Marreese Speights casts doubt on his return to Warriors-Grizzlies series

It's a bit strange that an injury to a sparsely used player has gotten so much attention. Such is playoff life, where every marginal gain, every healthy body and every potential lineup iteration is of enormous import.

Marreese Speights is only averaging 7.3 minutes in seven playoff games for the Golden State Warriors, but as they look to even their Western Conference semifinal series against the Memphis Grizzlies, his health is a major talking point. Despite his modest role, Speights's absence creates questions about how the Warriors will stagger the minutes of their starters and whether they'll dust off David Lee.

The Warriors announced Sunday that Speights is out for at least one week with a sprained right calf, which almost surely means he's out for the series unless a Game 7 is required May 17. Even then, Speights cast doubt on his potential late-series availability on Monday.

"It's very disappointing, but at the end of the day, everything happens for a reason. I'm just going to keep praying on it, and it'll be alright," Speights said. He also admitted he felt a pop in his leg when he injured it during Game 3 on Saturday. "I can fight through a lot of things, and this year, I've had a lot of injuries that I didn't let bother me. This one, I knew it was serious."

Speights brings the Warriors some frontcourt offense off the bench, having averaged a career-high 10.4 points and 4.3 rebounds this season while shooting 49.2 percent. He's struggled to a 34.5-percent shooting mark in the playoffs so far, but he seems to have the trust of head coach Steve Kerr and the freedom to fire away with the second unit.

Lee seems suited for that role on paper, but he hasn't found a groove off the bench all season after dealing with multiple injuries and returning to find his starting role permanently filled. He'd theoretically be useful against a large Memphis frontcourt, and Kerr said Monday that Lee would likely see more run as a result of Speights's injury. However, if he starts poorly, Kerr may be inclined to lean on dangerous small-ball groups he generally doesn't trust for long stretches.

Ever the affable teammate, Speights doesn't plan to mope on the sidelines while he recovers.

"I'm always a cheerleader," Speights said. "Not just when I'm hurt. When I'm playing, I'm a cheerleader, so I'll turn it up on that."

That's to be expected with the high-energy Warriors' bench, and they'll need every bit of support they can muster at The Grindhouse for a pivotal Game 4 on Monday. And Speights has every reason to root hard, as it sounds like his season is over unless the Warriors can come back and win the series.