The Memphis Grizzlies have flown under the radar for the most part this season but they are putting together a very solid season. As the All-Star break approaches the Grizzlies are 30-22 which has them in fifth place in the Western Conference. Unfortunately for Memphis they received some very bad news regarding their best player Marc Gasol as he has a broken right foot and is out indefinitely, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Gasol has been playing through nagging injuries for a good part of the season but he left Monday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers after playing only 11 minutes. Initially the Grizzlies diagnosed him with a foot sprain and head coach Dave Joerger said he was just "dinged up" but it is clearly more serious than that.
The plan for the Grizzlies is to hold Gasol out through the All-Star break and then re-evaluate him when they get back from the break. There is no official timetable for Gasol but there is a very realistic possibility that he could miss the rest of the season, according to Fran Blinebury of NBA.com.
Prior to this injury Gasol had started all 52 of Memphis' games so far this season and he is known as a guy that will play through almost anything. Gasol is unsure exactly when he suffered the injury but he had been playing through pain for some time before having to leave Memphis' most recent game. On the season the 31-year-old center is averaging 16.6 points, 7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.
The loss of Gasol is a major blow to the Grizzlies not only because he is their best player but also because they have struggled for depth in the frontcourt all season. Gasol had been playing major minutes due to the lack of depth (34.4 per game) and that could be a cause of the injury. The one little glimmer of hope is that backup center Brandan Wright is progressing in his recovery from knee surgery and he should be back on the floor soon after the All-Star break, according to Tillery. Having Wright back will be helpful from a depth perspective for the Grizzlies but he likely won't be able to impact the game the same way Gasol does.
