Mike Conley: “It Would Suck” Not To Be An All-Star
Mike Conley has been the widely assigned as the “most underrated” point guard in the league for several years, and he’s still waiting for an All-Star nod.
The insane depth of guard talent in the Western Conference has worked against Conley in his campaign. He might have had his best season last year leading the surging Memphis Grizzlies, but still didn’t make it. Memphis has risen even more prominently this season, making Marc Gasol and Mike Conley more recognized, but Conley’s chances still remain pretty slim due to his surroundings.
In a profile with Grantland’s Jonathan Abrams, Conley talked about what it would mean to make the All-Star team this season:
Conley, of course, knows how deep the Western Conference is with talent, and he understands that even if he plays at an All-Star level, getting selected for the All-Star Game remains a long shot. Bigger stars with flashier names are likely to receive All-Star recognition before him. “My ultimate goal isn’t making the All-Star team,” Conley said. “It’s bigger than that. It’s championships. But when it comes to just All-Stars, that is one of my goals. I told myself last year, ‘I didn’t do enough. We didn’t win. We weren’t a good team early.’ [This season], I feel like I’ve gotten much better and our team is where we want to be. We are one of the better teams in the league. We’ve put ourselves in a position where everybody can get noticed individually. This would be a good time [to be named an All-Star]. If it doesn’t happen, it would suck.”
Conley won’t be a starter for the Western Conference as those were announced earlier, but the reserves will be announced on Jan. 28. His teammate Marc Gasol is starting for the Western Conference at center. With James Harden expected to replace Kobe Bryant, that creates another potential opening for Conley to sneak in. It still looks pretty rough though.
