Z-Bo leading in a different way this year

Last year around this time, Memphis Grizzlies all everything power forward Zack "Z-Bo" Randolph was preparing to put his franchise on his back and carry them to within a game of their first appearance in the nba western conference finals. Tonight against Utah, he is coming off the bench. Wow...what a difference a year makes. But incredibly enough, Randolph is showing more leadership this year, and the Grizzlies could greatly benefit from his new found attitude.

It's no secret that Randolph was labeled a selfish player in his previous stops. Last year in Memphis, we saw him blossom into a clutch, if not elite player. This year Z-Bo was robbed of 37 games with a knee injury, and the Grizzlies were 23-14 in his absence. Backup Marreese Speights had a career year in place of Randolph, and Memphis surprisingly remained in the thick of the playoff race.

When Randolph did return, the Grizzlies immediately struggled, losing the first three games that Ze-Bo started. The team looked out of sync, and confused on who the ball should go through. Rudy Gay and center Marc Gasol were playing at an all star level during Ze-Bo's absence, and Randolph's return made the offense stagnant. Credit head coach Lionel Hollins for having the stones to send Randolph to the bench in place of little known Speights. And kudos to Randolph for taking the high road and being a team player about it. Memphis has benefited as a result.

With Speights back in the starting lineup, the Grizzlies already deep bench just got deeper and a whole lot better. Along with sixth man of the year candidate O.J. Mayo, the Grizzlies now have a starting caliber 1-2 punch coming off the bench. Mayo can score in buckets and Randolph is a walking double double. The Grizzlies are 9-3 since the lineup change and battling for home court advantage in the first round. We live in a day and age where the players have more power than the coaches, and everything in Ze-Bo's past would have suggested that he would make a stink about it. Not only has he not, he continues to average a double double in a limited role. I hope Randolph's new found maturity can last through the playoffs. The Grizzlies success hinges on it. follow @plcolter