I have been talking about writing a Zach Randolph post for a while. The idea was to write something about how Zach Randolph might be the worst 20-10 guy of all time. That’s right. Zach Randolph, the league’s most notorious shmuck, has averaged about 20 points and 10 rebounds over his career as a starter. This might not be as surprising as it would have been a week and a half ago because Zach sort of stole my thunder by playing all amazing all of a sudden. People are shocked by what he’s doing. I’m not. Sure, he’s a thug. Sure, he’s bad for team chemistry. Sure, he’s cancer for a young locker room. But none of that means he isn’t really talented. I suppose he’s never done it for a good team, but what more is he supposed to do for a bad one? 20 and 10 is impressive no matter where you do it. So why hasn’t anyone tried to reform this guy? People have taken chances on waaaaay less productive players who have even more problematic histories. Why hasn’t some ambitious GM/coach tandem said “we can be the ones to tame this guy and use his powers for good instead of evil.” Could Memphis (Memphis?!?) be that team? Zach is flourishing around other menacing ball hogs. They have a full-throttle offense in which everyone just guesses what they’re supposed to be doing and Mike Conley Jr. is like the cautious, nerdy kid who tries to be the voice of reason and direct everyone even though they usually refuse to listen. Maybe Zach Randolph has finally found a place that accepts him, a place where he fits in. Maybe he’s ready to settle down and just play ball. At the very least, can we please get this guy an all-star bid?

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Ill Trivia:

So the decade has come to a close. Do you realize that in the last decade, 7 of the 10 NBA Championships were won by either the Lakers or the Spurs? Crazy, right? What’s even crazier is that the statistic seems less impressive when compared to the 8 titles won between the Lakers and the Celtics in the 80s and the 8 titles won between the Bulls and the Rockets in the 90s.

That’s ill.