- Larry Kuzniewski
- The Grizzlies are going to miss Marc Gasol while he’s gone, and there’s no good way around that.
Well, it looks like Zach Randolph might have known what he was talking about last night.
Reports are emerging that Marc Gasol suffered a Grade 2 sprain of his MCL in last night’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs, and is out “indefinitely” while he heals. It’s a similar situation to Quincy Pondexter’s injury last year that sidelined him for several weeks, and also the 2012 injury to Zach Randolph that put him on the bench for 10 weeks during that lockout-shortened season.
It’s not good for the Grizzlies in the close Western Conference this year. Gasol could be out for a while. The Grizzlies are equipped to handle the loss of Gasol through the addition of Kosta Koufos in the offseason, but there’s no question that Marc Gasol in the high post is the main facilitator of the Grizzlies’ offense, and without him, everything is going to get more difficult. Gasol is probably the best passing center in the league, and there’s not really a good way to replace a player like that.
It could be worse, though: Gasol’s injury doesn’t require surgery, which could have put him out until the playoffs—assuming the Grizzlies would get there without him for the rest of the regular season. Gasol’s road back to health is going to be a long one, and Grizzlies fans are just going to have to be patient with that recovery.
In the meantime, Grizzlies basketball is going to be interesting for the next six to ten weeks. I had some thoughts on potential outcomes in my postgame piece from last night, and I still think they hold true now that we know the extent of Gasol’s injury.
So, don’t panic, but do fasten your seatbelts and prepare for turbulence.
