Armed with the No. 2 pick, the Grizzlies didn't get the trade possibilities they wanted. So as figured, they finally got the big, shot-swatting center they've wanted ever since the team moved to Memphis.

They didn't hesitate in drafting UConn's Hasheem Thabeet, two-time Big East Conference defensive player of the year, a 7-3 roadblock that will toughen the soft middle of the Grizzlies' defense immediately.

"We kept coming back to the fact of where are you going to find a 7-3, shot-blocking center?" Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said.

It didn't matter to coach Lionel Hollins that the Grizzlies just got a solid rookie season from center Marc Gasol. Hollins felt Thabeet's strength as a defender—though his offense needs a lot of work—was too good ...More