Storyline: Chandler Parsons Injury
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Sarah K. Spencer: Lloyd Pierce says Chandler Parsons isn’t on a load management plan, but is out injured. Says Parsons got injections in his knees. Parsons has struggled with knee injuries throughout the years.
Chandler Parsons says he’s “disappointed” that he couldn’t finish the season with the Memphis Grizzlies and insisted he’s “ready to play and committed to getting back on the court.” “I am extremely disappointed that I didn’t get to finish this season alongside my teammates and the Memphis coaching staff,” Parsons told ESPN in a statement. “Unfortunately that option wasn’t presented to me.
But the point is, Parsons knew his knees weren’t worth betting on. And he wasn’t willing to do what it would take to persuade the Mavericks otherwise. Here we are, more than two years later, and the same thing is true. Chandler isn’t willing to accept an open-ended assignment to play for the Memphis Hustle. He’s declining to bet on his knees once again. That’s his prerogative, of course.
Parsons finished up morning shootaround ahead of Saturday’s game against the Boston Celtics, the 32nd game in a row he won’t play in, and decided to speak for the first time about the off-court drama that’s preventing him from making a return. “The most confusing part for me is I’m healthy,” Parsons told The Commercial Appeal. “I’m medically cleared by the people I work with every single day, that are experts at this kind of stuff, so it’s frustrating to watch a team struggle and I’m sitting there on the bench healthy, dying to play.”
Parsons and the Grizzlies medical staff targeted a Dec. 21 game at Sacramento as when he would return from the right knee soreness. His entire rehab process was geared toward returning on that date. “Then they kind of put an end to that,” Parsons said. The “they” here is Wallace and the Grizzlies’ front office, and it’s the source of all the tension from Parsons’ perspective.
“It’s just been a very unorganized schedule and still, to this day, there’s no set plan of when I’m going to return to play or anything like that,” Parsons said before elaborating on why he’s so frustrated by the situation. “No communication. No nothing. I don’t think it’s from a basketball standpoint. It’s definitely not from a health standpoint. I’ve been cleared by the medical staff of our organization, and clearly it’s not about fitting. I already earned a starting spot out of training camp and have shown I can fit with the team. I think the confusion for me is there’s no communication about what’s going on and when I’m going to play.”
Chandler Parsons, who has been out since Oct. 24 with knee swelling, has been medically cleared to return and was expected to play last Friday in Sacramento, but the Grizzlies’ front office has decided to keep Parsons a healthy inactive for the foreseeable future, sources said. Could this lead to a standoff?
Omari Sanfoka II: Bickerstaff said there’s a chance Chandler Parsons will play before the end of December, but isn’t certain that’ll happen. Coaching staff is being cautious with his return, but he’s medically cleared.
With Parsons, the terminology is a change after “knee soreness” and “back soreness” were the official reasons why he missed games through four through 31 this season. The change in wording comes as Parsons continues a robust workout regimen along with second-year wing Dillon Brooks, who is expected to return from a grade II MCL sprain by the end of the month. A Grizzlies offense that has scored more than 100 points just once in its last 10 games is in desperate need of an offensive boost.
Omari Sanfoka II: I asked JB Bickerstaff what “return from injury management” means for Chandler Parsons. “It means he’s in practices now, he’s playing 4-on-4, 3-on-3, that type of stuff. He’s moving closer to being able to return.”
David Cobb: FWIW, I also asked Chris Wallace about his expectations for Chandler Parsons this season. “Chandler is working his way back from his knee injury. He is very diligent in putting the time in, and we’ll see where he is here in the next few weeks.”
David Cobb: Grizzlies announce that Dillon Brooks is expected to return by the end of the month. Another update on Chandler Parsons will be given in approximately two weeks.
Mark Giannotto: Bad Memphis Grizzlies news: Chandler Parsons is still limited by knee and back soreness and will be re-evaluated in another 2 weeks Good Memphis Grizzlies news: Omri Casspi is expected to return in the next week.
Mike Giannotto: JB Bickerstaff said Grizzlies will explore adding another big or perimeter shooter to take Andrew Harrison’s spot on roster. Also, Bickerstaff doesn’t expect Chandler Parsons to be available during 3-game road trip.
Michael Wallace: Bickerstaff said the @Memphis Grizzlies will remain cautious with Chandler Parsons, who had an MRI and could miss a couple more games with knee soreness. “We don’t want to put him in a situation where he’s coming back, going back out and coming back. We want him to get healthy first.”
Michael Wallace: A side note from today’s draft workout availability, Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace said Parsons (knee rehab/treatment) and Conley (Achilles surgery rehab) both “progressing well in vigorous rehab programs. So far, so good.” Conley and Parsons on schedule for full go training camp.
Jerry Zgoda: Chandler Parsons will play tonight for Grizzlies
Ronald Tillery: Bickerstaff says Chandler Parsons will play tomorrow at Orlando but Marc Gasol will likely sit.
Michael Wallace: Grizzlies injury report for Friday’s game vs Denver lists Conley, Davis, Evans and Parsons as out. Parsons, who has been out with a flu-like illness since All-Star break, has nearly recuperated and progressed in conditioning. Hearing he’s likely to return Saturday vs Orlando.
Tim MacMahon: Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons plans to play Wednesday against the Thunder after missing the last 20 games due to right knee soreness. He has officially been upgraded to questionable.
Michael Wallace: Chandler Parsons (knee soreness) returned to full practice today. Said he’s “hearing” he’s feeling good. Sounds hopeful to be back at some point soon, perhaps pre All-Star break. Check grizzlies.com soon for his feedback.
Ronald Tillery: Chandler Parsons’ agent James Dunleavy on Grizzlies potentially asking for injury retirement: “That couldn’t be further from the truth. He’s looking forward to getting back on the court.”
Ronald Tillery: Should have tweeted several days ago what I heard about Mike Conley needing surgery… Not confirmed but hearing that Grizzlies have approached Chandler Parsons’ people about injury retirement (of course, they will deny). Chandler Parsons: with tweets like this, you’ll retire before me. #FakeNews
Michael Wallace: Grizzlies say Chandler Parsons (knee soreness) is day-to-day. He hasn’t played since Dec. 27. Both JaMychal Green (ankle) and James Ennis (calf) are expected to return within the next week, which possibly puts them in play for the upcoming 4-game road trip.
TJ McBride: Bickerstaff said that Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons are both back on the court getting closer to returning. Neither are in Denver.
Chandler Parsons, who addressed his status for the first time in two weeks, confirmed he had his knee checked out by specialists during the team’s recent west coast trip and results showed no structural damage. He’s spent the past several days working to reduce swelling and soreness in the right knee, which has twice been surgically repaired. “My knee is feeling much better than it has been, so we keep doing a little more and more in practice to hopefully get back into a game soon,” said Parsons, who experienced swelling after he played in a Dec. 27 road win against the Lakers. “That’s the weirdest thing (because) I don’t remember getting hit. It wasn’t like an instance where I got hit or fell or got kneed. So I just took it slow, got it checked out, checked off the boxes and nothing was wrong. So I’ll just continue to strengthen it and do all the proper steps forward.”
Ronald Tillery: Grizzlies guard Mike Conley (Achilles/heel) and forward Chandler Parsons (right knee soreness) are OUT tomorrow vs Denver Nuggets
Michael Wallace: Two key developments at Grizz practice. 1. Parsons spoke to media for first time since injury absence, confirmed no structural damage to R knee. Soreness/swelling are down. He’s day-to-day, but won’t play Fri at Den. 2. Conley did 3-on-3 scrimmaging w/teammates after practice.
Parsons will miss a fifth straight game Wednesday night when the Grizzlies host the New Orleans Pelicans with little explanation from the team. He’s not been made available for interviews. When asked to speak with Parsons on Monday after practice, the Grizzlies said the forward needed to rush to a community event.
Yet the extent of Parsons’ injury remains as much a mystery as his rehab and possible timetable for a return to the court. “He’s not doing any contact stuff,” Grizzlies interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “But he’s been able to do a ton of shooting (and) conditioning, and every day we wait to see how he’s building. Things are improving. We’ll keep pushing forward.”
Ronald Tillery: Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons (lower back) is PROBABLE for Friday and guard Tyreke Evans (right hip) is QUESTIONABLE
Clay Bailey: JB said Grizz will go with the same starters as Wed game vs. Spurs. “That’s the plan.” …Also said Parsons, Chalmers, and Brandan Wright all available. Monitoring minutes, but ready to go
A silver lining to Parsons’ latest knee surgery, the scope of his left knee: He’d have plenty of time in the offseason to work on his frame and his game, luxuries he didn’t have the past two summers when he had to focus solely on rehabbing from more serious surgeries on his right knee. “I dedicated my entire summer to my body,” Parsons says. “I can’t even really compare it to last year because it’s night and day how my body feels, the kind of shape I’m in. I’m lean. I’m playing 5-on-5, one-on-one, 2-on-2, 3-on-3. Working out five times a week. I’m doing stuff now that basically I couldn’t even do throughout the season last year. It’s completely different.”
“They’re impressed,” Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace says. “They say, first of all, his mobility is at a significantly higher level than it was last year at this time. Chandler also when we discuss his progress with him is very buoyant and upbeat about where he is. He feels that he has more lift, more explosiveness, better movement. This is really his first legitimate offseason in a couple of years.”
Peter Edmiston: Chandler Parsons was a full go at the Grizzlies’ morning practice. Afterwards, he said, “I feel like an actual basketball player today.” Skepticism about his condition is certainly warranted but things are better this year than last.
It was nice to hear the optimism coming from any and all at Grizzlies media day whenever the topic of Parsons came up. Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace: “He’s cleared to be a full participant.” Grizzlies coach David Fizdale: “I’m not going to use kid gloves with him this year, for sure.” Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley: “He’s the X-factor for us. He’s the guy. Looking for a big year from him.”
“I did a poor job comprehending it and I was frustrated and I was cold and I was angry last year,” Parsons said. “As an athlete, as a competitor, you want to do great, you want to do special things out there, and I straight up didn’t do that last year.”
“I was a fan once. I still am a fan,” he said. “When I grew up in Orlando every time Grant Hill got hurt I got so ticked. ‘This guy is soft. He doesn’t care. He makes too much money to be getting hurt.’ And now that I’m in his shoes, I just want to call him and say, ‘Hey man, my bad.’” In other words, Parsons gets it. He was as frustrated with Hill as some Grizzlies fans have been with him.
Pete Pranica: Chandler Parsons: “I had fun playing basketball today” as opposed to sitting out drills last camp. #Grizzlies
The Grizzlies forced Parsons into the lineup. It cost the team at least half a dozen games. Finally, in late March, the Grizzlies pulled the plug on the whole disastrous enterprise. Parsons had played in 34 games, averaging 19.9 minutes and 6.2 points. “Awful,” is how Parsons described his play last season, as in: “I’ve never played awful for a long period of time.
Of course, Parsons made things worse by continuing with his life-of-the-party social media presence — including his much-chronicled All-Star jaunt to #Chancun — which gave some the impression that he wasn’t sufficiently bothered by his inability to live up to his big deal. “I did a poor job comprehending it and I was frustrated and I was cold and I was angry last year,” Parsons said. “As an athlete, as a competitor, you want to do great, you want to do special things out there, and I straight up didn’t do that last year.”
Michael Wallace: Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace on @Chandler Parsons: “We expect Chandler to be here fully participating in training camp in late September.”
Michael Wallace: More Wallace on Parsons: “Physically, he’s where he should be. He’s now pretty close to being full steam ahead with basketball.”
But it’s Vince Carter who may have the best handle on this. He played with Parsons in Dallas, and has been Parsons’ closest supporter on the team. “The most important thing for Chandler now, in my opinion, is getting Chandler right, whatever that means,” Carter said. “It’s not just his body, it’s his mind. The mental, when that’s broken, when that’s beat down and needs to be fixed, that’s just as bad as a knee or ankle. While he’s trying to rehab all his injuries, this is the most important thing for him. If he comes back as a confident player, everything else will take care of itself.”
Chandler Parsons done for the season
Michael Wallace: Can confirm Grizzlies small forward Chandler Parsons having meniscectomy procedure on left knee Monday, and will miss rest of season. It’ll be 3rd knee procedure for Parsons in as many years. Monday’s meniscus repair comes almost on anniversary of 3/25/16 repair of R knee. Parsons averaged 6.2 points and 2.5 rebounds in 34 games this season as he pushed through recovery challenges from issues with both knees.
Michael Wallace: Can tell you high hopes and optimism remain within Grizz organization about Parsons, who signed 4yr, $94 million deal last summer.
Unprompted, Fizdale took a jab at Parsons critics during the middle of his post-game media scrum. Parsons might require surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee, and the Grizzlies won their last two games without Parsons after losing five straight. “Slowly but surely it’s coming along,” Fizdale said with a smirk before adding: “Personally, I blame Chandler for everything that went wrong. I’m kidding because I know people are going to say crap like that.”
Memphis Grizzlies small forward Chandler Parsons will likely undergo season-ending surgery for the third consecutive year, sources told ESPN. The Grizzlies said Monday night that Parsons is out indefinitely with a partial tear of the meniscus in his left knee, which is not the knee he had operated on the previous two years. Sources said that a final decision on whether he needs surgery is likely to be made later this week after Parsons is further evaluated.
Sources: Chandler Parsons will likely need season-ending knee surgery for the third straight year. Final decision will be made after further evaluations this week.
Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons has been diagnosed with a partial tear of the meniscus in his left knee. Parsons will be out indefinitely as the team fully evaluates the appropriate course of action.
“To suffer a setback like this after working so diligently to rebound from the injury to his right knee is obviously tough. That said, we know he will continue to work tirelessly to return to the court with his teammates and contribute,” General Manager Chris Wallace said. “Chandler has the full support of myself, Coach Fizz and the entire team and we are all focused on getting him healthy.”
Ronald Tillery: Hearing Grizzlies are contemplating shutting down Parsons for rest of this season. Might not happen but it’s possible.
Ronald Tillery: re: Parsons. Be surprised if Parsons (knee) plays again for Grizzlies this season.
Grizzlies SF Chandler Parsons will sit out for the second time in three games due to soreness in his left knee. That is not the knee that Parsons has had surgically repaired twice, but a bone bruise in the left knee sidelined Parsons for a month earlier this season.
Ronald Tillery: Pregame – Griz coach David Fizdale says Harrison will start again and James Ennis will replace Chandler Parsons (sore left knee) as starter
Chandler Parsons: I’m physically in pain. I’m well enough to play, obviously, but I’m going to go through soreness. The good thing is I’ve been through this already and it’s nothing I’m not used to. And I know my body better now. But, yeah, I think a lot of it is mental. Nobody wants to play well more than I do. I know a lot of people are getting frustrated and, trust me, they’re not more frustrated than I am.
Chandler Parsons: I’m in the gym every single day. The worst part is, when you have surgeries like this, this summer I could work on my body, I could work on my strength, I could work on my conditioning, but I couldn’t really work on my game, so now I’m basically working on my game in NBA games and it’s showing. I’m missing a lot of shots, I’m missing shots that I usually make.
Chandler Parsons: I love basketball. Basketball is everything to me. I’m not just going to shut it down because I’m struggling. What kind of coward would I be if I did that? I’m going to continue to work hard, I’m going to continue to bust my ass and try and be the best player I can become. (Shutting it down) is not going to happen unless I have to have surgery or something.
Parsons, who scored in double figures just once in February, missed three of four shots and finished with four points, four fouls and two turnovers in 23 minutes against the Suns. “I told you guys, my lens is different than everyone else’s,” Fizdale said before the team departed for Friday’s game in Dallas against the Mavericks. “I’d like to see some of these people come off some of the injuries he’s had and try to come out and play in an NBA game, and do it well. It’s difficult. So, I’m going to keep showing extreme confidence in him. I understand that it’s a real slow process. I’m happy that I have him for the minutes that I have him. We’re just going to keep working towards his rhythm.”
“Maybe it will help (critics/fans) to know that nobody on our team works harder than him,” Fizdale said of Parsons. “He’s in here every day, all night, either getting treatment, lifting, shooting. My coaches with families are staying in here late at night with him, because he carries that weight heavier than anybody.”
“He feels like he’s letting his team down, he feels like he’s letting this city down, and he doesn’t want that,” Fizdale said of Parsons. “I know people get on him about the social media stuff. That’s today’s athlete. I don’t know why people get all riled up.”
Ronald Tillery: Griz forward Chandler Parsons (rest) WILL NOT play Friday vs Warriors
Michael Wallace: Chandler Parsons will sit out tonight for rest vs Kings, but expected to play Saturday vs Rockets. It’s continuation of Parsons’ process.
Where is Chandler Parsons at in his recovery? Conley: Over the last two weeks he’s progressed nicely. I think he gets frustrated with not playing more minutes because he feels like his body feels that good. So that’s a great sign. And I think our management our coaching staff and training staff is doing a good job of slowly bringing him along because they understand our goals are a lot bigger than you know Jan. 10 through the 22 of them you know trying to get him to play 30 minutes a game. We need him for the long run, we need him for the playoffs, we need him healthy. So I think he’s doing great.
“I mean, it’s awful,” Parsons told USA TODAY Sports about his shot as he headed for the exits of the Golden 1 Center. “It’s flat. I’m not in game shape. I’m obviously not hitting at a high rate, and I’ve been an efficient player my entire career. But it’s the law of averages, man. Let me keep playing. I ain’t gonna shoot this bad for the rest of the year.”
“Slowly but surely, we’re just bringing him along and just letting him get his sea legs under him,” said Grizzlies first-year coach David Fizdale, who has Parsons playing between 12 and 15 minutes per game and resting on the second night of back-to-back sets. “Hopefully as we move through the season and he can stay healthy, we keep extending his minutes a little more at a time. We can’t risk, for a couple games here or there, the big picture. And the big picture is going as deep as we can in this thing.”
For Parsons’ part, he has taken the self-effacing route on social media. On Dec. 2, when a fan asked him what he wanted for Christmas, Parsons offered a brutally honest response: “Healthy knees.” “Social media is their outlet to talk (expletive) and be negative,” he said. “That’s the world of sports. Obviously I want to be playing 30, 35 minutes (per game), and I expect to be by the end of the season. And I have no doubt I can get back (to peak form).”
Tim MacMahon: Grizzlies SF Chandler Parsons went through a full practice Monday and will return in “a matter of days,” according to coach David Fizdale. Parsons has been out a month with a bone bruise in his left knee. The team will hit reset on the minutes restriction for Parsons, who sat out several games to start the season due to his recovery from surgery on his right knee.
October 15, 2019 | 2:39 pm EDT Update
Harrison Faigen: The Lakers just waived David Stockton and signed Reggie Hearn
Adam Zagoria: The Brooklyn Nets have signed guards Devin Cannady of Princeton and CJ Massinburg of Buffalo. They now have 20 on the roster.
Josh Lewenberg: Lowry on his Raptors extension: “It’s an opportunity that worked out for both sides. It’s a place where I wanted to be. It’s the place I’ve been most successful in my career. We didn’t know if it was gonna got done but it got done. Both sides worked extremely hard to get it done”
So begins the give and take of a radical experiment. Matchmaking mere superstars is passé. The Rockets, like the Warriors before them, landed an MVP to accompany their MVP. It’s not exactly the subtlest of moves; both Harden and Westbrook have big, loud games, inarguably bigger and louder than when the two began their careers together in Oklahoma City a decade ago. Only through separation did they fully become the anchors their respective franchises needed them to be. By reuniting, they hope to now find security in each other. “We’ve accomplished a lot of accolades, individually,” Harden says. “Now it’s time to accomplish something that we haven’t accomplished before.” It’s a long way to June. Yet through the very fact of being on the same team, Harden and Westbrook have already engineered one outcome that never should have been possible in the first place.
October 15, 2019 | 1:41 pm EDT Update
Gerald Green done for the season?
Shams Charania: The Rockets fear that Gerald Green’s broken foot is worse than initially expected and fear he’ll miss the season, league sources tell @The Athletic @Stadium.
Tim MacMahon: Rockets wing Gerald Green’s broken left foot is feared to be a Lisfranc fracture that would require season-ending surgery, sources said. Green is seeing another specialist today to get confirmation.
The Memphis Grizzlies announced today that the team signed guard Ahmad Caver. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. In addition, the team waived guard Dusty Hannahs.
