Grind City GameDay: Kings at Grizzlies
Michael WallaceBy Michael Wallace
Grind City MediaMEMPHIS– Mike Conley just couldn’t wait to get back.
Three days after fracturing vertebrae in his lower back, the Grizzlies’ dynamic point guard was in the training room catching up with teammates. A few days later, Conley was in team practice gear doing some light conditioning from the sideline. And by last week, there wasn’t anyone in the building who could keep the franchise catalyst off the court as he zipped through an intense workout.
Apparently, Conley attacks rehab the say way he does vulnerable defenders who try to keep him out of the lane. Initially projected to miss up to six weeks, Conley aggressively pushed through a meticulous recovery process in half the time and is on the verge of returning to the lineup.
“Coming back from a broken back isn’t always easy, so we’ve been doing rehab every day, trying to figure out the best plan of attacking it,” Conley said during a Thursday night holiday event to deliver Jordan Brand shoes to a Memphis Boys and Girls Club. “It’ll be sooner than later I get back out there.”
Conley is officially listed as doubtful Friday, when the Grizzlies (18-9) face the Sacramento Kings (9-16) and former coach Dave Joerger at FedExForum. But there’s little doubt in Conley’s mind that he’s ready to get back on the court and help Memphis continue what has been an improbable run during the most demanding month on the team’s regular-season schedule.
The Grizzlies have gone 7-2 since Conley was injured in the third quarter of a Nov. 28 home loss to the Hornets. On Thursday, the team released veteran combo guard Toney Douglas after its 10-day injury roster exemption expired and also reassigned rookie point guard Wade Baldwin IV to the NBA D-League affiliate in Iowa. Those moves left the Grizzlies heading into Friday’s game with rookie Andrew Harrison as the only other available point guard on the roster, which increases chances Conley could play.
Memphis will also soon get back small forward James Ennis, who has missed the last 13 games with a strained calf, and the team expects starting forward Chandler Parsons to be available within the next week after he missed all but six games this season with knee issues. However, both Ennis and Parsons were ruled out for Friday’s game. Still, it appears Christmas may arrive early for the Grizzlies with three key rotation players on the mend.
Conley, Ennis and Parsons combine to average nearly 40 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists this season.
“Well, that’s the plan,” Grizzlies’ coach David Fizdale said. “Hopefully, we can get them back a lot sooner than we projected. Those guys have been working really hard to get back. It’s been killing them to watch us go into battle without them. They’re happy with what the team has been doing, but they want to get back on the floor. It will be really nice to get those veteran guys back and use that as a weapon.”
Conley was off to the best start of his 10-year career before the back injury. He was averaging career highs in points (19.2), rebounds (3.5), blocks (0.6) and three-point shooting percentage (46.7) through his first 17 games. While sidelined, Conley watched the Grizzlies get an MVP-level performance from Marc Gasol, a boost from young supporting cast players Andrew Harrison, Jarell Martin and Troy Williams and perimeter spark from three-point shooting specialist Troy Daniels.
Conley is confident that when he does come back, he’ll be returning to a more complete, balanced and confident team that is just starting to hit its stride this season. The Grizzlies are in the midst of playing a season-high 17 games in a span of 31 days in December.
“The coaches have done a tremendous job keeping everyone together,” Conley said. “I’m honored to be a part of this team. When you see everyone sacrificing and playing so hard … it makes you want to get out there even more. I can’t wait. More than me having confidence in them is them having confidence in themselves. We’ve learned a lot about our guys the last two weeks and what we can accomplish.”
HEALTH REPORT
In what was an otherwise encouraging health update released Thursday night, the Grizzlies also confirmed rookie center Deyonta Davis (foot) will be sidelined six-to-eight weeks with a torn plantar fascia. It’s the same left foot injury that kept Davis out of summer league play after the draft and also kept him out of action for most of training camp and the preseason. The projected recovery timeframe would leave Davis out until right around the mid-February All-Star break. Conley (back) is listed as questionable for Friday’s game; Ennis (calf), Parsons (knee) and Brandan Wright (ankle) are out. For the Kings, Rudy Gay (hip) and Ben McLemore (quad) are doubtful and DeMarcus Cousins is expected to play after sitting out to rest in Wednesday’s loss at Houston.
NUMBERS WATCH
.777. Jackpot? Well, not quite. But those triple sevens do represent the Grizzlies’ winning percentage over a stretch in which they’ve gone 14-4 in their last 18 games. Only the Warriors, Spurs and Rockets have posted better records since Nov. 14. The Grizzlies are 11-4 at FedExForum, which are the most home wins so far by any team in the Western Conference. Entering Friday’s games, only the Pelicans and Thunder have played as many home games as Memphis among West teams.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Troy Daniels. The Grizzlies’ sharpshooter appears to be on the verge of another upswing in three-point production. After missing 19 of 23 looks from beyond the arc over a four-game stretch, Daniels busted out of the relative slump to score 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting overall and a 4-for-8 clip from three-point range in Wednesday’s victory against Cleveland. Daniels is coming off his best game since he strung together a career-best five straight games in double figures, which included 31 and 29-point efforts in consecutive contests. It will be interesting to see how well he performs with the increased open looks that should come with playing at times alongside key rotation players who are returning from injuries.
“They open it up big time,” Daniels said of the opportunities that come with playing with veteran offensive weapons. “As we’ve seen for the past three years, that’s what wins. You have to shoot the three-ball … and obviously, I think I can help as well. We’re moving in the right direction.”
GRIZZ-TAKE
ESPN’s Zach Lowe, in Friday’s column on ESPN.com, on Gasol’s recent dominance – “Gasol is venturing a little out of his comfort zone as a shoot-first alpha dog, and he’s thriving. He remains a brilliant passer; he’s on pace for one of the highest assist rates ever from a big man. Gasol should be in the conversation for a No. 4 or No. 5 spot on MVP ballots.”
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The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Michael Wallace are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Memphis Grizzlies and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
Published on Dec 16, 2016
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