Coming off two terrible games where he’s gone for a combined 13 points, 11 boards and 9 turnovers, Z-Bo denied that he had any rift with his Lionel Hollins, saying “our relationship is fine, I respect my coach.” The Commercial Appeal has the rest of Randolph’s not-so-glowing endorsement of his coach: “Zach Randolph’s eyes grew wide with disbelief. Lionel Hollins cracked a joke. There is a growing belief that the Grizzlies’ veteran power forward and head coach aren’t on the same page as they prepare for a postseason run. However, both men dismissed that notion Thursday, saying there is no friction between them. ‘Our relationship is fine,’ Randolph said. ‘I respect my coach.’
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“The Grizzlies return to FedExForum on Friday night for a meeting against the Houston Rockets after losing back-to- back games on the road. Memphis fell behind the New York Knicks by 30 points during a loss Wednesday night when the Knicks’ broadcasters suggested that there was a wedge between Hollins and Randolph. ‘The only beef I had with Zach is he was excessively late for a shootaround that started at 4:30 p.m. (last Saturday),’ Hollins said. ‘I told him I can’t start you and he understood. Everybody’s got their opinion about what goes on in our locker room. But only the people in there know. I haven’t had a beef with Zach and he hasn’t had one with me.’
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“Hollins said any correlation between Randolph’s recent poor performances and their relationship is off base because there are basketball reasons why Randolph has struggled lately. ‘We’re getting him the ball,’ Hollins said. ‘If you watch the games, we’re getting him the ball. It’s just now teams are taking him away. They’re running three people at him and he’s making passes. Other people are having to step up and try to do things. It’s just the way it is.'”
