Marc Gasol was not a happy camper on Wednesday, with the Memphis Grizzlies entering their tilt against the Phoenix Suns having lost 10 straight. He’s not about to feel any better now, knowing they lost again, to make it 11 straight letdowns.
Here’s what Big Spain had to say, per the Commercial Appeal (via Bleacher Report’s Tyler Conway):
“It’s not about somebody playing well or getting your reps or developing players because we have a league for that. We have a league and a team here in Memphis to develop guys. … This is the NBA, not the G League.”
Gasol’s frustration is understandable. He’s 33 and playing for a Grizzlies team that now owns the league’s third-worst record. And though even he has to know that losing helps the squad’s draft-lottery odds at this point, serial failures still have to eat at him.
Players, first of all, don’t think in these tanking terms. They’re on the court trying to compete, no matter their record. And Gasol, for his part, has yet to see his minutes appreciably dip. He’s not just a bystander throughout all this. He’s on the court, among his teammates, living it.
The Grizzlies have to consider shutting him down for this exact reason. Never mind the tanking jokes. They don’t need him on the bench to lose. That much has become clear. But they shouldn’t want to risk him injuring himself during a meaningless game. Equally important, they shouldn’t want him exiting the season with a worse impression of this year than he has to. The Grizzlies are prioritizing the development of some kiddies even as they continue to roll out Gasol. If he doesn’t have the patience or stomach for that, it’s in the best interests of both parties for him to call it a season.
Who knows, though, maybe none of this matters. Maybe reporters just caught him at a bad moment. That stuff happens. Either way, it still seems as if he’ll reach a shut-down point in the near future. The Grizzlies’ situation will almost demand it—if Gasol’s own displeasure with the team’s play doesn’t first.
