Grizzlies' coach Lionel Hollins is a guy who doesn't like to talk about what he doesn't have, like not having the services of injured All-Star forward Zach Randolph for the last 28 games, including Saturday's 104-103 victory over the Warriors in FedExForum.
But with Randolph's partially torn MCL healing nicely and a target date for his return March 7 at Golden State -- four games after next weekend's upcoming All-Star Game break -- Hollins admits that he has begun planning for Randolph's return.
"I think about it all the time," Hollins said. "I look at the days of practice that we have, what we need to work on, making a game plan. We'll bring him back when he's ready to go full bore."
Last season, when Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay injured a shoulder in the last game before the All-Star break, he tried to rehab it for a month before submitting to season-ending surgery. So Hollins never got to the point where he was planning for Gay's return.
That's why Randolph's case is different. Randolph didn't undergo surgery and instead let his knee heal naturally. But before March 7, the Grizzlies have six practice days, including three before that target date.
"I don't think anybody is capable of coming back and playing without having as many practices as possible," Hollins said. "I'm sure Zach doesn't know half the stuff we're doing. We've actually become a different offensive team without him.
"We'll have to re-adjust him being the focal point of the offense as he's ready. But while we're moving in that direction, we'll have to get him acclimated to what we're doing now."
Hollins, who played 10 years in the NBA from 1975-85 as a hard-nosed point guard, said the most he ever sat out as a player was a month after fracturing his forehead late in the first half playing for Portland against New Orleans.
"I kept playing and I told our coach, Jack Ramsey, at the half that I was okay," Hollins recalled. "He told me, 'No, you're not, you have a dent in your head.'"
From that experience, Hollins said he knows that the toughest thing that Randolph will have to overcome is being in "basketball shape."
"Catching up to the speed of the game and getting your game conditioning thing is the biggest challenge of coming back from a prolonged injury," Hollins said. "You can go run on a treadmill, you can go run sprints, but the guys who have been playing are in tip-top shape and you're not.
"Then you have to get acclimated to the pace of the game, especially the pace that you like to play. When you've been out, you're way behind the pace of a game. You can look good in practice, but that game speed is something else."
Memphis is in action again Monday against Houston.
NOTES, QUOTES
The Grizzlies are 18-14 overall, have won six of their last seven games (including four straight victories) and are now 17-11 without Zach Randolph. Their final two games before the All-Star break are at Houston on Monday and at home in FedExForum on Tuesday against the 76ers.
Combined with Friday's 103-102 victory over the Nuggets, the Grizzlies' one-point win on Saturday over the Warrriors marked the first time in the 17-year history of the franchise that they won both games of a back-to-back by a point each.
Griz coach Lionel Hollins said a key for his team was the bench play at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth. Hollins had five reserves on the floor, including O.J. Mayo, yet Memphis battled back from an 11-point deficit with three minutes left in the third period to take an 80-78 lead by the time the Griz starters started filtering back on the floor.
"Juice (Mayo) was terrific, he got it going for that second group," Hollins said. "When he's out there, we run a lot of stuff through him. He's an important part of what we do. Our second team can defend, but it struggles to score. That's why it's important Juice makes shots with that group."
QUOTE TO NOTE
"These wins aren't going to be pretty, but we stuck with it for 48 minutes." -- Grizzlies guard Tony Allen, who had the game-winning follow shot with 5.6 seconds left off a Rudy Gay miss.
ROSTER REPORT
G O.J. Mayo scored 18 points, including three 3's, and he said Griz coach Lionel Hollins heeded his advice after the Warriors jumped up by 11 points.
"They were attacking us with Monta (Ellis) and Steph (Curry) and I asked Coach to give me the opportunity to attack Monte to make him use some energy on his defensive end," Mayo said.
F Rudy Gay missed a game-winning shot for the second straight game and had the shot tipped or put back in for a second straight game. "That's why you have teammates, this isn't tennis," Gay said. It has been obvious the last few games that Gay isn't settling for stop-and-pop jumpers. He's trying to attack the rim as much as possible, because he hadn't been getting to the free throw line as much as he should.
"I have to force referees to make a call, force them to see me at the foul line," said Gay, who scored 19 points and tied his season-high with seven free throw attempts (making just three).
C Marc Gasol hadn't had back-to-back double-doubles since he ended a string Feb. 2, but his 17 points and 13 rebounds vs. the Warriors came on the heels of his 16 points and 14 rebounds against the Nuggets on Friday.
