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After an ankle injury sidelined him for two weeks, Smart returned and Memphis went 10-2 in its next 12 games before he suffered a partial tear of the proximal extensor hood of his right index finger. Around this time, Smart says, he felt a shift in how the Grizzlies organization treated him. He says he felt pressured to play through it .
"I wanted to be 100%, to give everything I got," Smart said. "As I'm still working out and getting ready, they're just like, 'No, your doctor said you're ready now. ' And I'm like, 'I hear what my doctor said, but ...
it's how I feel. Yes, surgically the finger is fine. But physically, no.
The finger is still weak. I'm still strengthening it. This is my dominant hand.
' So, they didn't want to hear it and they just kept saying, 'You need to play. '" ESPN This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Around this time, Smart says, he felt a shift in how …