Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal reports that Hubie Brown has shot down any rumors that hae linked him to becoming Jerry Krause's succesor.

"That's a far reach by whoever wrote that," Brown said with a slight grin. "I would never consider being in that type of a position.

"It's not the right thing for me," Brown said. "I have never been interested in that type of position."

Brown reaffirmed that he was looking forward to coaching next season saying he was feeling good health-wise and had a contractual obligation to the team.

"I'm extremely pleased with everything that has happened in the first year," Brown said. "I'm not happy with the way it's ending with our depletion of players because of injuries.

"But we have a mindset and we have a style of play now. Our fans can see that it's exciting but we need the (Michael) Dickersons, (Mike) Millers and Lorenzen Wrights healthy plus what we're going to get over the summer."

Brown feels the Grizzlies, when healthy, are just a big man away from becoming a ery tough team.

"We are 16-12 since we took over against the East. We can get away with our (lack of) size in the East," Brown said. "But we cannot win consistently against the playoff teams and top teams of the NBA in the West.

"Consequently, it comes down to can you take care of your defensive boards? Game in and game out, (opponents) hurt you with second-shot attempts. That's talent. If you look at all of the top centers and forwards, they're in the West. So it becomes a problem. We need one more major body."