The Memphis Grizzlies have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA. The Grizzlies are 12-26 which is good for 14th place in the Western Conference. Although the Grizzlies have been terrible, it wasn't always that way.
In the beginning of their season, the Grizzlies performed extraordinarily well, even defeating the Warriors at the beginning of the season. Since then, the Grizzlies have dipped tremendously, and Mike Conley has taken notice to it. According to Mark Spears of ESPN, Conley described his view on the Grizzlies' regular season performance and how it has affected him.
“It’s different, man. At the beginning of the season we had so much optimism with how it started. Now, everything has been flipped. It’s been a 180 [-degree turn] with the way we’ve been playing, the coaching changes and things like that. It’s different, but we have to keep plugging away.”
Mike Conley has even commented on the firing of former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Dave Fizdale, and how the Grizzlies' losing has taken a toll on his teammate, Marc Gasol.
“We talked. I think Marc’s intentions are solely about the team. He didn’t want any of this to happen. I didn’t think so. It was also frustrating for all of us. It was tough for Marc, myself and probably the older guys on the team who have built this foundation to see the state that we are in.”
This puts things into perspective since the the struggles of the Grizzlies have mentally affected both of their top stars. Hopefully, the Grizzlies can turn things around with the return of Conley, and a win against the Wizards on Friday night.