Mike Conley Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mike Conley Unavailable For Game 3

June 12th, 2021 at 1:53pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-Star point guard Mike Conley will remain sidelined with a right hamstring strain as the Jazz continue their second-round playoff series against the Clippers tonight, writes Sarah Todd of the Deseret News.

Conley will now have missed the first three games of the series with the injury. He initially suffered the hamstring strain in the closeout fifth game of Utah’s first-round series against the Grizzlies, Conley’s former squad. The Jazz won that series 4-1.

The top-seeded Jazz currently hold a 2-0 lead over L.A., although the Clippers did battle back from such a margin to best the Mavericks in their own seven-game first-round series earlier in the 2021 postseason.

Conley averaged 17.4 PPG and 8.6 APG during the Jazz’s first-round contest against Memphis. He also connected on 54.8% of his three-point attempts.

With the veteran point guard still sidelined, his fellow All-Star Donovan Mitchell will continue to see increased ball-handling responsibilities. Forward Joe Ingles has moved into the starting lineup in the absence of Conley, and has also taken on more play-making duties in his stead.

Jazz Notes: Conley, Mitchell, Gobert, Clarkson

June 11th, 2021 at 8:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mike Conley is listed as questionable for Saturday’s Game 3 of the Jazz’s second-round series against the Clippers, Tony Jones of The Athletic tweets. Conley suffered a right hamstring strain in the series finale against the Grizzlies on June 2nd. The Jazz have used a three-guard rotation of Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles and Jordan Clarkson in his absence while winning the first two games of the series.

We have more on the Jazz:

Mitchell tweaked his right ankle in the closing seconds of Game 2 but he says he’ll be ready to go on Saturday, Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes. Mitchell missed Utah’s playoff opener with a right ankle sprain, the only game the Jazz have lost in this postseason. “I got hit and it hurt, but I’m fine now,” Mitchell said. “I walked in here (to the interview room). If you want me to sprint for you, I can. I’m good.”
Rudy Gobert won his third Defensive Player of the Year award and he says that being an elite defender requires plenty of dedication, according to Sarah Todd of the Deseret News. “It takes relentless dedication every day,” Gobert said. “In this league, we have so many games, being able to stay healthy and being able to stay strong, being able to try to bring it every single night for my team, it’s a challenge. It’s a lot of hard work and dedication and things that people don’t see.”
Clarkson is averaging 21 points in the series and he’s victimizing his former mentor, Joe Vardon of The Athletic notes. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue was Clarkson’s coach in Cleveland during the 2017/18 season. “He talked to me about all of this, how to carry yourself in the playoffs, how to move in the playoffs, what to do, finding a routine,” Clarkson said of Lue. “It’s strictly competing, but seeing him over there, that’s somebody you care about before he was doing that. Ty Lue has always been talking to me, texting me, he’s been in my ear even before he was in Cleveland.”

Mike Conley Remains Sidelined For Game 2

June 10th, 2021 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz will be without their starting point guard again on Thursday night, having officially ruled out Mike Conley for Game 2 against the Clippers, tweets Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Conley has been sidelined since suffering a mild right hamstring strain in Game 5 of Utah’s first-round series vs. Memphis. However, the Jazz haven’t missed a beat without him so far, finishing off the Grizzlies and then winning Game 1 against Los Angeles.

With Conley out on Tuesday, the Jazz leaned more heavily on Donovan Mitchell, who scored 45 points in 37 minutes. Mitchell had averaged a little less than 30 minutes per game since returning from his ankle sprain in Game 2 vs. the Grizzlies, so Tuesday’s workload represented a significant uptick in minutes for him. Joe Ingles also took on more of a play-making role in Game 1 against the Clippers, recording seven assists.

Conley is considered day-to-day and – before being ruled out – has been listed as questionable leading up to each of the first two games of this series. It seems like he may not be far off from a return, but the Jazz won’t rush him back before he’s ready.

Jazz Notes: Conley, Bogdanovic, Ingles, Clippers

June 10th, 2021 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

Jazz guard Mike Conley is listed as questionable to play in Game 2 of the team’s second-round series against the Clippers on Thursday night, per the NBA’s official injury report. Conley, who suffered a mild right hamstring strain in Game 5 of the first round against Memphis, was also listed as questionable leading up to Game 1 vs. the Clippers on Tuesday before being ruled out.

The Jazz have a reputation for being careful with injuries. The team held Donovan Mitchell out of the first game of the postseason last month, much to Mitchell’s dismay. So while it seems like Conley is getting closer to returning to action, we shouldn’t expect to see him on the court until the club is confident he’s 100% or close to it.

Here’s more out of Utah:

The contributions of Bojan Bogdanovic are crucial to Utah’s title hopes, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Bogdanovic’s decision to sign a four-year contract with the Jazz as a free agent in 2019 represented a big win for the franchise both from a basketball perspective and a symbolic one, as Jones details. “We were glad that he chose us because he had options,” Jazz executive VP of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey told Jones. “Him choosing us was a sign that we could be a destination market, and it’s just been an excellent marriage. He’s met our level defensively. He’s such a versatile scorer and he’s a huge weapon for us because of how many ways he can score and shoot the ball.”
Even if the Jazz advance to the NBA Finals and don’t finish their season until July 22, don’t expect Joe Ingles to skip the Olympics this summer, tweets Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “I’ll get on a plane the next day and I’ll make my way over to Japan,” said Ingles, who will represent Australia at the Tokyo games.
The Jazz haven’t forgotten the way the Clippers seemingly tanked at the end of the regular season to get into the No. 4 seed, avoiding a possible matchup with the Lakers in the Western Semifinals and lining one a series with Utah instead. Entering the second round, it sounded like Utah was using that as motivation, as Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register writes. “Obviously, we’re a matchup that the Clippers felt like was an advantageous matchup for them,” Jazz head coach Quin Snyder told reporters on Tuesday.

Mike Conley To Miss Game 1 Vs. Clippers

June 8th, 2021 at 12:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jazz guard Mike Conley won’t play in tonight’s opener of the Western Conference Semifinals, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The team announced he will miss the game with a mild right hamstring strain.

Conley felt tightness in the hamstring in the first quarter of Utah’s closeout win against the Grizzlies last Wednesday, according to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. He was ruled out of the game at halftime.

Conley was only a partial participant at Monday’s practice, and the team decided to sit him out tonight after today’s shootaround, Walden adds.

“Hopefully we get him back as quickly as possible, but those things are tricky,” coach Quin Snyder told reporters (Twitter link from Walden).

Conley is coming off the first All-Star season in his 14-year NBA career, averaging 16.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 51 games. Game 2 of the series will be Thursday night.

Northwest Notes: Blazers, Lillard, Conley, Barton, Dozier

June 7th, 2021 at 7:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Trail Blazers are compiling a list of candidates to replace coach Terry Stotts and the first round of virtual interviews could begin this week, according to Anne Peterson of The Associated Press.

“We’re running a very expansive, diverse search,” Portland GM Neil Olshey said. “We’ll probably have anywhere from 20 to 25 candidates in there with biographical data, background, intel, impact studies, coaching records, playing records, etc., so that we all are speaking the same language as we vet these candidates.”

Olshey won’t reach out to teams or agents requesting permission to conduct formal interviews until he reviews all of that information.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Damian Lillard is expected to have a major say in the Trail Blazers’ coaching search and even went public with his affinity for Jason Kidd, who has since pulled himself out of consideration, and Chauncey Billups. However, Lillard is not making demands of any kind when it comes to the coaching hire, Sam Amick of The Athletic reports. He’ll let the front office and ownership handle the search and they’ll communicate with their franchise player during the process.
Jazz point guard Mike Conley participated in parts of Monday’s practice, Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets. Conley suffered a mild right hamstring strain during Game 5 of the first round against Memphis. The team has listed him as questionable for Game 1 against the Clippers on Tuesday (Twitter link). He averaged 20 PPG and 10.25 APG during the first four games of the playoffs.
Not only did the Nuggets eliminate the Trail Blazers without Jamal Murray, they were also missing Will Barton (hamstring) and PJ Dozier (adductor). That could change for the second-round matchup with the Suns, coach Michael Malone said to Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Post. They won’t play in Game 1 on Monday but they have returned to practice. “There is definitely hope and optimism that they will be available at some point during the series,” Malone said.

Mild Right Hamstring Strain Leaves Mike Conley Day-To-Day

June 3rd, 2021 at 6:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-Star Jazz point guard Mike Conley left the fifth and final game in Utah’s first-round series against the Grizzlies after having played just 12 minutes with what was described as right hamstring soreness.

Following an MRI today, the team has determined that Conley suffered a mild right hamstring strain, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. Jones says that Conley is day-to-day with the injury, and the top-seeded club will reassess his status ahead of the first game of the team’s Western Conference semifinals series against the winner of the Clippers-Mavericks series.

The 33-year-old Conley will be an unrestricted free agent this season. He has expressed a desire to remain with the Jazz for his next contract, but is sure to have a variety of suitors as he enters free agency.

The 6’1″ veteran has enjoyed a stellar 2020/21 season with the Jazz when healthy, averaging 16.2 PPG, 6.0 APG and 3.5 RPG in just 29.4 MPG across 51 regular season games, while posting a shooting line of .444/.412/.852. Conley has proven to be an excellent backcourt mate for All-Star Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell. The Jazz are one of the West’s deepest playoff clubs, and before Conley’s injury had been one of its healthiest.

Jazz Notes: Conley, Mitchell, Gobert, Arena Capacity

June 3rd, 2021 at 2:17pm CST by Eli Cohen

Jazz guard Mike Conley exited game five of Utah’s series against the Grizzlies due to right hamstring soreness after playing just 12 minutes. But despite being frustrated by the setback, he feels confident he’ll be back in round two, whether against the Clippers or Mavericks, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News.

“It’s playoffs, so my mindset is I’ll be ready to play,” Conley said. “We’re gonna just see what happens in next few days and be smart about how we approach it going into this next series.”

Conley bounced back from a rocky first season in Utah, in which he was dealing with a similar hamstring ailment, and had averaged 20 points and over 10 assists per game in the first four games of the series. With at least four days between the end of the Grizzlies series and the start of round two, the Jazz can afford to be cautious.

The veteran point guard was scheduled to undergo an MRI this morning, per Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

Here’s more on the Jazz:

When Donovan Mitchell went down with an ankle injury on April 16, he channeled his frustration by diving back into preparing for the playoffs in the same way he did during the Orlando bubble from last year, reports ESPN’s Jackie McMullan. One person who was crucial to his preparations for this year’s playoffs was new minority owner Dwyane Wade, who has served as a mentor figure for Mitchell for years. “You are trying to attack from so many different angles, but you can attack it from one angle if you are patient,” Wade counseled.
Rudy Gobert sits down with Shams Charania of Stadium to discuss being a number one seed, championship expectations, and playing with Mitchell. “Every year we had to earn, and earn, and earn the respect as a team, and earn every single win, and you know, we’re still going to have to earn this championship and you know, the story will be amazing,” Gobert said.
The Jazz announced Thursday morning that they’ll be increasing attendance at Vivint Arena to its full 18,306 person capacity for round two of the playoffs, the largest NBA crowd of any game this season, writes Ryan McDonald of The Deseret News. The arena will limit some lower bowl attendance around the team benches, but will make up for it with increased standing room only capacity. Masks will still be mandatory.

Northwest Notes: Conley, Gobert, Malone, Trail Blazers

May 30th, 2021 at 9:54am CST by Arthur Hill

Mike Conley turned in a vintage performance Saturday night in his first road playoff game at Memphis, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. The veteran point guard made it a memorable homecoming with 27 points, eight assists and six rebounds as the Jazz pulled out a Game 3 victory.

Conley spent 12 years with the Grizzlies and was a fan favorite before being traded to Utah in 2019. This first-round series has him battling with second-year guard Ja Morant, who has become the new face of the franchise.

“It’s amazing to be playing against a guy like Ja, first off,” Conley said. “Just seeing a guy that’s so talented, he’s a young superstar in the league, wearing the jersey that I’m so used to wearing. Getting the cheers from the crowd that I’m so used to hearing. It’s surreal. It’s like full circle. You never thought that it would be this way. I never did, at least. It’s like sometimes you live long enough to become the villain, and I’ve become that for the Memphis Grizzlies now.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Rudy Gobert was thinking of Mark Eaton after Saturday’s win, according to Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. Eaton, a former Jazz center and shot-blocking specialist, died Friday at age 64. “I know that if he was here I would have got a text after the game saying, ‘Way to protect the paint, big guy,’” Gobert said.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone called out his team — and especially his starters — after a lopsided loss to Portland in Saturday’s Game 4, writes Royce Young of ESPN. With a chance to go up 3-1 in the series, Denver came out flat and never seriously challenged the Trail Blazers. The Nuggets’ starting unit was outscored 49-26 when it was on the floor and shot 30% from the field while Portland was making 65% of its shots. “Our starters were awful,” Malone said. “I thought we had some guys that were tentative, that looked a little scared, who played soft … we’re going to have to be a lot better going home.” He later added, “I can’t believe we’re actually talking about playing hard in a playoff game. That should be a given.”
With the Trail Blazers’ season hanging in the balance, Jusuf Nurkic and Norman Powell both came into Saturday’s game with something to prove, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic. Nurkic was upset over disparaging comments about his defense, while Powell wanted to show he could be the difference maker Portland expected when it acquired him at the trade deadline.

Jazz Notes: Conley, Snyder, Ilyasova, Mitchell

May 22nd, 2021 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mike Conley was a beloved figure during the 12 years he spent with the Grizzlies, so it’s going to be odd to face his old team in a playoff series, writes Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Conley will square off with 21-year-old point guard Ja Morant, who was drafted to replace him after he was traded to the Jazz in 2019.

“I know how great the fans are there when they’re rooting for you, but I don’t know what it’s like when they’re against you,” Conley said. “I’m looking forward to that. It’s a new chapter for me and it’ll be fun to compete in the city that was home for me for so long against the team that’s playing so well.”

Conley had one of his best seasons at age 33 and is coming off his first All-Star appearance. He had a difficult adjustment to Utah last season, but posted numbers this year that are typical of what he used to do in Memphis: 16.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game while shooting 44% from the field and 41% from three-point range.

“I felt really comfortable in my role this year, how I’m used and how I can be effective for our team,” Conley said. “I think the bubble kind of helped expedite that and now with everybody healthy … everybody has really bought into their roles so much that we feel really comfortable and confident with what we have, and we feel like we can go to bat with anybody.”

There’s more from Utah:

The new play-in tournament put the top-seeded Jazz in the awkward position of not knowing their first-round playoff opponent until late Friday night, notes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. “It’s really different,” coach Quin Snyder said. “Some teams, they’ve known who they’re playing since early in the week. Their preparation is going to look very different from ours. Not knowing who you’re playing, you want to work, you’re ready to go, but at the same time be really smart about what it is that you’re doing.”
Ersan Ilyasova is the only player listed on Utah’s injury report for Game 1, tweets Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. He is dealing with an illness that is not related to COVID-19.
In case you missed it, Donovan Mitchell returned to practice Thursday and is hoping his sprained right ankle has healed enough for him to be active for the playoff opener.