The Memphis Grizzlies will not be in full strength when they play their preseason opener against the Orlando Magic on Monday. It was announced by Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com, that the All-Star center will be sidelined as he continues to receive treatment on his ankle.

The ankle injury he suffered was from the EuroBasket competition last month, while Gasol was representing his home country of Spain. He insisted that it is only a mild sprain, and also said, via Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, that he is pleased with his recovery so far.

Marc Gasol
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“We’re still recovering the ankle. We want to be back at 100 percent,” Gasol said. “We don’t want any setbacks. It’s hard to put a percentage on it, but we’re improving. We’re happy with progression.”

Head coach David Fizdale also echoed Gasol's statement, while confirming that he will ramp up his activity later this week, to make sure he will be in good shape once the season starts.

marc gasol
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“No doubt about that,” Fizdale said. “He’ll be ready. He really is already but he had a long summer of play. I’d rather that we preserve him so that he’s feeling great by the regular season.

“We’re just being cautious. Right now, it doesn’t count. We’ll get him cranked up midweek. We’re taking our time with him and working with (the ankle) in a way so that when the season hits, he’ll make full strides.”

It is very understandable that the Grizzlies are taking a cautious approach on the former Defensive Player of the Year, as they do not want to risk him aggravating the injury, causing him to miss a significant amount of time. With Vince Carter and Zach Randolph not part of the team anymore, Gasol and Mike Conley will play an even bigger role, as they will be relied upon more to lead the Grizzlies and serve as mentors to their young teammates.