Free Agency On Weighing on Mike Conley

[SD2042]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/free-agency-not-weighing-on-mike-conley-jr----i-can-play-with-the-elite-in-the-game-193132800.html

INDIANAPOLIS – Between the nausea, throbbing headaches, agonizing pain, dizziness and swelling so bad beneath his eye that he could barely see, the least of concerns for Mike Conley Jr. was when that unfamiliar face stared back from the mirror the first few days after sustaining the facial fracture during the first round of the playoffs last April.

"I was ugly," Conley told Yahoo Sports, shaking his head. "That was ugly."

Conley had two metal plates inserted into his left cheek to repair broken bones after a collision with Portland guard C.J. McCollum's left elbow. The pain was so unbearable, Conley feared his season was over at a crucial time for the Memphis Grizzlies’ organization, with his best friend on the team, Marc Gasol, approaching free agency. Conley only needed eight days to return to the court, missing just three games before arriving for Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals at Oracle Arena with a plastic facemask. Matched up with league MVP Stephen Curry, Conley scored 22 points to lead the Grizzlies to a win and earned praise for his toughness and dedication to his team.

"To be honest, it wasn’t as tough as people may think," Conley told Yahoo. "Me being out there, it was just like, I don’t expect to score 30 points or win the game. As long as I’m on the court, I felt I won."