Zach Randolph is now officially a Memphis Grizzly and he said he has finally matured at age 28.
"I just want to start a whole new chapter," he said during his formal introduction to the media, beaming for a bank of television cameras. Randolph, a power forward acquired last week from the Los Angeles Clippers in a deal for veteran swingman Quentin Richardson, averaged 20.8 points and 10.1 rebounds last season.
He gives the Grizzlies a legitimate low post scorer, but comes with the baggage of numerous off-the-court incidents. He claims all that stuff is behind him as he heads into his ninth season.
"The past is the past," Randolph said. "I don't even really want to talk about the past. From this day on, I want to erase all that. I do care about what people say about me and what people write in the paper, because a lot of people know me. I've got a bad perception."
Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said he wouldn't have made the deal if he didn't think Randolph hadn't matured.
"He's a proven commodity," Wallace said of Randolph. "He's one of the best low-post scorers in the NBA. He can draw double-teams."
