The Grizzlies will be without 30-year old, starting power forward Zach Randolph for the next 6-8 weeks due to a torn ligament in his knee.  Randolph has played in 4 games (all starts) for the Grizzlies so far this year and he is averaging 28.3 minutes, 14.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.3 steals per game.  He has now played in 160 games (159 starts) in his first three years with the Grizzlies and he is averaging 36.8 minutes, 20.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  Randolph is going to be very hard to replace for the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies have lost 23-year old power forward Darrell Arthur for the rest of the season due to a torn Achilles tendon.  Arthur played in 80 games (9 starts) for the Grizzlies last year and he averaged 20.1 minutes, 9.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  He has now played in 188 games (73 starts) in his first three years with the Grizzlies and he is averaging 18.8 minutes, 6.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  The Grizzlies are now in the market for another big man as they are suddenly a tad thin in the frontcourt.

24-year old SG/SF Rudy Gay is officially done for the year for the Memphis Grizzlies as he needs shoulder surgery.  Gay played in 54 games (all starts) for the Grizzlies this year and he averaged 39.9 minutes, 19.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocked shots per game this season.  Gay has now played in 372 games (335 starts) in his first five years with the Grizzlies and he is averaging 36.0 minutes, 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  The Grizzlies are getting along fine without Gay right now but they would be so much better with him.

The Memphis Grizzlies will be without 24-year old shooting guard Rudy Gay for at least the next four weeks due to a subluxation of his left shoulder.  Gay has played in 54 games (all starts) for the Grizzlies so far this year and he is averaging 39.9 minutes, 19.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocked shots per game.  To survive without Gay, the Grizzlies need 25-year old Sam Young and 29-year old Tony Allen to step up.  Young has played in 53 games (21 starts) for the Grizzlies so far this year and he is averaging 17.6 minutes, 6.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  He will likely move to small forward with Tony Allen playing shooting guard.  Allen has played in 49 games (8 starts) for the Grizzlies so far this year and he is averaging 16.9 minutes, 6.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game.  With the trade deadline looming, I wouldn’t be suprised to see the Grizzlies add either a small forward or shooting guard to help out off the bench until Gay returns to action.

The Grizzlies have shut down starting center Marc Gasol and backup SG/SF Ronnie Brewer for the season due to injuries. Gasol has a partially torn neck muscle while Brewer has a hamstring injury. Gasol played in 69 games (all starts) for the Grizzlies this year and he averaged 35.8 minutes, 14.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per game. He will be impossible for the Grizzlies to replace the last couple of weeks. Brewer only played in 5 games (0 starts) for the Grizzlies after coming over in a trade with the Jazz. In those games, Brewer averaged 16.0 minutes, 2.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.2 steals per contest. The Grizzlies better re-sign Brewer because they gave up a first round pick for him.

Ronnie Brewer didn’t last too long for the Grizzlies before getting hurt. He partially tore his right hamstring in his first game with the Grizzlies and he will be out indefinitely. This is a bad break for the Grizzlies who traded a future first round pick for Brewer knowing that he would inject good talent into the bench which is young. Brewer played 12 minutes in his first game with the Grizzlies and he scored 2 points, grabbed 1 rebound and he stole the ball twice. This is a big loss for the Grizzlies.

2nd year forward Darrell Arthur will be making his season debut tonight for the Grizzlies against the Hawks. He has missed the whole season until now due to a torn pectoral muscle. He played in 76 games (73 starts) for the Grizzlies as a rookie last season and he averaged 19.3 minutes, 5.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. The Grizzlies need help off the bench so they are glad that Arthur is back.

The Grizzlies will be without rookie center Hasheem Thabeet indefinately as he fractured his lower jaw when he collided with teammate Zach Randolph. Thabeet has played in 7 games (0 starts) so far this season for the Grizzlies and he is averaging 6.0 minutes, 0.6 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. Hamed Haddadi will likely see a bump in playing time until Thabeet is ready to return to action. Haddadi has played in 4 games (0 starts) so far this season and he is averaging 4.3 minutes, 1.0 point, 1.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

The Grizzlies have lost backup power forward Darrell Arthur for at least the next 4 months due to surgery to repair a partially torn pectoral muscle. This will hurt the depth of the Grizzlies at power forward. The Grizzlies will likely turn to rookies Hasheem Thabeet, Sam Young and DeMarre Carroll when Zach Randolph needs a break. This is a bigger loss than most people think as Arthur played allright last season for the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies will be without Allen Iverson for the rest of the pre-season with a partial tear in his left hamstring. He is even questionable for opening night of the regular season. The Grizzlies need to be careful with A.I. as he will be a very important player off the bench for them in 2009-2010.