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PG Mike Conley (1st Team All BIG, NBA All-Star, Oscar Winner, Minnesota Timberwolves)

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The main question mark for Memphis remains the point guard situation. Refusing to give up on Mike Conley Jr., they will continue to rely on the 4th year ex-lotto pick from Ohio State to lead the team. On the bright side, he has improved his three-point shot to the point that defenses don?t immediately go under high ball screens the way they did initially upon his arrival in the League. Conley has also shown the ability to get into the teeth of the defense and drop a teardrop floater with either hand over your team?s 7-footer. With that said, there?s a bit of uncertainty around whether or not he will be able to create enough for his teammates to lead them into the Playoffs. Known as a guy who was a pure point guard who always took care of the rock in college, he?s yet to wow anyone with his assist numbers at a pedestrian 4.7 per game over his career. Greivis Vasquez and Acie Law will surely have there chance to battle for burn unless Mike takes his game to the next level.
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http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2010/10/grizzlies-10-11-preview/

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFWBCgITr_g"]YouTube - 3 Shades Of Blue: A Closer Look at Mike Conley Jr.[/ame]
 
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Conley extension? Anything is possible
By Ronald Tillery on November 1, 2010

mikeconley.jpg


Today is the deadline for Griz point guard Mike Conley (right) to receive a contract extension, and it seems 50/50 as to whether one will come about. Asked via text if the Grizzlies have even OFFERED Conley a contract to consider, general manager Chris Wallace replied: "Talking, nothing done yet."

Of the 2007 draft class, only Chicago's Joakim Noah and Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant have gotten deals. Notable players such as Atlanta's Al Horford, Oklahoma City's Jeff Green, Portland's Greg Oden and Houston's Aaron Brooks haven't been shown any love by their teams.

For his part, Conley is off to a strong start to the season. He appears to be blossoming into the player the Griz envisioned. He's attacking the paint, finishing strong at the rim and shooting the ball with confidence.

Conley also is averaging 8.3 assists in three games. He leads the league with 3.67 steals per game. Both sides have until midnight to work something out. If they don't agree, Conley will be a restricted free agent next summer.
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http://blogs.commercialappeal.com/t...11/conley-extension-anything-is-possible.html

NBA At 2: Conley Still Standing
By: Bill Ingram Last Updated: 11/1/10

When the Memphis Grizzlies drafted Mike Conley with the fourth pick in the 2007 NBA draft they were hoping he would be their floor leader of the future. For a while, however, there were serious doubts about whether or not he could actually live up to that expectation. He split time as a starter with Kyle Lowry for a while, but even after the Grizzlies traded Lowry and committed to Conley as their full-time starter, he struggled in the role. He started all 80 of his games in 2009-10, averaging just 12.0 points and 5.3 assists per game . . .not bad, but a far cry from what the Grizzlies were hoping for when they drafted Conley.

Over the summer there were rumors that Conley would not be the starting point guard on opening night 2010-11. The Grizzlies let it be known that they would jump at the chance to land Monta Ellis from the Golden State Warriors, and there was even talk of moving OJ Mayo over to the point. Of course, an Ellis deal didn't materialize and Mayo wasn't nearly as effective as the floor leader as the Grizzlies had hoped. When preseason started it was Conley still at the helm, and as it turned out, that was a good thing.

Conley came into camp more determined, and looking sharper than ever at the point. After a slow start he heated up during preseason and then recorded 23 points and eight assists in the Grizzlies opening game. Through three games he's averaging 15 points and 8.3 assists on the season, and he's finally starting to look like the floor leader the Grizzlies were hoping for on draft night 2007.

"I'm always trying to brush some people off, brush some opinions off, all the time," Conley tells HOOPSWORLD. "You know what? My teammates trust me, my coaching staff trusts me, and I'm just playing as hard as I can this year. I think I'm there, both mentally and physically, where I need to be to be the starting point guard for this team."
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Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=17777#ixzz144OXrfvK
 
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3074326;1803522; said:
Congrats to Mike, but this seems like a bit much?



http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5754722
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ya i love conley but this is a ridiculous amount of money for someone who has only started to live up to expectations half of last year and in 3 games this year...good for him tho...i was always hoping somehow the cavs could get him if memphis ended up not signing him...now its going to be hard trading him with that big of a contract
 
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Well at least the Griz made me not want the Cavs to trade for Conley anymore. I don't know why you would every offer a giant contract to a player in Conley's position. Best of luck MC, hope you earn the contract.
 
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exhawg;1804373; said:
Well at least the Griz made me not want the Cavs to trade for Conley anymore. I don't know why you would every offer a giant contract to a player in Conley's position. Best of luck MC, hope you earn the contract.
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Memphis has some solid players, I don't understand why they pay players in hopes that they reach their potential instead of paying them for what they've proven so far like everyone else. It's going to kill the franchise if these guys don't live up to these contracts.
 
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BuckeyeTillIDie;1804442; said:
Didn't Darko get a contract somewhere this year? Even if that was $1 it'd probably still be the worst
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He got traded to the Wolves this year, but the contract he's on was signed with.. you guessed it, the Grizzlies.

He's making $7.5 million this year. WTF is wrong with Memphis?
 
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http://blogs.commercialappeal.com/t...isley-reiterates-intent-to-keep-starters.html


This is a really good article for those questioning Mike's new deal. The owner not only values the improvement Mike's shown, but the character of the individual. He also intends to keep his starting 5 together... that right there increases everyones value as a whole, as they've put a premium on chemistry.


Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley said this morning he's "satisfied with the deal," and he insisted that Mike Conley's five-year, $40 million contract will in no way impact future signings. While Heisley wouldn't discuss specifics of the contract, he pointed out that the way it's structured will help the Griz in' future dealings.

"I've got to do Marc (Gasol), Zach (Randolph) and O.J. (Mayo)," Heisley said via telephone. "I told everybody I was going to try to go with this starting five. I hope to be able to keep them together for a good while."

Heisley acknowledged two factors in signing Conley right now as opposed to allowing him to become a restricted free agent next summer: 1) Conley's improvement each season. 2) Head coach Lionel Hollins' scouting report.

"The curve is going up from when he was drafted. I'm signing a contract for the future," Heisley said. "He's playing much better defense. He has a lot more confidence going to the basket. All of this has progressed. The biggest thing in his favor is that a guy who was a point guard and won a championship -- Lionel Hollins -- basically says that Mike is going to be a top point guard in this league when he matures. Lionel knows more in his little finger about point guards than I do. That's good enough for me."

If Hollins has tied his career with the Grizzlies to Conley, then so be it. Interesting, though, that Hollins was not with the Grizzlies and unemployed when the franchise picked Conley.

Former coach Marc Iavaroni wanted Conley. Former team president Jerry West strongly endorsed the pick. Then, Iavaroni and Griz general manager Chris Wallace grew impatient and attempted to trade Conley two years ago.

Hollins, an outsider at the time, now values Conley after having the chance to coach him. Stands to reason. NBA outsiders usually tend to appreciate Griz talent (i.e. Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay) a lot more.

Conley is averaging career highs with 15.3 points, 8.3 assists and 3.5 steals per game. He's also averaging 5.5 rebounds in four games, which amounts to the best start of his NBA career.

Heisley then made a strong comparison.

"Mike Conley is every bit of good character as Shane Battier," Heisley said. "He may not have the image that people like. But he's nothing but a credit to the team."

As for the Grizzlies' 2-2 start to the season?

Heisley said: "I'm happy with our start considering we've lost Marc and Zach (at different times). We could have been 0-4."
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Congrats Mike!
 
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Before landing new deal, Conley sought help in offseason makeover

conley-jenkins.jpg

Mike Conley's new five-year, $40 million deal with the Grizzlies surprised many in the NBA, himself included.
NBAE via Getty Images

LOS ANGELES -- Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley picked up the phone in a Columbus, Ohio, hotel room last summer, called Marc Gasol and put him on speaker. "I told him how much I believed I was going to improve," Conley said, "how much more assertive I was going to be and what I was going to do to keep our team together." They talked for nearly 20 minutes. Then Conley hung up, dialed Rudy Gay and told him the same thing. After that it was O.J. Mayo and finally coach Lionel Hollins. Conley asked Hollins: "What do you expect from me? What can I do better?"

What Conley did not tell his coach or his teammates is that the conversations were part of an exercise designed to test his communication and leadership skills. The whole time he was on the phone, a sports psychologist was sitting across from him jotting notes.

Psychologists are becoming as fashionable in the NBA as personal chefs. The Lakers' Ron Artest thanked one for helping him to the championship last season. The Blazers' Brandon Roy saw one regularly over the summer. Conley, on a recommendation from Hollins, asked one to visit him during the offseason in Columbus. He did not know that the psychologist would spend four straight days with him.

"I would wake up and he'd work out with me, eat lunch with me, eat dinner with me, and then be back first thing the next day," Conley said. "It felt like I was being debriefed in a long investigation."
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Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/lee_jenkins/11/03/mike.conley/#ixzz14GgrmhT7
 
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