By Michael Wallace
Grind City Media
MEMPHIS – Grizzlies’ forward Chandler Parsons aims to return from a knee injury as early as Wednesday in Detroit should he continue to progress as expected in his next few workouts.
Parsons has been sidelined for a month with a bruised left knee and has only played in six games this season. The Grizzlies’ top incoming free agent missed all of training camp and the first two weeks of the regular season while in the final stages of rehab from last spring’s season-ending right knee surgery as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
Asked before Tuesday’s game against Boston how close Parsons was to returning to the lineup, coach David Fizdale said “a matter of days.” Parsons participated in a full five-on-five workout with the team at Monday’s practice and was scheduled to go through an extensive shooting routine Tuesday night. Parsons is then scheduled to travel with the team to Detroit for Wednesday’s game against the Pistons. If he can’t play Wednesday, Parsons’ next opportunity could come Friday at home against the Rockets.
“I felt pretty good – there’s no real pain today,” Parsons said after Tuesday’s shootaround on the heels of Monday’s extensive practice. “We’re going to see how it feels, get some shots up and hopefully I can get into a game real soon. I know I’m going to be on a minutes’ restriction when I do come back, but it’s just frustrating to kind of feel like you’re single-handedly ruining the rhythm of a team.”
Parsons is the latest key rotation player the Grizzlies (18-11) will try to work back into the mix while also looking to get back on track after losing three of their past four games. Forward James Ennis returned from a 14-game absence in Sunday’s loss to Utah, Mike Conley came back in Friday’s loss to Sacramento after missing nine games with a back injury and Vince Carter saw his first action in two weeks during last Tuesday’s setback in Cleveland after sitting out with a hip injury.
But Parsons’ situation has been the most delicate for the Grizzlies, who signed the versatile playmaker to a four-year, $94 million contract in free agency last summer. The hope was he would propel a veteran core into championship contention alongside Golden State and San Antonio in the Western Conference.
Parsons made his season debut in a Dec. 6 home loss to Portland and played six consecutive games, in which he averaged 7.7 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 37.1 percent from the field in 21.1 minutes. That stretch ended when he matched his season high of 12 points and was 3-for-5 from three-point range in an 80-64 win on Nov. 18 against his former team in Dallas. But Parsons aggravated a bone bruise in his left knee and has since missed the last 17 games.
The most frustration part, Parsons said, was spending so much time working to get his surgically-repaired right knee in shape only to stumble into an issue with the left knee.
“Playing a game, sitting out a game, playing the six games earlier and then missing a month – I don’t want to do that,” Parsons said. “It’s all just annoying, man. Going through it sucks. You work so hard and rehab the best you could possibly rehab this summer, then the left (knee) gets sore. It’s just frustrating. And now that I’ve got to the point where I can practice and play, it’s kind of a relief. I just want to get back to playing the way I was playing before the injuries, and I think that will happen over time.”
Parsons had the best three-point shooting season of his career at 41.4 percent last season in Dallas before he had surgery for the second time on his right knee. Two seasons before that, Parsons averaged career highs of 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists while with the Houston Rockets.
Getting back to that level of production is the ultimate goal for Parsons. For now, the Grizzlies are simply hoping he soon becomes a consistent contributor to the playing rotation. Parsons will likely play in the range of 20 minutes a game when he initially returns, and he said the trainers and coaching staff are discussing how to best use him in the rotation as he builds towards peak conditioning and rhythm.
“That’s why we’re trying to find ways to use me in the minutes – if I’m going to start, if I’m going to come off the bench, things like that,” Parsons said. “We’re trying to figure it out as a team.”
HEALTH REPORT
Parsons (knee) is listed as questionable, but Brandan Wright (ankle) and Deyonta Davis (foot) are out. Jarell Martin (foot) is probable for the Grizzlies. For the Celtics, no players are listed on the injury report for Tuesday’s game.
NUMBERS WATCH
.145. That’s the Grizzlies shooting percentage from three-point range over the past two games. After going 5-for-25 in Friday’s loss to Sacramento, Memphis shot just 2-for-23 in Sunday’s setback against Utah. In Grind City, defensive effort will always be the ultimate barometer that defines this team’s success, but at some point the ball has to go into the basket in order to put points on the scoreboard. The Grizzlies have committed themselves to the three-point shot, for better or for worse, in order to generate enough spacing on the floor for the offense to flow. They’ve been a clogged team on the way to losing three of their past four games. They need to get back to the rhythm that allowed them to make at least 10 threes a night, which has happened in nine games already this season.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Mike Conley. After struggling offensively through a second consecutive game after returning from the back injury, Conley said he might have been trying to do too much too soon while attempting to force himself into a rhythm. Marc Gasol, has been most impacted by Conley’s sluggish transition back into the mix. But after a critical practice Monday and an extended shootaround and film session before Tuesday’s game against Boston, Conley said he’s working to strike a balance between getting his own game going while also doing what it takes to make sure the team is clicking offensively as well.
“It’s definitely a challenge to try to be patient at this juncture of the year, knowing we’re going against so many good teams,” said Conley, who was 5-for-23 overall and 1-for-12 on threes in his two games back. “I just have to have faith I’m making the right decisions, getting my body prepared for each game, continue to shoot the ball, continue to be confident and know that everything will get back to normal.”
GRIZZ-TAKE
Fizdale on the Grizzlies’ quest for continuity as players return to the rotation – We’re constantly building chemistry and reintroducing these guys to each other. Hopefully it pays off. Over the course of most of the year, I’ve always felt like we’re trying to get our sea legs back. Here we are again. But hey, we have to keep competing and win games while you figure it out.
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