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Mike Conley Expected To Miss At Least Six Weeks

November 29th, 2016 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

1:15pm: Conley could “minimally miss approximately six weeks,” but the timeline for his recovery isn’t entirely clear, per Wojnarowski. Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that the point guard will likely miss six to eight weeks, which is similar to the timetable reported by Wallace (noted below).

12:52pm: The NBA’s highest-paid player has played his last game of 2016, according to Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com, who tweets that Mike Conley is expected to be sidelined for six weeks with fractures in his lower back. Wallace adds that Conley, who suffered the injury on Monday, will be re-evaluated a month from now.

Conley left Monday night’s game against the Hornets with what the team called a lower back injury. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter), the specific ailment is a transverse process fracture in the vertebrae. Wallace compared the injury to one suffered by Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, tweeting that Conley likely won’t require surgery, but will need rest and recovery to heal the fractures.

Conley, 29, signed a five-year deal worth in excess of $150MM this summer, the largest contract in NBA history. He has responded by producing a career-high 19.2 PPG to go along with 5.7 APG in the early going this season. That scoring average is buoyed by outstanding three-point shooting — he has made 2.5 threes per game so far, at a 46.7% clip.

With Conley sidelined, backup point guard Andrew Harrison appears poised to assume a larger role in the Grizzlies’ rotation for the next several weeks. First-round rookie Wade Baldwin, who has averaged 15.6 MPG in 11 contests so far, may also be relied on for more minutes. The team could make a roster move to add more depth at the position, but currently its 15-man roster is full.

While the Grizzlies expect Conley to make a full recovery, the injury is the latest setback for the 2016 Grizzlies, who have been plagued by health problems during the last calendar year — the team finished the 2015/16 season extremely shorthanded, and has seen Chandler Parsons, James Ennis, and a handful of other players battle injuries already this season.

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Tony Wroten, Archie Goodwin Sign With D-League

November 28th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former NBA guards Tony Wroten and Archie Goodwin have signed D-League contracts, according to Chris Reichert of The Step Back.

Wroten, who was waived three times during the offseason, has been claimed by the Texas Legends, the Mavericks’ D-League affiliate (Twitter link). Goodwin, who has been waived by both the Suns and Pelicans in the past five weeks, is also joining the D-League (Twitter link).

Wroten, 23, spent a lot of time in the D-League during his four NBA seasons with the Grizzlies and Sixers. He played in just eight NBA games last season, all with Philadelphia, before being waived on Christmas Eve.

Wroten signed with the Knicks in March, but never played for the team. He agreed to a two-year deal with no guaranteed money, and was waived in June after New York traded for Derrick Rose. Wroten was claimed off waivers by the Grizzlies, who waived him in July, re-signed him in August, then waived him again in October.

The 25th pick in the 2012 draft, Wroten started his career in Memphis but spent just one season there before being traded to the Sixers. He is averaging 11.1 points and 3.0 assists in 145 career games.

Goodwin, the 29th pick in the 2013 draft, also made frequent trips to the D-League during his three seasons in Phoenix. A 22-year-old combo guard, Goodwin averaged 6.2 points and 1.2 assists per night in 150 games with the Suns. He signed with New Orleans on November 7th, but appeared in just three games before being released.

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Fizdale, Conley Discuss Maintenance Program

November 27th, 2016 at 11:44am CST by Arthur Hill
  • Grizzlies coach David Fizdale defended his maintenance program after point guard Mike Conley was used as a reserve and played just 23 minutes in Friday’s loss, relays Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Conley, who re-signed during the summer for $153MM over five years, said he is willing to trust Fizdale’s strategy, while the coach admitted it’s a work in progress. “Obviously you can tell the number of minutes that [Conley] played, what was happening,” Fizdale said. “I just tried to find a balance somewhere and just try to patch it up where we can, going after the win.”
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Heat Notes: Whiteside, Ellington, McGruder, Fizdale

November 27th, 2016 at 10:24am CST by Arthur Hill

Heat center Hassan Whiteside is ready to go from target to recruiter in the free agent market, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Whiteside was one of the top names in free agency over the summer, attracting interest from several organizations before re-signing with the Heat for $98MM over four years. Now he wants to be part of the effort to bring other big names to Miami. “When you start being around those guys a lot more, when you’re making the All-Star Game and when you’re making those different events where you get to meet the best players and hang around, that’s especially when you can build a bond with a lot of those guys,” Whiteside said. “I think that’s where a lot of recruitment comes from.”

There’s more news out of Miami:

  • Wayne Ellington should return soon from the quad injury that has sidelined him since the final preseason game, Winderman writes in a separate piece. The Heat signed Ellington in July to a two-year deal worth more than $12MM to bolster their outside shooting.
  • The Heat’s injury problems have created more playing time for Rodney McGruder, writes Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. The rookie guard played more than 30 minutes twice this week, including some late-game experience. “It just puts you in those situations earlier than you ever would have expected,” he said. “I’m in a great situation with great teammates, a great coaching staff that believes in all of us. It makes it that much easier to go out there and play. For me, I just try to stay the course, and the minutes I do have — whatever they are — I treat them like crunch-time minutes. Because whenever you get out there those are important minutes.”
  • Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale says work ethic was the most important thing he learned during his time as an assistant under Erik Spoelstra, Navarro adds in the same story. Fizdale spent eight seasons in Miami before taking the Memphis job over the offseason. “I would put him against anybody in the league from the standpoint of preparation, time spent on watching film, really time spent on deep thought on what motivates his team, what guys to play,” Fizdale said of Spoelstra. “He’s a forward-thinking guy, really open minded, forward-thinking guy.”
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Zach Randolph On Indefinite Leave From Grizzlies

November 25th, 2016 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Zach Randolph‘s Thanksgiving was marred by a death in the family, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com, who writes that Randolph’s mother passed away on the holiday. As a result of his mother’s death, Randolph has been granted indefinite leave by the Grizzlies, per MacMahon.

“He can take as much time as he needs to take to take care of his family and take care of himself and come back to us when he’s ready to go,” Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale told reporters today. “We’ve got to take care of our brother. Obviously losing his mom on Thanksgiving, I think, was devastating for him and all of us. I think anyone can connect to that, relate to something like that and how hard it could be.”

Randolph, a two-time All-Star, has been coming off the bench this season and is playing just 22.3 minutes per game, his lowest average since 2002/03. However, he continues to be a productive scorer and rebounder for Memphis, putting up 14.2 PPG and 7.9 RPG. His rates per 36 minutes so far (23.0 PPG, 12.7 RPG) are among the best of his 16-year career.

It’s not clear how much time Randolph will spend away from the team, but he will – at the very least – be out of action for tonight’s game against the Heat. Until he returns, Jarell Martin is among the Grizzlies players who could see an increased role.

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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/25/16

November 25th, 2016 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

After a quiet Thanksgiving, NBA teams are once again assigning players to their D-League affiliates, or recalling them to their 15-man squads. Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls:

  • The Pistons have recalled rookies Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The duo combined for 21 points and 24 rebounds for the Grand Rapids Drive on Wednesday night.
  • The Pacers have sent Rakeem Christmas back to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced today (via Twitter). Christmas, who ran into foul trouble during his last D-League contest, figures to suit up for the Mad Ants tonight against the Long Island Nets.
  • Rookie guard Wade Baldwin has been recalled from the Iowa Energy by the Grizzlies, the team announced today in a press release. The 17th overall pick has appeared in nine games for the Grizzlies, but got an opportunity to play more minutes and a bigger role in the D-League, averaging 18.5 PPG in his two games with Iowa.
  • The Hornets have assigned Aaron Harrison to the D-League, according to a press release issued by the team. Charlotte’s affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, will play back-to-back games against Erie on Friday and Saturday, giving Harrison a chance to earn some playing time.
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Parsons, Embiid Bond Over Injuries

November 24th, 2016 at 8:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers center Joel Embiid and Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons have bonded on social media because of their history with injuries, writes Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly. Embiid, who is playing for the first time in three seasons and remains on a minutes limit, has commented on several of Parsons’ posts. Parsons, who spent the offseason rehabbing from microfracture surgery, can sympathize with the rookie’s plight. “Him coming off surgery and me coming off surgery, he asked me a lot of questions about the recovery,” Parsons said. “He’s an awesome listener. … A lot of guys kind of get complacent, get used to being hurt, don’t work as hard. But he takes his rehab very, very seriously and he takes care of his body. He does all the right things and you see it paying off now with the success he’s hard early this season.”

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Grizzlies Depth At Small Forward Being Tested

November 23rd, 2016 at 6:47pm CST by Arthur Hill
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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/20/16

November 20th, 2016 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Listed below are Sunday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA.

  • The Grizzlies sent rookie guard Wade Baldwin to the Iowa Energy, the team announced in an email. He has appeared in nine games for Memphis, averaging 3.1 points.
  • The Knicks recalled center Marshall Plumlee from Westchester, the team tweeted.
  • The Hornets recalled guard Aaron Harrison and forward Christian Wood from Greensboro, the team announced on its website. They were the first players ever to be assigned to the new D-League franchise.
  • The Spurs recalled guards Bryn Forbes and Dejounte Murray from their Austin affiliate, according to the team’s website. Both players were sent down Saturday to participate in a game against Erie.
  • The Wizards will recall guard Danuel House from the Sixers‘ affiliate in Delaware in time for Monday’s game, according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.
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Bruised Knee Will Sideline Parsons

November 20th, 2016 at 9:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons is expected to miss up to two weeks with a bone bruise in his left knee, posts Tim MacMahon on ESPN Now. It’s not the same knee that Parsons had surgically repaired twice. He missed the start of this season while recovering from the latest operation in March and has played just six games for Memphis, which signed him to a four-year, $94MM deal this summer.

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