Mike Conley’s message to his Minnesota teammates is being tested: ‘We can’t be satisfied’

MINNEAPOLIS — It was the moment Mike Conley had been waiting for, to assert himself with his Minnesota Timberwolves teammates, to let them know small goals shouldn’t be the ceiling, to dream bigger.

To let them know urgency should be the theme.

A training camp dinner was the opportunity. The franchise that had only been out of the first round once in its three-decade existence was going to be challenged by its most experienced player, the point guard who’d gone to the conference finals once in 11 playoff runs.

“I was like, ‘Man, we have to change our mindset,’” Conley recalled to Yahoo Sports earlier this week in Minnesota. “We’re not here to make a playoff berth or a playoff win. You gotta start thinking about, championship mentality and what does that mean. Every day, wanting to be better and ultimate goals at the end of the year.”

The team had given the eventual champion Denver Nuggets their admittedly toughest run in the playoffs the year before, a competitive five-game series in the first round. But the West was stacked, it had always been that way, even when Conley was in Memphis and then Utah.

Still, when Conley looked around the room, around the table that night, he saw no reason for this team to take a step back to even the teams with championship pedigree or Hall of Fame players.

“The city might be excited for a playoff win or playoff series win, but that’s not what we’re here for. We gotta get our minds on the bigger picture. From that day forward, training camp on, players and coaches, we all about, ‘How can we be a championship culture in order to hopefully one day compete in one?’”

One of the ears that perked up that night belonged to Naz Reid, the reserve scorer who was headed toward a Sixth Man of the Year campaign.

“He’s been in some situations,” Reid said. “He’s gone through situations where he could provide information and kind of lead, and prepare us for the experience before you go through it.”

Mike Conley’s veteran presence has been felt in Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

What ensued was a three-way race to the finish at the top of the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mike-conleys-message-to-his-minnesota-teammates-is-being-tested-we-cant-be-satisfied-160901204.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-05-16 16:09:01

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