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A strained right shoulder in November cost Conley six weeks of newbie training and a bruised chest interrupted his progress for another two weeks in late January. The down time probably spared him from hitting the proverbial rookie wall, but it didn't do him any favors in gaining experience.

"You just can't replace that,'' Grizzlies assistant coach Johnny Davis said. "The league is so young now, I don't think it's as hard anymore for a point guard who comes in early. But it's just missing being out of the floor, gaining experience. He's making strides now. Going to a team that's had its struggles, that's when you have to have a real strong mind. And Mike Conley has that.''

Some days more than others. Some weeks, even. Memphis' going-nowhere season, especially post-Pau Gasol trade, gave coach Marc Iavoroni every reason to force-feed Conley at the point. In a loss to Phoenix on Feb. 26, the rookie responded with 15 points, 11 assists and three turnovers in 31 minutes.

But in 14 game since then, through Wednesday's loss at Sacramento, Conley has averaged 6.9 points and 3.0 assists. Lately, the Grizzlies have gone point-guard-by-committee, with Lowry, Crittenton and Navarro all seeing minutes there.

"After that Phoenix game, I couldn't get going for some reason,'' Conley said. "It's just one of those bumps in the road.''

No wonder a young man's thoughts might turn to giddier times. Ohio State, minus Oden and Conley, didn't fare quite as well, going 10-8 in the Big Ten and building a 22-13 record through lots of early-season inconsistency. Senior Jamar Butler took over where Conley left off, leading the conference in assists and making the All-Big Ten second team. Still, Conley can't help thinking about what might have been, had he or Oden or both returned to Columbus.

"It's not uncommon for me to think about what it would have been like this year if I had stayed in college, how things might have been different,'' he said. "Seeing the whole year of college basketball go by, you're watching games, seeing Ohio State play, you're kind of reminiscing and thinking about how it was when you played there. It could have been just as fun as last year.''

Last year? Go back three more years to the Indiana high school tournament, and Conley and Oden played in championship games four years in a row.

"Daequan and I have had a couple conversations. It was our dream to make the NBA, but we joke about what might have been if we had stayed. And if Greg would have stayed, it would have been a totally different type of season. It's just a matter of 'what-if's.' ''

Tell it to the Buckeyes, who will face Mississippi on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in a semifinal game of the NIT. The next night, the Grizzlies will play at home against the New York Knicks, a real thriller, game No. 75 in Mike Conley's second, harder "freshman'' year.

Steve Aschburner covered the Minnesota Timberwolves and the NBA for 13 seasons for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He has served as president or vice president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association since 2005. His new book, "The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: Minnesota Twins,'' can be ordered here.