Jazz guard Mike Conley has finally regained his health and is reminding everyone just how talented he is, Aaron Falk of NBA.com writes.
Conley recorded 25 points, five assists and three steals in a road victory over the Celtics on Friday, demonstrating his value at the point guard position.
“It’s just funny how people work,” teammate Donovan Mitchell said of Conley, as relayed by Falk. “Y’all can continue to hate and say what y’all want. I see it. I know he does, too. But that’s Mike Conley. He’s a Hall-of-Famer, one of the best to play at his position.”
Utah acquired Conley from Memphis last July in exchange for Kyle Korver, Jae Crowder, Grayson Allen, the draft rights to Darius Bazley and a protected first-round pick, solidifying its backcourt by pairing him and Mitchell together.
Conley had a slow start to the 2019/20 season, but the 32-year-old has increased his production in recent weeks as the team gears up for a playoff push. In total, he has averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 assists and 0.8 steals in 28.4 minutes per contest.
“There’s way less thinking,” Conley said of his team’s recent surge. “I’m just playing the game. After playing together for a while now, I’m feeling in charge, knowing how you can put guys in position to be successful and make plays, knowing what times in the game that I can be aggressive.”
There’s more out of the Northwest Division today:
- Nuggets forward Jerami Grant is fitting in seamlessly with the team, Mike Singer of the Denver Post writes. “We’ll see how it goes in the offseason,” said Grant, who holds a $9.3MM player option for next season. “It’s definitely all situational, but I’m definitely comfortable here. I love my teammates, love the coaches, everything.”
- The Timberwolves are rallying around rookie big man Naz Reid as he continues his impressive play, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. “Naz is great,” teammate James Johnson said. “Right now he’s not focused on one aspect of the game, he’s doing so many things that stats won’t ever show or that fans won’t ever see. The locker room feels it. Real basketball fans feel it. I’m sure you guys feel it. He keeps doing that, his job’s going to get more and more and his responsibilities are going to be more and more and he’s going to be ready for it.”
- Eric Spyropoulos of NBA.com examines what Troy Daniels could bring to the Nuggets, with Denver signing the 28-year-old to a contract this past week. Daniels, known as a valuable three-point threat during his NBA career, is expected to provide depth off the bench as the Nuggets gear up for a postseason run.
Mitchell can stop overcompensating. Conley is not even close to the Hall.
Sure he’s a good PG, probably one of the better ones around right now. But like you said, not really HOF material averaging just 14.8 PPG and 5.7 APG during his 13-year career. Perhaps Mitchell is in need of a drug test from the league?
Somebody needs to remind that young man (Mitchell) that even tho he’s a NBA player, All-Star, future Olympian, and multimillionaire due to basketball, the REAL experts at defining a player’s career are guys with fake names on HoopsRumors!
Do you honestly feel that Conley is worth the $32M/year he’s getting in Utah? I think an overwhelming majority of the experts out there would agree that he’s certainly one of the most overpaid players in the NBA. Just because he may be one of the top 15-20 PG’s in the league right now doesn’t make him a future Hall of Famer.
He was the highest paid player in nba history for a short while. Deserved? Hell no! Right place/right time.
That said, 3/4 of the league is overpaid.
When his career is all done and said, I think he’ll get HOF consideration. But, that’s it… consideration.
Maybe a modicum of consideration, but that’s about it. Just look at Rudy Tomjanovich, he probably had a better career than Conley. And just as a player, not counting his coaching career that featured two championships. He has been waiting for years to get in, and definitely deserves to be there.
If Wiggins is worth that much then heck yeah Conely deserves that much
jump shot running it to the rim and throwing down, with authority.
the crowd goes wild.
You know… anyone on this site could be a voter right? Not a bunch of ESPN or team beat writers. But, supposing I’m not a voter, I would go out on a limb and say the voters have eyes.
Just do a case study. Another 13 yr guy averaged 19.3 pts and 7.6 assists. And he had a good career the Chinese basketball league. Not in the HOF yet. Most think would be a no-brainer. Stephon Marbury. Basketball Reference gives him a 6.9% chance at HOF. Conley sits at .0025%.
So do you really think Conley pass the eye test? In the no-handchecking era of the NBA?
I mean I commend you on your snarkiness but it’s a tough sword to fall on unless you’re related to Conley or a Memphis homer.
So very true, one of the greatest shames that Starbury ain’t in the HOF, he was one of my favorite players in his day, the dude could ball & some more!!!
Without a doubt Starbury was so much better than Conley has or will ever be.
Stephon Marbury, Baron Davis, Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace all need to be in the HOF.
Yeah really well said. He’s a grizzlies great along with ZBo and Gasol with that grit and grind team but he’s not at all even close to HOF if you ask me.
I wouldn’t even call him a top 15 PG in today’s league…
Russ Curry Young C.Paul Simmons Lillard Irving Walker Bledsloe Lowry J.Murray Morant Fox Brogdan LBJ (if you count him) Wall (pre injury) Dinwiddie Russell Ball SGA that’s 20…
As I mentioned, I think he’ll get HOF consideration. But, that’s it… consideration.
Starbury was actually a star. Conley in his best years was just a good player, never better than the 3rd guy on his team. Marbury is one of the most underrated Point Guards of all-time. Conley is quickly becoming one of the most overrated.
Starbury ate vaseline on a selfie video.
For practically that alone, he’ll never be inducted into the Naismith Hall-of-Fame.
Damn straight
Conley has never even made an All Star Game. If he is a Hall of Famer, then who isn’t?
Dudes hardly even a starter these days. I would even call him top 20
I would not call Conley a HOFer but he should have been allstar maybe 3 times between 2011-2019. I posted some charts in 2019. An issue of the small media market and un-glamotous team.
Okay let’s pick on Grant, Reid & Daniels now.
The story of this group are their turnarounds… the beginings of.
PS the salaries of Conley or anyone should not matter when ranking them. Just be happy salaries are even published publicly!
Sometimes I wish salaries weren’t published publicly. Maybe people would just focus on how these guys play instead of whether or not they are believed to be overpaid. Chris Paul comes to mind.
Iggy’s contract in Philly was a huge issue. People straight up hated that dude b/c he was paid like an All-Star at the time.
Who from the Western Conference should he have replaced in the All-Star game? Specifically guards. Also most of those years the idea of the Grizzlies getting 3 All-Stars was not going to happen. He was the distant third guy on that team, way behind Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.
Talking about guys who should have been multi-time All-Stars, Josh Smith got screwed by the “there has to be a Center” mentality that got Al Horford multiple undeserved All-Star selections over Josh who was for much of that time the Hawks best player, but because he wasn’t as popular as Joe Johnson and the East was weak as hell at Center, Horford made the All-Stars instead. And you “cant” give a 53 win Hawks team 3 All-Stars but you can give a 60 win Hawks team 4 All-Stars for some reason. Teague and Korver as All-Stars was such a joke.
See below. Error, Gasol was still on Memphis.
Play and salaries are linked, it’s why teams pay.
Really like Conley, just not at that price point.
HOF, nope, but was robbed out of a couple of All Star nods. Just like Beal and Booker were.
Can see Grant opting out for a new Mid Level 4 year. Just to get ahead of the 2021 All Star class crunch.
Would trust JJ on Naz development insight. Liked Naz at the draft on right team for his style.
Maybe Daniel’s can get his stroke back with the Nuggets, he’s been MIA.
shmurdascene, way to include IRL considerations in allstar voting.
I was posting on HR when Conley was snubbed for 2019 and made a chart. Can’t find it of course but stated how he had a better case than one or two others that made it based on stats at the time. (HR sould be easier to research Luke.)
Using full 2019 stats though can give a picture. Comparing Conley to all 4 EC allstar reserves (Lowry, Beal, D’Lo, Ben Simmons), Conley is statistically better then ALL of them in “advanced stats”. PER, VORP, BPM, WS/48, & WS (Simmons was #1 in WS).
Also Conley should have gotten bonus points for never having gotten in. The other two Griz you mentioned were gone. And all but Lowry were on losing teams, including starters Irving & Walker! Also, MC is a known good-guy who got few NBA honors. I can hope a unique style did not hold recognition back.
link to basketball-reference.com