30-year old power forward Zach Randolph never got into a groove in 2011-12 for the Grizzlies due to a knee injury which required surgery.  He played in 28 games (8 starts) for the Grizzlies last year and he averaged 26.3 minutes, 11.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.  Randolph has now played in 184 games (163 starts) in his first three years with the Grizzlies and he is averaging 35.4 minutes, 19.1 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  Randolph was really a force for the Grizzlies in his first two years with the team, and they hope he will get back to that type of player in 2012-13 after a summer of rest.  Randolph has now played in 690 games (542 starts) in his first 11 years in the NBA and he is averaging 31.4 minutes, 17.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

The Memphis Grizzlies had an outstanding year in 2011-12 as they finished up with a 41-25 (62.1%) record during the regular season.  But, they were beaten in 7 games by the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs and that was a disappointment.  Here are the players that made the biggest impacts for the Grizzlies in my eyes in 2011-12:

Team MVP:  Rudy Gay & Marc Gasol – The Grizzlies had co-MVP’s in my eyes in Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol.  Gay played in 65 games (all starts) for the Grizzlies last year and he averaged 37.3 minutes, 19.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  Marc Gasol had to muscle up with Zach Randolph missing most of last season due to injury.  He played in 65 games (all starts) for the Grizzlies last year and he averaged 36.5 minutes, 14.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.9 blocked shots per game.

Biggest Surprise:  Marreese Speights – The Grizzlies dealt for 25-year old power forward Marreese Speights early last year to help them compensate for the loss for Zach Randolph.  He played in 60 games (54 starts) for the Grizzlies last year and he averaged 22.4 minutes, 8.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.

Biggest Disappointment:  Sam Young – 26-year old SG/SF Sam Young didn’t play too well for the Grizzlies in 2011-12 and it led to them dealing him to the 76ers at the trade deadline.  Young played in 21 games (2 starts) for the Grizzlies last year and he averaged 11.4 minutes, 3.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  Young only shot 38.6% from the floor for the Grizzlies last year.

The Grizzlies are a young, but veteran team that had their eyes on  a deep playoff run in 2011-12, so they didn’t have much P.T. for their rookies.  26-year old point guard Jeremy Pargo played in 44 games (5 starts) for the Grizzlies last year and he averaged 9.6 minutes, 2.9 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  He had issues shooting the ball however, as he only hit 33.3% of his shots from the floor, 26.3% from three point range and 59.3% from the free throw line as a rookie.  21-year old shooting guard Josh Selby also had shooting problems as he only shot 34.7% from the floor last year.  He played in 28 games (0 starts) for the Grizzlies last year and he averaged 8.5 minutes, 2.3 points, 0.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

58-year old head coach Lionel Hollins led the Grizzlies to a 41-25 (62.1%) record during the regular season in 2011-12.  But, he failed in the playoffs a bit this year as the Grizzlies only went 3-4 despite having home court advantage.  Hollins is now 158-175 (47.4%) in his first six years as the Grizzlies’ head coach during the regular season.  He is also 10-10 (50%) in the post-season with the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies only shot 32.5% from the floor and they were outscored 27-16 in the 4th quarter and it did them in yesterday.  Rudy Gay (19 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) and Marc Gasol (19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocked shots) led the way for the Grizzlies yesterday.  Zach Randolph pitched in with 9 points, 12 rebounds and 1 steal in this game.  The Grizzlies have lost this series 4-3 to the Clippers.

The Grizzlies outrebounded the Clippers 48-32 last night and it was a big factor in the impressive road win.  Marc Gasol (23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) and Zach Randolph (18 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 blocked shots) led the way for the Grizzlies last night.  Rudy Gay (13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) and Mike Conley (13 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists) also pitched in for the Grizzlies in this game.  The Grizzlies have tied up this series at 3 games apiece, setting up a winner take all game in Memphis.

The Grizzlies held the Clippers to 37.5% shooting from the floor and they outrebounded them 42-35 to pull away for a crucial home win on Wednesday Night.  Marc Gasol led the way for the Grizzlies with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 blocked shot.  Zach Randolph also had a rock solid game with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 1 assist.  Rudy Gay also pitched in with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 1 steal.  The Grizzlies are still down 3-2 in this series.

The Grizzlies outrebounded the Grizzlies 47-36 last night but they were outscored 14-10 in O.T. and it did them in.  Mike Conley (25 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 steal) and Rudy Gay (23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists) led the way for the Grizzlies last night.  Zach Randolph pitched in with 12 points, 9 rebounds and 1 assist in this game.  This was a tough loss for the Grizzlies as they are now down 3-1 to the Clippers in this series.

The Grizzlies were outscored 23-15 in the 4th quarter yesterday and it doomed them.  Rudy Gay led the way for the Grizzlies yesterday with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals.  Zach Randolph (17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot) and Marc Gasol (11 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocked shots) also had solid games for the Grizzlies.  Quincy Pondexter pitched in with 11 points and 1 rebound in 24 minutes off the bench.  The Grizzlies are now down 2-1 in this series against the Clippers.

25-year old shooting guard Rudy Gay has played well so far for the Grizzlies in the series against the Clippers.  He played in 2 games (both starts) for the Grizzlies in this series and he is averaging 37.0 minutes, 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  Gay is shooting 51.5% from the floor so far against the Clippers and the Grizzlies need him to keep up the good work.