Randolph is expected to miss six to eight weeks after tearing a ligament in his right knee, the team announced Wednesday.

“That’s life,” coach Lionel Hollins said. “You have to go and play. He’s not going to be here. We can’t worry about what ifs and what we should do to get him back. This is where we are.”

The 6-foot-9, 255-pound Randolph tore his right MCL in the first quarter of the Grizzlies’ 104-64 loss at Chicago on Sunday. Randolph had an MRI on Tuesday, and the team learned of the prognosis Wednesday afternoon before they played at Minnesota.

It’s a crushing blow to the Grizzlies, who had never made it out of the first round of the playoffs in their nine seasons before last year’s remarkable run, the deepest a No. 8 seed has ever gone.

Randolph scored at least 30 points and grabbed at least 10 rebounds four times in the playoffs last season, and he also provided some toughness on defense.

The 29-year-old Randolph led the Grizzlies in scoring through the first four games of the season with an average of 14.8 points and had pulled down 7.5 rebounds per game. More importantly, they lose their emotional core and the player whose maturity and evolving game elevated one of the league’s moribund franchises to a contender in the powerful West.

He was injured when he knocked knees with guard O.J. Mayo, and the Grizzlies are 1-1 since he went down, with a 40-point loss to Chicago and a victory over Sacramento on Tuesday night in which the team still managed to score 72 points in the paint.

“The way we play and attack, hopefully we’ll continue that way,” Hollins said.

An 11-year NBA veteran, Randolph was selected to the 2010-11 All-NBA third team after leading Memphis to the semifinals and averaging 20.1 points and a career-high and franchise-record 12.2 rebounds during the regular season.

He teamed with emerging star center Marc Gasol to give the Grizzlies one of the most formidable front courts in the league, a bruising tandem that dominated the boards and racked up the points in the paint.

“It doesn’t matter what happens, we’ve got to (move on),” Gasol said. “Our reality is that he’s not here. The truth is he’s not here and we’ve got to play and we’ve got to win.”

Now, with forward Darrell Arthur already out for the season with an Achilles injury, the Grizzlies will likely have to turn to Dante Cunningham and the newly acquired Marreese Speights, who came over in a trade from Philadelphia on Wednesday to fill in up front. The Grizzlies sent guard Xavier Henry to New Orleans and a second-round pick to Philadelphia as part of the three-team trade.

The 6-10 Speights has averaged 7.2 points and 3.7 rebounds in four seasons.

“We weren’t trying to get Speights to replace Zach,” Hollins said. “We’ve been trying to get a big man since we started training camp. We were really thin in the front-court area.”

Randolph’s injury will put more of the onus on Rudy Gay, who is still trying to find his game after missing the final three months of last season with a shoulder injury. Gay leads the team with 15.2 points per game, but he had made 6 of 23 shots in two games before breaking out against Sacramento on Tuesday with 23 points on 10 of 16 shooting.

“This is a great opportunity for guys who haven’t played,” Hollins said. “This is a great opportunity for a team to show their character, show what their made of, show their mental toughness because I don’t think you can have success or growth without some kind of adversity.”

___

Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/APkrawczynski.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Sacramento Kings are struggling to open the 2011-12 NBA season. Sacramento lost again on Tuesday January 3 to fall to 2-4 on the season.

The team put together a solid first half before getting blown away in the second half and losing the game 113-96. Not even the return of DeMarcus Cousins helped in this game. Cousins came off the bench and played just 22 minutes. His poor shooting continued as he shot just one out of five from the field on his way to four points and eight rebounds.

The starting unit accounted for only 36 out of 96 points in the game. No NBA team will win a game when they get performances like that from their starting five. The starting unit only made 13 out of 35 shots for just 37% shooting in the game. Sacramento is a young team and needs to get more consistent play out of their stars like Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton.

The one bright spot is that this may have been a breakthrough game for rookie guard Jimmer Fredette. Fredette has struggled coming into this game and has not had an outstanding start to his rookie season. Fredette led the team in scoring and played the most minutes on the team in the loss to Memphis. Fredette made six out of 12 shots including four three pointers on his way to scoring a season high 17 points.

Sacramento also saw a good game off the bench from rookie point guard Isaiah Thomas. Thomas has played very well early on and has earned more playing time off the bench. Thomas finished with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists.

One of the biggest problems the team is having early in the season has been their lack of assisted baskets in games. This directly translates to the stagnant offense that fans are watching in games. The team is not moving the ball well and the offense is struggling because of it. No player on the team has had a game with more than five assists through six games this season.

Sacramento fans shouldn’t panic quite yet. Several of the teams losses have come against quality opponents so far this season. Sacramento needs to start playing better and more consistent basketball. Once they do, victories will come and the improvement will be evident.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and a lifelong fan of the Sacramento Kings. He started going to Kings games at age six and has attended hundreds of games since. Follow him on twitter @kyler11.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

NEW ORLEANS — Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins remembers his first impression of Dante Cunningham.

It was early last season when the Portland Trail Blazers inserted Cunningham into a game against Memphis. Hollins admits to being puzzled that the then-obscure forward was on the floor.

“But he came in and gave them some energy,” Hollins said about the 6-8 Cunningham, who was later traded to the Charlotte Bobcats.

Cunningham, a restricted free agent, signed an offer sheet with the Grizzlies on Tuesday in the team’s effort to compensate for Darrell Arthur’s season-ending Achilles injury.

Charlotte has until Friday to match a three-year deal that will reportedly pay Cunningham $2 million this season.

Hollins is hoping the Griz can land Cunningham because of his versatility. Hollins sounded confident that Cunningham can replace Arthur as a pick-and-pop shooter and as the team’s best pick-and-roll defender in the frontcourt.

“He’s a defender. He’s a decent shooter from 18 feet,” Hollins said. “He doesn’t have Darrell’s (shooting) range or consistency yet but he’s a young player. He’ll bring energy and hustle. He’ll help you get extra possessions.”

Cunningham, 24, moved to Charlotte last February as part of a trade package for forward Gerald Wallace. Cunningham played mostly small forward for the Bobcats, averaging nine points, four rebounds and 51 percent shooting in 22 games.

Portland originally selected Cunningham 33rd overall out of Villanova in the 2009 NBA draft.

Memphis has been in hot pursuit of a power forward/center since Sunday when Arthur suffered a torn right Achilles. The Grizzlies haven’t ruled out adding another frontcourt player even if they secure Cunningham’s services.

Tip-in: Center Marc Gasol wasn’t with the team Wednesday. He was required to travel to Canada to complete an immigration process. Gasol is expected to rejoin the Grizzlies today in time for practice. Gasol, like backup center Hamed Haddadi, needs to be granted a work visa. Haddadi is said to still be in Dubai trying to complete the immigration process.

— Ronald Tillery: (901) 529-2353

NEW ORLEANS — Exhibition games, especially two jammed in a hastily put together training camp, is never the main indicator of how an NBA regular season might unfold.

Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins’ concern Wednesday night had little to do with his team suffering a 95-80 preseason loss to the New Orleans Hornets. It’s how the Grizzlies looked in New Orleans Arena that likely will set the stage for several intense and disciplined practices over the next few days.

Except for how the Griz started each half, there were few redeeming qualities the team could leave with.

“We’re not a very good team right now,” Hollins said, adding that missing players due to injuries and immigration issues isn’t an excuse.

“The core group has to work hard and they have to lead everybody else,” he said.

Stretches in which the Griz played porous defense and were sloppy with offensive execution became longer as the game wore on. Memphis trailed by 21 points in the second half, and turned the ball over 21 times.

The Griz had 22 turnovers last Friday against the Hornets.

“We’ve got to get a feel for each other,” guard Tony Allen said. “We played a little loose. We just need to use these practices to get back to that Grizzlies level we were at last season.”

Memphis was again without starting center Marc Gasol, who was in Canada finalizing the process to obtain a work visa. Backup center Hamed Haddadi is still trying to return from Iran but has found the immigration process more difficult.

This was also the first game forward Darrell Arthur missed after he suffered a season-ending right Achilles tear.

Still, point guard Mike Conley agreed with Hollins in terms of there being a general lack of focus on the team.

“We definitely played like we weren’t a good team,” Conley said. “It starts with our work ethic. We haven’t been working as hard as we can. As individuals, we have to step up. The other stuff shouldn’t matter. We’ve been through adversity before and handled it well.”

Although most players came out of the lockout in good physical shape, Hollins said the team’s conditioning isn’t up to par. The Griz started with a 28-17 lead and made 10 of their first 13 shots.

However, Memphis ended the game shooting just 37 percent. New Orleans, meanwhile, didn’t find much resistance to its dribble penetration.

“You can’t practice for a week and expect to be the team we were last year,” forward Rudy Gay said after making his first six shots en route to a team-high 20 points. “It takes time. We’re professionals. We’ll get it together.”

Hornets coach Monty Williams had a different take concerning his new-look team. Chris Kaman had 18 points and Eric Gordon scored 17 in their first game since being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers for Chris Paul. The Hornets were scrappy and seemed intent on making their final tuneup before the regular season count for something.

“We’ve competed every day since we’ve started our practices,” Williams said. “We continue to get better because our guys just play hard. I think that can make up for some mistakes. I don’t want to get too excited about anything right now but if we compete like that, you can give yourself a chance to win games.”

Asked what specific areas he’d like to see the Griz improve upon before their regular-season opener Monday at San Antonio, Hollins said pick one.

“There are not a few key areas,” Hollins said. “We have to become a different team before we start playing (in the regular season). We have to play better defense. We have to rebound better. We have to get to the free throw line. You just name it and we have to get better at it.”

– Ronald Tillery: (901) 529-2353

Roughly three minutes into the first news conference, Mike Conley laid it right out there.

“We feel like we have a team to make a run for the championship,” he said.

Way to set the bar low, Griz!

“The sky’s the limit,” said Conley. As if on cue, his teammates joined in.

“The sky’s the limit,” said Zach Randolph.

“The sky’s the limit,” said Rudy Gay.

As possible slogans go, this franchise has come a long way from Dunkyland.

Yet it’s true, isn’t it? For the first time since the team moved to Memphis, Grizzlies fans can look forward to a season with no limit to what can be achieved.

This team isn’t trying to get to the playoffs. This team isn’t trying to win a playoff game. This team is trying to claim a place among the league’s elite.

“We’re looking at the big picture,” said Randolph. “Winning a championship.”

Small wonder the team was all smiles on the first day of camp.

“It feels like coming home,” said the irrepressible Tony Allen.

“I’m 200 percent right now,” said Gay.

About the only thing that could have made Gay feel any better: Having Marc Gasol suited up and in camp.

That was the only disappointment, really, that Gasol hasn’t yet been signed.

“Obviously, we need him,” said Gay. “There’s no more Gasol brothers out there.”

But nobody seemed alarmed that Gasol was missing. The Grizzlies continue to insist the deal will get done.

“When we get the big feller back, I’ll be happier than a kid at McDonald’s with a Happy Meal,” said Allen and, yes, it was good to be writing down quotes like that again.

They were your same lovable Grizzlies. They were just the way you remembered them.

All around the league, teams are scrambling to figure out their rosters. The Grizzlies know exactly who they are. They are Randolph and Gasol inside and Gay and Conley outside. They are O.J. Mayo and Darrell Arthur and Greivis Vasquez off the bench. They are Allen and the relentless ethic he inspired. They are grit and they are grind.

And if league officials — who left the Grizzlies off the Christmas television schedule — seemed to have forgotten all of this, well, it’s not like the players were surprised.

“They actually added a game with two teams that didn’t even play in the playoffs,” said Gay.

Isn’t the chip on the shoulder grand?

It’s what drove this team last year, what drives them to this day. Randolph got a contract extension during the playoffs and then spent the summer working out with the Memphis Tigers’ maniacal trainer, Frank Matrisciano.

“It’s definitely different for me, training,” said Randolph, who said he’s aiming for 30 — 30! — dunks this year.

And then there was the pickup game the Grizzlies held the other day, with some strange stuff going on.

“We were doing things in pickup games I didn’t ever think we’d do,” said Conley. “We were trapping the ball, rotating.”

It’s the winning mindset, taken hold.

None of which means the Grizzlies will actually win the championship, of course. That seems wildly improbable to me. But, then, last year was wildly improbable. It happened just the same.

At the end of the news conference, Channel 5′s Jarvis Greer asked Conley, Gay and Randolph to pick their favorite memory from last year. All three picked the scene at the airport, after the final loss. They appreciated the gratitude, the connection with the city their work had forged.

Gay said he even took a picture of the moment. Snapped it from his seat on the team plane.

“I still have that picture, I want to see it again,” he said. “Maybe on Beale Street one day.”

To reach Geoff Calkins, call (901) 529-2364 or e-mail calkins@commercialappeal.com. Visit his blog at geoffcalkinsblog.com.