Zach Randolph Can Help Grizzlies Restore Elite Western Conference Status

Sometimes, it seems as though the Memphis Grizzlies, if not the entire NBA, have passed Zach Randolph by.

Randolph's ground-bound, mid-range-heavy game is anathema in a league concerned (and rightfully so) with three-pointers, layups and free throws. His pudgy build (6'9", 253 lbs) looks like it belongs with the bigs of basketball's bygone era, when careful nutrition and sophisticated weight training weren't part and parcel with players' off-court regimens. So, too, does his tough, physical approach to the game, and the attitude that underlies it.

Those characteristics, now somewhat unique in the NBA, have endeared Z-Bo to the Memphis faithful ever since the Grizzlies gave up Quentin Richardson to snag the then-troubled power forward from the Los Angeles Clippers in summer 2009.

As Grantland's Jonathan Abrams wrote back in 2012, "He is unquestionably a beloved figure both in Memphis and in Marion, about 65 miles north of Indianapolis up I-37. He’s fit in so naturally in Memphis that many mistakenly believe Randolph actually hails from the city."

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Back then, Abrams described Randolph as "the face of the Memphis Grizzlies." That may not be quite the case anymore, now that Marc Gasol has taken over as not only the Grizzlies' best player, but also arguably the best at his position in the league.

Gasol, who's long been the anchor of one of the fiercest defenses around, has emerged as the Grizzlies' go-to guy on offense this season as well. Even Mike Conley, who's matured into an All-Star-caliber performer at point guard, has slipped past Randolph on the team's totem pole.

Soon enough, Randolph won't be Memphis' most handsomely paid player, either. His salary is due to slip, from $16.5 million to $9.6 million, once his two-year extension kicks in next season. Assuming Gasol sticks around the River City on a max contract this summer, he'll overtake Randolph as the Grizzlies' highest earner.

But just because Randolph no longer occupies such prime real estate within his team or the league doesn't mean he's no longer important to the Grizzlies' operation, or that this squad can simply hum along without him. To flip the script, Memphis has proved to be merely average sans Randolph, as opposed to potential title material with him. 

Memphis lost five of nine during his recent knee-related absence, after starting the 2014-15 season a brisk 20-5 with him. They've won two of three since Z-Bo's return, including a 103-92 victory over the reeling Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center on Wednesday night.

Randolph had himself a whale of a game against a Nets front line that was missing the suspended Kevin Garnett. Z-Bo led the Grizzlies in points (20) and rebounds (14), and he tied in assists (three) without a single turnover in his 32 minutes, all while nailing eight of 11 from the field. He was one of five Grizzlies in double figures, including their newest member (Jeff Green), against the club's old coach, current Brooklyn head man Lionel Hollins.

"It was different going against your old coach," Randolph said after the game, per The Associated Press' Brian Mahoney. "Been through a lot, made history together, did stuff together in Memphis, turned the franchise around, so it was nice to see him out there."

Randolph looked a lot like the guy Hollins coached for four seasons, including those at Z-Bo's absolute peak. Come to think of it, he looked a lot like that guy three nights earlier, when he piled up 27 points, 17 boards, four assists and two blocks to help set up the Grizzlies for a double-overtime win against the Phoenix Suns.

Granted, it was Gasol, not Randolph, who took the Grizzlies home in that game. During the second extra period, Randolph fouled out on his seventh turnover of the game, a charge drawn by P.J. Tucker.

Meanwhile, Gasol got to work. He scored half of Memphis' 14 points in those final five minutes to seal a 122-110 victory over one of the teams with which the Grizzlies locked horns in pursuit of one of the West's final playoff spots last season.

Memphis, of course, snuck in as the No. 7 seed. The Grizzlies might've finished much higher in the standings had Gasol not missed 23 games with a knee injury.

And they may well have advanced to the second round had Randolph not fallen into Steven Adams' trap in Game 6 of their first-round series opposite the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Indeed, Gasol is now the one who most often butters the Grizzlies' proverbial bread, at head coach Dave Joerger's behest. But there'd be no butter or bread in Volunteer State pro basketball if not for the yeoman's work that Randolph put in, as a two-time All-Star, on Hollins' watch.

Nor will the Grizzlies have any finer foods with which to celebrate come April, May and June without Randolph serving as one of Gasol's sous chefs. With Randolph, the Grizzlies play like the league's second-best offense and fourth-best defense, per NBA.com. Without him, their offense is barely better than Brooklyn's 24th-ranked attack, their defense on par with the Orlando Magic's 21st-ranked unit.

Or, to put it another way, it's Randolph, now Memphis' third banana, who gives the "Grit and Grind" Grizzlies that extra boost, from nice story to legitimate Western Conference contender.

Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.

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