27 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and only 1 turnover last night in a win against the portland trailblazers... time for the haters to stop hating and start respecting...
Grizzlies Rolling Thanks To Randolph By J.A. Adande ESPN.com Zach Randolph has always been a numbers guy, only this time the most impressive number of all is a mere single digit. It's the number seven. From 2003-04 through 2008-09 he had three seasons in which he averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds. The only player with more in that span was Kevin Garnett at four. The biggest difference between those two: Garnett's 20 and 10 seasons also included a Most Valuable Player award and a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2004. Randolph had as many teams as he did playoff game victories during that stretch: three. For all of his voluminous numbers, they didn't correlate with victories. That's why three general managers thought they could improve their teams by trading him. Last summer the Clippers became the fourth when they sent him to Memphis. As a coach once described Randolph: "He can get you 20 and 10 ... and get you fired. In the same game." It's a new Randolph. This season he actually got Lionel Hollins the Western Conference Coach of the Month award for December. It's not that he decided to sacrifice his numbers. They're bigger than ever, averaging 27 points and 16 rebounds over the past eight games. Most significant of all is the Grizzlies are 7-1 in that stretch, including a 109-105 victory over Portland on Tuesday that gave Memphis a 17-16 record. Hollins was genuinely excited to acquire Randolph last summer, having worked with him at Tim Grgurich's summer camp in the past and believing in Randolph's ability. Now he has Randolph believing in the greater good of the team. "He's still going to get shots and numbers," Hollins said. "It's about five-man basketball. You can't win by yourself." Of course, Randolph's blending of stats and victories could be part of another number: 28 years old. "They got him at the perfect time," the same coach who made the earlier wisecrack said Tuesday. One more thing: he's even averaging 2.3 assists over the past eight games, which surpasses the best season average of his career. For Randolph, it's more of everything.
The thing about what Randolph is doing for the grizzlies might have started before Randolph even played one game for the grizzlies. When Randolph got off the plane after being traded to the grizzlies, he was greeted by the owner and gm who welcomed him at the airport. That was a classy move that Randolph admitted he never got before when he was traded.
I think that this is the thing people don't understand. The grizzlies are effectively putting an all-star front line out on the court every night. Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Rudy. They may not make the all star team but they all have the talent for it. Add in the fact that we also have a potential allstar in OJ Mayo in the backcourt and it is not just that the grizzlies are hotter than your team it is that they have quite a bit more talent as well. Also add in the fact that the grizzlies have Sam Young and Thabeet coming off the bench. Don't sleep on young, this kid is a beast and the grizzlies are hard to beat period. The grizzlies have the kind of talent that the Suns had a few years ago before they broken the team up.
I think you're greatly over-exaggerating the talent on the Grizzles, but they are a very talented team. I will admit that I may have been wrong earlier, it does look like Memphis might be able to keep this up and stay in the playoff hunt all season.
Both Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph are all star caliber players. Rudy Gay is closing the gap between him and the other all star sf. Sure, Rudy isn't there yet, but he is at least moving closer to being considered in the conversation. That's the facts. The only thing holding Rudy back is consistency, also he's had some injuries lately, but I don't think it is a stretch to say that the grizzlies field an allstar front line. You might not like it or you may want to hate on them, whatever, the stats don't lie. The grizzlies are the number 1 team at points in the paint, we have the top rebounding tandem and we are like top 6 I like in rebounding altogther.
I don't know about the other posters, but I said that the Grizzlies could be a threatening team, if they all got better on team defense and become more consistent. Putting points on the board is not the problem, the main cause for concern is stopping them. Yet, I do think they have a good shot into the playoffs, 7th or 8th seed, and I don't have very much confidence of the 3 teams in front of them; the Thunder, Hornets, and Jazz, maybe a little bit more faithful about NO, because of Chris Paul. I can see the other 2 dropping off at some point in the season.
Zach Randolph deserves to be selected to the all-star game as a reserve. It probably won't happen, but he's earned it with his play this season. It'll be an injustice if he's not selected.
You are nuts if you really believe this. If the Grizzlies have 3 All-Stars "out on the court every night" plus a "potential All-Star" in the backcourt, why are they only 18-18? Comparing them to the Suns teams that won 60 games is totally ridiculous. If the Grizzlies were as good in reality as they are in your mind, they would be challenging the Lakers for top seed in the West. You might want to step back, take a deep breath and look at things clearly. But it's your right and privilege to be a hopeless homer. We've got some in Houston too.
What another stat? The Grizzlies are one of two teams in the NBA that are both top 10 in rebounding and pace of play. The other? The Los Angeles Lakers. Chris Herrington of the Memphis Flyer said it best: They've become a rare thing: an uptempo power team, one of only two teams in the NBA currently in the Top 10 in both rebounding and pace of play. The other? The Los Angeles Lakers. http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/breakthrough/Content?oid=1892398
well, you told me to call you so i'm calling you right now. these "ballhogging unintelligent losers" are a 1/2 game out of the playoffs and we're currently the 8th seed. yes, that means these grizzlies are a 1/2 game behind US. you worried yet? looks like it's time for you to eat some crow.
Marc Gasol i playing well next to him, nice to see the grizzlies winning some. Why is it that I like Marc over Paul? Marc plays with passion, and just works his ass off.
Z-Bo would get my vote for Most Improved Player if you were allowed to give that award under such a circumstance. Unfortunately, i'm sure the voters focus more on statistical improvement than the intangible aspects. If it were the latter, Z-Bo's case would be very strong. Instead it will go to some dime-a-dozener like Channing Frye, CDR or some other joker that got hot at the right time. At least I can live with a Brook Lopez type winning the award, though -- if that's how things play out.
i agree. i think he's finally figured it out after all these years that patting stats arent everything. Has anyone ever won MIP twice?
23 points and 19 rebounds for zach in a W over the magic. still waiting for kojirou to eat his crow...
