Many NBA teams nowadays scramble to gain instant success by shuffling their rosters in an attempt to find the right blend of players — especially in the current age of analytics.
The Houston Rockets are a prime example of this newfangled method; they signed James Harden and Dwight Howard in consecutive seasons, let go of a few key pieces in free agency (replacing them with Trevor Ariza), traded for Josh Smith and Corey Brewer this season, and are now probing for Brook Lopez‘s services.
While these moves by analytics aficionado Daryl Morey have seemingly improved Houston’s roster, his restless jumbling could end up disrupting the team’s chemistry and flow.
For the Memphis Grizzlies, however, patience and continuity has proven to be worthwhile. Having familiarity with each other’s tendencies on the court is an invaluable asset for a basketball team, especially for their Spaniard, Marc Gasol, who recognizes the needs of his teammates and plays the game with empathy.
Gasol recently shared a compelling anecdote regarding the Grizzlies’ starting point guard, Mike Conley:
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As the No. 4 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Mike Conley — a scrawny 6-foot-1 point guard — had great difficulty acclimating to the level of competition in the NBA during his first two seasons. When Gasol heard that Memphis was on the verge of trading their under-performing draftee, he reached out to Ron Tillery, who covered the team for the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
“I had no idea what I was doing,” recalled Gasol. “I said, ‘Write this down: We cannot trade Mike Conley. He is the one guy who actually cares about the team, that actually is trying to play the right way.’ Well, supposedly a rookie is not supposed to do that. So I got a call from the owner, I got a call from everybody. And rightfully so. Rightfully so.
“But I felt like I had to protect the one guy who I felt actually cared about winning and losing — because a lot of people say, ‘I want to win.’ But are you going to do the right things it takes to win? Do you want to win on your own terms, or do you want to win on the team’s terms?”
As a big man with keen intuition, Marc recognized Mike’s quiet humility and drive to succeed, in spite of the dark cloud that permeated Conley’s career early on. The Grizzlies are now reaping the rewards of Gasol’s prognostication.
“There were times we came close to trading Mike, because his development was so slow, and thank goodness we didn’t,” said Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace. “He never ever deviated from who he is. He’s someone who is very good with the fans. He’s very respectful and courteous, has a smile on his face, and if he does get down you don’t see it. There was never any petulance or moodiness when he was young and this wasn’t working.”
As it turns out, the Spanish center might be a better General Manager than LeBron James, who metaphorically stamped his signet ring on the trade that sent rookie Andrew Wiggins to Minnesota for the established Kevin Love.
Love’s glaring weakness has made him an awkward fit in Cleveland, and if you ask Kobe Bryant, the Cavs have made a huge mistake by letting go of their young prospect.
Contrarily, Gasol conceptually foreshadowed Conley’s potential, and the two have clicked ever since the big man came over from Spain in 2008; they’ve not only sat by each other on the team plane from day one, but they’ve also developed a nice rapport on the court.
Conley has assisted on a team-high 90 of Gasol’s field goals, which have come mainly via pick-and-rolls — a play they’ve come to master together.
They’re both kind and humble, which are prevailing signs of weakness among today’s NBA fans and players; but Conley’s resolve to push his limits and make massive strides after his dismal sophomore season — despite playing for a berating coach in Lionel Hollins — indicates his impressive mental fortitude.
He didn’t become complacent or surrender, as a weaker man may have done; additionally, after achieving individual success, he refrained from pigheaded gloating.
As the NBA shifts into an egotistic-centered culture — where star-studded teams disintegrate as a result of unchecked narcissism — Conley and Gasol focus on the needs of their teammates.
“To be a good leader, you have to be a good listener as well,” Grizzlies guard Tony Allen said of Conley. “So he listens to what we’ve got to say, if we’re complaining, or if we think they should go a different way; and he always brings us back, that we’ve all got to be on the same page to move forward.”
Conley’s leadership has contributed to the cohesion of a team that runs its offensive and defensive schemes like a well-oiled machine. The rise of the Grizzlies — from 24 wins in 2008-09, to 46 in 2010-11, to 56 (and a West finals berth) in 2012-13 — coincides with Conley’s own progression.
His career-high 18 points per game to go along with six assists and 42 percent from deep this season are certainly All-Star worthy numbers, though he’ll likely get snubbed due to the depth in talent at the point guard position. Part of it also may be due to the fact that he doesn’t make a spectacle out of himself to the public, and Conley is used to going under the radar.
“All my life I’ve been ranked lower than I thought I should be. And I don’t care anymore,” said Conley modestly.
While Conley seems to lack the imperiousness of typical NBA superstars, he’s surely become one of the Grizzlies’ most domineering leaders. With the help of his intuitive companion, Marc Gasol, the point guard-center duo can elevate this meek, cohesive Grizzlies team to magnificent, boast-worthy heights.