The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that the Grizzlies knew heading into Thursday night's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves that they were going to be without their workhorse, their warrior, their team leader, Lorenzen Wright.

Not for just one game, or two games, but for at least the next month. Wright learned earlier in the day he had a small fracture in his left knee. His absence was definitely noticed in the Grizzlies' 105-80 loss at The Pyramid.

Ike Austin started in Wright's vacant center position. He played 25 minutes, scoring six points and pulling down five boards.

But Austin was unhappy with the ease in which the Timberwolves scored inside. Clearly, Wright's toughness and aggressiveness were missed in the post as the Timberwolves shot 47 percent from the floor and scored 50 points in the paint.

No one person is likely to fill that role. Rather it will have to be a collective effort, based on which buttons coach Sidney Lowe chooses to push, whether it be Austin, or Stromile Swift, or Tony Massenburg, who did not play Thursday.