Geoff Calkins' Take 5: On Beno Udrih, another good addition by the Griz front office

Five quick thoughts on the Grizzlies and Beno Udrih:

1. Another splendid addition by the Griz. Udrih will not replace Nick Calathes as Mike Conley's primary backup but he will provide insurance in case either Conley or Calathes gets injured, or in case Calathes reverts to the shaky player he was earlier in the year.

2. Griz CEO Jason Levien told me that Udrih will not join the team in Oklahoma City but should be ready to play against Cleveland at FedExForum Saturday night.

3. By the way, can we now forget about the narrative that this ownership group has no money and is being cheap? The Rudy Gay trade wasn't about being cheap. It was about avoiding a looming financial crisis and getting rid of a player who didn't necessarily help the cause. But somehow, that was used as evidence that the Grizzlies cared more about money than maintaining a winning team. So then it was assumed the Grizzlies would try to unload Zach Randolph. That never happened. Instead, they added salary by acquiring Courtney Lee and now Udrih. There may come a time when the Grizzlies decide if it is in the team's interest to ship out salaries and get well below the cap, but Levien and the rest have demonstrated that their current interest is winning as much as possible now.

4. As others have reported, Udrih will be the first player in Griz history to wear No. 19. But some fairly tremendous NBA players have worn the number including Willis Reed, Don Nelson and Lenny Wilkins. Bob Cousy also wore No. 19, but only when he made a brief return to the game with Cincinnati as a player-coach. Oscar Robertson was wearing Cousy's usual No. 14 at the time.

5. Greats in other sports to wear No. 19? Have to start with Johnny Unitas, right? After that, there's Bob Feller, Steve Yzerman, Robin Yount, Lance Alworth and Tony Gwynn. And, like Cousy, Joe Montana wore No. 19 late in his career, when he was making a final run with the Kansas City Chiefs.