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

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Obviously, its hard to justify the contract (even Mike seemed surprised according to a few articles). But the Grizzlies may have also made a very smart decision by locking him up on the upward "curve" of his development. His potential is still sky-high.
 
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The Match-Up: After a strong start to the season, Mike Conley has cooled off. He had a particularly weak game tonight, shooting 3-10 (he was 1-7 through regulation) with 4 assists to 6 turnovers. Meanwhile, his opposite number, Celtics lead guard Rajon Rondo, continued his magnificent season. The league's assists leader by a comfortable margin, Rondo somehow managed to play 11 first-quarter minutes without an assist. No worry. When he re-entered the game in the second quarter, he started consistently blowing by Conley, and when he did the help defensive ranged from ineffective to non-existent. Rondo notched 17 assists over the next 33 minutes.
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http://www.memphisflyer.com/Beyondt...14/game-10-notebook-celtics-116-grizzlies-110
 
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Contract Extension Driving Career Year?

The 2007 draft class, entering their fourth pro campaign, became eligible to receive contract extensions this season but when the November 1 deadline passed only five players received the endorsement from their franchises (Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Conley and Jared Dudley).

Oden became the first No. 1 overall pick not to get an extension since the Washington Wizards passed on offering one to current Charlotte Bobcats forward Kwame Brown.

Conley still admits being shocked to hear the news of Memphis offering his reported five-year $45 contract extension near the league imposed deadline.

"I was surprised at the time because we hadn't been talking up until that week and it (the deal) kind of came up late," admitted Conley. "So it was interesting but showed a lot of faith (from ownership) and I was happy and blessed to have that happen."

Up until this point Conley's play has picked up tremendously for the Grizzlies and the young guard is on his way to posting a career year averaging 15.3 points, 6.7 assists and 2.3 steals through 19 games this season.

Having the extension filed and handled before the looming change in the current Collective Bargaining Agreement next summer has seemingly put Conley's mind at ease to just focus on basketball and further becoming one of the leaders on the team.

"It has," Conley admits to HOOPSWORLD on whether having the long term deal in place has impacted his confidence on the court. "It (the extension) has done a lot for me. A lot for my confidence. A lot for me on the court to where I can be comfortable getting guys in position and understanding that it's my team and understanding that no one is coming in to take my job every year. (It shows) everybody has my back on the team and in the organization. It's great to have that trust (from management)."

State of the Memphis Grizzlies

Even though the Grizzlies dropped a tough 112-109 contest to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, the locker room was upbeat which definitely goes against the norm of somber spirits in NBA locker rooms after defeat.

The unusual optimism following the loss was because the night before Memphis upended the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers at home and then proceeded to give one of the best Eastern Conference teams a run for their money down to the final buzzer.

Even in defeat Conley believes the loss shows the growth of a young team on the verge of great things because in years past a back-to-back test like this would've resulted in a humbling blowout loss.

"It does show a maturity," Conley said with a smile when assessing his team's performance versus Atlanta. "It shows that we can pretty much play with any team in the league. We have the talent. We have the guys on the team to be able to compete night in and night out. To beat the Lakers was a big step for us and to do it at home in that fashion was a big step for us."

The Grizzlies have now invested a reported in $127 million in locking up Conley and team leading scorer Rudy Gay. But the team now faces two huge decisions for the future. Their main frontcourt cogs, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph will be free agents next summer. Will the squad invest in keeping the core together or try to spin Randolph's $17 million expiring deal at the trade deadline for additional pieces rather risk losing him for nothing in free agency?

Whatever the decision from management, Conley believes that there is no doubt the current core should be given a chance to reach its full potential.

"It's very important," Conley told HOOPSWORLD on his belief that Gasol and Randolph should be locked up with new contracts. "We want to keep this core together. We've played two years together so far, some of us three. If we can keep it together it'd be very vital because we have a good starting five and the sky is the limit from there."

And if the core can stay together while continuing to develop their young talent, Conley had one parting message for Memphis fans and followers of the league.

"Stay tuned. Watch out for them Grizzlies," Conley confidently stated before walking out the locker room with Gay.
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Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=18067#ixzz16xYniZf7
 
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He's the man. :wink2:

conleythemanyo.png


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfGRfRVDnsc"]YouTube - In the Game - L.A at Memphis (Mike Conley, Kobe Bryant)[/ame]

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HoopsHype.com NBA Blogs - Jorge Sierra
Mike Conley: ?Signing the contract took a lot of pressure off?
December 22, 2010
By Jorge Sierra

mike_conley_bg.jpg


What do you feel it needs to happen for Memphis to make the playoffs this year?

Mike Conley: We have to get on a couple of winning streaks. There were a lot of tough games for us early in the season and now we have to start putting it all together offensively and defensively as a team to get back above .500 because in order to make the playoffs in the Western Conference you have to have a very good record.

Why is the team a little worse than last season so far?

MC: I think last year we were a better rebounding team than we are this year. I think we did a lot better job helping Zach (Randolph) and Marc (Gasol) with the rebounding. This season we haven?t done as well and we haven?t done as well in the transition and the fast-break points.

Do you think the chemistry of the team is as good as it was last year?

MC: Yes. I think this team is just as good as last year?s team. I think we?ve gotten better in a lot of areas. We just have to find a way to put it all together.

Does the big contract you just signed make you feel any added pressure?

MC: I don?t feel any pressure at all. I think actually signing took a lot of pressure off. More than anything, this allows me to play basketball, concentrate on basketball and not worry about anything else. I?m just thankful I?m coming back to Memphis for five more years.

Cont...
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Read more: http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/si...act-took-a-lot-of-pressure-off/#ixzz18qSgSYHh
 
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Grizzlies Postgame: Mike Conley needs stitches
By Ronald Tillery
Memphis Commercial Appeal
Posted December 27, 2010

Conley needs stitches

Perhaps Mike Conley best described the injury he suffered late in the Grizzlies' victory over the Indiana Pacers Sunday night.

Or at least the Grizzlies' point guard more accurately gave the gory details.

"It was the weirdest, nastiest thing I've ever seen," Conley said.

Conley received six stitches to close a severe cut on his right hand. The webbing between his ring and pinky fingers was split open after an Indiana player inadvertently stepped on Conley's hand while he braced himself on the court following a missed steal attempt.

Conley said the player's foot slid into his hand, causing both fingers to spread wide enough for the webbing to detach.

The incident happened with just 34.3 seconds left in the game. Play was stopped because of the excessive blood, and Conley immediately went into the locker room.

"It's the worst pain in the world," Conley said. "I thought I broke my finger."

Conley said he'll play tonight against Toronto.

"If I can put something over it, I'm playing," Conley said. "I just don't want it to split again."
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http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/dec/27/grizzlies-postgame-mike-conley-needs-stitches/
 
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Conley is likely to enjoy one of his more productive scoring periods in the week ahead thanks to some favorable matchups and a couple of other factors that are playing in his favor. We are so high on Conley, in fact, that he is our choice as the Start of the Week for Fantasy Week 15 (Jan. 31-Feb. 6).

For the most part, Conley has enjoyed his most productive NBA season in his fourth year. His numbers have been up across the board, averaging career highs in points, assists, steals and minutes per game. However, he has tailed off significantly since early December.

After averaging a 15-6-3 line in November, he averaged 12-8-3 in December and has averaged 12-6-4 in January. His January numbers looked a lot skimpier just a week ago before going on a nice run over his last four games to improve his stat line across the board. Over his last four games entering Week 15, Conley has averaged 14.3 points, 6.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds.

We do not think it a coincidence that O.J. Mayo was not a factor in three of those four games. Mayo is serving a 10-game suspension for violating the league's anti-drug policy and will still be absent from the picture in Week 15. Conley's scoring should continue to benefit as a result.

Another reason to be excited about Conley in Week 15 is the opponents he will be facing. He will start off the week with what should be a tough, low-scoring affair against the Orlando Magic. After that, however, he will face three teams that allow over 100 points per game. The Timberwolves, Cavaliers and Rockets allow a combined average of 105.4 points per game.

Expect three of Conley's four Week 15 games to be of the high volume variety, with chances for Conley to continue to surge across the board.
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http://fantasynews.cbssports.com/fantasybasketball/story/14622147/week-15-start-em-and-sit-em

Who'd a thunk that Mike Conley, Mr. Shrinking Violet and Mr. Megaspotty Shooter of Late, would win the battle of the PG's against one of the most-hyped PG's in the whole NBA? Well, he did. Conley with 12 assists and one lonely TO, Wall with a respectable eight assists, but five costly TO's.Moreover, Conley won the on-court-confidence battle by the proverbial country mile. Yes, Wall played seven fewer minutes, at least in part due to foul trouble trying to keep the Griz from scoring even more in the paint-but his movements on the court never really showed his lightning speed to its full effect, and the Wiz' offense looked hesitant and out-of-sync much of the time. Initiating the offense was a high hurdle for the Wizards the whole game..of course, with Andray Blatche and Al Thornton getting meaningful minutes on your team, that sort of thing is wont to happen. "Initiate" means "shoot" for those guys (yes, I realize that Thornton went 5-8, with only 8 shots in 27 mins-but his rep is still valid and earned). At least some of the reason that both Wall and Nick Young had a tough time this game...
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http://3sob.com/archives/62-january-2011/1343-500-man-that-took-a-while
 
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