Mark Giannotto
@mgiannotto
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Sports columnist/editor @memphisnews . Co-host Giannotto & Jeffrey 2-4pm CT @929espn . Previously @washingtonpost . Michigan grad. Email: mgiannotto @gannett .com
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Joined March 2009
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Last Seen Profiles
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COLUMN: Penny Hardaway spent his 3-game NCAA suspension watching the Tigers go 3-0 at a Lakeland sports bar. He let me watch Friday’s win over Alabama State with him. Here’s what happened and what he said about the team he can finally coach again.
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Ja Morant: "My room is fine. The food is fine. I'm not a silver spoon guy."
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Dillon Brooks on Andre Iguodala: “I cant wait til we find a way to trade him so we can play him and show him really what Memphis is about.”
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After his rousing series win over Karl Towns Sr., Tee Morant moves on to his second round matchup vs. Dell Curry.
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Steph Curry showed up at East High for James Wiseman’s jersey retirement tonight.
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Damian Lillard on Ja Morant, with CJ McCollum nodding in agreement, during ABC postgame interview: “He’s a star already as a rookie.”
Weber State and Lehigh paying respect to Murray State. They're the best type of stars to have on your team, too.
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Draymond Green didn't get suspended because Brandon Clarke is better at landing.
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Ja Morant on the NBA snitch line: "I don't do none of that telling, so I don't even, I don't know the hotline number or none of that. Guys go about certain stuff ... but me I ain't see nothing, I didn't hear nothing, and I ain't say nothing."
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TSU’s Aristocrat of Bands busts out a Young Dolph tribute during its halftime show.
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Gary Payton II says there’s no bad blood with Dillon Brooks:
“I give Dillon a lot of credit for that — no text, no social media, nothing indirect. He came in person, and we talked like grown men. He told me he didn’t mean to hurt me. I believe him.”
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Shaq and Charles think Ja should’ve been an All Star
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Everything Dillon Brooks said about Andre Iguodala tonight.
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Memphis Grizzlies announce Young Dolph will perform at halftime during Game 3 at FedExForum Saturday night.
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Ja Morant already back on the FedExForum court shooting FTs
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Gregg Popovich on Ja Morant tonight: “I just wish I had a camera so I could get a few pictures. It was pretty special. He was special.”
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Shaq on the TNT pregame show: "Ja Morant knows he’s a star. He reminds me of a young Kobe Bryant."
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Whoop That Trick is Kaari Morant's favorite song, according to Ja Morant.
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It was OK for Golden State to salary dump Iguodala to a team he didn't want to play for, but it's "criminal" for the Memphis Grizzlies to look for and make a trade that's in their best interests.
Got it.
Good. It’s criminal how they’re holding Andre Iguodala hostage. 36. Finals MVP. Wants out. Got maybe 1-2 years left. Trade him.
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Ja Morant clarified tonight that the goggles he flashes after assists are not the small swimming goggles. They are the big construction goggles that are worn while using a jackhammer. Even pretended to use a jackhammer in the locker room to emphasize his point.
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Ernie Johnson says Ja Morant finished 2nd in voting amongst the fans in the Western Conference backcourt, 2nd amongst the player voting, and 2nd amongst the media voting.
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Golden State should put James Wiseman in. Memphis deserves to see him play at FedExForum.
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Dillon Brooks: “I wouldn’t mind playing LeBron in a 7-game series.”
Why?
“The legacy is there. First time back in the playoffs, knock him out right away in the first round. It’ll test us good. They got good pieces, good players, and that’ll be a good 1st round matchup for us.”
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Spoke/texted with a few people from ESPN and College GameDay since the show ended. They saw and felt what you saw and felt. Memphis is getting rave reviews behind the scenes.
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Drew Timme travels 50 percent of the time. The refs call it 0 percent of the time.
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Taylor Jenkins said Ja Morant had an MRI but declined to reveal the results. Jaren Jackson said he found out more about Morant's injury today and "it's definitely sad." There are some dots you can maybe connect there.
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At this point, I wouldn’t be opposed to the Memphis Grizzlies trading Andre Iguodala to some team in China for a bag of basketballs just to make sure Iguodala doesn’t get what he wants.
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COLUMN: None of the Memphis Grizzlies have sucker punched anyone in practice. Their coach isn’t suspended. Their stars actually want to be in Memphis. In the drama-filled NBA, their chemistry is the envy of the league and it has never felt more valuable.
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Al Kapone just yelled: "Steph Curry in your face!" in the midst of the official Whoop That Trick. Amazing.
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9-year-old Zander Carr just became one of the lucky few in the world with a pair of Ja 1s. Cool postgame moment after Grizzlies beat Sacramento.
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Ja Morant brought a PS4, Martin to watch on TV and, in case the silver spoon quote didn't get the point across, declares he's "a ramen noodle guy."
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Houston assistant Kellen Sampson just approached the Memphis radio crew unprompted to say this:
“Memphis pushed us to a place we wouldn’t have gotten to without them. We’re both about to go on a run.”
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Penny Hardaway ended his chat with reporters like this ... "Rick Barnes ... Get the &*$% out of here."
I've never heard a coach talk like Penny just did about Rick Barnes.
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Ja Morant just out-dueled Chris Paul, Devin Booker and LeBron James in consecutive games.
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Alex Ovechkin is better at his sport than anyone else is at their sport at the moment.
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Prediction: Dillon Brooks is going to play well tonight.
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Murray State is coming to FedExForum to play Memphis on Nov. 21. The
@JaMorant
special.
Breaking: Memphis has filled a few more 20-21 non-conference slots. Also, the Tigers have agreed to take part in some high-profile tournaments over the next few seasons.
Details here.
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Allen Iverson is in Bartlett and he has already gotten up more shots tonight than he ever did with the Grizzlies.
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Welcome to the world a month earlier than we expected, Casey Ryder Giannotto. Little guy just didn’t want to miss the start of Grizzlies season.
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The Memphis Grizzlies have officially qualified for the NBA postseason.
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Memphis lasted longer than Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament.
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Andrew Wiggins, Kevin Looney and others from Golden State Warriors also in attendance. Hard to tell with masks.
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Mike Norvell bought a full page in Sunday’s Commercial Appeal for the thank you letter he wrote to Memphis football fans earlier this week. Here’s what it looked like in print:
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Dillon Brooks on Andre Iguodala and the boos again tonight: "We all had the vision and he didn’t. Send him back to the Warriors and let him do his thing there."
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Does anyone have a copy of "The Code" by Steve Kerr I can borrow for this Game 2 column?
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Based on Houston's NET ranking coming into Saturday (No. 3), nobody in the country has a better road win than Memphis does now. Penny Hardaway and the Tigers back up everything they've been saying.
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Incredible nugget from
@Rachel__Nichols
: Grizzlies are the youngest team to make the NBA playoffs in 10 years, since the OKC teams with KD, Westbrook and Harden
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@johnvarlas
He won Cleveland its first major title in forever with "The Block." Rallied them from back down 3-1.
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It’s kind of nuts when you realize Allen Iverson, Steph Curry and Ja Morant are all going to be in the Memphis area tonight. Hoop City.
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FINAL: Memphis 92, No. 6 Alabama 78
Penny Hardaway gets the biggest win of his career at the moment he needed it most. Heckuva job by players and coaches alike in this one.
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Karl Towns Sr. and Tee Morant are sitting next to one another courtside for Game 3. Towns said the NBA hooked it up.
“I can’t afford the seats he gets,” Towns said, pointing at Tee Morant.
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Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins says Tony Allen has started in a new role with the organization as a player development coach with the Memphis Hustle.
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Ja Morant just revealed he fractured his thumb against the Raptors.
Reminder: he scored 35 points today.
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Chandler Parsons is officially the longest-tenured player on the Memphis Grizzlies roster. What a world we live in.
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It's now James Wiseman AND the Tennessee state legislature AND Congress vs. the NCAA.
The
@NCAA
has a history of unfair practices and playing favorites, and it’s time they face up to their improper conduct. I look forward to investigating their actions and doing what I can to ensure greater transparency for all student-athletes.
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Dillon Brooks on Grizzlies Game 1 loss to GSW: “If I play better, we win the game for sure.”
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Tubby Smith said he is no longer the Memphis men's basketball coach.
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It’s 5:38am and the lady working the Minneapolis gate just announced to the Memphis airport terminal: “Go Grizz. We’re gonna take them down tonight.” Memphis and its sports teams, just the best.
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Memphis is a beautiful place full of wonderful people. A few deranged criminals won’t change how I feel. I hope they won’t change how you feel, either. We’ll get through this rough patch.
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Sad news to report. Memphis basketball player Karim Sameh Azab has died after a 7-month battle with leukemia.
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Chris Fowler closes out the Michigan-Notre Dame telecast like this:
"Next week in Memphis. The Tigers take on undefeated SMU Ponies. Should be fun."
Yes, it should.
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Watched the Memphis basketball game with someone interesting tonight.
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Reality to Tennessee: Your medical school is in Memphis. Thousands of your alums are in Memphis. Your best football recruits come from here, too. You’re lucky to have us.
@mgiannotto
Tennessee to Memphis. “O look we play that basically Arkansas team”
Memphis to Tennessee: “OMG THIS IS OUR BIGGEST GAME OF THE YEAR. THIS IS WHAT I CAME TO MEMPHIS FOR SO I CAN PLAY TENNESSEE.”
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Marc Gasol got his ring and he had Z-Bo, Conley, TA and everyone else he played with in Memphis on his mind.
"Thank you guys for making me the man and the player that I am. I'll be thankful forever."
Awesome moment.
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Happy New Year, Memphis!
Three years ago today, I drove here from DC for a new job at The Commercial Appeal. It was the biggest risk I've ever taken. It's the best decision I've ever made.
Thank you for reading, listening & making this yankee feel like he never wants to leave
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This will be the College Gameday view on Beale. In retrospect, this was so obviously the best option.
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The AAC has a Final Four team and the NIT champion this year. Hope the NCAA tournament committee watched their tournaments. League deserves more respect than it gets.
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Also a tradition: Sports writers reminding the rest of the newsroom that they file stories on deadline at night all the time and never get pizza.
Newsroom pizza on election night. A tradition as old as journalism, pizza and elections, and vital to our democracy. 🍕 🗳
#partylikeajournalist
@OHnewsroom
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Phil Mickelson walking off 18
@wgcfedex
just now, pproaches me, asks if I’m with the local paper and then says this without being asked a question:
“I love this place. It’s a weird feeling without fans but we’re thankful to be out here.”
How can you not root for that guy?
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It’s after midnight at FedExForum. Marc Gasol, Tony Allen and Jason March are shooting the breeze about the good ol’ days while their kids play basketball where they once did.
It was a special night in Memphis.
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Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke have been so damn dependable in this series.
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James Wiseman ... Bringing Memphis Republicans and Democrats together.
The
@NCAA
previously cleared
@BigTicket_JW
to play
@Memphis_MBB
. Their decision yesterday is an embarrassment and should be reversed.
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Look how happy everyone is about Ja Morant getting that triple double. The Grizzlies have something special brewing in that locker room. Really ugly win that was actually really impressive because of how ugly it looked.
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The Memphis Grizzlies just dusted LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Luka Doncic & Kyrie Irving in back-to-back road games & lost Ja Morant & Marcus Smart to injuries along the way.
Bonkers road trip. Left Memphis a mess. Came back rolling.
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Reminder: Kenny Gainwell picked Memphis over Ole Miss. Like a legit Ole Miss offer. They wanted him. And then, when his primary recruiter at Memphis (Dan Lanning) left for a job at Georgia, and Gainwell found out over social media, he still stuck with Memphis. He's easy to like.
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A very confident and comfortable Ja Morant after today’s shootaround, when asked if Grizzlies want to steal one in Minnesota like Minnesota did in Memphis.
“I’m looking to steal two. We got Game 3 and 4 here, right?”
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Boogie Ellis is going to have a monster junior year. He's figured it out.
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The Grizzlies have more wins through 25 games this year than they did last year without playing a single minute with their ideal starting five. Remarkable.
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Desmond Bane, when asked about "passing the plate" to pay for Taylor Jenkins' $15k fine.
“I ain’t passing nothing. We got some vets on this team. When I get my deal, I’ll be ready to throw out pennies here or there. But for now, they got that.”
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Feels like Xavier Tillman was inserted into the rotation spur of the moment because of the foul trouble. Feels like he might need to stay in the rotation the rest of the series.
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Kelvin Sampson: "We could have played really good today and lost because Memphis is good and that crowd was great.”
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Mike Conley on Ja Morant: "He’s quick. He’s athletic. He’s very poised & he makes big plays. We got to see it all tonight. I thought he did a great job. We competed, we threw guys at him & he made plays. He’s special ... He’s got the poise of a seasoned vet & that’s not normal."
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Calvin Austin III on the PR TD: "That's a play I'll never forget."
Memphis football fans: "Same."
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@johnvarlas
Disagree. I'm not getting involved in the MJ-LeBron debate but the block is probably the best NBA Finals moment since MJ's shot to beat Utah.
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A year ago today, I packed up my car and drove 13 hours from DC to Memphis not entirely sure of what the heck I was doing.
Now, I can't imagine being anywhere else.
Thanks for welcoming me with open arms, and thanks for reading.
The best is yet to come in 2018.
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BREAKING: The Memphis Grizzlies have forgotten how to lose.
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The Grizzlies just won the 2nd game of a back to back for the 3rd straight time. They’re peaking when so much of the NBA is breaking down due to condensed schedule. They’re doing it playing more games than anyone but the Spurs post All Star break. What an organizational triumph.
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Rick Barnes says “no way” this Memphis-Tennessee game will be made up this season.
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Hello from Collierville.
Bronny James is here. Younger brother Bryce is too. Ashton Hardaway is here. All the best HS hoopers from Memphis are here. Penny Hardaway is here. Seems like the whole Memphis basketball scene is here. Should be a blast.
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Precious Achiuwa will be a walking billboard for Penny Hardaway and Memphis basketball during the NBA draft process.
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Penny Hardaway with some parting words for the crowd after Memphis blasts Houston. What a scene.
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The 50th Grizzlies win might be the most reassuring of them all. Amazing 4Q performances by Desmond Bane, Brandon Clarke and Jaren Jackson Jr. No Ja Morant, KD and Kyrie combine for 78 points, no problem.
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Hello from Columbus. Boogie Ellis is here with USC and just spoke about his time in Memphis.
He misses the food, especially Ching's and American Deli. Said the wings in SoCal don't compare to Memphis. He doesn't miss the freight trains waking him up all the time.
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Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway passed his NCAA rules test this afternoon, according to a school spokesperson. He can officially start recruiting and making calls to prospects and their families.
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Takeaways from Grizzlies breakdown day
1) Ja will be offered (and plans to sign) max deal
2) Kleiman says $$$ won't be issue in keeping core together
3) Gut feeling based on comments is Kyle Anderson and Tyus Jones won't be back
4) Steven Adams might have a Tinder profile.
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