The Memphis Grizzlies have clinched a playoff spot, but they have been in quite a rut recently. The recent rut is completely understandable considering they haven't had their two best players (Marc Gasol & Mike Conley) for a long period of time, but nobody expects them to give whoever they play in the playoffs much of a series.
Gasol has been out with a broken navicular bone in his foot, which is a long-term injury and will likely keep him out of the 2016 Olympics. Mike Conley, on the other hand, is dealing with a nagging Achilles injury that is expected to keep him out for the playoffs but may not keep him out of the Olympics.
Conley hasn't played since March 6 due to the Achilles issue, but all along, the Grizzlies had expected him to be back. At first, the hope was that he would be back for the end of the regular season, but then that got changed to the playoffs before a report surfaced that he would be done for both the regular season and playoffs.
Despite the injury continuing to linger, Conley still won't pull his name from consideration for the Olympic team. Conley has never played in the Olympics and is no guarantee to be selected as one of the final 12 members, but this is a good sign for team USA. The biggest storyline surrounding team USA has been the fact that Chris Paul has withdrawn from consideration. Since Paul withdrew, there has been some question about whether other players would follow in his footsteps, but the fact that Conley is willing to play despite likely missing the playoffs should quiet some of that noise.
Even with Paul not playing in the 2016 games, Conley still might have a difficult time making it on the roster. He is one of the 29 finalists, which will be cut down to 12 in August, but point guards like Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, John Wall and Damian Lillard are also among those finalists and may be better choices than him.
In 56 games this season, Conley averaged 15.3 points and 6.1 assists per game while shooting 42 percent from the field and 36 percent from three. The 28-year-old is a very good point guard and will be one of the top free agents this summer, but point guard happens to be one of team USA's deepest positions. So while he would still like to play on the team, Conley is likely a long shot to make it.
