. Please save them!

There will be some team in the Eastern Conference floundering around, probably injured or in some other type of disarray. Regardless of the reason, they will be disappointing. They will inexplicably put their best player on the market. Oh, there will likely not be any articles written about it but you will hear the noise.

The most likely team will be the Washington Wizards. A team with an outspoken star approaching free agency (Gilbert Arenas), an aged veteran approaching free agency (Antawn Jamison) that they are to cheap to resign, another player with a reasonable contract to keep them credible to their fans, and a bunch of promising young talent. Oh, by January they will be ripe for the picking. Please pluck Mr. Arenas off their roster.

They have a notoriously cheap owner and I can't see him resigning Arenas to a MAX deal and Jamison to a rich deal just to keep being a fringe playoff team. So let's give them the tonic all cheap owners like their fans to drink: Future Promise V.S.O.P. I have seen some fans so drunk on it that ownership can milk half a decade or more out of it (See Atlanta). It truly is a remarkable drink.

Let them have their choice of Conley or Lowry and Gay or Warrick. Take the restrictions off that draft pick we owe them for 2009 and throw in another pick in 2011, then do what I know you didn't want to do this summer for Juan Carlos Navarro and take Brendan Haywood off their roster and throw in Damon Stoudamire and Stromile Swift's soon to be expiring contracts. So most likely it will end up being Mike Conley, Rudy Gay, Damon Stoudamire, Stromile Swift and 2 1st round draft picks for Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood.

I know it is a lot to ask Mr. Wallace but for the love of basketball, Memphis has had plenty of years watching "potential" and it is hit and miss.  For once, it would be nice to watch a finished product that is an All Star playing next to Pau Gasol.

MemphisX