Draft Dish: Conley could go to Grizzlies
June 18, 2007
News and notes leading up to next week's NBA draft.
Keep an eye on point guard Mike Conley possibly climbing all the way up to Memphis at No. 4 in the draft. The Grizzlies have holes all over the roster, but they also have a new coach, Marc Iavaroni, who spent five years working with Mike D'Antoni in Phoenix and would like to keep Memphis in an up-tempo mindset. Problem is, the Grizzlies point guards are Damon Stoudamire and Chucky Atkins. Atkins is a free agent and Stoudamire will be 34 in September, so if Memphis is to focus on the fast break, the team will need an infusion of speed at the point.
Conley has been conjuring images of PG Tony Parker with his speed in workouts, and had a run-of-the-mill 11.63 in the shuttle run at the predraft camp -- but, he says, "I fell down in the middle of it." He was still ranked the fourth-best athlete in the draft. Conley worked out for the Grizzlies last week, his first of the year, and reports that it went well. "They told me they want to add a point guard," Conley says, though the Grizzlies could accomplish that in free agency.
Conley also worked out for Chicago on Saturday, Milwaukee on Monday and will work for Minnesota and Atlanta before the draft comes around. I watched his workout on Monday, which took place in the Bucks' practice gym in front of a dozen team officials, including the owner, Sen. Herb Kohl (I neglected to ask the Senator about the status of the immigration bill). Conley's speed and ballhandling was impressive, and he knocked down midrange jumpers off of screens with remarkable consistency. He was inconsistent with his 3-point shots, though. He made 5-of-7 from the right corner, struggled from the right wing (5-of-13), then started 0-for-3 from the top of the key. At that point, the workout was stopped so Conley could get a breath. He came back with three more misses from the top of the key, then went on a hot streak, going 5-for-6. He closed strong, making 5-of-8 to finish the left wing and 5-of-7 in the left corner. "I know I can shoot from the outside," Conley said. "Just, sometimes, it can be inconsistent and that's frustrating."