Before Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace could introduce Zach Randolph as the newest member of the Memphis Grizzlies at a 2 p.m. FedExForum press conference, he had to deliver a different message:
“Before we start, the Grizzlies would like to send out our prayers to Antonio Burks,” Wallace said, in reference to the former University of Memphis and later Memphis Grizzlies point guard, who had been shot Monday night in a robbery while observing a dice game outside a South Memphis home, according to a Commercial Appeal report.
Initially in critical condition, Burks had been upgraded to stable by the time of this afternoon’s press conference. But the coincidence of Burks’ shooting and Randolph’s introduction presented a stark reminder that it can be difficult for people — and not just basketball players — to extricate themselves from dangerous environments, even after they’ve achieved the means to do so.
Randolph, as has been well-documented (here and, more recently, here), has as long a track record of off-court issues as any player in the league, which is the primary (though not only) reason he has been moved so often for so little return despite his considerable production. And though both the frequency and severity of his troubles have waned significantly since leaving Portland in the summer of 2007, he has not put his record behind him. So, even as Randolph was insisting today that he didn’t want to talk about the past, the subject was inevitable.
