Chris Wallace remains confident in the Memphis Grizzlies' capacity to become contenders again without embarking on a full rebuild.

“I understand the frustration of this past year,” Wallace said. “But, I’m not going to take sole credit for this, the front office teams I’ve presided over won the most ever games in the history of this franchise. We were seven straight years in the playoffs. We also brought in four of what I call the extended Mt. Rushmore or six most import players in of the franchise. One year out of the playoffs doesn’t necessarily mean we’re out of touch and no longer capable of doing the job.”

The Grizzlies missed Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons for most of the season.

“The plan on the short-term side of it is to get back in the swing of things,” Wallace said. “I don’t see any reason why we can’t be a very viable competitive team next year. … I’m excited about next year. I think we’ll be a pretty good team next year.”