Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol refuses to be shut down for the regular season because of an abdominal tear. Though the Grizzlies will play their third game in a row without their talented center on Wednesday against the New York Knicks, the Spaniard told the Memphis Commercial Appeal that he'll be back before the postseason.
Marc Gasol injury update: Grizzlies’ center pledges return before playoffs
The Memphis Grizzlies will be without center Marc Gasol on Wednesday, but he says there’s no chance of the team shutting him down this season.
USA TODAY Sports
“We’re going to try to keep (treating it) and when it feels good and gets better, I’ll get out there,” Gasol told the paper. “I don’t care if it hurts a little bit. I have no problem with that. We’re going with indefinite. But it’s going to go game-by-game, day-by-day.”
Originally hurting himself on March 6, Gasol played nine games with the injury. But after re-injuring himself on Friday in a game against the New Orleans Hornets, the team decided it was time to rest. Gasol said he was playing at "60 to 65" percent before the aggravation. Although he said the tear limited his explosiveness and hurt his ability to rebound, he said the pain was manageable.
The team hasn’t made the severity of the injury public, but it did say an ultrasound found a tear.
Memphis is in fifth place -- the Grizzlies are a half-game out of fourth and a game out of third -- and a sound seven games ahead of sixth-place Golden State in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies will hold out Gasol with the focus of getting him healthy for the playoffs.
But if Gasol has his way, he’ll make a return before the first round.
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