Throwback Thursday: The rise and fall of O.J. Mayo

The Fall: Walkin’ (out of) Memphis

O.J. Mayo’s struggles began in his third year in the league. After struggling to find his shot and the emergence of offseason acquisition Tony Allen, coach Lionel Hollins sent Mayo to the bench.

On top of that, he got in an altercation with Tony Allen on a flight. Shortly after, he was suspended for using dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). For anyone wondering – that’s steroids.

It was a difficult time for Mayo, coming off the bench for the first time in his career. His scoring average dropped to 11.3, but his 41-percent shooting from downtown proved he could be a reliable scorer off the bench in the playoffs.

The next year, Mayo maintained a bench role and was heavily involved in trade talks. By “heavily,” I mean there were two different deals that SHOULD have happened. For reasons unbeknownst to the general population, both fell through.

The first came at the 2011 trade deadline. Mayo was headed to Indiana for Josh McRoberts and a 2011 first-round pick. A snag in the deal haulted things, and the trade deadline passed without action.

The next season, Mayo was supposedly being dealt to Boston for Ray Allen. Once again, nothing happened.

Editors note: At this time, we pause for a moment of silence to think about the joyous excitement of Ray Allen in Memphis.

After his fourth year filled with stellar play off the bench, Mayo was headed for a big payday – until the playoffs. In a seven-game series against the Clippers, he averaged 8.9 points per game on 27.4 percent shooting from the field and 29.2 percent from downtown.

Yikes.