Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley

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By Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal

Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger listened to a reporter's question, made certain he understood it and then paused.

He let the inquiry marinate in his mind and delivered a succinct answer.

Is there any expectation for Mike Conley, Brandan Wright, Jordan Adams and P.J. Hairston to play for the Griz again this season?

"I think we'll see P.J. again," Joerger said as he walked away.

The Grizzlies take a six-game losing streak into their game Tuesday night against the Chicago Bulls, with their playoff hopes in peril and no hope of key players returning before next season.

Hairston has been out since March 15 with a hamstring injury. The guard's return indeed appears imminent given he ran sprints during an extensive pregame workout Sunday before the Grizzlies' loss at Orlando.

Hairston represents a relative upgrade to the multiple players on 10-day contracts that the Griz have called on over the past two months. But don't hold your breath for the return of Conley (Achilles), Wright (knee) and Adams (knee). Marc Gasol was ruled out for the rest of this season with a broken foot before the All-Star break.

The Commercial Appeal independently confirmed that Conley was re-evaluated last week by team doctors. It was determined that it is in Conley's best interest to not return to action until the 2016-17 season.

Barring a miraculous recovery by the time the postseason begins, Conley still walks with a limp, experiences soreness in the Achilles and requires a walking boot. The franchise and Conley, who will be a free agent this summer, are taking a cautious approach to his long-term future.

There also is a fear that Conley could suffer a ruptured Achilles just as Mario Chalmers did in a season-ending incident March 9 during the second half of a game at Boston. Conley hasn't played since March 6.

Wright, meanwhile, never was expected to return during the regular season. The forward/center, who missed three months earlier this season with a knee injury, was diagnosed Feb. 29 with a medial collateral ligament sprain in his right knee.

Although the Grizzlies refuse to reveal the extent of Wright's injury, he likely suffered a grade 2 sprain — something that once caused Gasol, Zach Randolph and former Quincy Pondexter to miss at least 23 games. Internet reports that Wright would return in one to two weeks with a grade 1 sprain were erroneous.

The team said Wright wouldn't require surgery but still wouldn't provide updates on Wright's condition as of Monday afternoon.

The biggest mystery involves Adams.

The Grizzlies are unwilling to discuss Adams' situation. Team management, including general manager Chris Wallace, haven't responded to inquires in two weeks. Team media relations officials last delivered an injury update on March 25.

A statement read: "Adams has increased his activity daily, including beginning court workouts. He will be re-evaluated weekly in hopes that he can return to team practices in the near future."

After The Commercial Appeal was denied an interview recently, Adams said in a March 18 statement: "I have been working hard throughout my rehab process to get back and join my teammates on the court as soon as possible. I am trying to ramp up my cardio workouts as of late and hoping to get back to practice soon."