Early in the 2014-15 NBA regular season, the most pleasant surprise has been the Memphis Grizzlies. With a dominant defense and an improved offense, the Grizzlies have jumped out to a 15-3 record with a mark of 11-1 against the vaunted Western Conference.
Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, star center Marc Gasol suffered a knee injury. Fortunately, it’s not expected to be serious.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Gasol returned to the practice facility after undergoing an MRI.
After MRI on his knee, Marc Gasol has returned to Grizzlies facility. Just watched him walk into gym — wearing his practice gear.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 4, 2014
While it hasn’t been officially announced, the organization doesn’t believe the injury was severe.
Grizzlies officials were confident that there was no serious injury, but no final word yet on MRI results. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 4, 2014
That warrants a major sigh of relief.
Through 18 games, Gasol is averaging 19.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals in 34.4 minutes. He’s shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 84.2 percent from the free throw line.
Gasol’s marks in points and steals per game are the best of his career.
In many eyes, Gasol is one of the early front-runners for NBA MVP. The former Defensive Player of the Year is not only anchoring the Grizzlies’ smothering defense, but he’s been dominant out of the low and high-posts.
Without Gasol, the Grizzlies would go from an apparent championship contender to a lottery-bound team. The numbers say so.
Since Gasol returned from a sprained MCL in his left knee on January 14, the Grizzlies are 47-13. In Gasol’s absence, Memphis compiled a record of 10-13.
In other words, the Grizzlies lost as many times in 23 games without Gasol as it has in the past 60 with him.
A healthy Gasol is the key to everything in Memphis.
Dante Cunningham Finds a Home
On April 3, 2014, veteran power forward Dante Cunningham was arrested for allegedly choking his girlfriend. The domestic violence case shook the NBA at its core, preceding an offseason marred by such cases in the NFL.
Despite having the charges dropped due to his then girlfriend fabricating the story, Cunningham has been unable to land a contract.
Until now.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the New Orleans Pelicans have signed Cunningham to a one-year deal.
Hearing Pelicans are getting Dante Cunningham on a one-year minimum deal. Good bargain potential
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) December 4, 2014
New Orleans isn’t done with its activity.
ESPN sources say Pelicans, after signing Dante Cunningham, are now in advanced discussions to sign former Mavericks point guard Gal Mekel — Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) December 4, 2014
Mark Jones of ESPN weighed in on Cunningham’s long-awaited signing.
Glad to see @PelicansNBA sign Dante Cunningham.Too bad he’ll never get back the time & money he lost due to false domestic assault charges.
— MarkJonesESPN (@MarkJonesESPN) December 4, 2014
It’s hard to argue.
Cunningham was cleared of all charges, but he still couldn’t land an NBA job until December. This comes after he served as a quality backup to Kevin Love with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2013-14.
Cunningham averaged 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.8 steals and 0.7 blocks in 20.2 minutes during the 2013-14 season. It wasn’t a stellar year, but it was a strong enough campaign for a 27-year-old to net a new deal
Or so it seemed.
It took some time, but Cunningham has landed with a team that was in dire need of depth at almost every position. Power forward wasn’t one of them with Ryan Anderson and Anthony Davis, but Cunningham’s presence is important nonetheless.
With additional depth down low, the Pelicans can build upon their excellent core.
In his first game with the Pelicans, Cunningham posted two points, three rebounds and one steal in 12 minutes of action. It wasn’t hsi best performance, but it was a major step in the right direction for a player whose NBA future was in question,
No discipline is expected for the player who didn’t commit a crime.
Around The League
- TMZ is reporting that Maurice Harkless of the Orlando Magic has been accused of stealing a cell phone from a strip club. According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, Harkless’ representatives have claimed that this is case of mistaken identity.
- According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, the Boston Celtics have assigned guard Marcus Smart to the Maine Red Claws of the NBA D-League. The stint is designed entirely for his recovery from the ankle injury which he suffered on November 7. The rookie will be safely back on the Celtics’ main roster once he completes his assignment.