MEMPHIS – What do you do when the thing you love to do, the thing you were born to do, is taken away?
This is the riddle that Mike Conley Jr. found himself trying to unravel, just about a year ago. After working his entire life and perfecting his craft, Conley had essentially reached the pinnacle, regarded as one of the best point guards in the NBA. As he entered his eleventh season, the Grizzlies had made seven consecutive playoff appearances, and appeared set to continue their winning ways. Conley was coming off a season in which he’d averaged a career-best 20.