<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">PORTLAND, Ore. -- The talent has always been there. Just go back to the 2003-04 season, when Portland Trail Blazers forward and Indiana native Zach Randolph was named the NBA's Most Improved Player after averaging 20.1 points and 10.5 rebounds. It's the attitude that disrupted team harmony, the serious knee surgery that limited what he could do on the court and off-the-court problems that caused people to wonder. Wonder no more. Randolph, 25, has blossomed into a team leader, and his numbers suggest he has developed into a star capable of leading the young Trail Blazers to the playoffs for the first time since 2003. "I'm more mature now," the former Marion High School star said after a Trail Blazers practice Monday. "All that stuff that happened before is in the past. It's hard sometimes still because we have a young team. I'm the old man around here. It's a work in progress and I'm the captain. I can't get frustrated. I've been doing a good job. I'm the general of this team." Randolph's maturity is showing on the court. He went into Tuesday's game against the Indiana Pacers averaging more than 25 points and 10 rebounds per game. Only two other players -- Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki and Houston's Yao Ming -- can match that combo. "The thing he can't do is stop," Portland coach Nate McMillan said. "He can't assume that because he's had two or three good weeks that his work is done. I think it's a yearlong process for him playing against double teams and trying to carry this team and understand that he's the guy everybody is keying on and not get frustrated." Randolph had reason to feel frustrated last season. Major offseason knee surgery limited his workouts, and his numbers dropped to 18 points and eight rebounds. This summer, Randolph engaged in intensive workouts in Atlanta and Portland with coaches and trainers. "My knee isn't completely healed now, but it's getting there," Randolph said. "I'm able to be a lot more aggressive and be able to get down in the post and bang. A lot of that is because I worked out almost the whole summer."</div> Source
Yeah, Randolph is a "go-to" guy. ... go to... the bench! WAAAHAHAHAHA, HAAAAAH, haaaaaa... man, has there ever been a basketball humorist with a mre potent joke than that? Oh, wait... Randolph sure is a go to guy... go to the DONUT SHOP! OH NO! OH NO! I just went there, baby. On a more serious note, it's good to hear he has thngs on track. I remember reading some sort of high minded statistical evaluation that pegged him the only 20/10 guy in the NBA who was a cipher for his team. Is his change mostly in numbers, or can ou see the difference? I haven't seen the Blazers play yet.
^^^ mhm............. I really hope this "transformation" is permanent, because the blazers will be absolutely deadly in a few years.
