From the time training camp began, Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale made two things abundantly clear: Marc Gasol would be entrusted as the emotional center in Memphis and Mike Conley would be unleashed as its driving force. The crux of the thing rested on their balance; not only were Gasol and Conley the clear best players on a competitive Western Conference team, but the pull of their leadership on those particular wavelengths would dictate how far the Grizz could go.
That equilibrium was upset on Monday when Conley lined up to take a charge from one Hornet (Michael Kidd-Gilchrist) and wound up falling awkwardly into the knee of another (Frank Kaminsky).