The Memphis Grizzlies announced Mike Conley would have surgery, sidelining him for the remainder of the season. What are the long-term implications?
Mike Conley has dealt with a nagging heel injury for most of the season. In the process, he’s only played in 12 games this year — the Grizzlies were 7-5 in those contests.
They’re simply lost without the Conductor, possessing a 10-26 record without him. As he’s sat out, the Grizzlies have plummeted down the Western Conference standings. The idea of a top-five pick has been popular.
However, let’s stay away from that topic.
Yes, the “t-word” has been a hot debate for the past month among the fans and media members — almost stirring some sort of division. This isn’t about tanking though. It’s about Mike Conley.
Given his age and injury history, can Conley bounce back to lead the Memphis Grizzlies back to the playoffs? What are the implications of this injury?
The team’s makeup
I’m not going to bring up the “t-word” in this section, but this season is over.
Without Mike Conley, the Grizzlies aren’t going to the playoffs. The 10-26 record should imply that. As he’s out for the season, the team might be sellers at the trade deadline.
Tyreke Evans’ name has been thrown around in trade rumors, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him elsewhere. With James Ennis and Brandan Wright on expiring deals, they might be on the move as well. The Grizzlies need to be active at the deadline, looking at maximizing their assets with picks and young talent.
For the rest of the season, they need to fully shift into developing their youth. Put Brooks and Selden in situations where they have to serve as a “go-to scorer.” Let Deyonta Davis and Jarell Martin play 20-25 minutes a night. Sit Mario Chalmers — the “t-word” MVP — for Andrew Harrison and Kobi Simmons. Don’t let Ivan Rabb play another minute of G-League basketball.
Now is the time to see what the rest of the roster is made of. In the meantime, they would be wise to explore a prospect like Trae Young or Collin Sexton. Even if the plan is to reload for next season, they could find the right talent to build around Marc Gasol and Mike Conley.
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Can he bounce back?
Surgery on his heel at 30 years old? Surely, this couldn’t have a bad outcome …
Yes, I’m being sarcastic.
Mike Conley could potentially bounce back off this injury, but it sure is scary. The Grizzlies are fortunate that it’s not a torn or ruptured achilles — an injury that’s simply a dagger to many guards’ careers.
So, there’s hope he could bounce back. He did go through numerous training methods in order to return this season, and surgery remained a “last resort” option. Maybe, surgery could help Conley get over an injury that’s really been nagging since the end of the 2015-16 season.
Whether or not he can return to All-Star form is up to debate. We’ve seen Marc Gasol have an All-Star season after a broken foot. There’s no reason to cross out such a possibility for Conley.
What if he doesn’t bounce back …
If he doesn’t bounce back, the Memphis Grizzlies will have to take a long, hard look in the mirror.
They dedicated themselves to move on from the “Core Four” to build around a Big 3 of Gasol, Conley and Parsons, and it’s been a disaster.
Parsons will never return to his 16-5-4 form from Dallas and Houston. He’s been productive this season, but his injuries hinder him from being a 25-30 minute contributor on a nightly basis.
Gasol has simply declined from his All-Star days. He’s averaging 18 points and 8.5 rebounds, but his shooting numbers are horrendous (41.8 percent from the field and 33.7 from deep). He has simply lost a step and doesn’t look like he can muscle the “go-to guy” role anymore.
If Conley can’t bounce back, their playoff dreams past this year will die, until they go through a rebuild. It doesn’t help that his contract is now too impossible to unload.
Simply put, if Mike Conley can’t bounce back, the Memphis Grizzlies will have no choice but to hit the “reset” button.
Next: Ranking landing spots for Tyreke Evans
Let’s hope Mike Conley can make a full recovery and lead this Memphis Grizzlies team back to the playoffs. He’s one of the most resilient players in the league, and he can bounce back from this injury.