Today the Memphis Grizzlies have announced, that star center Marc Gasol will miss the reminder of the season after undergoing successful foot surgery. The surgery to repair a non displaced type 2 fracture in Gasol’s right foot took place on Saturday and after further evaluation the Grizzlies confirmed that Gasol will not see the court again this season. The surgery was performed by foot and ankle specialists Dr. Robert Anderson and Dr. Drew Murphy.
Gasol has averaged 16.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game this season. Gasol started all 52 games he appeared in this season. He was signed to a 5-year max contract worth approximately $110 million last July.
The injury occurred on February 8th in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Gasol left the game late in the first quarter and hasn’t seen the court since.
Gasol had this to say on his injury, “It is frustrating not to be on the court with my teammates at this time, but I understand that the focus of this process is on long-term health and stability. I look forward to the road ahead and a full and successful recovery”.
Gasol is a franchise player who the Grizzlies are trying to build around, with players like Mike Conley and Zach Randolph in the surrounding cast. But the Grizzlies future is starting to look cloudy. With an ageing Zach Randolph’s numbers dropping in all areas and Mike Conley looking more and more likely to leave Memphis in free-agency, Gasol may be left a lonely star figure in the near future.
The Grizzlies currently stand at a very solid 32-23 in the Western Conference, but this injury will certainly hurt the Grizzlies chances of keeping their current 5th seed in the West.
The Grizzlies have no replacement who can produce as much and as well as Gasol, so the Grizzlies may begin to struggle to defend and score the paint. The most likely replacement’s for Gasol’s minutes will be a mix of forward Brendan Wright and the newly acquired big man Chris Anderson.
The Grizzlies next game is on Wednesday against the struggling Los Angeles Lakers.
