USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick break down the biggest story lines as the NBA season marches towards the playoffs. USA TODAY Sports
Grizzlies teammates Mike Conley (left) and Marc Gasol (right) hug after an October victory against the Mavericks.(Photo: Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal)
For the second season in three years, the Grizzlies have endured an unfathomable string of injuries.
This one isn't as striking as 2016 but will result in the Grizzlies seeing their seven-year playoff run end.
The Grizzlies were set to reconvene for practice Wednesday evening after the All-Star break with the harsh reality that point guard Mike Conley (heel surgery) is still lost for the season, forward Chandler Parsons (right knee soreness) probably will be in and out of the lineup and a host of younger role players expected to play musical chairs are on the bench with nagging injuries.
That's a far cry from the 2015-16 season when Memphis played an NBA-record 28 players but won enough games early on to slip into the playoffs without Conley (sore Achilles) and Marc Gasol (broken foot).
This season, the Grizzlies have 175 games missed to injury or illness among 14 players. They are among a disturbing trend of teams with injuries to key players across the league.
There have been more than 3,900 games missed because of injury, up 42 percent from the same portion of games last season, according to injury-tracking website ManGamesLost.com. In late January, the NBA reached 3,000 games lost because of injury about a month faster than it did last season.
The list of marquee players whose seasons were cut short because of injury has increased by the day.
Conley played only 12 games before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair his left heel. The Grizzlies are 18-38 and slated for the seventh spot in the league's draft lottery.
The search is on for a successor to Tony Allen as Memphis airport pitchman. Wochit
Grizzlies interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff enters the post-All-Star portion of the schedule with the same mindset. He's in a never-ending balancing act to keep everyone playing and find ways to keep healthy players performing with cohesion and good habits.
"We may have our shortcomings, but their effort and their competitive nature is there," Bickerstaff said before the All-Star break. "I couldn't be more proud of the guys in that locker room."
There's no rhyme or reason to the rash of injuries – particularly to star players – around the NBA. Commissioner Adam Silver has indicated he might be open to reducing the number of regular-season games in an effort to keep players healthy. But owners have been reluctant to consider the idea for fear of a reduction in overall revenue from ticket and arena sales.
It's difficult to ignore a league-wide increase in injuries because of the number of players who have gone down in rapid succession.
This season has seen New Orleans' DeMarcus Cousins suffer an Achilles tendon tear, Washington's John Wall sidelined for what is projected to be two months after a scope on his left knee, Cleveland's Kevin Love suffer a broken bone in his hand and Boston's Gordon Hayward go down in the first regular-season game with a broken leg.
San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard has appeared in just nine games this season because of a quad injury.
Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff describes the team's competitive nature following a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ronald Tillery/The Commercial Appeal
Memphis, though, remains in its own division in terms of how injuries have affected the season.
Boston, Cleveland and Washington are firmly locked into playoff positions in the Eastern Conference. San Antonio hasn't missed a beat as it sits third in the Western Conference, where New Orleans clings to the eighth and final playoff spot.
Consider this: The Grizzlies are 11‐33 without Conley in the lineup this season. Since Conley joined the Grizzlies as the fourth overall pick in the 2007 draft, Memphis is 375‐313 (.545) with him in the lineup and 62‐110 (.360) when he is not.
"Everybody is taking advantage of it and everybody is trying. The circumstances are what they are," Bickerstaff said. "We can't deal with all the injuries – there is nothing we can do to resolve that – so what's your mindset and what's your approach? Our guys have had the right approach. They're competing, and sometimes we've come up short. But it's not from a lack of effort."
