- LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
- Rudy Gay continued his strong recent play with a dynamic closing stretch against the Timberwolves.
It wasn’t pretty — a nip-and-tuck road win over a Minnesota Timberwolves team that had lost 10 in a row and was playing without its best player — but the Grizzlies got a calming win driven by encouraging contributions from the three frontcourt players that will determine their true contender status.
Marc Gasol: One day after suffering a knee injury that had Griz fans quaking, Marc Gasol was in typical warrior mode, slapping a brace over his bone-bruised left knee and taking to the court in a game most expected him to miss. Whether Gasol should have been out there last night, however, is a matter of debate. Gasol didn’t look hobbled, but clearly lacked lift and was not his usual self, finishing with 4 points on 2-8 shooting and only 3 rebounds in 34 minutes. Gasol’s injury is one that apparently won’t get worse by playing and also won’t totally go away by playoff time, so he’s going to have to get used to playing with it. But I thought he was wearing down/banged up even before Sunday’s knee injury. Gasol may not want to sit — ever — but it seems like he needs some rest. In the likely scenario that the Grizzlies are locked into the fifth seed before the regular season ends, I would hope Gasol would be made to take a breather.
Zach Randolph: With Gasol making an unexpected start, Zach Randolph did not move into the starting lineup as many had anticipated. But he did have a strong game off the bench reversing a troubling downward trend. Randolph played 32 minutes off the bench and was aggressive and effective in his time: Scoring 16 points on 8-15 shooting, with a team-high 11 rebounds and most of his attempts coming in or around the paint. Randolph capped off this bounce-back game with a crucial hustle play, diving on the floor in the final minute to keep a loose ball alive that the Grizzlies were able to secure. As for Randolph’s role going forward, I’ve been a proponent of late of returning him to the starting lineup, but if he can get 30+ minutes, 10+ field-goal attempts, and seemed fully dialed-in coming off the bench, then the current set up would be fine. I remain skeptical, however, that the team can really get the best from Randolph in this current bench role when the playoffs come around.
