The Grizzlies are running out of opportunities to win

By foxsports
Published

Zach Randolph has been a model of consistency since joining the Grizzlies in 2009. Now, he enters his seventh season in Memphis as part of a team which is yet to make it into the NBA Finals.

That's not necessarily the Grizzlies' fault—the Western Conference is so much harder than the East—but it is something short of the team's goal, considering how dominant the Griz have been in the conference over the past few years. 

Randolph's been consistent. The team has, too. But it hasn't reached a goal. And Liam Boylan-Pett writes at SB Nation that it may be running of out chances:

Click here to read the rest of the piece about Randolph's aging and the Grizzlies' playoff hopes.

Memphis won 55 games last year and held its own against the eventual-champion Warriors during the second round of the playoffs. But Randolph is 33 years old now, and the Griz won't be able to maintain their current identity for that much longer.

(h/t SB Nation)

Small ball rules, but the Grizzlies are maintaining that they can win with size and defense. It almost worked last year -- the Grizzlies took the Warriors to six games in the Western Conference semifinals -- but as Matt Moore of CBS Sports notes, the Grizzlies might need a little more luck on their side. The Grizzlies are capable of beating anyone in a seven-game series, they just need the matchups to fall in their favor for once.

The Grizzlies didn't make huge changes -- they added Brandan Wright and Matt Barnes, but are still lacking a pure scorer -- and that's because they're betting on Randolph.

It's a good bet because when he has been consistent, so have the Grizzlies. But they have yet to make the NBA Finals. You know what you're getting out of Randolph, but a spark might be necessary to take that next step.

Randolph has two years left on his contract. So far, he's shown no signs of slowing down, but when he's 36 in two summers, are the Grizzlies going to sign him to another deal? And maybe that will be the spark the Grizzlies need: Randolph should have a sense of urgency.

But if that doesn't do it, what will? The Grizzlies are in a tough spot: they're consistent, but consistent isn't good enough.