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Geoff Calkins: Injury to Mike Conley further proof that nothing comes easy for Grizzlies.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger stepped to the circle of reporters and delivered the grim news.
“Mike Conley has a facial injury. We flew him back to Memphis to be reevaluated. He will be out for Game 4.”
So that was that. The starting point guard is out until further notice. He’ll have surgery for multiple facial fractures today in Memphis.
If it were easy, would they even be the Grizzlies? If it were simple, would anyone even recognize this team?
Other teams sweep. Other teams breeze. Other teams see everything fall neatly into place.
Not the Grizzlies. Even their triumphs come with trials. Even their sweetest victories come with a catch.
Congratulations, Memphis, you’re on the verge of the first sweep in franchise history!
Now let’s see you do it without the guy who has been your single best player in the first three wins.
So, yes, Sunday was a disconcerting day for the NBA team for Memphis, a day when satisfaction was displaced by anxiety, when celebration had to make way for concern.
Conley left Game 3 after taking an elbow to the face from Portland’s C.J. McCollum. The Grizzlies held on for the win. But Grizzlies fans everywhere waited nervously for updates on Conley’s condition. Would their piñata of a point guard be OK?
The first hint came from Conley, via Twitter. “Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers,” he tweeted. “I will be fine!”
But “I will be fine” doesn’t mean the same thing as “I am fine,” does it? And then, over on Facebook, Conley’s personal chef delivered more news.
“Mike Conley — out for at least one game,” he wrote. “He will undergo surgery today or tomorrow for a laceration near his eye.”
Shortly afterward, the chef retracted this scoop, after doubtless being reminded that health updates are not part of his job. But it wasn’t exactly a surprise when Joerger delivered the news that Conley wouldn’t be playing in Game 4 tonight, or when sources later confirmed that Conley will be having surgery in Memphis today to repair multiple facial fractures.
When Joerger was asked how concerned he was about Conley, he replied: “Very.”
Once again: Is it ever easy for this team?
There’s no answer to how long Conley will be have to sit out, at this point. If you want an upbeat prognosis, ask one of his teammates. Players tend to assume the best.
Zach Randolph: “He’s an Indiana boy. He’ll be all right.”
Courtney Lee: “He’s not going to be gone for too long. He’ll be right back.”
Conley himself, in a text message to my colleague Ron Tillery: “I’ll be good.”
So maybe Conley will be patched up and ready to get back out there for a potential Game 5, or for the start of a series against Golden State. But don’t make the mistake of assuming that all facial injuries are the same. Yes, Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook missed just one game earlier this season after surgery for a fractured cheekbone. But Conley’s injury is not identical to Westbrook’s injury. It will be a relief when and if the Grizzlies hear that Conley will be able to return to play.
In the meantime, there’s the small matter of finishing off Portland, which won’t be as easy as it once appeared. The Grizzlies will have to rely on Nick Calathes and Beno Udrih, who said Sunday he expects his sprained ankle will be healthy enough to allow him to play.
Of course, it’s not like this is new territory for this franchise. This is what the Grizzlies do. They win despite everything. They find their very identity in the grind. So it should be no surprise that, before he left for Memphis, Conley went from player to player and said a few encouraging words.
“He just said ‘Good luck,’ ” said Calathes. “He told me to play the way he knows I can play. Obviously, we’re going to miss him, but let’s get this one for him.”