The Memphis Grizzlies are on the verge of clinching a playoff spot in the Western Conference, a huge accomplishment when you consider the massive amount of injuries they have dealt with. Marc Gasol has been out for quite a while with a broken foot, Zach Randolph has missed time and so has Mike Conley.
Unlike Gasol, Randolph and Conley will be back at some point this season with Randolph being much closer than Conley. As recently as a week ago, the Grizzlies were confident that Conley would be able to return to the court before the end of the regular season, but that may not be the case anymore.
Conley has missed the last 11 games with an Achilles injury and although he is making progress, the Grizzlies plan to wait until the end of the regular season to have him reevaluated again. Because of that, Conley will more than likely not return during the regular season and that makes it seem like there is even a chance he misses the playoffs.
The goal of the Grizzlies right now is to have Conley at 100 percent health entering the playoffs. The best way they see fit to do that is by not allowing him to play in games until the postseason begins. Of course, by taking that approach there are negatives, too. One negative is that the Grizzlies still need to clinch a playoff spot. They are close to doing so, but nothing is guaranteed in the NBA.
Another negative is that Conley will likely be extremely rusty and possibly not in shape if and when he does come back for the playoffs. Of course Conley can practice and simulate game action but that is not nearly the same as getting into an NBA game, so when he does play he may be a step slow and not at his very best.
When the Grizzlies do get into the playoffs nobody expects anything from them especially considering they are looking at a first round matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers. The replacement point guards (Ray McCallum and Jordan Farmar) have done a fine job recently but Conley is one of the top two-way point guards in the league and the Grizzlies' already long odds get even longer if he isn't able to play or if he isn't at 100 percent.
