I believe if we signed him and a solid SG like Courtney Lee, and maybe David Lee as a backup big, we could win 50 games next season. I'm 100% serious.

The 7 ways to understand Mike Conley's brilliance

click the link for some videos and gifs, but I'm pasting the seven points

http://www.sbnation.com/2015/4/23/8474739/mike-conley-memphis-grizzlies-highlights-stats

1. Mike Conley locks down.

Point guard defense is easily misunderstood, yet vitally important. There's a school of thought that point guard defense doesn't matter because nobody can play it in this anti-handcheck era. Mike Conley singlehandily proves that wrong.

Just ask Damian Lillard. The Blazers' point guard was a playoff hero last year, carving up the acclaimed Patrick Beverley and eventually sinking Houston's hopes with one memorable buzzer beater. He's being eaten alive by Conley in this series.

When Lillard rubs off a high screen, Conley is there. When Lillard loops around to step into his patented 27-foot bomb, Conley is there. When Lillard pushes forward in an attempt to attack the tin, Conley is there. It's as if Lillard is looking at a portable mirror.

Lillard is a two-time All-Star. Conley's defense makes him look like John Bagley.

2. Mike Conley funnels.

This isn't the same as locking down, but it's arguably more important. Conley knows the Grizzlies' defense is great because all five players execute a system. His job is not to stop Damian Lillard so much as it is to push Lillard to the areas on the floor where he can be stopped. That means cajoling Lillard into the jaws of his help defenders like a Venus Fly Trap.

Here, Conley has a built-in advantage. Marc Gasol is a former Defensive Player of the Year, and the Grizzlies' core has been together for a long time. Lillard is playing without his best three-point shooter and his replacement starting shooting guard. Still, no other Lillard defender -- not Tony Allen, not Courtney Lee and definitely not Beno Udrih -- has the discipline and dogged pursuit to slip around and through screens to force Lillard into uncomfortable spots on the court.

3. Mike Conley manages an offense.

This sounds like more boilerplate, and yet it is incredibly meaningful. While Lillard hunts his own shots, Conley is seeking hockey assists. These don't come easily, especially not for a point guard quarterbacking a two-post offense in the spacing era. Yet Conley finds ways to make it happen.

There's a certain flow great passing point guards require, and Conley has that flow. It's not enough to run through or cautiously brush off a pick and roll. There's an art to the timing required. Conley must wait until his big man is set, then fool the defender into coming just a little out of his stance before zooming through the screen. Watch how Conley gives Lillard a false sense of security before sprinting into a double screen for this dribble handoff.

4. Mike Conley slips through the cracks.

There isn't a lot of space in the Grizzlies' offense, so a point guard needs to be able to maneuver in tight spaces. When Conley does choose to attack, he does so in jagged lines. He's fooling defenders into thinking he's going one way, then plants and darts the other.

Look at this stop, drop and roll routine to seal Game 2.

This applies to passing too. Every point guard must throw sound pocket passes. Few point guards must throw sound pocket passes through a tiny hole in the wall. This is the tiny hole that the Grizzlies' offense provides.

5. Mike Conley reads defenses.

Actually, he plays tricks on defenses like the weird fisherman dangling a dollar bill in that State Farm commercial. The Blazers tried pushing Conley to the left baseline on three possessions in a row early in the third quarter of Game 2, hoping they could swarm him with bodies and cut off any passing angle. Conley told the Blazers to bring it on. He went right into the danger zone, kept his dribble alive, turned his head just long enough for the fourth defender to relax and hit Tony Allen charging down the lane.

On the next play, he just held the ball until the referee had to call a defensive three seconds. A couple minutes later, Conley waited for Lillard to engage in some defensive hero ball and found Lillard's man, Courtney Lee, at the top of the key.

Multiple defenders were staring down Conley's face from the worst possible angle on the floor. He still had the poise to know that the opponent furthest from the play determined his decision.

6. Mike Conley deflects praise.

Lots of point guards are unselfish only to the point where they want everyone to know they're unselfish. They don't score, sure, but they sure as hell want people to recognize that they don't score. It's only natural to want to be known as a nice person that helps other people.

Mike Conley isn't like that. His first two answers to TNT's Lewis Johnson after the game focused on his team's defense and Tony Allen's play. The defensive effort was something he fueled, but he described it as an anthropomorphous being that he didn't control. Allen did the stuff he does all the time, but even he would say Conley was the key to the victory.

This is the attitude of a point guard that plays like he has multiple alarm clocks reminding him when his teammates need to touch the ball.

7. Mike Conley plays hurt.

He has a foot injury that feels like this.

And is located here.

He won't complain about it because he never does. It's not like he needs to be healthy to control a series, anyway.

crzymdups wrote:PG - Conley / Grant / Wroten
SG - Courtney Lee / Galloway / Sasha
SF - Melo / Lance Thomas / Early
PF - KP / David Lee / rookie or maybe DWill if he opts in
C - Rolo / Hernangomez / Seraphin

I'd be down with that roster but i see Seraphin leaving and KOQ staying since Seraphin is a free agent and KOQ is signed for 3 more years. I don't think we could ask for much more than getting rid of Calderon and Afflalo and bringing in M.Conley, C.Lee and D.Lee. That lineup brings everything a good team needs with defense, 3 point shooting, rebounding and some guards that can get to the basket with speed.

I can't believe i'm about to say this but even Rambis could coach that team to the playoffs.......i think......i hope......damn it i'm scared.

We might tweak the roster and get back to the 500 play we had at the start of the year, I just don't see the path from there to a championship caliber team.

anrst wrote:he's old

He's five months older than Steph Curry.

crzymdups wrote:No guarantee he signs here, but he is exactly the PG this team needs.

I believe if we signed him and a solid SG like Courtney Lee, and maybe David Lee as a backup big, we could win 50 games next season. I'm 100% serious.

The 7 ways to understand Mike Conley's brilliance

click the link for some videos and gifs, but I'm pasting the seven points

http://www.sbnation.com/2015/4/23/8474739/mike-conley-memphis-grizzlies-highlights-stats

1. Mike Conley locks down.

Point guard defense is easily misunderstood, yet vitally important. There's a school of thought that point guard defense doesn't matter because nobody can play it in this anti-handcheck era. Mike Conley singlehandily proves that wrong.

Just ask Damian Lillard. The Blazers' point guard was a playoff hero last year, carving up the acclaimed Patrick Beverley and eventually sinking Houston's hopes with one memorable buzzer beater. He's being eaten alive by Conley in this series.

When Lillard rubs off a high screen, Conley is there. When Lillard loops around to step into his patented 27-foot bomb, Conley is there. When Lillard pushes forward in an attempt to attack the tin, Conley is there. It's as if Lillard is looking at a portable mirror.

Lillard is a two-time All-Star. Conley's defense makes him look like John Bagley.

2. Mike Conley funnels.

This isn't the same as locking down, but it's arguably more important. Conley knows the Grizzlies' defense is great because all five players execute a system. His job is not to stop Damian Lillard so much as it is to push Lillard to the areas on the floor where he can be stopped. That means cajoling Lillard into the jaws of his help defenders like a Venus Fly Trap.

Here, Conley has a built-in advantage. Marc Gasol is a former Defensive Player of the Year, and the Grizzlies' core has been together for a long time. Lillard is playing without his best three-point shooter and his replacement starting shooting guard. Still, no other Lillard defender -- not Tony Allen, not Courtney Lee and definitely not Beno Udrih -- has the discipline and dogged pursuit to slip around and through screens to force Lillard into uncomfortable spots on the court.

3. Mike Conley manages an offense.

This sounds like more boilerplate, and yet it is incredibly meaningful. While Lillard hunts his own shots, Conley is seeking hockey assists. These don't come easily, especially not for a point guard quarterbacking a two-post offense in the spacing era. Yet Conley finds ways to make it happen.

There's a certain flow great passing point guards require, and Conley has that flow. It's not enough to run through or cautiously brush off a pick and roll. There's an art to the timing required. Conley must wait until his big man is set, then fool the defender into coming just a little out of his stance before zooming through the screen. Watch how Conley gives Lillard a false sense of security before sprinting into a double screen for this dribble handoff.

4. Mike Conley slips through the cracks.

There isn't a lot of space in the Grizzlies' offense, so a point guard needs to be able to maneuver in tight spaces. When Conley does choose to attack, he does so in jagged lines. He's fooling defenders into thinking he's going one way, then plants and darts the other.

Look at this stop, drop and roll routine to seal Game 2.

This applies to passing too. Every point guard must throw sound pocket passes. Few point guards must throw sound pocket passes through a tiny hole in the wall. This is the tiny hole that the Grizzlies' offense provides.

5. Mike Conley reads defenses.

Actually, he plays tricks on defenses like the weird fisherman dangling a dollar bill in that State Farm commercial. The Blazers tried pushing Conley to the left baseline on three possessions in a row early in the third quarter of Game 2, hoping they could swarm him with bodies and cut off any passing angle. Conley told the Blazers to bring it on. He went right into the danger zone, kept his dribble alive, turned his head just long enough for the fourth defender to relax and hit Tony Allen charging down the lane.

On the next play, he just held the ball until the referee had to call a defensive three seconds. A couple minutes later, Conley waited for Lillard to engage in some defensive hero ball and found Lillard's man, Courtney Lee, at the top of the key.

Multiple defenders were staring down Conley's face from the worst possible angle on the floor. He still had the poise to know that the opponent furthest from the play determined his decision.

6. Mike Conley deflects praise.

Lots of point guards are unselfish only to the point where they want everyone to know they're unselfish. They don't score, sure, but they sure as hell want people to recognize that they don't score. It's only natural to want to be known as a nice person that helps other people.

Mike Conley isn't like that. His first two answers to TNT's Lewis Johnson after the game focused on his team's defense and Tony Allen's play. The defensive effort was something he fueled, but he described it as an anthropomorphous being that he didn't control. Allen did the stuff he does all the time, but even he would say Conley was the key to the victory.

This is the attitude of a point guard that plays like he has multiple alarm clocks reminding him when his teammates need to touch the ball.

7. Mike Conley plays hurt.

He has a foot injury that feels like this.

And is located here.

He won't complain about it because he never does. It's not like he needs to be healthy to control a series, anyway.

Your not his agent are you? I think your wasting money on Conley this team needs an elite shooting guard to make things work not PG the pG in the triangle is nothing but defense and facilitating the triangle with the ability to hit occasional threes.

The Knicks employ Jose Calderon, Jerian Grant and Langston Galloway. Each is at a different stage in his career, but it's safe to say none will ever be as good as Conley (even Calderon). Add a stabilizing third wheel to the Carmelo Anthony-Kristaps Porzingis frontcourt, and New York would be legitimately competitive for the first time in a long time.

Vmart wrote:
Your not his agent are you? I think your wasting money on Conley this team needs an elite she to make things work not PG the pG in the triangle is nothing but defense and facilitating the triangle with the ability to hit occasional threes.

If you don't understand how Conley might be the most perfect guard for this team and the Triangle, that's ok.

Phil and Rambis have talked about how the team lacks penetration. Conley is one of the best facilitating PGs in the game. He's one of the best defensive PGs in the game. He runs a similar post offense in Memphis to perfection and knows how to counter when the post is overplayed.

I think he'd be perfect here. But to each their own.

Vmart wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

Vmart wrote:
Your not his agent are you? I think your wasting money on Conley this team needs an elite she to make things work not PG the pG in the triangle is nothing but defense and facilitating the triangle with the ability to hit occasional threes.

If you don't understand how Conley might be the most perfect guard for this team and the Triangle, that's ok.

Phil and Rambis have talked about how the team lacks penetration. Conley is one of the best facilitating PGs in the game. He's one of the best defensive PGs in the game. He runs a similar post offense in Memphis to perfection and knows how to counter when the post is overplayed.

I think he'd be perfect here. But to each their own.

The penetrating guard has always been the Shooting Guard in the triangle. Phil is already on record that they don't need an elite or great pg.

Well, I hope Phil takes some time off from being right to watch an NBA game circa 2016 and realizes how wrong he is.