It's sad to watch Mike Conley go through an NBA season and deal with what he's had to deal with over the course of his career. It seems like every year at around this time, the Grizzlies point guard, one of the NBA's best, goes down with some injury.
This year is no exception.
From Ron Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal:
Conley logged just 26 minutes (against Portland), and limiting his playing time will be the game plan for the foreseeable future. He suffered what is believed to be a strain to an internal oblique muscle that affects his abdomen and lower back.
The injury occurred on a routine basketball play during the first quarter of the Grizzlies' road loss against the Utah Jazz last Saturday.
Conley, tough as he is, has said he will try to continue to play, but he played just 26 minutes against Portland and looked stiff in a 3-for-13 shooting effort. This isn't like past years when Memphis could possibly sustain—or at least could sustain better than they can now—with Conley out of the lineup. The 19-17 Grizzlies have regressed, and they can't really afford to lose one of their two best players right now.
So, Conley continuing to see the floor until he can't anymore appears to be the plan for now. In the end, this isn't Conley's first time playing hurt, as Tillery will remind us:
Last season alone, Conley played with injuries to his neck, shoulder, foot, both ankles, wrist and face.
Oblique injuries can linger if not treated quickly. Hopefully, that won't be the case for Conley.
