Memphis Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien hit the airwaves this afternoon to speak on Grizzlies issues with Chris Vernon, the host of The Chris Vernon Show on 92.9 ESPN in Memphis.

(The entire interview will be posted on their website later this afternoon.)

I won't be able to quote Levien on everything he addressed this afternoon, but in several nutshells, here's what I took away from his interview with Chris Vernon.

Levien will accept any blame people want to give him for the Grizzlies troubles

Levien admits the team isn't playing well and needs to step up their intensity

Nick Calathes was always intended to be a better 2nd-half-of-season player than first half.

The Grizzlies do not intend to tank the season. They believe Marc Gasol's return will allow for a playoff push.

The Grizzlies have indeed signed James Johnson.

The Grizzlies are probably not any more active in " Zach Randolph trade talks" than they have been in the past year. They'll always listen to offers in case someone offers them an insane deal.

The front office is not sleeping well these days.

The Grizzlies will probably end up making a deal to bring in three point shooting.

Jason Levien believes that things will turn around this season.

I think Levien did his job well today. He sounds confident and realistic, two elements that are hard to meld during hard times. I don't think the Grizzlies management is in denial, but there's still no clear cut method to remedying the issues of this team. If the losses continue to pile up I'd expect to see some roster shuffling, but I wouldn't expect any blockbuster trades from a front office that feels they need more time to see the math play out.