The Grizzlies have invited guard O.J. Mayo to participate in the summer league so that he can work on his point guard skills.

Mayo, who just finished his second NBA season, is an undersized shooting guard at 6'4".

However, he hasn't decided if he'll participate given his commitment to USA Basketball.

Mayo and teammate Rudy Gay will be among the players vying for a spot on the USA squad that will compete during the World Championships at Turkey.

Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace says that he doesn't feel any added pressure heading into June's NBA Draft despite the fact that the club has three first-round picks.

Memphis will have their own lottery selection (projected at No. 12), in addition to picks from Denver (No. 25) and the Los Angeles Lakers (No. 28).

"I don't feel added pressure with the draft at all," Wallace said. "We have gotten dividends and payback from our draft over the years. We're the second-most improved team in the NBA this year. The bulk of our rotation players were drafted by us at some point.

"Drafts should be judged over the course of a career. We said (No. 2 overall pick Hasheem) Thabeet, from the time we drafted him, was an ongoing work in progress. Before Thabeet is tossed aside, the (critics) need come back three years from now and see where he is, and weigh his impact on the Grizzlies."

Heading into the offseason, re-signing forward Rudy Gay is No. 1 on the list of things to do for the Grizzlies.

On Thursday, Memphis agreed to a three-year contract extension with coach Lionel Hollins.

Gay will become a restricted free agent in July.

"Rudy is our No. 1 priority," general manager Chris Wallace said. "Our intent is to keep Rudy in a Grizzlies uniform."

Gay plans to use the team's direction as an issue during negotiations.

"This has to progress in the right direction. I love being here, but I'm at the point where I want to win," Gay said. "I want to have an understanding that we're trying to get into the playoffs. How much of an effort are we making? Memphis is a great city. It deserves a winning team, a playoff team. I'm going to do my best to achieve that if I'm here."

Gay turned down a five-year, $50 million deal before the start of this season.

Lionel Hollins has agreed to a new 3-year contract with the Grizzlies.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Hollins made the announcement Thursday as the team met with reporters to wrap up the season.

Zach Randolph might not know the exact details of the three-year, $57 million extension Pau Gasol signed last December that runs through the 2013-14 season. But Randolph does believe he's worthy of getting a similar extension.

"Definitely,'' Randolph said.

Randolph said in an interview with FanHouse before Monday's game at Denver he wants to sign an extension this summer, and has told Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley his desire to remain with the Grizzlies beyond when his contract expires in 2011.

"Me and Pau Gasol got signed to the same deal when he was in Memphis and I was in Portland,'' said Randolph, whose contract actually is slightly less, with Randolph making $16 million this season and $17.33 million next season and the Lakers star earning $16.45 million and $17.82 million in those seasons. "We got the same contract, and it got extended. ... I hope (to get the extension done this summer). I'd definitely like to get it done.

"I like it here,'' Randolph said of Memphis. "I told the owner I want to be here. If they're going to let me be open and be a free agent or they're going to extend me or lock me in, I'd rather take a lock in.''

"Quite frankly, Zach obviously has been a player that really has made the difference for us this year,'' Michael Heisley said by phone. "Obviously, we want to keep him through the rest of his career. We've got some things with the players that we have to sign, like Rudy Gay and some other players, but hopefully we can work on an extension (with Randolph). I am going to talk to him.''

Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph doesn't want any time off even though the team has been eliminated from the playoff picture.

"I definitely want to play," Randolph said. "We want to finish with a winning record and I want to be a part of that."

Memphis has already shut down center Marc Gasol (neck) and guard Ronnie Brewer (hamstring).

"I'm going to still try to play the guys who are playing the best. The other night our bench guys came in and did a good job. They got significant minutes. It's just a matter of finding the right time for them," coach Lionel Hollins said.

Grizzlies guard Ronnie Brewer will miss the team's final eight games of the season because of injuries.

Memphis announced earlier on Friday that center Marc Gasol will sit out the remainder of the season as well.

Brewer partially tore his right hamstring Feb. 19 in his first game after the Grizzlies traded for him from Utah.

With two weeks to go in the regular season, the Grizzlies have decided to shut down center Marc Gasol.

The second-year center is dealing with a partially torn neck muscle.

"We sat (Gasol) down for a little bit to see if it would calm down," coach Lionel Hollins said. "It's hard to play when you can't lift one arm above your head. Now, we'll sit him down and see if he can get well."

Gasol averaged 14.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 58 percent shooting in 69 games this season.

"Marc is a competitor, and he has a belief that he has a responsibility to his teammates and the organization and the fans to play," Hollins said. "It hurts him that he can't play. Even with one arm he thinks he should be able to contribute."

Steven Hunter has left the Grizzlies and will not return for the rest of the regular season.

Hunter is in Chicago rehabilitating with personal trainers to rehab his knee. Memphis granted Hunter permission.

?We talked to him about what was best for him in terms of getting in an environment where he could focus on getting ready for next season,? Wallace said.

Hunter is in the final season of a deal that pays roughly $3.7 million. He has not been waived, meaning Hunter will remain on the roster until July.

The Grizzlies also retain Hunter?s Bird Rights. The Griz will not bring back Hunter next season but they can sign the 7-footer for any dollar amount in case he?s needed to facilitate an offseason trade.

Dikembe Mutombo sat courtside Wednesday night in Memphis with the organization hoping he can help influence Hasheem Thabeet.

?He?s very interested in Hasheem,? Griz general manager Chris Wallace said. ?He wanted to come in and get together with Hasheem.?

Mutombo has served as a global ambassador for the NBA since he retired from the Houston Rockets in 2009. It is not uncommon for the former Defensive Player of the Year to visit different NBA cities throughout the season.

It is believed, too, that the Griz might talk to Mutombo about working as a paid consultant in the offseason.

Memphis struck out in its bid to hire Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who revealed late last year that a bout with cancer would prevent him from working.