NBA rumors have been swirling around Mike Conley. The Memphis Grizzlies star point guard is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Several teams will be interested in him this upcoming summer. According to FanSided, one of the teams interested in him will be the Houston Rockets. Dwight Howard might be opting out of his contract this summer. The team will be retooling their roster to help James Harden. The Rockets will be in need of a consistent defensive presence. Conley could be their guy.
Mike Conley has been a very consistent player for the Memphis Grizzlies for the past nine years. Earlier this season, Memphis tried to resign the former Ohio State Buckeyes star. Conley declined the offer. The Grizzlies lost their star point guard due to a season ending Achilles injury. This season, he averaged 15.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game. Those are good numbers, considering the Grizzlies run a slow pace offense.
James Harden is the main focal point of the Houston Rockets offense. Last summer, the team traded for Ty Lawson in hopes of pushing them to the next level. Lawson was supposed to come in and help take the load off of Harden. Things didn’t turn out the way the Rockets wanted it to. This season, Lawson averaged 5.8 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.7 rebounds per game. All career lows for the former North Carolina Tar Heels star. Houston decided to cut ties with Lawson; he was waived in a buyout agreement.
It will be interesting to see how James Harden and Mike Conley will co-exist on the floor together. It shouldn’t be too big of a problem due to Conley’s unselfishness. He can play without the ball in his hands. Conley will also take a lot of the ball handling duties from Harden, who wouldn’t be the only person to benefit from Conley’s presence. It could mean Patrick Beverley might be able to play more physically on defense.
The Houston Rockets signing Mike Conley would be a great addition to the team, as a leader on the court and in the locker room. Houston adding Conley could possibly push them to the next level.
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