Mike Conley’s newly signed contract this summer was one of the transactions that most surprised casual fans. Re-signing with the Memphis Grizzlies for a max contract should have been expected, but the sheer dollar value of the deal (aided by the league’s massive cap spike) shocked many into believing he was overpaid.
Conley has a bit of an injury history and he has routinely been known as one of the most underrated players in the league. Having never made an All-Star game, many believe it is impossible to justify the amount of money he is receiving.
Conley appears to hear all of that noise; yet, he does not appear to be bothered by it. Following via Conley’s interview with Mitch Lawrence of Sporting News:
“It doesn’t bother me, at all,” he said. “It’s part of it. I’m in a blessed situation. When I hear the talk, when I look on my phone and see messages on Twitter about it, it really pushes me, to be honest. So I know it’s going to come. There’s gonna be a lot of talk about it all season, no question. But it’s already here. I almost look forward to playing on the road, for that very reason.”
That’s a great way of thinking about it for Mike Conley. He knows he deserves that money; now he gets to go out on the court and show it to everyone else as well.
