Tony Allen threatens free agent Mike Conley with flagrant fouls
By John Buhler
Tony Allen doesn’t want his Memphis Grizzlies teammate Mike Conley to leave in free agency, so he says he’ll hit him up with flagrant fouls should he do so.
The Grit ‘n’ Grind Memphis Grizzlies have been one of the most interesting groups in the NBA the last half decade or so. They play a throwback style of basketball, using ferocious physicality to belittle their opponents in their sluggish, half-court game plan.
When healthy, Memphis can hold their own with nearly anybody in the NBA. That being said, one of the key pieces of this Grizzlies core, point guard Mike Conley, may choose to the club in 2016 NBA free agency since he’s one of the best point guards available this summer.
Teammate and noted defensive stopper Tony Allen essentially threatened Conley to not leave for a team like the New York Knicks this summer. Allen told Fox 13 Memphis’ Peter Fleischer as much:
TA said he sells Memphis to Mike Conley in his own way: “If I see you in New York or one of them places, you got a flagrant foul coming.”
— Peter Fleischer (@Peter_Fleischer) April 25, 2016
Allen is an interesting cat as one of the premier defensive wings in the NBA today. He was recognized by the recently retired Kobe Bryant as the best on-ball defender he had to go up against in his illustrious 20-year career.
While Allen may use pure aggression to bully Conley into staying with the Grizzlies, Conley may have to look out for his best interests during the prime of his NBA career. He’s buried behind a ton of great point guards in the Western Conference and has to question if this era of Grizzlies basketball has a finite ceiling of a Western Conference Finals appearance if given the right match-ups?
Allen may think he has Conley’s ear in keeping him in Memphis, but perhaps the best voice of reason to keep the Grit ‘n’ Grind group together is adopted Memphian and face of the franchise center Marc Gasol. Gasol and Conley are reportedly very close, so it could be hard for Conley to leave his ideal pick-and-roll partner in Gasol for another NBA franchise this summer.
For more 2016 NBA free agency coverage, please check out our NBA free agency hub page.