Subscribe
Follow Us
Mike Conley is hoping to be a difference-maker as the Utah Jazz prepare for the NBA restart in Orlando later this July.
However, Conley is also preparing for the birth of another child. Conley's wife, Mary, is due to give birth on Aug. 27, and he recently spoke about the challenges of leaving behind his kids and pregnant wife.
“‘Yeah, it was tough,” Mike Conley explained Wednesday morning in a Zoom call with Jazz reporters, per Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune. “I’m gonna be in a bubble, but yet if I leave to go see my baby born, I’m gonna be quarantined on the way back in, and possibly have to miss a game or whatever the situation is that we’ll currently be in. There’s just a lot of things that go into play.
However, in the event Conley does choose to leave the bubble, he has the full support of Jazz head coach Quin Snyder.
Snyder said Conley should prioritize family and the “gift” of a new child, adding “there's things in our life that trump games.”
Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder, on Mike Conley leaving at some point for the birth of his child: "I hope we’re without him for as long as heeds to prioritize what is a gift. … Not to diminish the playoffs or the games in any way, but there’s things in our life that trump games."
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) July 5, 2020
Quin Snyder on the potential for Mike Conley to leave the bubble for the birth of his child.
“I hope we’re without him as long as he needs to be to prioritize something that is a gift.”
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) July 5, 2020
Conley's season had already made for a strange journey even prior to the suspension of play.
The Jazz acquired the veteran point guard in the offseason after Conley had one of the best years of his career during the 2018-19 campaign. Unfortunately, injuries limited the 32-year-old point guard to 41 games before the hiatus — all while averaging just 13.8 points on 40.5 percent shooting from the floor.
Still, Conley's steady veteran presence and outside shooting figure to make him a key component in Utah's ability to make a deep playoff run in Orlando. That is, unless his child is born, in which case Snyder and the Jazz will support Conley's decision to be with his family.
