Zach Randolph crowned ‘Western Conference Player of the Month’
Zach Randolph's season just keeps getting better and better. In a month during which the dazzling forward earned two ‘Player of the Week’ awards, was rounded off in style on Friday night when the NBA named Randolph as the league's Western Conference Player
of the Month.
One of the most prolific post scorers and rebounders in the league, Randolph has set the league alight this January.
On the individual front, this marks the first time that Randolph has bagged the ‘Player of the Month’ award. However, off late it is not only Z-Bo’s individual brilliance that is under the spotlight, but it’s the magnitude of his influence in turning his
team’s season upside down, that has left the league bewitched.
Propelling the Grizzlies to an 11-6 outing, the club’s most victories in a calendar month since a 12-3 record in January 2005, Randolph has also handed the Memphis Grizzlies their first-ever player of the month honour.
Powered by Z-Bo, as he is famously known, the Grizzlies gunned down some of the big boys of the league in January. Entering the month with a 14-18 record, they defeated the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks
and the Orlando Magic. These efforts ensured that the men from Oakland closed the month with an overall winning record for the first time since starting the season 2-1.
"It's definitely an honour for me," Randolph said. "It's my first time to win Player of the Month. Individual awards are great, but my focus is on leading this team to the playoffs. I'm glad were having success as a team, and hopefully we keep our momentum
going."
Randolph, who also won the NBA Cares Community Assist Award for the month of December 2010, is the only player in the NBA to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in each of the past two seasons. In January, Randolph posted an average of 22.4 points.
To complement that, Randolph also finished third in the league in rebounding as he cleaned the glass with a whooping average of 14.2 boards per game.
The 6ft 9in, burly forward has been simply unstoppable this January. Setting a franchise record with a streak of 14 consecutive double-doubles, Randolph led the NBA in double-doubles in January with 15 and now ranks fourth in the category in the 2010-11
season.
He also achieved a personal milestone of surpassing 11,000 points in January. The Marion native tallied at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in two games. Randolph, who has been instrumental in crucial games for Memphis during the last two seasons, pounded
31 points and 16 rebounds against the Oklahoma City Thunder on 4 January. He then pulled off another huge night with 34 points and 17 rebounds on 12 January against the Detroit Pistons.
In the 17 games that he featured in during the month, Randolph had 11 games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. His most significant contribution though came against the Philadelphia 76ers on 28 January. Scoring 22 points and 12 boards in the game,
Randolph was instrumental in mounting a vociferous fight back that saw the Grizzlies rally back from 21 points down in the third to pick up the victory. Randolph spearheaded the Grizzlies assault with 11 points in the fourth quarter.
Zach Randolph prevailed over the elite group of nominees featuring stalwarts like the dazzling Los Angeles Clippers' prodigy Blake Griffin, Oklahoma City's corner-stones Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Portland's ace guard LaMarcus Aldridge and San Antonio's
dynamic forward Tony Parker.
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