Tag: Mike Conley

1 sick Mike Conley pass proved precisely why the Timberwolves traded D’Angelo Russell

They needed someone to maximize the output from Rudy Gobert.

It was shocking when the Timberwolves traded D’Angelo Russell, but it made sense for the front office to target Mike Conley.

Russell was only 26 years old when Minnesota traded him for Conley — a 35-year-old NBA veteran — and shooting a career-high 39.1 percent on 3-pointers before the trade. But Russell was never a natural fit as the point guard to maximize the output from big man Rudy Gobert.

Considering how much the Timberwolves sacrificed in order to land the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Minnesota had to find a more ideal fit for Gobert.

Conley showed exactly why he is that guy with a mesmerizing assist to Gobert during a crucial victory over the Knicks on Monday:

Conley had a finger roll ready to go for a score, but at the last second, he converted it into a touch pass and Gobert finished it off at the rim.

Russell, meanwhile, is playing well for the Lakers. But he wasn’t the right fit.

The reality of the situation is that Conley has significantly better chemistry with Gobert than Russell ever did. Here is more from Timberwolves’ insider  Jon Krawczynski (via SI.com):

“There was this perception that D’Angelo Russell was very frustrated with Gobert and did not seem as open to working with him or trying to find a happy medium as maybe some of the other players were, trying to make what has so far been a disappointing trade, try to find a way to make it work.”

Russell, reportedly privately, and also publicly, criticized Gobert. He had subtle shade directed at the big man for fumbling passes, to which the big man said that he tried to put himself in the right situation for the guard as often as possible.

The damage was likely already done, though. Using data from PBPStats and NBA.com, we found which of his floor general teammates were most likely to check for the three-time All-Star on the offensive side of the floor.

Among those who have shared the court with Gobert for at least 500 minutes, here are the teammates who have passed to and assisted the big man the most often per 36 minutes during his NBA career.

The results suggest that Conley is the player who has gotten Gobert the most involved in the offense, getting more from the big man than Russell ever did:

PASSER TO GOBERT AST/36 PASSES/36
Mike Conley* 2.1 11.0
Kyle Anderson 2.0 7.8
Ricky Rubio 1.9 17.3
Joe Ingles 1.8 10.2
Boris Diaw 1.7 6.1
D’Angelo Russell* 1.6 10.6
Dante Exum 1.3 14.3
George Hill 1.3 17.5
Donovan Mitchell 1.1 6.4

It doesn’t take more than a second to look at that chart and see how much involved Gobert gets when Conley is running the offense compared to when Russell ran the show. But the good news is that it also translates to winning.

The Timberwolves scored 111.5 points per 100 possessions and they were outscored by 0.5 points per 100 when Gobert and Russell shared the court, per PBPStats. They are scoring 118.8 with Gobert and Conley, however, and outscoring opponents by 4.6 points per 100 during these minutes.

Conley is feeding Gobert in the paint, and as the big man is getting the ball near the basket, he is drawing contact more often. Gobert attempted 7.2 free throw attempts per 100 with Russell as his floor general but 9.0 FTA per 100 with Conley.

This is helping his overall productivity, too, as he averaged 21.9 points per 100 alongside Russell and is scoring 23.7 points per 100 with Conley.

But as with everything with Gobert on the offensive end of the floor, this trend is most noticeable when he is dunking the basketball.

According to Stathead, we can gather that Gobert averaged 2.89 dunks during the 47 games he played for the Timberwolves before Russell was traded. He has since averaged 3.54 dunks in the 13 games with Conley.

Meanwhile, via NBA.com, he attempted 1.32 alley-oops before the trade and has averaged 1.46 alley-oops since he reunited with his former Utah running mate. For comparison, that is nearly exactly as many alley-oop attempts as he averaged (1.45) over the course of his final four seasons with the Jazz.

This might not be the season that Minnesota wanted, but at least Conley brings Gobert closer to his normal output than Russell ever did.

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Lakers chose D’Angelo Russell over Mike Conley in Russell Westbrook trade

When trading Russell Westbrook in February, the Lakers had the choice of getting Mike Conley or D’Angelo Russell, and they chose right.

Shortly after they traded for Russell Westbrook in the summer of 2021, the Los Angeles Lakers realized experimenting with him simply wouldn’t work well.

They started to explore trading him last winter, but the pickings were slim as far as potential trades that would bring back some type of value, as well as teams that were even willing to entertain such a trade.

One of those teams was the Utah Jazz, and there were reports going back several months that L.A. was engaging them on a possible Westbrook deal.

Once the outline of a deal started to come together, it had the opportunity to acquire veteran point guard Mike Conley in return, but according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, the Lakers opted for 26-year-old D’Angelo Russell instead because of his youth.

Via HoopsHype:

“When the Lakers made that deal, part of it was getting off Russ’ contract and getting out of that situation, but they could’ve potentially had Mike Conley in that deal,” Buha told Michael Scotto. “They looked at D’Angelo Russell as someone who could be their point guard of the future and potentially that lead ball handler and third-star type of guy that could fit around Anthony Davis and LeBron.”

Conley is 35 years old, and his best days are clearly behind him. In addition, a player his age wouldn’t have fit with the Lakers’ fast-breaking style of offense.

Russell, on the other hand, has done very well in his brief time in L.A. His ability to attack in transition, set up teammates and strike from 3-point range have made him a nice fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Buha also noted that the Lakers have “very strong interest” in signing Russell to a new contract and that he believes the feeling is “mutual on both sides.”

The point guard will be a free agent this summer.

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Ohio State basketball’s Bruce Thornton gets conference tournament recognition

Bruuuuuuuce!!! #GoBucks

The [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] basketball team had run not many expected in the [autotag]Big Ten Tournament[/autotag]. They became the lowest seed, No. 13, to ever make it to the conference semifinals.

On the way to the fourth day of the tournament, Buckeye guard [autotag]Bruce Thornton[/autotag] was phenomenal. He averaged 15.5 points, with 4.25 assists and 2.75 rebounds over the course of four games, and turned the ball over just four total times, none over the final three games. The freshman was the best player on the court for Ohio State and the Big Ten noticed.

The conference named Thornton to their all-tournament team, making him just the 10th freshman ever to be named to the team. The distinction makes it four for Ohio State, as Thornton joins [autotag]Greg Oden[/autotag], [autotag]Mike Conley[/autotag] and [autotag]Jared Sullinger[/autotag]. That’s quite an impressive list of Buckeyes.

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The Georgia native really came on late in the season, being named a captain, upping his offensive game and this was the cherry on top. Expectations for Thornton rose significantly as the year went on and he is expected to lead the squad next year in what should be a much more prosperous season.

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Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on Twitter.

D’Angelo Russell/Russell Westbrook trade: How it impacts Lakers, Wolves and Jazz

The eve of the trade deadline featured one of the bigger names that many were anticipating to get dealt. Wednesday’s three-team trade saw the Lakers end the Russell Westbrook era by moving him, Damian Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and a 2027 …

The eve of the trade deadline featured one of the bigger names that many were anticipating to get dealt. Wednesday’s three-team trade saw the Lakers end the Russell Westbrook era by moving him, Damian Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and a 2027 first-round pick to the Utah Jazz for a package that includes former Laker D’Angelo Russell as well as Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt. In exchange for Russell, the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker as well as several second-round picks from the Jazz.

Here is the breakdown of the trade and how it impacts each team.

All the players linked to the Clippers in trade rumors

The Clippers are poised to make a trade before Thursday’s trade deadline. This front office has made a mid-season trade every season since 2017-18 and that trend doesn’t appear to change now. As mentioned in HoopsHype’s trade guide, they have an …

The Clippers are poised to make a trade before Thursday’s trade deadline. This front office has made a mid-season trade every season since 2017-18 and that trend doesn’t appear to change now.

As mentioned in HoopsHype’s trade guide, they have an abundance of large moveable salaries that could help match for just about anyone in a deal. They can move either their 2028 or 2029 first-round pick to get a starting-caliber player or up to six second-round picks for marginal upgrades. They also have a massive spending advantage to add more salary on top of their $336 million roster.

Below is a list of players they’ve been linked to and a potential framework for them.

Lakers and Jazz have talked about deal that would involve Russell Westbrook

The Lakers have reportedly had discussions with the Jazz about a trade that would likely disappoint many fans in Los Angeles.

With just a couple of days to go before the NBA trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers are on the clock to find a way to make themselves into a legitimate playoff team, if not a championship contender.

Kyrie Irving is off the table, leaving them with modest and even underwhelming potential trade options.

Los Angeles’ weaknesses include 3-point shooting and defense, and the Lakers are still shopping Russell Westbrook, even though he has played somewhat better this season coming off the bench.

Reportedly, the team has discussed trading him and two first-round draft picks to the Utah Jazz for a package of role players, including veteran point guard Mike Conley and shooting guard Malik Beasley.

Via ESPN (h/t Lakers Daily):

“For example, sources said the Jazz have had discussions about a deal in which a combination of rotation players including Conley and Beasley would go to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for 2027 and 2029 first-round picks and Russell Westbrook, who would likely receive a buyout instead of joining the Jazz.”

Such a trade would likely anger Lakers fans, as Conley appears to be over the hill while Beasley’s numbers have dropped over the past two years.

Both are decent, but not great, 3-point shooters, but both are shooting under 41% overall from the field this season.

The trade deadline is 3 p.m. New York time on Thursday.

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Lakers targeting several players ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline

After missing out on Kyrie Irving, the Lakers are doing their due diligence on a potential trade as the NBA’s deadline approaches.

Now that trading for Kyrie Irving is off the table after all these months, the Los Angeles Lakers can finally move forward with the monumental task of upgrading a somewhat talented but porous roster with less than 72 hours before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.

They badly need accurate 3-point shooting, and given their recent struggles on the defensive end, they could use some help in that department as well.

If they do make a deal, what type of deal will it be? Will they go for a true big man, a big wing, a small wing or a ball-handling guard?

The Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike reported the team has several specific players it could be looking to acquire.

Via Los Angeles Times:

“Toronto guards Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr., Atlanta guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, Detroit forward Bojan Bogdanovic (who the Pistons repeatedly have said isn’t available unless they’re blown away by an offer), Charlotte guard Terry Rozier and Utah guard Mike Conley all are viewed as possible trade targets depending on how the market shakes out between now and Thursday.”

None of these players would be ideal additions, although a few could significantly move the needle for L.A.

Both men named Bogdanovic would represent an upgrade in 3-point shooting, even if they wouldn’t add much of anything on the defensive end. Bojan Bogdanovic, in particular, would be a massive improvement in the outside shooting department while giving the team a legitimate third scoring option.

Rozier and VanVleet have been potent guards for the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors, respectively, but their shooting percentages are way down this season, which means they could actually hurt the Lakers in terms of 3-point accuracy.

Conley, who is 35 years of age, appears to be in decline, and his 3-point shooting accuracy has decreased this season.

Trent could be a very nice acquisition for the Lakers, however, as he has a reputation for being a legit 3-and-D player. At 6-foot-5 and 209 pounds, he can play the 3 at times, and he is shooting a respectable 37.3% from downtown on 7.1 attempts a game this year.

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Ranking the 20 most interesting NBA players who could get traded and where each may go

A look at the players who could be dealt by Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.

The NBA trade deadline is one week from Thursday, and while it might seem quieter than normal, there could still be a lot of activity.

Even if there isn’t a looming blockbuster move like when the Nets and Sixers swapped James Harden and Ben Simmons last season, there are teams around the league that could have an entirely different roster before the beginning of the All-Star break.

While there are some obvious sellers (e.g. Pistons, Hornets, Spurs, Rockets), others (e.g. Raptors, Pacers, Jazz) have slightly less clear intentions.

Based on the latest rumors and intel provided by insiders around the NBA, these are the players considered most likely to get traded — and where each player is rumored to go.

But remember: The trade deadline is always full of surprises. No one in the league predicted the Kings would have traded Tyrese Haliburton last season! So in addition to these players, expect the unexpected.

Jazz star Mike Conley feeling impressed with Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey

Utah Jazz star Mike Conley is feeling impressed with what Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey has accomplished so far.

PHILADELPHIA — Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley has put together a very impressive 16-year career thus far in the NBA. He has career averages of 14.8 points and 5.7 assists while being named an All-Star once and guiding teams into the playoffs plenty of times.

So when Conley speaks about a young player, he knows what he’s talking about.

When asked about Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey, who has continued to make so many strides in the league, Conley was impressed with what he has seen thus far in the young man.

“Really, just the way he’s taken a jump,” Conley said of Maxey. “Especially, this year. Just his ability to be a playmaker. Not only just setting guys up, but looking for his offense and his ability to make 3s, be a 3-level scorer, really allows him to take his game to another level.”

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Maxey had 18 points on 8-for-24 shooting in the win over the Jazz on Sunday, but he didn’t need to do much. Joel Embiid had a performance for the ages in order to lead the team to the win.

However, it’s obvious Maxey has future All-Star written all over him. Even with the recent slump, he is still shooting 40.8% from deep on 7 attempts and he’s shooting 44.8% from the floor. That is what Conley sees in the third-year guard out of Kentucky as he continues to grow as a player.

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Proposed trade lands Mike Conley in Chicago for Nikola Vucevic

Conley could add insurance for the Bulls if Lonzo Ball’s injury continues to linger.

Training camp is just a few weeks away for the NBA as the regular season kicks off on Oct. 18.

For the Chicago Bulls, they enter the 2022-23 season with the majority of their core back from last season, including a new five-year max contract for Zach LaVine and the additions of veterans Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic.

Outside of the health of Lonzo Ball, one of the biggest questions for the Bulls this season is the future of Nikola Vucevic, who is set to become an unrestricted free agency next summer.

David Thorpe of TrueHoop recently proposed a trade for the Bulls, that sends Vucevic and a 2027 first-round pick to the rebuilding Utah Jazz in exchange for Mike Conley.

Thorpe explains:

“Conley would offset the immediate loss of Lonzo Ball and then work very well next to Alex Caruso in the second unit. Should the Bulls decide to nix the Nikola Vučević experiment, they could package him with a 2027 first-round pick for Conley—but that would require the Bulls brain trust to have a plan to replace Vooch.”

Thorpe is right — with the uncertainty surrounding Lonzo’s knee, adding a veteran lead guard like Conley could boost the Bulls’ in the interim. Chicago was said to being active in shopping Vucevic and his upcoming expiring contract this offseason and going back to the trade deadline last season so if Vooch gets off to another slow start this coming season, he could be on his way out the door.

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