Memphis Grizzlies believe there's life after Z-Bo, but it takes adjustments
The Grizzlies have quickly found out a couple of things about themselves as they abruptly hit the reset button on this season.
They still have the pieces in place to become the resilient squad that overcame adversity last season. And Zach Randolph's expected eight-week absence because of a torn right medial collateral ligament doesn't necessarily mean the Griz have to change their style.
Now, it's just a matter of fine-tuning the areas in which the Griz should excel with or without Randolph, and collectively commit to making up for Z-Bo's scoring.
"This is a great opportunity for a team to show their character, show what they're made of, show mental toughness," Griz coach Lionel Hollins said, "because I don't think you can have success or growth without some kind of adversity, and being able to overcome it. I'm usually telling these guys that this is how life is. Everybody has a story. People that succeed always tell the story about what they overcame. And the people that fail always tell the story of what was in their way.
"You just have to go and be the best you can be. If it's not good enough, it's not good enough. You can't mope, and you can't quit playing. You have to go out and perform."
Sounds familiar?
Hollins delivered a similar, if not, the exact same message to the Grizzlies last February when Rudy Gay was lost for the season because of shoulder surgery. That team responded by earning a postseason berth and advancing to Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.
No one is of the illusion that Randolph's double-double mastery can be easily replaced. But this group can do what the 2010-11 Grizzlies did, and that's play an unparalleled brand of defense to create easy baskets and victories.
"We have to continue to be what we are defensively -- force turnovers and get steals and easy buckets," Hollins said. "That was a big key (Tuesday against the Kings) because we were able to sustain runs because of easy layups versus trying to play offense and make jump shots consistently. Getting those transition buckets are going to be huge. And we need Marc (Gasol) to rebound. We need Rudy to rebound. It's going to have to be a collective effort."
Another fact is that the Griz are trending in the right direction with their team unity and defense.
Memphis has forced an average of 18 turnovers, scoring 23.5 points off them, and amassed 27 steals in the past two games. The Griz overwhelmed those two opponents with points in the paint largely due to their efficiency on fast-breaks.
Perhaps the main difference in life with Randolph will be found in fast-break points given Memphis outscored Sacramento and Minnesota 46-22 in that category.
"We can still go inside-out with Marc," point guard Mike Conley said. "But the court will open up a little bit. We'll get more draw-and-kicks, pick-and-rolls and try to use our speed to our advantage."
Hollins is preaching that the Griz must remain an attacking team. While they will rely more on perimeter play without Randolph, the Griz still can't settle for jump shots and one-on-one play. Plus, Randolph's absence will be felt more against top-notch opponents. Trust and execution are more important than ever because Randolph's proclivity for cleaning up mistakes with offensive rebounds is no longer there.
"Having the big fella out we definitely have to raise our focus level up a little bit more and execute better offensively," reserve guard O.J. Mayo said. "Execute better defensively and try to give ourselves a chance to win every night."
There also is no hiding from the reality that Randolph's injury puts the onus on Gay to be more of a leader and affect games in more ways than scoring. After averaging just 13.3 points on 35-percent shooting in his first four games, the highly paid forward has totaled 42 points on 51.5-percent shooting in the two wins without Randolph.
Gay also collected 16 rebounds, four steals and two blocks during that span.
"It'll take a few games for us to figure this out," Gay said. "Obviously, there's not a lot of Z-Bos out there. But we have guys capable of stepping up. It's not just me, Mike or Marc. We've got a lot of good players on this team."
Hollins said the Griz remain a family that's committed to each other.
For now, everybody is saying and doing the right things.
They all also know that consistency is the key.
"If we play the right way and share the ball, we'll be OK," Gasol said. "It doesn't matter who gets the shots. It just matters that we're a better team and we're winning. We don't have Zach or Darrell (Arthur). It's sad, but it is what it is."
