Season	Age	Tm	Lg	Pos	G	MP
2011-12	24	MEM	NBA	PG	62	2174	
2012-13	25	MEM	NBA	PG	80	2757	
2013-14	26	MEM	NBA	PG	73	2446	
2014-15	27	MEM	NBA	PG	70	2225	
2015-16	28	MEM	NBA	PG	56	1760

Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley is not expected to return from his Achilles injury even if Memphis can reach the playoffs, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal.

Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger was asked if he expected to see four injured Grizzlies players (Conley, Jordan Adams, Brandan Wright and P.J. Hairston) return this season. He responded was that he thought Hairston would return and didn't mention the others. Tillery independently confirmed that Conley will not return until next season "barring a miraculous recovery by the time the postseason begins."

Conley was originally ruled out for 3-4 weeks back in mid-March with Achilles tendonitis, which would have put him on track to return for the playoffs. However, his condition has not improved significantly and the organization fears he will suffer a much more serious Achilles injury like backup Mario Chalmers did a few days later. Memphis must therefore finish the season with only Jordan Farmar, Xavier Munford and Ray McCallum at the position.

The Grizzlies are still in fifth place in the Western Conference with a 41-36 record, but have been sinking quickly thanks to numerous injuries to key stars. Franchise center Marc Gasol remains out after breaking his foot and Chalmers has already been waived after his season-ending injury.

The Grizzlies are three games ahead of ninth-place Houston with only five contests left to play, but have a difficult closing schedule that includes two against Golden State, a road contest against the Clippers and crucial games against the Mavericks and Bulls, who are both fighting for their playoff lives. Memphis is an underdog in all five of those games, and the Rockets, Jazz, Mavericks and Blazers (all within three games of Memphis) have significantly easier run-ins.

Conley is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, where he'll be the top point guard on the market. All signs point to him returning to Memphis, but stranger things have happened.

nixluva wrote:Should we be concerned with Conley's health? Last 5 years he's been missing time. Now he has some nagging Achilles injury.

Season	Age	Tm	Lg	Pos	G	MP
2011-12	24	MEM	NBA	PG	62	2174	LOCKOUT SEASON 66 GAMES
2012-13	25	MEM	NBA	PG	80	2757	
2013-14	26	MEM	NBA	PG	73	2446	
2014-15	27	MEM	NBA	PG	70	2225	
2015-16	28	MEM	NBA	PG	56	1760

I mean, he played in 86% of the games over a five year span. 341 games out of 396 regular season games possible. Only 66 games in 2011-12 because it was a lockout shortened season.

That's actually pretty solid.

I'm not sure how serious his current Achilles issue is, but that track record over the past five years should definitely not be a negative. 86% is great over five years.

For comparison, Melo played in 308 out of 396 games in the same time span, or 77%.

edit: Conley also played and started in 37 playoffs games over those five years, so his actual game played rate is 378/433 = 87.3%

nixluva wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:Fans seem to fear taking a chance on anyone these days. But there is no perfect player that is coming here on a bargain contract in order to save the Knicks. Knicks are viewed as a perennial loser at the moment. We need to take a shot at a Conley and start having some success. Players and NBA people will start to give NY more respect. If it don't work out then that's what keeping your draft picks are for. As well as working the draft the same way Phil did last yr nabbing Grant and Willie. But if it do work out and we are in the playoffs. If KP is able to have some big playoff games or Grant or any young player or role player. Then there value skyrockets around the league. Players will see KP in the light of a player they could win a championship with.

I agree we need to target difference makers. Just understand we're talking about big money to bring in Conley! I'm not so sure about putting that much into an older PG with miles on him and what could be the beginning of him breaking down. Do we need to risk that? I'd rather go hard after KD or DeRozan if I'm gonna risk that kind of money. Conley is a very good player but I think we have to be careful. It's a tough call.

crzymdups wrote:

nixluva wrote:Should we be concerned with Conley's health? Last 5 years he's been missing time. Now he has some nagging Achilles injury.

Season	Age	Tm	Lg	Pos	G	MP
2011-12	24	MEM	NBA	PG	62	2174	LOCKOUT SEASON 66 GAMES
2012-13	25	MEM	NBA	PG	80	2757	
2013-14	26	MEM	NBA	PG	73	2446	
2014-15	27	MEM	NBA	PG	70	2225	
2015-16	28	MEM	NBA	PG	56	1760

I mean, he played in 86% of the games over a five year span. 341 games out of 396 regular season games possible. Only 66 games in 2011-12 because it was a lockout shortened season.

That's actually pretty solid.

I'm not sure how serious his current Achilles issue is, but that track record over the past five years should definitely not be a negative. 86% is great over five years.

For comparison, Melo played in 308 out of 396 games in the same time span, or 77%.

edit: Conley also played and started in 37 playoffs games over those five years, so his actual game played rate is 378/433 = 87.3%

He's not a max player, and in this day and age, you need a very good back up, injuries can happen to anyone anytime, you just need to be deep enough to last in this league

knickscity wrote:

nixluva wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:Fans seem to fear taking a chance on anyone these days. But there is no perfect player that is coming here on a bargain contract in order to save the Knicks. Knicks are viewed as a perennial loser at the moment. We need to take a shot at a Conley and start having some success. Players and NBA people will start to give NY more respect. If it don't work out then that's what keeping your draft picks are for. As well as working the draft the same way Phil did last yr nabbing Grant and Willie. But if it do work out and we are in the playoffs. If KP is able to have some big playoff games or Grant or any young player or role player. Then there value skyrockets around the league. Players will see KP in the light of a player they could win a championship with.

I agree we need to target difference makers. Just understand we're talking about big money to bring in Conley! I'm not so sure about putting that much into an older PG with miles on him and what could be the beginning of him breaking down. Do we need to risk that? I'd rather go hard after KD or DeRozan if I'm gonna risk that kind of money. Conley is a very good player but I think we have to be careful. It's a tough call.

The Achilles injury is a concern, but he isn't an older pg. He's 28 right now. Derozan is nowhere near as good as Conley. KD has his foot concerns as well, relies on athleticism and is only one year younger than Conley.

DeRozan has a higher WS/48 than Conley this year. He may just be peaking as a player at 26.

KD is worth the risk given his actual ability. Plus there's a big difference between how PG's tend to age and bigs. KD may not be able to sustain his athletic ability for the rest of his career but he's always going to be BIG, highly skilled and a great shooter. As for his foot injury risk:

So why is this latest procedure expected to be successful in healing Durant’s problematic fracture? One of the benefits of bone grafting is that it directly places cells with a healthy blood supply in an underserved area, which may, ultimately, enhance the healing potential of the bone. In an article published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine in 2011 looking at bone-grafting procedures performed on re-fractures or non-unions of the fifth metatarsal in 21 elite college and professional athletes, the success rate for return to prior level of competition was 100 percent. At over two years' follow-up, only one athlete had suffered a subsequent re-fracture (the re-fracture was sustained in a motor vehicle accident, not in sports).

For those who might be wondering why not go with the bone grafting procedure first, it’s a more invasive, more complex surgery that requires a significantly longer healing time and it simply isn’t necessary in the majority of cases. Of the many athletes who sustain a Jones fracture that is surgically repaired, only a range of 5-10 percent will go on to have persistent problems that require bone grafting.

According to Dr. Norman Waldrop, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in foot and ankle injuries at Andrews Sports Medicine who has treated numerous Jones fractures in elite athletes, the good news is that for those who do require grafting, there is rarely any further treatment required. “Over 90 percent will go on to be fully competitive and free of complications for the remainder of their playing careers,” Waldrop said. Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez is perhaps the most recent example of a player to undergo surgery to address a re-fracture of the fifth metatarsal. Lopez had surgery last January and has played without incident so far this season.

It is also important to point out the Jones fracture is not the same type of dreaded “big man” injury that plagued Yao Ming or Bill Walton. Their fractures were to the navicular bone, a bone in the midfoot that forms a keystone of the arch on the inner aspect of the foot. It too has a poor healing supply and fails to respond in some cases even despite surgical intervention. It is vastly different from a Jones fracture and a navicular fracture that is resistant to healing can be a career-threatening injury. It’s worth noting there are no reported cases of an NBA player’s career ending as a result of a fifth metatarsal injury.

Add to the success rate for bone grafting post-Jones fracture the fact Durant is still young (just 26 years old) and the fact he has avoided the lower-extremity joint-pounding of a full NBA season, and his outlook for next year is promising. Naturally, there are still benchmarks to target. Durant has to heal from his latest operation without a setback, and he will have much work to do on the conditioning and training side to return not only to a competitive level of fitness but also to his MVP form. Still, the medical evidence tells us there is every reason for Durant, the Thunder and his legions of fans to have confidence in his foot heading into the fall.

crzymdups wrote:

nixluva wrote:Conley will be 29 at the start of next season and I don't believe he's got a lot left. Many PG's tail off and he may be showing signs of breaking down. Conley at big money for years 29, 30, 31, 32 may not be a good investment.

He's five months older than Steph Curry.

Maybe i'm wrong but I just have this notion that it might be a mistake to sign Conley to big dollars. It's not just about the age. Just not sure about Conley holding up. He has to go pretty hard to do what he does. He's not a big guy at 6-1 175 and it could be starting to take a toll on him already. Physically he may have already peaked and may only decline from this point. I don't know. Something just scares me about him.

Phil said he don't want to spend big money on a PG so we probably don't get Conley as he will have better options. But NY hasn't had Quality guard play for a Looooooooong time. Other then a season here or Linsanity there. But never consistent quality guard play season after season. And has been our downfall. If we have a chance to solidify that then we have to do it. Then work on younger options afterward. Mayne Grant develops while being Conleys backup.

nixluva wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:Fans seem to fear taking a chance on anyone these days. But there is no perfect player that is coming here on a bargain contract in order to save the Knicks. Knicks are viewed as a perennial loser at the moment. We need to take a shot at a Conley and start having some success. Players and NBA people will start to give NY more respect. If it don't work out then that's what keeping your draft picks are for. As well as working the draft the same way Phil did last yr nabbing Grant and Willie. But if it do work out and we are in the playoffs. If KP is able to have some big playoff games or Grant or any young player or role player. Then there value skyrockets around the league. Players will see KP in the light of a player they could win a championship with.

I agree we need to target difference makers. Just understand we're talking about big money to bring in Conley! I'm not so sure about putting that much into an older PG with miles on him and what could be the beginning of him breaking down. Do we need to risk that? I'd rather go hard after KD or DeRozan if I'm gonna risk that kind of money. Conley is a very good player but I think we have to be careful. It's a tough call.

Since when is 29 old?? Every player will have some type of baggage that comes with him but if this injury checks out to be fine for next season then i'm still where i've been at with Conley which is that he should be our top target with Derozan and Durant which all 3 have low percentages of leaving their teams they play for now but any of the 3 would be a huge help for our team.

nixluva wrote:

knickscity wrote:

nixluva wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:Fans seem to fear taking a chance on anyone these days. But there is no perfect player that is coming here on a bargain contract in order to save the Knicks. Knicks are viewed as a perennial loser at the moment. We need to take a shot at a Conley and start having some success. Players and NBA people will start to give NY more respect. If it don't work out then that's what keeping your draft picks are for. As well as working the draft the same way Phil did last yr nabbing Grant and Willie. But if it do work out and we are in the playoffs. If KP is able to have some big playoff games or Grant or any young player or role player. Then there value skyrockets around the league. Players will see KP in the light of a player they could win a championship with.

I agree we need to target difference makers. Just understand we're talking about big money to bring in Conley! I'm not so sure about putting that much into an older PG with miles on him and what could be the beginning of him breaking down. Do we need to risk that? I'd rather go hard after KD or DeRozan if I'm gonna risk that kind of money. Conley is a very good player but I think we have to be careful. It's a tough call.

The Achilles injury is a concern, but he isn't an older pg. He's 28 right now. Derozan is nowhere near as good as Conley. KD has his foot concerns as well, relies on athleticism and is only one year younger than Conley.

Conley will be 29 at the start of next season and I don't believe he's got a lot left. Many PG's tail off and he may be showing signs of breaking down. Conley at big money for years 29, 30, 31, 32 may not be a good investment.

DeRozan has a higher WS/48 than Conley this year. He may just be peaking as a player at 26.

KD is worth the risk given his actual ability. Plus there's a big difference between how PG's tend to age and bigs. KD may not be able to sustain his athletic ability for the rest of his career but he's always going to be BIG, highly skilled and a great shooter. As for his foot injury risk:

So why is this latest procedure expected to be successful in healing Durant’s problematic fracture? One of the benefits of bone grafting is that it directly places cells with a healthy blood supply in an underserved area, which may, ultimately, enhance the healing potential of the bone. In an article published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine in 2011 looking at bone-grafting procedures performed on re-fractures or non-unions of the fifth metatarsal in 21 elite college and professional athletes, the success rate for return to prior level of competition was 100 percent. At over two years' follow-up, only one athlete had suffered a subsequent re-fracture (the re-fracture was sustained in a motor vehicle accident, not in sports).

For those who might be wondering why not go with the bone grafting procedure first, it’s a more invasive, more complex surgery that requires a significantly longer healing time and it simply isn’t necessary in the majority of cases. Of the many athletes who sustain a Jones fracture that is surgically repaired, only a range of 5-10 percent will go on to have persistent problems that require bone grafting.

According to Dr. Norman Waldrop, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in foot and ankle injuries at Andrews Sports Medicine who has treated numerous Jones fractures in elite athletes, the good news is that for those who do require grafting, there is rarely any further treatment required. “Over 90 percent will go on to be fully competitive and free of complications for the remainder of their playing careers,” Waldrop said. Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez is perhaps the most recent example of a player to undergo surgery to address a re-fracture of the fifth metatarsal. Lopez had surgery last January and has played without incident so far this season.

It is also important to point out the Jones fracture is not the same type of dreaded “big man” injury that plagued Yao Ming or Bill Walton. Their fractures were to the navicular bone, a bone in the midfoot that forms a keystone of the arch on the inner aspect of the foot. It too has a poor healing supply and fails to respond in some cases even despite surgical intervention. It is vastly different from a Jones fracture and a navicular fracture that is resistant to healing can be a career-threatening injury. It’s worth noting there are no reported cases of an NBA player’s career ending as a result of a fifth metatarsal injury.

Add to the success rate for bone grafting post-Jones fracture the fact Durant is still young (just 26 years old) and the fact he has avoided the lower-extremity joint-pounding of a full NBA season, and his outlook for next year is promising. Naturally, there are still benchmarks to target. Durant has to heal from his latest operation without a setback, and he will have much work to do on the conditioning and training side to return not only to a competitive level of fitness but also to his MVP form. Still, the medical evidence tells us there is every reason for Durant, the Thunder and his legions of fans to have confidence in his foot heading into the fall.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/10/nba-kevin-durant-foot-injury-jones-stress-fracture

Which point guards is it that you think tailed off at age 29 exactly?? I think Conley will still be a top point guard in the NBA for ages 29, 30, 31 and 32 and even another year or two after that. I'm much more worried about injuries and the money than him being 29.