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This time, ‘ZeeBo’ will be returning to a team just as hungry, but perhaps more talented. Memphis has proven they don’t need to be a top seed to do damage in the playoffs, they just need to get there. But as this team has shown us in the past, they prefer to have their backs against the wall when that ball is tossed at tip-off. When Zach Randolph returns to the Grizzlies, he may find that their situation is similar to last year, fighting for a life in the playoffs. He has all the tools to make it happen, and has shown glimpses of being that go-to guy under pressure. Gay, who missed last years playoff run, will need to develop as the go to scorer down the stretch for Memphis. Another player that needs to step up in Randolph’s absence is the afore-mentioned, Rudy Gay. But his game lacks the 17 foot jump shot that the Grizzlies would like to see him develop. Conley is paid like a top point guard in the league after signing a 45 million dollar contract extension last year. While missing a big piece of their inside presence, point guard Mike Conley Jr. The mindset should be to stay afloat these next two months, and newly acquired Mareese Speights could help, once he gets comfortable in Hollins’ system. Randolph is the main cog in their offense, but he also provides the physical presence on defense with Marc Gasol. They will struggle without their big man, ‘ZeeBo’, and this injury is without a doubt more detrimental than Rudy Gay’s a year ago. This team is no stranger to adversity, and it seems they thrive when they have nothing to lose. This turned Memphis from that heavy-set kid you used to make fun of, into the bully that lost his baby fat and wanted to make you pay for years of harassment (over a Pau Gasol Trade). However, Lionel Hollins was able to harness all this talent, and channel it towards a team cause. Topped off with Tony Allen, shut down perimeter defender, who may or may not be clinically insane. OJ Mayo also had his fair share of adversity, and character concerns throughout his young career. Zach Randolph was basically a cast-off and has had multiple run ins with the law throughout his career, even being suspected of being a major marijuana supplier. The makeup of this Grizzlies team is unique in that it is essentially a gathering of misfits. Still, they managed to sneak into the playoffs and made a name for themselves with their physical, gritty play. All of this done without their second leading scorer, Rudy Gay, who some believe was on the cusp of getting to an elite level, before receiving season ending surgery. Last year’s Playoff Cinderella had high expectations coming into this shortened season after knocking off the top seeded Spurs, and giving Oklahoma City all they could handle in the second round. But in this case I don’t think there is any reason to panic in Memphis. Add that to their 1-3 start, a rusty Rudy Gay, and you can see reason to doubt everybody’s favorite Western Conference sleeper. It was clear head coach Lionel Hollins’ squad missed their power forward as they lost their next 3 games. Last Wednesday the Memphis Grizzlies announced Zach Randolph (20.1 PPG, 12.2 RPG in 2010-2011) has an MCL tear that would sideline the low-post monster for up to two months.