Zach Randolph Injury: Slightly Torn MCL Squashes Grizzlies Playoff Hopes

Zach Randolph has a slight tear in his medial collateral ligament (MCL) and will be sidelined up to eight weeks for the Memphis Grizzlies.

The injury initially occurred when teammate O.J. Mayo collided with Randolph beneath the basket, and Randolph immediately crumpled to the ground in a heap of pain.

Although it was believed that Randolph escaped serious injury and he sustained just a bruise of MCL, a closer reading revealed that Z-Bo actually had a slight tear.

Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal was the first to have an update on Randolph's status.

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Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph will miss up to eight weeks after magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed that he suffered a slight tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

The injury will not require surgery and doctors will re-evaluate Randolph in two weeks.

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This is just an absolutely brutal blow to the Grizzlies season as well as to the power forward, who had slimmed down significantly prior to this season getting underway.

Randolph had scored more than 20 points in two of his first four games this season, but now the team will have to find a new source of production to take his place.

It's especially tough for Memphis considering that the team was structured around Randolph's presence on the court, and the club will have to adjust on the fly following the devastating news.

There will be no replacing what Randolph brought to the lineup, and he's going to leave a gaping hole down low for the Grizzlies.

The season has already gotten off to a less than desirable start for Memphis, as Mike Conley has missed time with a sprained ankle and the club's record stands at just 2-4 through six games.

A team that entered the regular season with massive expectations after a surprisingly successful postseason run, the Grizzlies could very well fall apart following the loss of Randolph for an extended period.

Memphis just rewarded Randolph with a four-year contract extension worth approximately $70 million, and the team has to be hopeful that he makes a speedy recover to action.

Newly acquired Marreese Speights and free agent import Dante Cunningham will look to shore up the power forward position in Randolph's absence, but neither of those two (combined) can bring what Randolph did to the team.

We knew that there would be injuries in a shortened, expedited season, but it's a shame that Randolph will be forced to miss a significant chunk of the season as a result of a freak play with his own teammate.

The Grizzlies needed a little luck with Randolph's diagnosis, but got worse news than originally feared.

It's truly a tough break for both Randolph and his team.