Now that the lockout has officially eaten into the preseason, one familiar face to San Antonio Spurs fans is hoping a deal will be resolved soon.
Zach Randolph is a household name in the city of San Antonio as he led the Memphis Grizzlies to one of the biggest upsets in NBA history as his eighth seeded team took down the number one seeded Spurs in the playoffs.
And after a recent radio interview, Randolph says the thrill of defeating a top team and going to seven games in the second round has only fueled him more in the offseason.
“It was a great feeling. The feeling was unbelievable. You could feel it. You can still feel it. Winning a playoff, going to the second round, game seven, it just got us hungry. We want to win a championship and to tell you the truth we are really ready to compete. That’s why I say the lockout happens when things are turning around, but once we get back in place we’re gonna be a team to be reckoned with.”
Randolph has a good point. The Grizzlies will definitely be a team that can contend if the 2011-12′ season ever begins. With Randolph and Marc Gasol (if Memphis can resign him) controlling the paint in Memphis, they’re one of the few post-heavy teams that still exist in the league. The other team is the Los Angeles Lakers who have Gasol’s brother Pau and big man Andrew Bynum.
As much as Spurs fans can say that the team may not have lost the series if Manu Ginobili didn’t have a broken arm, they have to remember Memphis was a man down as well as Rudy Gay was also injured through the post season.
Randolph believes adding a healthy Gay to Memphis can help push them to the top.
Just continue to work, stay in shape, and come in and really try to win a championship. I’m talking to my guys about winning a championship. Rudy Gay is coming back and we’re gonna add another piece. I think we’ll be able to compete with anybody.”
As much as Randolph wants to play, there’s also a Spurs team who are ready to show that last year’s record wasn’t a fluke and if you ask Tim Duncan, Ginobili, and Tony Parker if they’d like to face Memphis again in a playoff series – they most likely wouldn’t hesitate in saying, “yes.”
