Memphis Grizzlies: Mike Conley Fits Indiana’s End-of-Season Job Description
The Memphis Grizzlies’ Mike Conley has been linked to the Indiana Pacers in trade discussions, and this is only the beginning of what could be a potential deal.
It appears that a trade involving Mike Conley is inevitable at some point in the coming months of the NBA offseason. He has caught the eyes of a handful of teams following perhaps his best individual season since he was originally drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2007.
Ahead of February’s NBA Trade Deadline, the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers were two clubs who expressed sincere interest in swinging a trade for the 31-year-old Conley. Memphis contemplated, but balked as the deadline buzzer sounded.
The expectation now — less than two months ahead of the 2019 NBA Draft — is that the Grizzlies will deal Mike Conley if the return boosts Memphis’ rebuilding project. We are talking a first-round pick(s) on top of a promising prospect or two, and/or expiring contracts to facilitate a potential transaction.
As Beale Street Bears recently discussed, a few playoff teams — especially the Jazz and Pacers — could desperately use Conley’s services, especially from an offensive standpoint. His two-way capabilities are the icing on the cake. Plus, Mike has put in his time and earned the right to join a winning team. He deserves better than to waste away the end of his prime in the thick of a rebuilding phase.
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On Thursday, the Indiana Pacers hosted their end-of-season press conference with Kevin Pritchard, the Pacers’ President of Basketball Operations, talking about his team’s offseason plans. On the topic of Indy’s improvement plan, Pritchard spoke extensively on the type of player the Pacers will look to acquire in order to help them, especially on the offensive end.
"“We’ve got to look at the offensive ball. We’ve got to bring players that do one of two things — or both if you can. That is, we need some creation. We neeed a guy that can break down the defense. Shot-making is always going to be paramount, but it’s more paramount than it has ever been before.”"
Kevin Pritchard chimed back in, continuing on the topic of his vision for improvement.
"“To beat real talent, you got to stack up against real talent. Our job is to put the best talented team that fits our culture. Sometimes that hurts us. Sometimes that helps us. Because we say ‘no’ to some players that are pretty doggone talented, because they don’t fit us. But we know we got to get more talented.”"
The Indiana Pacers’ head coach, Nate McMillan, shared his own thoughts on the state of his team. He also went straight to the offense.
"“We were 29th in attempts and three-point field goals made. We were one of the top three-point shooting teams in the league, but I would like to see us play fast and get more attempts. I would like to see us play faster, play more up-tempo, and shoot more three-point attempts.”"
Mike Conley fits this description as well as any player in the NBA today. Even after his 12th professional season, “Captain Clutch” is a guy that could do wonders for the Pacers. After all, Mike ranked in the top-20 this season in offensive win shares and assists. He generates offense by way of himself or by getting the ball up the floor and into the hands of his teammates for great offensive looks.
On the topic of shooting, Mike Conley’s 36.4% three-point shooting accuracy would have ranked fourth on the Pacers’ roster of players with greater than 150 makes. This additional threat could have been a major boost amid the season-ending Victor Oladipo injury, which caused Indy to stall in the postseason.
Furthermore, Mike Conley is an all-around, do-it-all point guard. His 21.4 efficiency rating in 2018-19 speaks for itself. Only one Pacer recorded a better efficiency rating, and by just a 0.5 margin. Regardless of team record, Conley is as impactful and consistent as any other starting point guard the NBA has to offer.
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Overall, if the Indiana Pacers were to continue trade discussions with the Memphis Grizzlies and ultimately land the Indiana native, Indy would receive a player that fits their culture. He would be a hometown guy returning home for the Pacers. He is classy, professional, and fits the culture that Kevin Pritchard mentioned.
From a basketball perspective, Mike Conley is a scorer and facilitator that Indiana needs in order to take their squad to the next level in the Eastern Conference — with or without Victor Oladipo. He is not afraid to launch three-point shots, but he does so while playing within the offense. That is a big reason as to why he is so efficient at the point guard position.
Memphis Grizzlies: Ranking Playoff Runs During the Conley, Gasol Era. dark. Next
Do not be surprised to see the Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies engage in trade discussions once again. Truth be told, it sounds like Pritchard was intentionally describing Mike Conley, the player and the person.