This isn’t how Mike Conley was hoping to be selected to NBA All-Star weekend. Whether or not he is in a Memphis Grizzlies uniform it’s good to see him participating in the Skills Challenge.
While Mike Conley would rather participate in the all-star game on Sunday, the Taco Bell Skills Challenge is a good consolation for him. With all the rumors surrounding Conley, it’s very possible he won’t be in a Memphis Grizzlies uniform by the time NBA all-star weekend comes around.
If in fact he is traded which seems very possible, it will be a bittersweet moment to see him participate in his new uniform. He is one of the best guards in this league so while this isn’t the recognition he deserves, it is a good start.
This will be his first time participating in NBA all-star weekend since he played in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge Game in 2008. Last year’s winner in this event was Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets.
While he certainly played like an all-star this season it was just so tough for him to get in. Klay Thompson and Russell Westbrook were reserve guards who he was up against and while he had a case to be above them with Memphis sitting at 14th in the west, he didn’t have much of a chance.
No matter where Conley ends up playing after the trade deadline being able to experience all-star weekend will be good for him and maybe next season he can play in the all-star game on Saturday night.
This event has switched up a little bit as they have a bracket format featuring four big men and four guards who compete against each other. The final matchup features the winner of the guard’s side of the bracket against the big man who came out on top. Last season Dinwiddie knocked off Lauri Markaneen in the final round.
We don’t know who else will be participating as Conley was the first announced but we should expect a similar format to the past few years. It’ll be interesting to see who else competes in this event as it is typically for younger players. I expect De’Aaron Fox and Luka Doncic to be two of the players who are considered for this event.
It’ll be fun to see Conley compete on all-star Saturday night. If he is in another uniform it will be a good last hoorah to see him win the Taco Bell Skills Challenge in Charlotte. It doesn’t mean much to the majority of the world but if he were to win this event it would mean a lot to the city of Memphis and their fans.