Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley out indefinitely
What's the story?
ESPN is reporting that the star guard of the Memphis Grizzlies, Mike Conley, is going to be out indefinitely due to a sore left Achilles and heel. The team made this announcement on Friday afternoon on the heels of facing the top team in the Western Conference next.
In case you didn't know...
In the 2016 NBA offseason, Conley signed the richest deal in NBA history at the time with a 5-year, $153 million dollar contract. He became the third player in NBA history to earn $30 million in a season joining Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.
The heart of the matter...
Grizzlies' head coach David Fizdale would provide the following comments after learning they'd lose Conley for an indefinite period of time:
"It's unfortunate," Grizzlies coach David Fizdale told reporters Friday. "But watching him play in pain like that and really trying to push through that stuff was worse to watch."
While he's out, Conley will undergo therapy to help with the healing process.
Early in the season, Conley was averaging 17.1 PPG and 4.1 APG.
What's next?
The Memphis Grizzlies (7-7) will try to stay afloat and snap their current three-game losing streak, without their star guard as they take on the best team in the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets (12-4), on Saturday night.
Author's take...
This is not the news that Memphis wants to hear as they try to keep pace in the super-competitive Western Conference. They will have to hope that nine-year veteran Mario Chalmers can fill the void as Conley recovers. A blowout loss to the Rockets on Saturday night could lead to a terrible slide for the team.