Source: Memphis Commercial Appeal

Should NBA commissioner David Stern's comments about the Grizzlies last week put our minds at ease -- or our nerves on edge?

Stern, talking to reporters before the start of the NBA Finals, addressed the issue of whether the Grizzlies will survive in Memphis for the long term, saying:

"The best way to kill that conversation is for the team to be supported by the community."

So, minds at ease? Or nerves on edge?

On the surface, you'd say the former -- reassuring words, sent down to Memphis from on high. It's Stern, saying there's no nefarious scheme afoot, no ill intent. Feed the bears, and the bears will stick around.

We could certainly use some encouraging words, these days. We worry constantly about whether the Grizzlies will last in Memphis. Strong lease, legal hoops, financial hurdles, yeah, yeah, we know -- but what happens after the 2020-21 season, when moving becomes more feasible? I suspect these fears are partly to do with our being a small, poor market trying to survive in the major leagues, partly to do with our massive civic inferiority complex-- and partly to do with the fact that the franchise's long-term future is, in very real and tangible ways, well, fraught.

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