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SALT LAKE CITY — Over the last few weeks, Mike Conley has played Call of Duty with Donovan Mitchell and Royce O’Neale, played virtual Monopoly with Ed Davis, and taken part in weekly online dribbling challenges with teammates.
The Jazz are staying connected — or at least they are trying to while the NBA is on hiatus due to the novel coronavirus.
“Well, basically, what we're doing here through Zoom and meetings on FaceTime,” Conley told local reporters on a video call on Friday from his home in Ohio. “We actually just had a meeting earlier today where we got to talk to each other and just hang out, and coach (Quin Snyder) gets to give us his spiel on different things he wants us to be doing or not doing — whatever it may be.”
The team’s famed chemistry has been questioned since the season was postponed, with the All-Star duo of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell reportedly being at odds after both tested positive for COVID-19. But Conley doesn’t believe there is a problem between the two. He said if there is, he doesn’t see it impacting the Jazz when they return to the court.
“Nobody really has a perfect relationship,” Conley said. “Teammates aside or whatever situation you're in — some of the best players in the world in our game ever have disagreed on things, or had arguments, or even fought in practices — whatever it may be — and went on to win championships and be successful and be brothers for life.
“So between Donovan and Rudy, if they feel certain ways about each other — which I honestly don't think that's the case at all — they're grown men and they handle it,” Conley continued. “And they go out there and they compete and they try to win night in and night out, so you would never notice on our end. So, I just feel comfortable knowing that we have two pros who go out there and work every day, care about the team, and just gonna do what they got to do to win.”
On Wednesday night in an Instagram Live chat with rapper Fat Joe, Mitchell briefly addressed the relationship when the topic was broached by saying, “We ain’t even gonna talk about that. We’ve moved on. I’m ready to hoop. I’m ready to hoop, man. I love my family, but I’m ready to get on the court and just get out there and play.”
Conley understands that all too well right now. He has spent his days since the season was postponed chasing around his two little kids. And that has proven to be even more difficult than chasing opponents around screens.
“It's exhausting,” Conley said smiling. “I really am thankful for the nights we get in the hotels and road trips and that — those kinds of things are needed at some point.”
But the hiatus might have come at a good time for Conley's family. His wife, Mary Peluso, is pregnant with the couple’s third child. And that's created some anxiety with the uncertainty of the novel coronavirus.
“That was kind of my first priority and my first worry,” Conley said. “At the time, even when this was first coming out, there wasn't a lot of research or wasn't a lot of cases documented of what happens with pregnant women or children when they're born, so it was really scary for us. So, just to be able to know that we're all together and my wife's been feeling great and no issues, and just trying to try to make sure that she's safe and my family safe right now.”
But he does miss the competition, which is why Conley chose to participate in the NBA HORSE Challenge — a contest he won.
“Guys are looking for something to compete against, and there's only so many video games and things that we can play before we start to really go crazy, so to actually have competition, you know, with the sport that we love to play,” Conley said.
He’s hopeful that he will be playing that sport with his teammates again soon. Until then, though, the virtual competitions and chats will have to suffice.
“It's been cool to just be able to see those guys on a weekly basis,” Conley said of the team conference calls. “We've had fun little dribbling challenges that one of the coaches started per week, and we'll crown a winner and stuff like that. So just trying to keep guys engaged as much as possible and in hopes that we get back here playing."
