Marc Gasol out indefinitely with MCL sprain
- Gasol was injured in the Grizzlies loss to San Antonio on Friday
- He won%27t have to have surgery%2C team says
- Gasol was the 2012-13 defensive player of the year
Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol has a Grade 2 medial collateral ligament sprain in his left knee and will be out indefinitely, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the diagnosis had not been announced yet by the team.
Gasol injured his left knee in Friday night's loss to the San Antonio Spurs, and an MRI on Saturday revealed the damage that had been done. The fact that surgery is not required comes as relief to the Grizzlies, but it remains to be seen how long they'll be without the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. According to the person with knowledge of the situation, the fear is that he could be out as long as 10 or 12 weeks.
For comparison's sake, Gasol's teammate, guard Quincy Pondexter, suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain on Dec. 29, 2012 and didn't return until Feb. 10, 2013. Former New Orleans Hornets forward Carl Landry, to cite another example, suffered the same injury on Feb. 4, 2012 and returned on March 24. Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph suffered a slight tear in his MCL on Jan. 1, 2012 and didn't return until March 16, 2013, although Memphis was able to survive without him as they went 23-14 during that time.
It will take a similar effort to make it through their latest setback. Gasol is the Grizzlies' second-leading scorer, rebounding and assists and led the team in blocks entering the game against the Spurs. The 2012 All-Star and 2012-13 Second Team All-NBA center has missed four games dating back to the start of the 2010-11 season, playing and starting in 239 of a possible 243 regular season contests.
In his absence, Memphis' late-June trade for 24-year-old center Kosta Koufos is looking more vital than ever. The 7-footer started 81 games last season for a Denver Nuggets team that won a franchise-record 57 games, and was acquired in exchange for Darrell Arthur and the draft rights to Joffrey Lauvergne (No. 55 pick in the 2013 Draft). Fourth-year forward Ed Davis, who is averaging just 12.3 minutes per game thus far this season, will also be asked to carry a heavier load.
After the controversial decision to not re-sign coach Lionel Hollins and instead hire former Grizzlies assistant Dave Joerger, Memphis got off to a 3-5 start this season before going 4-0 on a recent road trip. Their Friday night game against San Antonio was a Western Conference Finals rematch, one in which they fell to the Spurs for a sixth consecutive time.
