Which Mike Conley will show for Memphis Grizzlies next season?
Second half of year, point guard finally plays strong
By Ronald Tillery
Posted April 18, 2010
Photo by Nikki Boertman
There seem to be two Mike Conleys -- the one who struggles early in the season and the one who gains confidence down the stretch.
The question was put to him again, for a second straight April, in order to test Mike Conley Jr.'s awareness of the confusion he tends to create.
Why does it take so long for him to get going and is the end-of-the-season Mike Conley the real Mike Conley?
"This is the real Mike Conley," he said. "This is what I can do in the league. This is what I should do. Next year is going to be the year I prove that I can do this the whole year."
In truth, it's an answer that still begs the question: Can he?
That's what the Grizzlies must consider during another offseason as they evaluate what has become a lightning rod: the point guard position.
This Mike Conley -- the aggressive player who scored in double digits in the Grizzlies' final 15 games while averaging 17.0 points, nearly six assists and 48-percent shooting -- provides optimism at the position. He averaged 14.8 points, 5.8 assists and 46-percent shooting in 31 games after All-Star Weekend.
That other guy -- the Mike Conley who averaged 10.2 points, 42-percent shooting and generally looked feeble in 49 games before the All-Star break -- gives good reason for pause.
Conley's on-again, off-again, on-again ways haven't necessarily endeared him to a fan base that seems to crave flash. But Conley Jr. was one of the Grizzlies' most improved players, finding his niche as a third-year player out of Ohio State and contributing to the team's 16-game improvement in the win column.
"We won 16 more games than we did last year, so how bad was it?" Griz general manager Chris Wallace said. "Now we have to fortify the position as a whole. Mike wasn't a physically matured player as a rookie. I normally subscribe to the notion that you know a player after three years in the league. But Mike's probably got 2-3 more years before you can say this is who Mike Conley is."
Grizzlies searching hard for backup to Conley
Wallace unwilling to pass on other talent for a guard
Posted June 3, 2010
It was impossible to know in the moment if Mike Conley bumped into his next point guard counterpart when he crossed paths with the latest collection of draft prospects working out for the Grizzlies.
Finding a backup for Mike Conley is a priority for the Grizzlies in the upcoming draft. They're not finished looking at point guards yet.
by The Commercial Appeal files,
Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal files
Finding a backup for Mike Conley is a priority for the Grizzlies in the upcoming draft. They're not finished looking at point guards yet.
Yet this seemed all but certain Wednesday: As Conley entered the FedExForum practice gym for his personal workout, he came face-to-face with an organizational goal for the June 24 draft. The Grizzlies, should they exercise all three first-round selections (12, 25, 28), will likely come away with a point guard.
For all intents and purposes, Conley is the lone player under contract at the position. Jamaal Tinsley and Marcus Williams will be free agents July 1. Local product Lester Hudson is a shoot-first player working to become more of a distributor but his contract for next season isn't guaranteed.
Would love to see Mike Conley come to the Cavs. I know it's all rumor right now, but still like the thought, especially if we are going to trade DWest.
After years of desiring taller guards who were good shooters to pair with LeBron James, the team is undergoing a philosophy change with new coach Byron Scott. Desiring guards who can run and create offense with drives, the Cavs are looking at a new group of candidates.
"It is important to have a guy to keep the tempo up on the floor most of the time," Scott said Wednesday before the Cavs took on the Phoenix Suns in a summer league game.
...
So while the Cavs have a quality point guard in Mo Williams, they obviously intend to acquire another one. Two players believed to be on the radar are former Ohio State star Mike Conley and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ramon Sessions.
Trying to solidify himself
Oden was drafted No. 1 overall by Portland, Conley No. 4 by Memphis and Cook No. 21 by Philadelphia (he immediately was traded to Miami) in 2007. None has blossomed. The 7-foot Oden has been snakebit by knee injuries while Conley, like Cook, has been the subject of trade rumors.
Memphis has brought in a succession of point guards to challenge Conley in three years, creating the perception that it is not sold on him for the long term. The Grizzlies drafted Maryland point guard Greivis Vasquez in June.
"Damon Stoudamire, who's one of my coaches, tells me when he was playing, every year they'd bring in somebody else to compete against you and try to take your job, and you've just got to be able to stand strong and fight them off," Conley said.
"Me being able to do that says a lot about me and the way I'm approaching things and the way my mind-set is about being the point guard for the Memphis Grizzlies."
With coach Lionel Hollins encouraging him to be more aggressive with the ball, Conley played the best he has as a pro the second half of last season, averaging 14.8 points and 5.8 assists and shooting 46 percent from the field in Memphis' last 31 games.
But as recently as June, Memphis was trying to put together a package to persuade New Orleans to part with All-Star point guard Chris Paul.
"That kind of stuff I've been dealing with for the last couple of years, trade rumors and a lot of talk through the newspapers and whatnot," Conley said. "You've got to just try to find a way to block it out. You can't pay too much attention to it or get your hopes too high about something that might not ever come. You've just got to keep working and control what you can control.
"Once you've been in (the NBA) for two or three years, you start to see the business side of basketball. The guys who are your teammates and you created relationships with one year, the next year they're not going to be there. They're getting traded and moved around. You never really can get settled. It's always up for debate where you're going to be at. You've got to understand that every night you're out there it's a job interview for every team, so you've got to be able to play all 82 games like it's your last one."
Griz's Mike Conley keeps focus on court
Contract talks iffy so guard digs in at practice
By Ronald Tillery
Memphis Commercial Appeal
Posted October 5, 2010
Grizzlies starting point guard Mike Conley reached the lane on a drive to the basket with his understudy, Acie Law, defending.
Conley then froze Law with a stutter-step dribble on his way to an uncontested layup Monday during a training camp practice.
Scoring a contract extension won't come as easily for Conley.
The Griz have not entered negotiations for a contract extension with Conley and have no imminent plans to do so. Conley, 22, was the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, and he reacted with indifference.
"My focus is me coming out with a chip on my shoulder regardless of whether I'm signed or not," Conley said. "I'm going to play as if I was somebody working to get a contract and help make this a winning team. If we win and I do my job, then I'll get signed eventually, from whomever."
The Griz have until Nov. 1 to make a deal with Conley on an extension. Conley will earn $4.9 million this season, the final year of his rookie-scale contract.
If the sides don't reach an agreement by the deadline, Conley would become a restricted free agent next summer. That is, if the Griz extend a one-year, $6.5 million qualifying offer by June 30.
The Griz would retain the right to match any offers.
