It's no secret that the Grizzlies haven't gotten much scoring off the bench. The lack of depth really becomes evident when a Grizzlies player gets hurt and misses a game or two. For instance, point guard Mike Conley did not start at Utah on Monday because he sprained a shoulder against the Clippers on Sunday. He got hurt as Baron Davis drove past him and their arms got tangled.
"(Davis) kind of yanked my shoulder a little bit, and I felt a little pop," Conley said. "I had to sit down and get the feeling back in my arm. Once I got the feeling back, I was able to play."
But after Conley warmed up on Monday, his shoulder stiffened and he couldn't play.
"I've just got to watch it the next couple of days and make sure it gets stronger," Conley said. "It's not serious."
Yet it is a big problem for the Grizzlies. They started veteran point guard Jamaal Tinsley in place of Conley. And while Tinsley has been a great free agent pickup after 1 1/2 years away from basketball, he's not in the type of shape yet to play 30 minutes per game effectively.
JAZZ 120, GRIZZLIES 93: The Grizzlies were done before the opening tip Monday. Point guard Mike Conley's sprained shoulder stiffened in warmups, and the Grizzlies were already down a man because Rudy Gay had left the team to attend the funeral of a friend in Baltimore.
The Grizzlies never had a chance. They were forced to give starts to Jamaal Tinsley and rookie Sam Young. Young played admirably. But being down two players is not a good thing for a team playing the second game of a back-to-back. Utah took advantage by attacking the basket as much as possible, knowing the depth-thin Grizzlies didn't have many fouls to give.
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