GM Chris Wallace on the Xavier Henry Dispute

In an article posted on the NBA blog Fanhouse.com on Sunday, Memphis Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace shed little light on the dark Xavier Henry contract dispute. While reaffirming that the Grizzlies were not prepared to give Henry the full 120% salary immediately, he did say that neither Henry nor his agent Arn Tellem have requested a trade to a team that would offer Henry 120%.

According to Wallace, using performance bonuses in rookie deals (which is what the Grizzlies want to give Henry) is the "best practice" for the Grizzlies organization.

Really, Chris, it is the best practice for the Memphis Grizzlies to be in a bitter contract dispute with a talented rookie who could have an immediate impact on the team? It's the best practice of the organization to treat a draft pick like cattle and alienate what few fans you have left? It's the best practice of the organization to withold $330,000 from a rookie when every other team in the league is signing their picks to the full 120%? You have put your unique spin on every single negative Grizzlies story of the past few years and somehow we fans let you get away with it. Not this time, Chris!

If it is the best practice of the organization to only sign players to 100%, why did you sign both Hasheem Thabeet and DeMarre Carroll (last year's 1st round picks) to max (120%) deals??? I have a hard time believing that you would play hardball with Thabeet and Carroll before ultimately rolling over. My guess is that you signed them to 120% without any dispute at all. The main question I have is why now? Why alienate Xavier when you lovingly welcomed Thabeet and Carroll into the fold? It shouldn't even need to be said, but I'll say it: Xavier Henry is already a better player than Hasheem Thabeet or DeMarre Carroll will ever be. So again I ask: why Xavier?

Owen