Like Max Fischer at Grover Cleveland following his banishment from Rushmore, Zach Randolph is 'really making a go of it' with Memphis. Randolph is averaging 19.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per 36 minutes on fairly efficient scoring considering how he gets his points. The Grizzlies are 6-1 when Randolph scores 29 or more points and 18-10 when he gets at least 20.

Randolph and Rudy Gay are what the Sixers thought they were getting when they signed Elton Brand to play beside Andre Iguodala, which isn't bad since it only cost them Quentin Richardson, Shane Battier and $100 million.

Between accounting for Randolph with help defenders and making sure Gay is marked, the Grizzlies should reasonably be better offensively. As good as Marc Gasol can be on offense, his offense in the post is clearly not as good as he and Lionel Hollins believes it to be. His efficiency would increase by default if they didn't insist on trying to establish this part of his offense with so much frequency.

The frontcourt is undoubtedly the collective strength of this team, as the backcourt combination of Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo hasn't materialized in a way to match the expectations that come from being selected fourth and third overall in excellent drafts. Sam Young has filled in nicely for Mayo during his suspension and throughout the season for the most part, while Tony Allen has his excellent moments like he recently showed against Oklahoma City.

Given the quality of that frontcourt, the Grizzlies desperately need a monstrous influx of shooters. They rank 29th in three-point shooting percentage and this allows defenses to collapse into the paint without consequence. Gay and Conley have developed into much better perimeter shooters than many were projecting, but teams would still prefer seeing them shoot 24-footers than Randolph and Gasol in the paint.

Memphis is a pain to play against from an offensive perspective. They lead the NBA in turnover differential, using their activity and athleticism to be a top-10 team defensively. They have good balance and traditionally don't get completely burned by the game's best individual scorers.

Desperation Meter: The Grizzlies haven't made the playoffs since 2006 and doing so would at least serve as a moral victory and a determinant for how deep Michael Heisley's pockets ought to go this summer with Randolph and Gasol becoming free agents.

Mayo appears available, but considering how much his stock has dropped in the past 12 months, trading him for 70 cents on the dollar would be short-sighted. He is more likely to develop into the type of shooting guard they need rather than what they receive in return. Xavier Henry has been unimpressive after getting a late start because of the contract issue.

The main issue over the next few months for Memphis will be retaining Randolph and Gasol, so even eliminating Hasheem Thabeet's second overall pick rookie scale would help that affordability. Packaging Mayo and Thabeet together in a trade is something we've heard a lot about and could make a lot of sense for a team fully rebuilding with a mid-career spot-up shooter to spare.

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