Tuesday NBA Roundup: Mike Conley's Injury Means Dark Days Ahead for Grizzlies
Everything was finally going right for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Other than Chandler Parsons and Tony Allen, the key pieces on Beale Street had been healthy and active during the early portion of the 2016-17 campaign. Mike Conley was thriving on offense, doing everything possible to justify the enormous contract he signed over the offseason. Marc Gasol had even added three-point range to his arsenal.
But then The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a bomb Tuesday, deflating the team's 11-7 opening with unfortunate news about the star point guard:
If the Grizzlies are experiencing flashbacks to last year's injury-riddled campaign, we can't blame them. But take solace in one major difference: The 2015-16 injuries came late in the year and virtually ended their chances of making a postseason run, while this is happening early enough that health for the playoffs is by no means unattainable.
Of course, Memphis still has to make it past 82 games, and that's a daunting task with Parsons still shelved and Conley expected to miss between six and eight weeks, per Wojnarowski.
In an attempt to salvage optimism, let's assume Conley can return on the early end, missing exactly six weeks and then coming back for a Jan. 11 showdown with Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder. That puts him in street clothes for 22 games—over a quarter of the NBA schedule.
So, it's at this point we can't put on a brave face any longer.
Memphis, as currently constructed, can't make the playoffs with its best player unavailable for that long. Not in the Western Conference, which remains brutally difficult and features more than eight squads capable of qualifying for the postseason.
Without Conley, the Grizzlies have been utterly inept.
They decline dramatically on both sides of the floor when he's resting, to the extent they're outscored by 13.2 points per 100 possessions. Not only would that be the third-worst net rating in NBA history (better than only the 1992-93 Dallas Mavericks and 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats), but there's no saving grace on either end:
| Rating | 95.5 | 108.7 |
| NBA Rank | No. 30 | No. 23 |
| Most Comparable Team | Orlando Magic (97.7) | Minnesota Timberwolves (108.8) |
And as NBA Math makes clear, the other rostered floor generals aren't inspiring:
Andrew Harrison and Wade Baldwin IV may eventually grow into quality players, but they aren't currently capable of carrying the Grizzlies in Conley's stead—especially a Grizzlies team playing the league's worst offensive basketball and defending like the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"Baldwin has a world of potential as a playmaker and can get to the rim, but his jump shot is like watching someone throw a carburetor near a trash pile, only land five feet to the right," CBS Sports' Matt Moore wrote.
With him and Harrison running the show, the losses will pile up, digging a hole too deep to climb out of upon Conley's return to health.
Memphis must turn elsewhere.
According to Wojnarowski, it plans to bring in Will Bynum, Toney Douglas and Kendall Marshall for workouts, but are any of them capable of making enough of a difference? The only time any member of that trio has posted a positive box plus/minus was when Douglas threw up a 0.7 BPM with the New York Knicks in 2010-11 and a 0.5 BPM in New Orleans last season.
Other options? Mario Chalmers still hasn't recovered from his Achilles injury, per ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon. The Atlanta Hawks cut Jarrett Jack in favor of Malcolm Delaney and the former hasn't found a new home, which speaks volume about his current level.
Norris Cole may actually be the best choice, and the team plans to look at him, per Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders:
"The Grizzlies have already expressed interest in point guard Norris Cole, who is currently in China with the Shandong Golden Stars, a league source told Basketball Insiders. Cole has an opt-out clause in his contract that would allow him to return to the NBA.
Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale previously coached Cole when both were members of the Miami HEAT. Fizdale coached Cole for three and a half seasons together before the point guard was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.
"
Cole was admittedly more useful after he joined the Pelicans, but that combination of improvement and familiarity could make him an intriguing stopgap option. And it's not as if Memphis would expect him to single-handedly replace all of Conley's contributions.
No matter where the Grizzlies turn—and forget about a trade, because they won't (and shouldn't) break up this core after sticking with it through worse in previous seasons—they will regress. That much is inevitable.
But to keep their playoff dreams alive, they can't just look to internal options. By the time the schedule turns into a nightmare on Dec. 10 with three straight games against the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, they need to have a new piece in place building chemistry with his teammates.
No Andre Drummond, No Problem
The Detroit Pistons overcame a lot during their 112-89 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
They staved off yet another impressive offensive showing from Kemba Walker, who finished with 23 points and four assists while humiliating Ish Smith with a step-back (read: push-off) triple:
More importantly, they found a way to win following Andre Drummond's early exit.
The big man logged just 13 minutes, recording a meager three points and six rebounds on 1-of-6 shooting from the field. Then he elbowed Roy Hibbert in the back of the head and was promptly ejected with a flagrant-2 foul:
Prior to this outing, the Pistons had been better without Drummond on the floor, strange as that may sound. Whereas they had posted a minus-3.6 net rating with him playing, they outscored opponents by 6.2 points per 100 possessions while he was resting, thanks primarily to a suffocating defense.
Maybe that isn't a fluke.
During the second half, the Pistons locked down to earn a 74.0 defensive rating, per NBA.com. Aron Baynes was an immovable force on the interior, refusing to be drawn out of the paint by the Hornets' pick-and-pop efforts. Meanwhile, the perimeter talents did their jobs.
Is Detroit better without Drummond? Of course not. You could burn yourself with that take.
The system is built around his offensive rebounding and ability to finish plays on the interior, and he's an improving player on the less glamorous end. The numbers may not always reflect it, but he remains one of the league's better centers.
Still, it has to be encouraging that this team is capable of thriving in his absence, and that will only become increasingly true when Reggie Jackson makes his season debut. The Pistons can get points from numerous players—Tobias Harris (24), Marcus Morris (18), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (18), Smith (13) and Jon Leuer (12) all finished in double figures—and they're swimming in defensive talent.
This road victory only pushed Detroit closer to a .500 record, but don't sleep on this squad as a fringe contender in the East.
Anthony + Jrue = Deadly
Don't look now, but the New Orleans Pelicans are back in the playoff hunt.
Their convincing 105-88 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers pushed them to 7-12 on the season, but that's misleadingly poor. Since their 0-8 start, they've won seven of their last 11 games. And even more importantly, Anthony Davis finally has some help.
Davis was typically brilliant Tuesday night, dominating in all facets of the game as he exploded for 41 points, 16 rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks.
As if it's not enough that just three other players since 1983 (David Robinson, Charles Barkley and Dwight Howard) have matched or exceeded all five of those tallies, which Davis has now done twice. He racked up those numbers while turning the ball over just once and shooting 14-of-27 from the field.
It was the MVP-level performance we've come to expect from this 23-year-old who's continuing to extend his league-wide scoring lead. But again, Davis wasn't alone, as he's so often been in the past while going supernova.
Jrue Holiday went for 22 points and five rebounds in efficient fashion, playing Robin to Davis' Batman rather successfully. The two-man combo was deadly in pick-and-roll settings, and each drew enough defensive attention to make life easier for everyone else.
Granted, this was against an injured version of the Lakers, but it's still worth noting as a continuation of what we've already seen. Heading into Tuesday night, Holiday and Davis had spent 111 minutes on the floor together and posted a 6.4 net rating, per nbawowy.
This bodes well for New Orleans' playoff aspirations, especially with Conley's injury depressing Memphis' chances.
Spurs' Home Struggles
Someone tell the San Antonio Spurs they're supposed to be better in front of their hometown crowd. The confines of the AT&T Center are supposed to be friendly, not hostile.
But the team's 95-83 defeat at the hands of the Orlando Magic, who have indisputably been one of the league's worst squads in 2016-17, is a new lowlight. During the last five years, San Antonio has only scored fewer points in one home contest—a 76-74 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 8, 2013.
Even though this was only the Spurs' fourth loss of the season, this is an unsettling trend. All the defeats have come at the AT&T Center, and this is the first time since 1996-97 that San Antonio has a negative net rating on its home floor, per NBA.com's archives:
Lest we forget, 1996-97 was the season that saw David Robinson break his foot after six games, which led to the Spurs (maybe) tanking and eventually landing Tim Duncan in the draft.
Yes, that means two seasons with negative net ratings at home are now sandwiching Duncan's 19-year career.
Draw your own conclusions.
Utah Jazz Put on a Show
This wasn't just another win for the Utah Jazz, so much as a thoroughly dominant display against another quality squad. If there was any doubt this team is for real, it should now be extinguished.
Utah doesn't typically score 120 points—a total it's reached just four times in the last three seasons. The Houston Rockets don't usually post just 101 points; they've been held below that mark only four times this year.
Everything went right for the Jazz, and that's now four consecutive victories. Better still, the team has yet to drop a game with both Gordon Hayward and George Hill in the lineup, and it was readily apparent why during Tuesday night's festivities.
The former looked as healthy as he's been this season, showing no compunction about testing his injured finger in traffic. He constantly attacked the basket when he wasn't drilling jumpers and finished with 31 points, seven assists and five rebounds while shooting 8-of-16 from the field, 3-of-6 from downtown and 12-of-13 at the free-throw line.
Hill, meanwhile, only went for eight points and four assists, but he locked down on defense against the deadly Houston backcourt. He was a big reason James Harden mustered an 8-of-23 showing from the field, scoring just 26 points. The point guard did all the little things right, rewarding head coach Quin Snyder for the decision to cross match:
And we still haven't touched upon the other standout showings.
Trey Lyles (13 points and four rebounds) and Joe Johnson (11 points, three rebounds and three assists) thrived off the bench. Shelvin Mack (nine points and two assists) was a steady presence for the second unit. And Rudy Gobert exploded for 16 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks, including this massive fourth-quarter rejection of Nene:
The Jazz are now 11-8 on the season, and the rest of the West should be nervous. This was by far the team's most complete performance, and more are coming as everyone continues to get healthy and gain chemistry with the new pieces.
Sheer Craziness in Brooklyn
We could focus on so many different things from the Brooklyn Nets' 127-122 double-overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Maybe we want to give props to Chris Paul, who threw up 26 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds, even draining the three-pointer that sent the game into overtime. Perhaps we should highlight the continued strong play from Los Angeles' bench, including Jamal Crawford's clutch triple that extended the game beyond a single overtime.
Hell, we could even make fun of Paul Pierce:
But Sean Kilpatrick was the man of the night in Brooklyn, even though he entered the fourth quarter with just seven points.
The Nets 2-guard decided to take over the proceedings during what could have been the final 12 minutes, dropping 20 points to bring his team back from its 13-point deficit. Although he missed his attempted game-winner at the buzzer, he was unstoppable from all areas of the court, and even found Brook Lopez for a top-of-the-key trey as the clock wound down on regulation.
If this is the beginning of a breakout, Brooklyn will look back on these 20 points fondly:
Kilpatrick didn't slow down in overtime, either. He scored 11 more points during extra time to finish with a 38-spot—and 14 rebounds to boot.
Does it matter that he needed 34 shots to rack up his points? Not really, since the Nets were beyond depleted in this game and desperately needed his scoring output. Similarly, we can overlook his unwillingness to pass in many situations.
When your team needs points and you can provide them, you have to do it.
Non-Anthony Davis Line of the Night
It wasn't just that the Milwaukee Bucks beat the defending champions in definitive fashion. They looked flat-out dominant during their 118-101 drubbing of the Cleveland Cavaliers, especially because Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn't be stopped while simultaneously slowing down LeBron James and helping force the four-time MVP into a seven-turnover night.
Antetokounmpo finished with 34 points (tied for his career high), 12 rebounds, five assists, five steals and two blocks, which allows him to join a rather exclusive club. Since 1983-84, only the following players have submitted such a line:
- Hakeem Olajuwon (twice)
- Anthony Davis
- Vince Carter
- Karl Malone (twice)
None of them did so while taking fewer than 22 shots from the field; Antetokounmpo went 13-of-19 overall, 1-of-2 from downtown and 7-of-10 at the charity stripe.
The youngster known as the "Greek Freak" has been in the habit of producing impressive lines during his fourth NBA season, but this was a masterpiece. And he wasn't even the beneficiary of J.R. Smith's inexplicable decision to pursue handshakes over defensive stops:
Adam Fromal covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @fromal09.
Unless otherwise indicated, all stats are from Basketball-Reference.com, NBA.com or NBA Math and are current heading into games on Nov. 29.
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