Memphis Grizzlies: 5 Big Questions Heading Into 2018-19

1. How healthy is Mike Conley?

This is the million-dollar question 30.5 million-dollar question. Conley’s recurring achilles issues have sidelined him annually; he is among both the NBA’s best and most-injured players.

Of course, the purpose of last season’s tank-inducing Conley shutdown was to treat the nagging injury. Iron Mike underwent surgery rather than continue to play through the pain. The hope is that the operation corrected his long-term  ailment, but if hope is all it takes, please explain Greg Oden.

Conley’s health is the single most important variable to Memphis’ season and long-term outlook for a number of reasons:

• He is likely the Memphis Grizzlies’ best player, which implies obvious value
• He is being paid over $30 million; a king’s ransom on a cash-strapped, small-market team
• His health makes Memphis an immediate playoff contender; the inverse makes them a lock for the Draft Lottery

The implications are a lot deeper when you consider that Memphis owes Boston (who else?) their 2019 first round draft pick. The pick is protected 1-6, adding extra incentive for Memphis to bottom out if Conley is not healthy.

Conversely, another lengthy Conley injury would add a second expensive health burden to Memphis’ roster. Combined with Chandler Parsons, that would make an unfathomable $54 million in damaged goods.

Even a brief Conley injury could be costly to the Memphis Grizzlies. With such razor-thin margins between the West’s playoff contenders, every game he misses is a significant handicap.

All Memphis Grizzlies fans can do at this point is hold their breath and hope for the best. 2017-18’s painful chorus could be quickly drowned out, or stuck on repeat.