Memphis forward Brian Cardinal dressed in uniform for a second straight game Friday night after spending several weeks on the inactive list to undergo a strengthening regime for his surgically repaired left knee.  Cardinal's goal, the Memphis Commercial-Appeal is reporting, is to break into the Grizzlies' rotation by the time the playoffs arrive.

"I was trying to get it better, trying to get it stronger," Cardinal said of his inactive period. "You ask anybody in the league that knows me, and they'll tell you that I'm a competitor and I go out there and do the best I can. It's been killing me being on the sideline and being hurt. But I'm the last person who wants to be over there."

"I know there's going to be soreness," Cardinal said. "It's never going to be 100 percent. I have an arthritic knee. I'm just trying to maintain the strength and deal with the pain, and trying to contribute the best I can."