In the past, Randolph has been accused of being stingy with the basketball on the court and rebellious toward coaches who demanded structure. But the search to determine whether Randolph can carry the Grizzlies didn't slowly come into focus. Randolph's impact has been nothing short of eye-popping. Randolph has made his teammates better, shown leadership and been a positive influence in the locker room.
"He does all of the things we need that makes us a tougher, more physical team," Hollins said. "When he was named captain, he stepped up. He saw that the players respected him, and they were willing to follow him. He just started rising to the role."
There were plenty of questions about Randolph given his off-court rap sheet that was long and colorful, and written during his career in Portland.
"But there was no question Zach was a premier player and I decided I wasn't going to go with all of the rumors," Griz owner Michael Heisley said. "I was going to give him a chance to play for us. It wasn't a risk on talent. It was a risk on what people call 'character.' But Zach's brought more to the team than I ever thought. He's turned out to be the leader of this team."
