It has been reported Tuesday that Grizzlies power forward Darrell Arthur will miss the entire 2011-12 season due to an Achilles injury. An MRI exam yesterday confirmed that Arthur has suffered a torn right Achilles tendon and will be forced to have surgery, thus making him miss the upcoming season.
Arthur was reportedly hurt in practice on Sunday and will have surgery within the next seven days, but he is expected to be ready for the start of the 2012-13 season.
Considered to be undersized, the 6'9" power forward played in 80 games last season, averaging career-highs in points per game (9.1), minutes played (20.1 per game), field-goal percentage (49.7 percent) and free-throw percentage (81.3 percent). He also averaged 4.2 rebounds per game for the Grizzlies last season.
Over his career, Arthur has averaged 6.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and .7 blocks per game. He has also played in 188 games, with 73 starts, while averaging 18.8 minutes per game and shooting 46.8 percent from the field.
The former Kansas Jayhawk was drafted with the 27th overall selection by the New Orleans Hornets and on draft day, was consequently sold to the Portland Trail Blazers. On the same day, Arthur was part of a three-team deal that sent him to Memphis, while the Rockets traded the rights to Nicolas Batum to Portland -- the Grizzlies also dealt Donte Greene and a 2009 second-round pick to Houston, while the Rockets traded Joey Dorsey to Portland.Arthur's injury leaves a widening gap on the Grizzlies' roster, as it leaves the team with just Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Brian Skinner and Walter Sharpe in the frontcourt.
It appears that the Grizzlies will now try to acquire a big man through free agency or a trade, as the bench is rather limited. It is apparently clear that Skinner and Sharpe, if they even make the final cut, cannot handle the load off of the bench and there is no possible way that Randolph and Gasol will be able to play 48 minutes per game.
So this leaves the Grizzlies with a tough question even though their season starts in less than a week.
Current free agent big men include players such as former first-round selections Hilton Armstrong, Ike Diogu, and Alexis Ajinca, Samuel Dalembert, Erick Dampier, Dan Gadzuric, Chuck Hayes (who was released by Sacramento a few days ago), Ryan Hollins, Kris Humphries, Solomon Jones, Leon Powe, Joel Przybilla, Etan Thomas, Theo Ratliff and Yi Jianlian.
It should become abundantly clear to the Grizzlies' front office that they need to sign one of these players or make a trade elsewhere because they are not going to able to make it through a 66-game season with bench players like Brian Skinner and Walter Sharpe.
It seems likely that the Grizzlies should be able to sign players such as Ryan Hollins, Hilton Armstrong, Ike Doigu or Erick Dampier -- simply because they would likely accept a one-year deal at the veteran's minimum, which is just a shade over $1 million.
And the Grizzlies will make a frontcourt move if they want to repeat the season last year when they fell just one game short of making the Western Conference Finals. It's a shame that Arthur won't be a part of their plan this season, especially after he became perhaps the Grizzlies' most consistent player off the bench last season -- Arthur also succeeded in the playoffs for the Grizzlies last Spring, averaging 7.1 points per game in 15.5 minutes per contest.
Over the next few days or upcoming weeks, watch for the Grizzlies to make a frontcourt acquisition after Darrell Arthur went down.
