[Old Player Record] From Cancer Player to Memphis Heroes!

The Grizzlies are considered a relatively young team in the league. As a team established in 1995, the Grizzlies have only 30 years of history. If it is only considered to be the relocation to Memphis, the team history will be only 24 years.

Looking back at the glorious period of the Grizzlies, it is basically concentrated on the seven years that people talk about in 2010. In the past seven years, the Grizzlies have been able to make steady progress every year, and their best results have also reached the Western Conference Finals, clearing the embarrassing record of 0 wins and 12 losses in the early team history, and also pushing this young team to a new height.

For this story, we will start from 2009, from the infamous cancer Randolph to the Grizzlies...

Looking back at the big man's career, the early start did not go smoothly.

In the 2001 draft, Randolph was selected by the Trail Blazers with the 19th pick in the first round. Two years ago, he was blocked from the starter by veterans Rashid Wallace and Bunch Wells, and his chances of playing were limited. It was not until the second year of the playoffs that the Trail Blazers fell behind the Mavericks 0-3 in the first round, and head coach Chicks made a big fuss to send Randolph on the court.

Then Randolph broke out unexpectedly, and scored a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds in three consecutive games. Although the team failed to reverse successfully, this highlight performance was enough to let the league see his potential. The rookie became a regular starter in the team in the third year. He averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game in the season and was successfully selected as the fastest-progressive player.

But unfortunately, his talent is as bright as a ray of light, but his personality is unruly. Like many Trail Blazers predecessors, Randolph has been in trouble on and off the court, clashing with his teammates during training, provoking fans during games, and constantly inciting off-field contraband. Behind the highlights is a series of negative news that makes the team headache. In addition to his own style of playing, he is unwilling to work hard on the defensive end. Although his personal data is excellent, it is difficult to convert the data into the team's record. In the end, the Trail Blazers chose to trade him to the Knicks in the offseason in 2007 to start the reconstruction plan.

New York, the Clippers, and the Grizzlies, although they are only 28 years old, Randolph, who is carrying the name of a cancer, seems to have started his wandering career early. At that time, many Grizzlies fans were also worried that his thorns would ruin the temperament of the Grizzlies, a young team.

Of course, the Grizzlies were not very good at that time. The team won less than 25 games in three consecutive seasons. Although the home fans were willing to support them, they were not willing to face the loss and the loss over and over again. So, Chris Wallace, general manager of the Grizzlies, took the opportunity to choose to introduce Randolph at a low price.

Compared with the previous teams, when they arrived in Memphis, Randolph felt a different temperature. The team boss even went to the airport to greet him in person, and the home fans did not reject him because of his negative stigma in the past. As long as he could win, he would be willing to cheer and support him on the sidelines. The team also took the initiative to arrange their wife and children to sit in the first row of the home stadium to watch the game. All the details convey a message: the Grizzlies are different from the previous team.

And Randolph was gradually moved:

"I have never even seen my boss in the Knicks and the Clippers; but the Grizzlies gave me this respect, which made me want to start over."

From that moment on, Randolph was completely renewed. On the court, he still maintained his ability to score head-on and low-posts, but he no longer made a spoiler and focused on the team's offense. In the 2009-10 season, he averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds per game, ranking first in the team in scoring and rebounding, and was selected as the first All-Star in his career. More importantly, his data is no longer excluded from the team as before, but begins to convert to a better record. The Grizzlies ended the regular season with 40 wins and 42 losses, with 16 more games than the previous year, and Randolph made an indelible contribution to this.

In the 2010-11 season, Randolph ushered in the peak of his career. Randolph maintained a basic data of 21+12 per game, setting a career high in offensive shooting percentage, leading the Grizzlies to defend the eighth position in the Wild West and entered the playoffs again with 46 wins and 36 losses.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Grizzlies ushered in their legendary moment and staged the second Black Eight Miracle in NBA history.

In the entire series, Randolph maintained a 21-point shooting percentage averaged 50% of the game. He partnered with Gasol Jr. to fight against Spurs Duncan, and eliminated the championship favorites 4-2 in the series. Especially in the end of the sixth quarter of the series, Randolph scored crazily at the low post, scoring 17 points in a single quarter and scoring 31 points in the game, winning the Grizzlies' first series victory since they moved to Memphis.

This victory is not only a victory that breaks the team history record, but also means a historical turning point for the Grizzlies. Although the competition in the West has become increasingly fierce in the next few years, the Grizzlies can still make steady progress into the playoffs, and the team's focus is slowly shifting to Gasol and Conley. As for Randolph, his value is no longer just in the stadium data, and has gradually become a heroic symbol of the Grizzlies.

This story ended in the offseason in 2017, when Randolph switched to the Kings; and after he left the team, the team owner even stated that his No. 50 jersey would be hung high above the stadium.

Previously, in the Grizzlies' most popular player vote in the history of the Grizzlies, Randolph surpassed Conley, Gasol, and Tony Allen to top the list, which shows the tough guy's position in the hearts of Memphis fans.

Even after retiring, Randolph was not idle. He served as the Memphis community ambassador and continued to contribute his strength to the local area. As Randolph often says: "We don 't bluff " (we never bluff) he is real, treating Memphis fans as family members.