Grizzlies center Hamed Haddadi arrives in Memphis after being detained in Iran

Hamed Haddadi has finally arrived at his second home.

The 7-foot Grizzlies center, who was detained in his native Iran because of a legal issue, arrived in Memphis early Friday after missing the first three weeks of training camp.
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When, where: 7 p.m. today at FedExForum

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Haddadi immediately underwent a team physical and was expected to rejoin his teammates during a shoot-around before the Griz host the Milwaukee Bucks for a preseason game tonight in FedExForum.

"We hope he's in good shape," Griz general manager Chris Wallace said. "He's coming onto a moving train now. He's definitely behind from a number of standpoints."

Haddadi is entering his third NBA season. He is scheduled to earn about $1.6 million this season, but the Griz could dock Haddadi's salary for the five preseason games he missed, according to the league's collective bargaining agreement.

The Grizzlies said Haddadi's visa was in order and that certification did not prevent him from missing the start of training camp.

It is believed that Haddadi was going through a contentious divorce. Although not prohibited, divorce is strongly discouraged in Islam and disapproved by Iranian culture.

Haddadi did return to Iran to participate in the World Championships this summer with his national team. The Griz, however, had little to no contact with Haddadi since the World Championships in Turkey.

"I don't expect anything," Griz coach Lionel Hollins said when asked what Haddadi's condition could be. "He hasn't done anything since the Worlds so how would we know."
Hollins stated the obvious when he confirmed that Haddadi would be hard-pressed to see the court for Memphis anytime in the near future.

"He's not a part of what we're doing," Hollins said. "He's behind, and he's got a long ways to go to catch up. It's going to take a lot of work. The question is does he have the mentality and the work ethic to get it done?"