Photo Credit: Rocky Widner , Getty Images

The Memphis Grizzlies have been active early in terms of player turnover this season as the first 3 trades of the season have all centered around the Grizz.

The most recent trade came Thursday (our time) as team leading scorer Rudy Gay was dealt to the Toronto Raptors for Jose Calderon and Ed Davis.

This was shortly followed by a separate deal with the Detroit Pistons which sent Jose Calderon out of Memphis for Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye.

9 days previously The Grizzlies struck a deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers which involved sending Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington and Josh Selby for John Leuer.

Cost cutting is the motive.

New Memphis Grizzlies owner Robert Pera wanted nothing to do with the luxury tax and can sleep easier now with less money on the books.

Although has he fortified the Grizzlies ability to contend for a championship in the process?

While defense wins you championships as they say, the name of the game is to put points on the board. The offense has taken a severe blow with the departure of a natural scorer like Rudy Gay.

Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol are all above average defensive players and it seems like they’re now overloaded with defense.

There is now no one on this team that can create their own shot, Randolph might be the exception but now he’s going to be facing double teams every night with no Rudy Gay to draw attention.

Z-Bo and Gasol will be the centerpieces on offense when Conley sets the table, but the 3 point shooting of the Grizzlies is non existent.

When those guys are forced kick the ball out of the post there are only 1 or 2 good jump shooters on the team to capitalize.

The defense should be taken to another level with Tayshaun Prince the replacement, although there is now more disparity on offense which will make the team horrible to watch and less likely to win games.

While the game plan will be to slow down the other team down offensively, the Grizzlies will be stuck in mud from the opening tip.

Remember the last couple of years, the Grizzlies were scary good and you didn’t want to verse them in the playoffs because they’d beat you up like they did to the #1 Seed San Antonio Spurs?

Those days are over.

Judging from the trades made by the new owner he’s more concerned about the financials than bringing the city of Memphis a championship.