Grizzlies healthy, excited for training camp with new coach

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Marc Gasol's surgically repaired right foot is healthy, and the Memphis Grizzlies center insists he's back — perhaps better than ever.

Point guard Mike Conley is healthy too, his aching Achilles a distant memory. Jarell Martin's own left foot is as healthy as it's been in a long time.

Chandler Parsons, the Grizzlies' big free agent signee this summer, is the only person still recovering from his own knee surgery as the Grizzlies held media day Monday. It's a welcome change for a franchise that set a dubious NBA mark last season playing 28 different players due to injuries that ravaged the roster, giving new coach David Fizdale a healthy roster for the start of training camp Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

The Grizzlies still reached the playoffs only to be swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

"Last year, man it was tough with all the injuries, especially the playoffs not having a full-strength team, so it was very tough," forward Zach Randolph said Monday (Tuesday). "Now we all healthy, and now we looking at the big picture and that's getting a championship and getting a ring."

Losing Gasol was the biggest hit. Memphis was fifth in the Western Conference on Feb. 8 when Gasol last played and slipped to the No. 7 seed as the injuries mounted. He had surgery to repair a non-displaced fracture in the navicular bone of his right foot Feb. 20, starting a long rehabilitation process to return him to the court.

Recovery kept Gasol from playing for Spain during the Olympics, though the center wanted to play. He followed all the doctors' orders and stuck with his rehabilitation. Gasol said he's never felt any discomfort in his foot, which makes him confident the repair worked. He's now ready to help lead the Grizzlies back to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2013 and even further to a place Memphis has never been: the NBA Finals.

"I'm confident that I have the capability of not just being the same player, but better," Gasol said. "Better player, more productive, more consistent. Hopefully a better rebounder. ... It's going to be a challenge for me, but I'm up for it. I'm up for any challenge. I love challenges, and this year's going to be another one."

Guard Tony Allen said Gasol looks like he's added to his game, noting the man nicknamed Big Spain knocked down six straight 3s in a pickup game recently.

Being healthy isn't the only difference for Memphis from the end of last season. The Grizzlies start training camp Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) with a new coach in Fizdale , a long-time Miami Heat assistant who Memphis hired in late May after firing Dave Joerger who was then hired by Sacramento.

The Grizzlies also announced Monday (Tuesday in Manila) they hired a new medical director in Allen Gruver, promoted Jim Scholler to head athletic trainer and added Eric Oetter as director of performance. Conley said the Grizzlies have bolstered the staff to help players, even adding massage therapists to help with recovery.

Fizdale also suggested to the Grizzlies that they show up a couple weeks early and play together to start building chemistry and conditioning. Fizdale said he couldn't make them do it, and he liked how they listened. Managing Gasol's minutes will be a big focus for Fizdale who plans to pull him early from some practices and keep him out of some games through the season.

"I'm definitely going to preserve him," Fizdale said. "I don't want to kill him throughout the year and don't have him for the playoffs so it'll be very mindful of how I attack him coming back from an injury."