Think the Grizzlies took the day off just because they are in the midst of playing three games in four nights, including a back-to-back set with Houston?

Think again.

Coach Marc Iavaroni oversaw a spirited bunch that worked mainly on offensive drills focusing on pick-and-roll situations.

“Little things,” Iavaroni said, “not a full practice.”

Observations:

*** Pau Gasol was back on the practice court Thursday, participating in drills and light contact. Gasol has sat out the past week with a sprained left ankle but Iavaroni said the 7-footer would be a game-time decision for tonight’s pre-season finale.

*** Juan Carlos Navarro gave Griz fans a scare Wednesday night when he appeared to hurt his elbow. But Navarro appeared fine in the locker room after the game, and was shooting the basketball Thursday without discomfort or limitations.

*** Dontell Jefferson was absent Thursday. His stint with the Griz came to an end Wednesday night when he was waived. The former NBDL guard joined the Griz at the start of training camp but was faced with the challenge of earning a roster spot on a team with logjams at the guard and wing positions.

“He’s an NBA-quality player,” Iavaroni said. “He got better as a player. It’s just unfortunate we couldn’t be in a position to keep him.”

*** Iavaroni said Thursday the point guard rotation wasn’t exactly set. His comments after Wednesday’s game strongly suggested that Damon Stoudamire would be the opening-day starter with Kyle Lowry earning the backup role. Of course, that doesn’t mean there won’t be minutes for rookie Mike Conley. Right now, though, Conley appears to be counting on foul trouble, injuries or special matchups.

Stoudamire on his re-emergence: “I worked hard this summer. The biggest thing is that I’m healthy. I said all along that my main focus was to get healthy, and then I knew I could help this team. I knew I’d be fighting for a job. That was better for me because it made me hungry again. Now I’m happy but not satisfied.”

Lowry on the position battle: “We can all be productive. Damon is a veteran. He’s going to go out there and be our leader. Mike and I are just going to follow him and do what we can to help the team.”

The Marc Iavaroni Show, hosted by Ronald Tillery and Eli Savoie, is your chance to talk directly with Coach Iavaroni on Sports 56 (WHBQ-AM) every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. You can email questions to Iavaroni at any time by sending them to coach@sports56whbq.com.

The late fall and winter meetings of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission don’t always produce a lot of significant news for outdoorsmen.

But this week’s meeting provided a few details that are actually worth mentioning.

The TWRC announced several changes to the state’s sport fishing regulations that are sure to raise the eyebrows of bass fishermen.

These new regulations will go into effect March 1, 2008:

** An 18-inch size minimum limit for smallmouth bass will be implemented on most state reservoirs with only a few exceptions. The size limit for smallmouth will be 15 inches on Kentucky Lake and 16 inches on South Watauga and Boone Reservoirs.

** The TWRC also removed the creel limit for spotted bass on Norris Reservoir. The spotted bass creel limit was increased from five to 15 for the upper end of Chickamauga Reservoir. They’re just trying to head off any potential problems with overpopulation.

I recently spent some time on a miniature highland lake in McNairy County, Tenn., that is absolutely filled to the rim with big bluegill.

I was catching lots of fish using a 1/16th-ounce black jig with a chartreuse head, but I was having of trouble with “peck bites” from small fish. So I switched to a Rebel Crawfish crankbait and just had a ball catching big plate-size fish.

I was using the F77 Teeny Wee version of the lure, which runs only about 2-3 feet deep. It comes in a variety of colors, but I used primarily the Cajun Crawdad model.

After a few casts with the bait, I noticed several big fish following it all the way to the boat without actually taking it. So I began making “start-and-stop” casts, and I was getting bit on almost every cast. When you stop the bait, the fish attack.

If you’re fishing in a lake that has automatic feeders, the bluegill are usually accustomed to feeding on the surface. So you can throw this little Rebel Crawfish up against the bank and just twitch instead of actually cranking it.

There are times when you’ll see three or four fish swirling at the bait at once along the surface. It’s an awesome sight.

Some of you folks may already be using the Rebel Crawfish for panfish. But for me, this was a new discovery.

THE BIG STORY

University of North Carolina coach Butch Davis, a Springdale native and former Arkansas defensive lineman, said Tuesday that he would have no interest in the Razorbacks’ job if it were to come open this offseason.

“The unfortunate thing is I did play (at Arkansas), my father lives there and I’ve got a lot of friends there,” Davis told the Raleigh News and Observer. “… But I am thrilled to be here (at UNC), and I believe the program here, we’ve spent a great year, this first year, building stuff.”

Davis was pressed on the issue by a reporter, who asked if the coach would leave for Arkansas.

“I just told you, I’m thrilled to be at North Carolina,” Davis said Tuesday evening.

The issue came up because of a report by CBSSportsline.com’s Dennis Dodd last week that said that Davis had an exit clause in his contract that would allow him to leave UNC for Arkansas without facing a financial penalty.

A UNC spokesperson confirmed to the Raleigh News and Observer that Davis does not have such an out in his contract.

Davis grew up in Springdale and was a defensive lineman for legendary Arkansas coach Frank Broyles. He graduated from UA in 1974 and got his coaching career started as a volunteer assistant at Fayetteville High. Davis, who has also been the head coach at the University of Miami and the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, signed a seven-year contract at UNC in November 2006.

If he left UNC for another coaching job, he would have to pay the school between $700,000 and $2 million, according to the Raleigh News and Observer.

A look at the league: Read the rest of this entry »