MINNEAPOLIS, MN – NOVEMBER 18: Marc Gasol #33 of the Memphis Grizzlie and Mike Conley #11 of the Memphis Grizzlies prior to the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 18, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
With Marc Gasol now in Canada, Mike Conley is the only big cheese in Memphis. He is already missing his partner-in-crime.
Mike Conley is now a bit lonely in Grind City.
The Memphis Grizzlies star point guard had to watch his good friend and partner-in-crime, Marc Gasol, pack his bags and head for the Toronto Raptors, and a team that actually will be in contention this season. Now that Conley is the only big cheese in Memphis, he has admitted that he already misses his buddy.
According to The Daily Memphian, Conley spoke about how it hit him that Gasol was no longer by his side after the Grizzlies win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Feb. 9.
“I saw (Marc Gasol) on TV right before the game, I think playing in New York. I just smiled and looked at him and said, ‘He’s actually there. He’s gone.’ He looked like he was in good spirits and happy. You don’t realize how much you miss somebody until they’re gone.”
Ain’t it the truth, Mike?
With Gasol now gone, the “Grit-and-Grind” era that saw the Grizzlies rise to contention in the Western Conference is all but over. While Conley, who was on the verge of being traded himself before the deadline stayed in Memphis, he will almost certainly be dealt this summer around the draft.
For Grizzlies fans, it may feel weird seeing Gasol in a different jersey as well. He was in the last year of his contract, and with Memphis going nowhere, it made logical sense to trade him. Though they had to do it, it doesn’t mean that seeing Gasol leave hurt any less, especially for Conley, who spent nearly his entire career paired up with Gasol to keep Memphis as contenders.