Memphis Grizzlies Center Marc Gasol Expected to Be Ready for the Start of the Season
Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol had to sit out the team's first two preseason games this week while he continues to recover from the left ankle sprain he sustained during last month's Eurobasket tournament, but fans don't have to worry about the injury because it doesn't sound like it's going to be an issue when the regular season begins.
"No doubt about that. He'll be ready. He really is already but he had a long summer of play. I'd rather that we preserve him so that he's feeling great by the regular season," Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale said, via the Commercial Appeal.
"We're just being cautious. Right now, it doesn't count. We'll get him cranked up midweek. We're taking our time with him and working with (the ankle) in a way so that when the season hits, he'll make full strides," he added.
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Gasol is likely healthy enough to play right now, but the Grizzlies know full well that there's absolutely no need to risk aggravating the injury for a meaningless preseason game.
"We don't want to go back at 75 percent or 80 percent. We want (the ankle) to be at 100," Gasol stated.
According to Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com, Gasol is expected to play on Monday when Memphis take on the Atlanta Hawks. Fellow Grizzlies mainstay, Mike Conley, will also suit up for the game. Conley and Gasol have been playing together since the 2008–09 season and they are the only holdovers of the Grizzlies' grit-and-grind core.
In 74 games last season, Gasol averaged 19.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.4 blocks and 0.9 steals while playing 34.2 per game. He also shot 45.9 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from beyond the three-point line.
Gasol's a three-time All-Star and he was named the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Defensive Player of the Year in 2013.
