Things didn't look good for Mario Chalmers as he left the Grizzlies' 116-96 loss to the Celtics on Wednesday. His diagnosis Thursday added to Memphis' injury woes.
Memphis announced Thursday that Chalmers suffered a ruptured Achilles and will miss the remainder of the season. The team also said that because Chalmers is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, it has waived him to create a roster spot.
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“Mario did an incredible job for us since coming to Memphis,” Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said. “Right from the start, he embraced his change of scenery and endeared himself to his teammates and coaches on the court and the Memphis community off of it.”
Memphis acquired Chalmers in a trade with the Heat in November. He primarily backed up starting point guard Mike Conley, but still managed to average 10.3 points and 3.8 assists per game.
“He has been an important part of our success this season, both coming off the bench and when called upon as a starter,” Wallace said. “But with Mario’s season-ending injury and our already depleted roster, it became necessary to free up a roster spot.”
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The depleted roster is no joke. The Grizzlies were already without center Marc Gasol due to injury, had traded Courtney Lee and Jeff Green, and are still waiting for Conley to return from injury.
To put things in perspective, Lance Stephenson will now start at point guard.
The injury is a crushing blow for Chalmers. Achilles injuries usually have a lasting effect on basketball players because they rob players of explosiveness as their ability to cut is reduced.
Chalmers, 29, probably won't be ready for the start of next season, so this could turn into a career-jeopardizing injury if he suffers a setback.