Morant's bold claim ages terribly after wild West shake-up

Share

Draymond Green had a swift response on Jan. 5 to Ja Morant's 'I'm fine in the West' comment, and a little over a month later, the rest of the Western Conference chimed in with its own loud message.

In a December interview with ESPN's Malika Andrews, Morant boldly shrugged off the Warriors and other Western Conference foes when asked which team he views as the Memphis Grizzlies' biggest threat this season. 

Currently the No. 2 seed in the West, the Grizzlies (33-21) have lost eight of their last 10 games and sit just two games ahead of a surprising Sacramento Kings (31-23) team in the crowded Western Conference. Who would have thought? Certainly not Morant. 

As if Memphis' path through the conference wasn't already difficult, a wild few days leading up to the NBA trade deadline sent shockwaves throughout the West. 

The Dallas Mavericks, who outlasted the Grizzlies in the playoffs last season, completed a blockbuster trade for Kyrie Irving on Sunday, giving Dallas an elite scorer to pair with MVP candidate Luka Dončić. The Los Angeles Lakers followed suit, trading for Minnesota Timberwolves sharpshooter D'Angelo Russell on Wednesday. 

Oh, but that wasn't all. 

Late Wednesday night, the Phoenix Suns shocked the NBA with a seismic move for superstar Kevin Durant, equipping another Western Conference team with one of the game's elite weapons.

It didn't take long before Morant's previous comments resurfaced on Twitter. 

RELATED: Warriors friendships with GP2 will last longer than loss

It appears that Morant and the Grizzlies might not be as fine in the West as they originally thought. 

Already trailing the No. 1 seeded Denver Nuggets by four-and-a-half games, the Grizzlies now will have to fend off revamped Mavericks and Suns squads, plus possible challenges from the Kings and Los Angeles Clippers. Not to mention the ever-looming threat that the New Orleans Pelicans, Timberwolves and Warriors still possess. 

And then there are the playoffs, where the Warriors shine the brightest. This will be fun. 

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Contact Us