When Mike Conley returns to the lineup, which I'm hoping is soon, the Grizzlies need to give him some run. They need to get Damon Stoudamire out of town, because he's doing the team nothing more than a disservice to their excellent young guards in Conley/Lowry. They need to trade or buy out the contract of Stoudamire by the deadline this year, and I think they need to let Conley and Lowry split minutes at the 1. Both are terrific young players who bring different things to the table. Lowry is a non-stop hustler, all heart, excellent defensive capabilities, a jaw-dropping athlete, a smart player, a finisher. Then you've got Conley, a pure point guard, a playmaker, a leader... a franchise point guard in this league. Conley in an up-tempo system like Memphis, with that kind of talent around him, is going to be special. Keeping Stoudamire and holding these two back is pointless. This team isn't going anywhere any time soon. No need to have a 3rd point guard, just because he has that veteran tag.
Very good points. I think Lowry/Conley compliment each other well. If they can both develop to the best of their potential, things could get scary in Memphis...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Kid Chocolate @ Dec 28 2007, 01:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Lowry is the ultimate backup PG. Would love to have him on my team.</div> No doubt about it. I felt he wasn't talked about enough around draft time, and when he slipped to 24, I knew Memphis got themselves a real steal. He's one of those guys that can fill the stat sheet, but you really have to watch him to appreciate what he brings to the table.
I couldn't agree more about Conley, Jr. and Stoudamire. I've never been a fan of Mighty Mouse. For a point guard, he's too selfish. He calls his own number whenever possible, and he doesn't even try on defense anymore. There used to be a point in his career where he was an awful defender but at least worked really hard at it. Now he's both undersized and undermotivated. At least he's an upgrade on Chucky Atkins, but that's not really saying much. Maybe the Cavs would want to trade Ira Newble for him. It'd open up some space for Conley, Jr. and Lowry on the Grizzlies' end and give Cleveland a "legitimate" point guard. Newble's contract is up at the end of this year too. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Kid Chocolate @ Dec 28 2007, 01:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Lowry is the ultimate backup PG. Would love to have him on my team.</div> Agreed, but I'd want him as more than my backup. Nobody in the league has a heart bigger than Lowry, and that shows through his rebounding numbers (not all of which are long rebounds). I remember his first night in the league, Lowry grabbed ten rebounds. As a 6'0" rookie point guard in his first ever NBA game, that's damn impressive. He's developing into Jason Kidd, Jr. - 9.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.8 apg in 26 mpg - what a well-rounded statline. Look at the last game he played too - 15 points (6-8 FG), 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals. He has his drawbacks, like his lack of a jumpshot, but at the end of the day, he does everything you'd want a point guard to do, and then some. If he didn't get hurt his rookie year, he'd be a much bigger name around the league than he is now.
