Marc Gasol will miss rest of season after foot surgery

Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his broken right foot over the weekend, the team announced Tuesday.

There's no timetable for Gasol's return, but he's expected to make a full recovery The injury is a non-displaced Type II fracture of the navicular bone, and Kevin Lipe of the Memphis Flyer reports this type of navicular fracture isn't the kind that's career-threatening as long as the rehab goes smoothly.

Gasol was listed as questionable with a right foot injury when the Grizzlies played the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 8, but made the start before exiting in pain 11 minutes into the game. He left the game after scoring 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting with three rebounds and two assists. The Grizzlies lost the game in overtime, and it was determined soon after that the big man had suffered a broken foot.

Memphis is fifth in the Western Conference with a record of 32-23, but with the knowledge that Gasol would likely miss the rest of the year, moves were made at the trade deadline with an eye on the future. The Grizzlies shipped away impending free agents Courtney Lee and Jeff Green in order to acquire a bevy of draft assets, in addition to Lance Stephenson and Chris Andersen.

Gasol is in the first season of a five-year, $110 million contract he signed last summer to remain in Memphis. He hadn't missed a game this year and averaged 16.6 points, seven rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 blocks before going down with the injury.