The Memphis Grizzlies have their plan and they are sticking to it. Come hell or high water or drug dealing accusations or strip club beat downs.
That plan includes keeping Rudy Gay in Memphis. Keeping Ronnie Brewer in Memphis. Getting another quality player in the draft.
And signing Zach Randolph to an extension. Yes he has been accused of being a drug supplier in Indianapolis (something the police don’t seem to believe) and he and his posse were accused of beating a man at a Los Angeles area strip club (no charges there either). Doesn’t matter. The Memphis Commercial Appeal has the details.
Yes, the Grizzlies are frustrated in the wake of this public relations hit. But to the question of whether Randolph’s latest controversy will re-shape the Grizzlies’ draft and/or free-agent strategy, the answer is no.
The organization finds Randolph’s predicament disappointing but not at all detrimental to their offseason plans. The issue of whether Randolph will receive a contract extension that will keep him in a Grizzlies uniform beyond this season remains centered on finances. Randolph’s future hinges squarely on how much of a pay cut he’s willing to accept.
Randolph will make $17.3 million this season, up from $16 million last season. That is Pau Gasol, Kevin Garnett, Amare Stoudemire kind of money. Randolph is good, but he is not that good. No team is going to pay him that, regardless of what he thinks he is worth. Isiah Thomas isn’t around for those kinds of deals anymore.
Randolph has a good fit in Memphis, playing alongside Marc Gasol. They fit together well. We’ll see if his ego gets in the way of that pairing when the money hits the table.
