The Memphis Grizzlies have reportedly lost starting point guard Mike Conley for the remainder of the season, as he recovers from a left Achilles injury.
Conley, 28, was said to initially be out for 3-4 weeks.
The Grizz have lost six in a row, and are barely hanging on to the fifth seed in the Western Conference Playoff chase:
(P.J.) Hairston represents a relative upgrade to the multiple players on 10-day contracts that the Griz have called on over the past two months. But don’t hold your breath for the return of Conley (Achilles), (Brandan) Wright (knee) and (Jordan) Adams (knee). Marc Gasol was ruled out for the rest of this season with a broken foot before the All-Star break.
The Commercial Appeal independently confirmed that Conley was re-evaluated last week by team doctors. It was determined that it is in Conley’s best interest to not return to action until the 2016-17 season.
Barring a miraculous recovery by the time the postseason begins, Conley still walks with a limp, experiences soreness in the Achilles and requires a walking boot. The franchise and Conley, who will be a free agent this summer, are taking a cautious approach to his long-term future. […] There also is a fear that Conley could suffer a ruptured Achilles just as Mario Chalmers did in a season-ending incident March 9 during the second half of a game at Boston. Conley hasn’t played since March 6.
