Parsons frustrated with benching despite medical clearance

The Memphis Grizzlies have seemingly moved Chandler Parsons out of the rotation despite his eagerness to return to the floor after being medically cleared, opting to list the forward as inactive.

"The most confusing part for me is I'm healthy," Parsons said, according to the Commercial Appeal's Mark Giannotto. "I'm medically cleared by the people I work with every single day, that are experts at this kind of stuff, so it's frustrating to watch a team struggle and I'm sitting there on the bench healthy, dying to play."

Parsons has a history of injury troubles, appearing just 73 times for the Grizzlies since joining the team in 2016. His issues continued after hurting his knee in the third game of the year, forcing him to miss 28 straight contests. He was expected to return against the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 21, but has since been listed as a healthy-inactive.

To add to his confusion, the Grizzlies haven't communicated their intentions with Parsons since being cleared for action.

"No communication. No nothing," he said. "I don't think it's from a basketball standpoint. It's definitely not from a health standpoint. I've been cleared by the medical staff of our organization, and clearly it's not about fitting. I already earned a starting spot out of training camp and have shown I can fit with the team. I think the confusion for me is there's no communication about what's going on and when I'm going to play."

Memphis signed Parsons to a four-year, $94-million contract with hopes that his versatility would give them a much needed boost in the competitive Western Conference. However, he's played no more than 36 games in a season for the Grizzlies and continues to post career-worst numbers after five successful years with the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks.