Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph (right) drives against Thunder center Kendrick Perkins. (US PRESSWIRE)

Zach Randolph is finally getting the recognition he richly deserves. It took 10 seasons and four stops in NBA cities, which included Portland, New York, Los Angeles and now Memphis, but the man/beast known as “Z-Bo” is showing the basketball world that he is the real deal and the only reason why we haven’t realized it is because we’ve never seen it on the big stage.

Well, it can’t get any bigger than the NBA playoffs and Zach Randolph is sending one loud message: “Do you see me now!”

The Memphis Grizzlies power forward recently ripped the Oklahoma City Thunder for a career playoff high 34 points and 10 rebounds to lead Memphis to a stunning Game 1 victory. Just as he did in a Western Conference first-round upset of top-seeded San Antonio, Randolph was an absolute beast in the paint. The Thunder tried the long and athletic Serge Ibaka on him and didn’t work because Randolph was too strong for Ibaka. Then they matched him up with center Kendrick Perkins, one of the best low-post defenders in the league, and didn’t work because Randolph was too quick for Perkins.

Randolph was so dominant that Thunder superstar Kevin Durant threw him the ultimate compliment. “He’s the best power forward in the league, I think,” Durant said, without hesitation, during his postgame press conference. “He’s phenomenal. He’s the go-to guy. They get him the rock and finds his position and gets its where he wants to get it. He’s unbelievable.”

Durant added, “He’s an animal. I thought Perk and Serge did a good job in forcing him out down low but he kept making those fadeaway jumpers.  We just gotta make him make tough shots, and hopefully he’ll miss.”

Wow! The best PF in the game? That’s high praise for a guy who a year ago was the subject of trade talks. How things have changed in a matter of months. Randolph went from expendable to most valuable. In Durant’s eyes, Z-Bo is better than Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire.

When Randolph was told about Durant’s bold claim, he leaned back and soaked in his newfound accolade. “I gotta agree with that,” Randolph said with a huge smile on his face, which got some laughs in the press room. “Thanks, KD. Appreciate it.”

“I just try to be the same player, play my game all the time,” he added. “The good players stay consistent.”

Durant says the Thunder will look at the tape from Game 1 and figure out how to change their coverages against Randolph. The Spurs tried just about everything but throw the living room couch on Randolph, and they’re now at home watching the playoffs.

Randolph had two games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in the regular season against the Thunder, as Memphis won the series 3-1. As we all learned after Game 1, Randolph and the Grizzlies are for real and it will take a phenomenal series from Durant and his fellow All-Star, Russell Westbrook, to knock out the red-hot eighth-seeded team.

He’s the only player in the league to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in each of the last three seasons, and he and center Marc Gasol form a formidable 1-2 inside punch for Memphis that was the NBA’s most productive team in the paint with a 51.5-point average.

NBA TV analyst and former NBA great Steve Smith says what makes Randolph tough to defend is his ability to take what the defense gives him. You know he’s got an array of post moves, but when that’s taken away he’s got that fugly-looking, no-lift lefty jumper that always seems to go in. He’s also a relentless rebounder, which wears down his opponents.

If there’s an MVP award given after the first round of the NBA playoffs, Randolph wins it hands down.

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It’s the unofficial halfway point of the 2009-10 NBA season and here are the individuals who helped shape the first half of the regular season.

COACH OF THE YEAR
Nate McMillan, Portland Trail Blazers

McMillan and Mike Woodson were in a dead heat for this award, but I have to give it to the coach who has watched his roster get decimated by injuries and then, to add insult to injury (no pun intended), McMillan ruptured his Achilles’ tendon during practice because the Blazers didn’t have enough bodies to scrimmage. McMillan still wears a walking boot when he’s coaching on the sidelines. Now that’s dedication!

SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR
Lamar Odom (F), L.A. Lakers

The popular choice here is Jamal Crawford of the Hawks, but if you look Lamar Odom’s overall production in the amount of minutes he plays, he is more of an impact player than Crawford, San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili or Dallas’ Jason Terry. If Odom played more minutes, he would be in the top three in rebounds. He initiates the Lakers’ triangle offense and is a very underrated defender. At 6-10 with guard-like handles, Odom is a nightmare matchup for a lot of teams and he is a vital cog in L.A.’s championship aspirations.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Aaron Brooks (G), Houston Rockets

When the Rockets let go of Rafer Alston, it signaled that the coaching staff and GM Daryl Morey was convinced that Aaron Brooks can, and will be, the point guard of the present and future of the franchise. Brooks has not only lived up to their expectations, he has surpassed them. The ultra-quick point guard has improved his scoring from 11 to 19 and despite the increase in field goal attempts, he is shooting better this season (42%) than last season (40%).

COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Zach Randolph (F), Memphis Grizzlies

The comeback player of the year doesn’t have to be awarded to a player returning from an injury. It could be someone who was sent to basketball Siberia (see L.A. Clippers) and left to rot there. But Randolph has revived his career in Memphis and was a first-time All-Star this year. Randolph is a 20-10 player and has given the Grizzlies a legitimate inside threat who can command a double team.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Tyreke Evans (G), Sacramento Kings

Take away Brandon Jennings’ 55-point game against the Warriors and Evans has the more impressive rookie season. The former Memphis stud is averaging 20.3 points, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals compared to Jennings, who is averaging 16.9 points, 6.2 assists and 1.3 steals. Trade rumors regarding Kevin Martin has solidified Evans’ standing as the foundation of the rebuilding Kings. The rest of the first-team All-Rookie squad should include Stephen Curry (Golden State), DeJuan Blair (San Antonio) and Darren Collison (New Orleans).

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Gerald Wallace (F), Charlotte Bobcats

The easy pick here would be Dwight Howard, last year’s winner. But I can’t ignore Wallace’s impact this season. He is currently seventh in rebounds (10.9), 14th in steals (1.59) and 27th in blocks (1.1.) Those may not be gaudy when paired next to Howard’s stats, but Wallace does more than just rebound and defend. He is the heart and soul of the Bobcats’ second-ranked defense and his all-out hustle doesn’t usually show up on the stat sheet.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
LeBron James (F), Cleveland Cavaliers

Last season, I chose Kobe Bryant over LeBron James and Dwyane Wade because the Lakers had the best record. This season, despite major injuries to Mo Williams and Delonte West, the Cavaliers have the best mark at the All-Star break because James has been out of this world and is playing like a demigod. During the Cavs’ 13-game winning streak, LeBron is averaging nearly 30 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists. In his last four games before the break, he posted scoring totals of 36, 47, 32 and 32. His Cavs also knocked off Kobe’s Lakers (twice), Howard’s Magic (twice), Wade’s Heat (twice) and Joe Johnson’s Hawks (twice). It would take a monumental upset for LeBron James not win back-to-back MVP awards.

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Since trading Pau Gasol to the L.A. Lakers in 2008, the Memphis Grizzlies and their owner Michael Heisley have been getting grief from opposing players and coaches, the media, barbershop critics, season-ticket holders, school children and their grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, friends and neighbors for basically gift-wrapping an NBA championship to the Lakers.

That may be true but the Grizzlies didn’t exactly come out of the deal empty handed. Lost in the whole gift exchange between L.A. and Memphis was the not-so-highly publicized fact that Memphis in return got Gasol’s younger brother, Marc, in the deal.

Marc Gasol, drafted by Lakers in the second round in 2007, was sent to Memphis without much fanfare, but the soon-to-be 25-year-old Spaniard has developed into one of the top young centers in the NBA and he now anchors a young Grizzlies team that is beginning to make some noise in the Western Conference.

Through Jan. 19, the Grizzlies are 22-18 and 16-6 in December and January.

The foundation of the Grizzlies’ recent success is built around nine-year veteran Zach Randolph and their three young studs: Gasol, Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo.

The quartet may not be as popular as Elvis Presley’s Memphis Mafia but they are evolving into one of more entertaining teams in the Association, averaging 104.2 points per game (fourth in the league) and shooting 47.9 percent from the field (sixth).

Randolph is one of just three players who is averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds for the season and he is complemented inside by the 7-foot-1, 270-pound Gasol, nicknamed “El Tanque” (which means The Tank) for the way he dishes and absorbs heavy contact in the low block.

Grizzlies center Marc Gasol is second in the NBA with a 61.1% field goal percentage.

“Zach Randolph may have the better numbers, but I believe Gasol is their most efficient big man,” said Covers expert Sean Murphy, who recently moved up Memphis seven spots from 19 to 12 in his latest NBA Power Rankings.

“One of the biggest reasons for their struggles in recent seasons has been their awful interior defense,” Murphy explained. “Gasol has done an excellent job of plugging that hole.”

Gasol is fourth on the team in points (14.6), second in rebounds (9.6) and first in blocked shots (1.5) and field goal percentage (61.1 percent). His shooting percentage is second-best in the NBA.

The evolution of Gasol as a force on offense and defense, as well as the steady hand of Randolph, have definitely taken pressure off Gay – the team’s budding star and emerging leader.

Now in his fourth season, Gay has become a complete player and is enjoying career highs in points (20.2), rebounds (6.2) and steals (1.5).

“We saw signs of this two years ago before he struggled last season,” Murphy said of the former UConn star. “Not only is he leading by example, but he’s also done an excellent job of helping the younger players such as Mayo.”

Like every young team in the league, the Grizzlies are far more comfortable playing at home than on the road. Their recent surge can be attributed to a 15-5 mark at FedEx Forum and greatly aided by a nine-game home winning streak.

“They’re a high-scoring team, but at home is where their strength is. It’s still more of a shake-and-bake team than a power team,” said John Avello, sportsbook manager at Wynn Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

“They’re on a nice streak, but they’re in a tough conference. In the West, everybody is difficult to handle.”

So, are the Grizzlies finally getting enough respect?

“I think the key thing to watch will be whether they can keep it rolling through the All-Star break, that’s often when young teams start breaking down,” Murphy noted.

This article also appears on Covers. com.

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