Empty the Bench

By: Brendan K. O’Grady

Let’s just forget about objectivity for a moment: having spent three years and the better part of four seasons closely following the Memphis Grizzlies, I’m incapable of not having a biased opinion on the happenings of this franchise.

They’re my secondary rooting interest, and I care. A lot. I want good things for them, right up to Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals where they can lose to my hometown Lakers, as it was written.

So imagine my shock and horror when the news emerged that they’d reached an agreement to acquire Zach Randolph from the Clippers in exchange for the right to pay Quentin Richardson an undeserved fortune.

Up until then the talk had been of Memphis making a run at a restricted free agent like David Lee or Paul Millsap. Both represented a very attractive option as proven role players who could who could step in and better the team immediately as starters, while still possessing room to grow along with the Grizzlies’ young-but-talented core.

Lee had been a frequent enough topic of discussion to have emerged as the fan-favorite option. He’d of given the Grizz an already decent–and still improving–option offensively, as well as an all-around nice guy to boot (chemistry not an insignificant matter on the current roster). If Memphis is serious about wanting to keep pushing the pace, they could have easily squeezed out a few more wins with Lee in the fold out of sheer, combined hustle, and hopefully have gotten their heads right enough to win a few more on top of that.

Paul Millsap, a power-packed forward who bangs for absolutely every board, could have heralded an interesting new identity for the Grizzlies. The combination of Millsap, Hasheem Thabeet, and Marc Gasol (average age less than 24) would instantly rank as one of the best young defensive frontcourts in the league. Pair them with explosive, All-World talented wing scorers (Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo) and a point who likes to move the rock (Mike Conley) and you’ve got the makings of a competitive team… right? Maybe?

Lee or Millsap, it wouldn’t have mattered: they couldn’t possibly have been any worse than they are right now, and all those blocks and dunks and threes would have been fun as hell to watch.

But all of that goes out the window after trading for Zach Randolph, who’s a known quantity at this point in his career. He wants to be the first option on offense. He wants the ball in the halfcourt and the time to find his shot. He wants 9 or so rebounds a game (defensive only, please.) And he will give exactly the amount of effort it takes to get his, night in and night out, and absolutely nothing more. He’s also a cancer.

Will he help Memphis win a few more games next season? It’s debatable. Probably, I guess. But that’s not the point: the Grizzlies have to know that there just isn’t a future with Zach Randolph on this team. The Commercial Appeal actually nailed the motivation behind this deal on the first try: it’s all about the money.

That may seem like a leap given that Randolph is currently playing on one of the most laughably inflated contracts in basketball ($33.3 million over the next two seasons), but the analysis makes sense. The worst owner and the worst GM in the NBA took the path of least resistance and picked up a guy who’s somehow managed to maintain production close to his advertised 20 and 10 instead of committing slightly more long-term money on the free agency market.

And in the process, the worst owner in the NBA and the worst GM in the NBA have ensured they’ll preside over the worst team in the NBA for the foreseeable future.

Brendan K. O’Grady writes about fantasy basketball and the NBA at-large full-time at his own site, 2nd Round Reach. He has a single-digit vertical leap.

Zach Randolph Photo Credit: Icon SMI