It’s official: the Memphis Grizzlies are in full on tank mode (if they haven’t been already for months).
It was announced on Sunday that starting point guard Mike Conley is officially being shut down for the season as he will undergo a procedure to smooth a small bone protrusion in his left heel.
Mike Conley out for the remainder of the year with season-ending surgery on left heel https://t.co/YMeYOMf4Av pic.twitter.com/o4OmorAE8i
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 27, 2018
Grizzlies General Manager sent an email to Grizzlies season-ticket holders over the weekend alerting them of the decision to end Conley’s season:
“Mike has been extremely diligent as we pursued multiple different approaches to alleviate the pain before deciding surgery was the best solution,” said Wallace.
Conley only appeared in 12 games this season, averaging 17.1 points and 4.1 assists per game.
The Grizzlies currently have the 6th worst record in the NBA at 17-31 and appear to be fully committed to a youth movement and let’s be honest, tank, in order to maximize their opportunity to bottom out this season and turn it into the opportunity to draft a potential star in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Conley still has three years remaining on the massive five-year, $153 million extension he signed in 2016, which means there is absolutely no doubt he remains a Grizzly for the next couple seasons.
It will be interesting if the Grizzlies try to double down on a rebuild by selling off their other veteran star and foundational piece in Marc Gasol for additional assets, but that feels highly unlikely as the Grizzlies are a franchise that needs to operate on loyalty to their top players and fans in a tough NBA market, they need all of the support they can get and Gasol being dealt won’t help with that.
Also considering Conley’s contract and the $48 million they still owe Chandler Parsons over the next few seasons, they may as well attempt a retooling and an infusion of young talent to surround their current veteran core.
