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Monday, June 25, 2007
Hawks can’t pass on Conley
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
The Hawks are on the verge of becoming the Hawks again. They are two days shy of doing the wrong thing by using their No. 3 pick overall in the NBA draft to grab another “long and athletic” guy (Billy Knight’s words) for an already stuffed frontcourt.
This time, Shelden Williams, Josh Smith, Solomon Jones, Josh Childress and Marvin Williams are named Al Horford.
This time, the Hawks can save themselves from themselves. All they have to do is take a deep breath, count slowly to 10 and repeat the following: We need a point guard. We need somebody with charisma. We need a natural leader.
We need Mike Conley Jr.
The thing is, Conley’s pre-draft workout Monday at Philips Arena was more for show than for real. Horford likely is the Hawks’ choice at No. 3. If so, they’ll use their No. 11 pick in the draft for Acie Law or Javaris Crittenton, the inferior point guards in this mix. Then Conley will become the latest Chris Paul and Deron Williams by evolving into an instant success for somebody else when he could have done the same for the Hawks.
“If I could play in Atlanta, and then become a star along the way, wow, that really would be something for me, especially since I grew up in a small Arkansas town [Fayetteville],” said Conley, sounding older than 19, while flashing his bright smile after he impressed witnesses by using his 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame to become a blur during drills. “To work with all of the young guys that they have on this team, and to be known in a city like this would really be great. I’d love the opportunity.”
We’re talking about somebody who is a wonderful passer, splendid in the clutch, plays defense with passion and can make Tony Parker-like penetrations in the lane. It’s just that Conley has to dribble his way around conventional wisdom. Conventional wisdom says Horford is the most NBA-ready player in the draft. Conventional wisdom says the young and slight Conley is a reach at the No. 3 pick, especially since critics question his jump shot.
The thing is, conventional wisdom only works in professional sports when you’re talking about a franchise that has flashed signs through the years of having any kind of wisdom.
In other words, the Hawks should forget about conventional wisdom and remember how they blew the 2005 draft by ignoring Paul and Williams.
The foolish have spent years ignoring Conley in basketball. He’s been lost in the massive shadow of Greg Oden, projected as the draft’s No. 1 pick. After Conley’s family moved from Fayetteville to Indianapolis, Conley joined Oden in leading their high school to three consecutive state championships. They also were together last season as freshmen during Ohio State’s run to the NCAA championship game. In fact, the same Conley who supposedly can’t shoot went 7-for-13 from the field for 20 points against a Florida team with three players slated to go in the top 10 in this week’s draft.
“I coached [Mike] and Greg since they were about 10 years old, and since that time, they’ve lost only 16 games altogether,” said Mike Conley Sr., the former world-class track star, in town with his son. The older Conley serves as an agent for Oden and the younger Conley.
Once, when the younger Conley was 8 years old, the older Conley popped in a video of himself running the 200 meters at Arkansas. “I was the proud father showing my son how fast I used to run, and how I took second place in college against a silver medalist in the Olympic Games,” recalled the older Conley. As the younger Conley watched the video, he burst into tears after the older Conley crossed the finish line. “He was crying like crazy and saying, ‘You lost, Daddy. I can’t believe you lost.’ That tells you how competitive he’s always been. You can’t teach that.”
No, but you can draft that.
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