• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

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

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
conley.jpeg

Grizzly Man
How Mike Conley Jr., Memphis's ambidextrous point guard, has grown up and led his team deep into the playoffs
By Zach Lowe on May 14, 2013

i


Here's a fun exercise: Pick any NBA player and try to picture his go-to move on offense. For LeBron James, you'll likely think of him negotiating a pick-and-roll up high, probably going to his left, scanning the defense for a driving lane or a clear pass to a spot-up shooter in the corner. For Tim Duncan, it'll be a pet post-up move from the left block. Tyson Chandler is almost tearing off the rim while finishing a lob dunk, and Matt Bonner is shot-putting a 3-pointer from the top of the arc.

Now try it for Mike Conley, point guard of the Memphis Grizzlies, the team that just might be the favorite in the Western Conference after taking a 3-1 series lead with an OT win Monday night over the Thunder. This exercise is easy for most point guards, because they dominate the ball and get to imprint their stylistic flair into our brains. But it's tough for Conley, isn't it? If you're a regular Grizz watcher, you'll eventually land on his righty floater in the lane. But how did he get into the lane? And how does he score the rest of his 15 points per game (up to about 17.5 in the playoffs)? What are his trademark passes?

Conley sort of defies this exercise, even for those of us who spend unhealthy amounts of time watching NBA basketball. And that's fitting. Conley's game on both ends is one of refined subtlety, and it can take a long time in the NBA for that sort of player to find the right rhythms. That has been doubly so for Conley, who entered the league a "frail" 19-year-old, says his coach, Lionel Hollins. Conley spends the bulk of his time on the floor with two slow-moving behemoths who control the Grizzlies' pace, own the real estate south of the foul line, and prop up one of the league's last true inside-out offenses. Conley doesn't have spectacular pick-and-roll lob partners, a 3-point shooting power forward to open up space down low, or even all that much time when he's clearly the controlling figure in Memphis's offense. So how good, really, is Mike Conley?

cont...
Click to expand...

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id...phis-grizzlies-point-guard?ex_cid=grantland33

BKMzh94CYAAECI1.jpg:large
 
Upvote 0
Upvote 0
Posted: Fri May 24, 2013
Lee Jenkins>INSIDE THE NBA
Mike Conley finally coming into his own for Memphis Grizzlies

130524171910-mike-conley-memphis-grzziles-san-antonio-spurs-nba-playoffs-2013-single-image-cut.jpg

Mike Conley has averaged 17.4 points, 7.4 assists and 1.6 steals for the Grizzlies this postseason.
Joe Murphy/Getty Images

When the shot clock was running low and the big men were taken away, Rudy Gay was always there. Mike Conley could hand him the ball, take a step back and watch him create something from nothing. It wasn't often ideal -- usually a mid-range pull-up jumper -- but it was better than a three-second violation or a tipped entry pass. Conley came to depend on Gay, like a 6-foot-8 security blanket, willing to go one-on-one and rise over a defender in a way Conley never would.

Memphis pulled the blanket on Jan. 31, sending Gay to Toronto in a three-way trade that pared salary and netted small forward Tayshaun Prince. The Grizzlies were criticized even by their head coach -- "When you have champagne taste," Lionel Hollins cracked, "you can't be on a beer budget" -- but the move was not motivated solely by money. The club's restructured front office, installed by 35-year-old owner Robert Pera, wanted to make a bet on Conley. Without Gay, they gambled, their understated point guard would not defer any longer. He'd have no choice but to keep the ball, and in doing so, he might unlock his potential and theirs.

When the Grizzlies shocked the Spurs in the first round of the 2011 playoffs, they were endearing upstarts, but not necessarily viable contenders. On the night they clinched, Conley only logged 25 minutes and backup Greivis Vasquez outscored him in 23, bringing up old questions about whether he was worth the five-year $40 million contract they paid him.

In today's NBA, a premier point guard is a virtual requirement, and no one really knew if Conley fit the category. Unlike most modern teams, who feature their floor generals, Memphis runs its offense through Randolph and Gasol. Conley's main job was to bring the ball up the floor and dump it inside. His talents remained hidden. In the first half of this season, Gay led the Grizzlies in scoring; Conley ranked fourth.

cont...
Click to expand...
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nb...ntonio-spurs-nba-playoffs-2013/#ixzz2UJGeKrOT
 
Upvote 0
Mike Conley is expected to be invited to Team USA mini-camp, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
Stein also notes that Conley and Marc Gasol are the only two players viewed as untouchable since Robert Pera took ownership of the team, and that makes sense given what's been reported previously. We wouldn't argue with that stance, but the Grizzlies will explore all avenues in an effort to improve their team. Conley also said he'd go to bat for the team to keep Lionel Hollins as coach. May 28
Click to expand...

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nba/1363/mike-conley

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQGL-aQHRKg"]Postgame: Marc Gasol & Mike Conley | Spurs vs Grizzlies | May 27, 2013 | Game 4 | NBA Western Finals - YouTube[/ame]
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
MaxBuck;2341548; said:
Conley got schooled by Tony Parker in the Spurs series. He'll use that experience to get even better. Future is so bright for this young man.
Click to expand...

You have to give Pop some credit for the scheme they had on Conley. Also, from a defensive standpoint, it was clear Conley was instructed to fight under screens and allow the man guarding the screen to hedge. Parker wasn't hedged properly all series and knocked down jump shots with ease.
 
Upvote 0
NBA Style: Spotlight On Mike Conley
June 5, 2o13
NBA Style

by The NBA.com Style Crew

The Memphis Grizzlies put together the most successful season in franchise history, making their first trip to the Western Conference Finals. Sixth-year point guard Mike Conley, Jr., was a large part of that success. During the regular season, Conley averaged a career-high 14.6 points per game to go along with 6.1 assists and 2.2 steals. The Grizzlies won a franchise-record 56 games and Conley was named to the NBA?s All-Defensive Second Team.

During the Playoffs, the public embraced the team?s ?Grit and Grind? style, and their unique combination of a dominant front court and defensive-minded guards. The Playoff run also gave Conley the opportunity to showcase his versatility off the court, as he experimented with a wide range of styles.

Check out some of the different looks of Mike Conley during the 2013 playoffs, and let us know which one was your favorite using #NBAStyle.

1_round-1-gm-1-mike-conley.jpg
Click to expand...

http://allball.blogs.nba.com/2013/06/05/nba-style-spotlight-on-mike-conley/
 
Upvote 0
Mike Conley: Under contract for three more years and with just over $26 million guaranteed left. Conley had a minor breakthrough season that included leading the team in scoring post-Rudy Gay trade and making his first All-Defensive (second) team. He averaged a 17/7 in the playoffs with a generally strong floor game (particularly in the earlier rounds) and showcased an improved floater, though his poor shooting (38/28) went curiously unnoticed. Loose talk that sprouted up early in the playoffs about Conley being a ?top five? point guard was a little eye-rolling, but he's established himself as a quality two-way starter at a key position who is outperforming what was once considered a too-generous contract. A team captain and locker room stalwart who, at 25, still has room for improvement. He's going nowhere.
Click to expand...

http://www.memphisflyer.com/Beyondt...-roster-prognosis-in-order-of-probable-return
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top