commercialappeal.com - Memphis, TN: Grizzlies: "Grizzlies without J-Will at Orlando
Baby on the wayas preseason opens
By Ronald Tillery
Contact
October 12, 2004
When the Grizzlies begin their exhibition schedule tonight at Orlando, they will be without starting point guard Jason Williams.
That's the bad news.
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The good news is Williams's absence isn't because of injury.
Williams didn't travel with the Grizzlies on Monday afternoon so that he could be with his pregnant wife, Denika. They are expecting their second child at any moment.
The Grizzlies will gladly welcome continuity whenever it comes.
Circumstances -- mostly injury related -- have forced several key players to miss practice time since training camp began a week ago.
In addition to Williams, small forward James Posey is expected to sit out with a left foot sprain.
Coach Hubie Brown said the Grizzlies' first outing on the eight-game preseason schedule won't reveal much.
'You just want to see where you are after a week,' Brown said. 'We're handicapped because of the lack of key personnel. ... But this is not about wins and losses. This is about competition so that at the end of 30 days we have the right 10 guys in position. Then it's about us making the right decision because two guys will play their way off this roster.'
The Grizzlies still have 17 players and must trim their roster to 15 by Nov. 1. Coaches will form opinions rather quickly given the Grizzlies play two more games by the weekend.
Brown said he's optimistic the Grizzlies will enjoy better health by the end of the week. They play home exhibition games Thursday (against Cleveland) and Saturday (against Indiana).
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