Editor’s note: Mike Conley is one of the best sources of information in the NBA.

Entering his 19th NBA season, the 38-year-old Timberwolves point guard has seen it all and has the knowledge and willingness to explain what’s taken place and what’s to come with the media and, thus, the fans. That breadth of insight and analysis extends from the on-court Xs and Os to team dynamics and development.

Conley is just as good at explaining why two teammates came to blows in the middle of a timeout as he is on what the team needs to do to decode a switch-heavy defense.

So who better to sit down with twice a month to tackle different topics ranging from the Timberwolves to the NBA at large to, well, Mike Conley, than Conley himself?

This is the third season of Conley’s Corner.

Conley’s Corner: Turning the page

Mike Conley was overtaken by tears last May as he left the floor following Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals in Oklahoma City.

It had happened again. For the second straight year, the Timberwolves were denied on the doorstep of the veteran floor general’s first-ever NBA Finals appearance.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley speaks with referee Tyler Ford (39) during the first half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series against the Oklahoma City ThunderTuesday, May 20, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Minnesota felt as though it let an opportunity slip through its fingers in 2024 against Dallas. The Wolves had home-court advantage in that series, and allowed themselves to get beat by the Mavericks’ two best players in critical spots too many times in succession.

The loss to Oklahoma City was different. The things that got Minnesota to the West Finals no longer worked against the Thunder. The Wolves simply weren’t good enough in key areas to hang with the eventual champs. That was apparent by the series’ end.

And yet, this loss hit Conley harder.

Last season was following a script – of a movie, of champions of years past. You get knocked down in pursuit of the pinnacle one year only reach the mountaintop the next.

“The second time in a row is like, ‘Oh, we learned something from last year.’ You look back at all those teams, this is how it happened,” Conley said. “It’s part of the deal, and we’re just next in line. Let’s do it.”

It didn’t work out that way.

“Frustrating,” he said.

Conley said his emotions as he left floor were “probably the most real for me” than they’d ever been. He knows how precious opportunities to contend for a championship are. Minnesota missed out on another one. Suddenly, a flood of emotions and thoughts entered his mind, ranging from how far he has come as a player to now to wondering if he’d get another real shot at a championship.

Black hole

Conley likens the hours following a playoff exit to the immediate aftermath of a minor car accident.

“It happens and you’re like ‘What just happened? That was scary,’ ” he said. “You start thinking about all the things that could have been or not been, and you’re just thankful — but you’re like, ‘Whoa, that was crazy.’ It’s like that kind of shock.”

Then it hits you: The season is over. Players like Conley are so goal-driven that during a season, few thoughts enter their minds beyond what they and the team can do to improve their chances of claiming a championship. He calls these eight-to-nine months “like a black hole.”

“You just go in, and then when it’s done, it clicks and you’re out and you’re like, ‘What just happened?’ ” Conley said. “Like, I was just gone for six months, you know what I mean? You’re in a trance state for a while.”

So, what happens when you pop back out and realize you didn’t complete the ultimate mission?

“It’s tough to get through all those emotions, all those things that may be hovering in the background that you don’t let get to you. So, you feel something,” he said. “Like, ‘Was that my last game?’ Whatever it is, whatever your situation is. All those thoughts, feelings rush in.”

They multiply for Conley with each passing season. He knows how hard it is to play into May and June. The Timberwolves have similar designs this season, but there are no guarantees in sports. So, when you get close, you feel like you have to finish the job. And when you don’t, “real grief” is waiting for you on the other side.

“It’s depressing,” he said. “I’m sure people can’t relate, but not too many guys get the chance to play in the NBA, and when you get that opportunity like we do, and you come up short, it’s like real depression for like weeks.”

Back to work

You won’t see Conley out enjoying himself in public shortly after a playoff exit.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) dribbles down the court during the first half of an NBA basketball preseason game against the Indiana Pacers, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

“I don’t want to be seen out eating. I don’t want to go nowhere,” he said. “It’s almost like an embarrassment. I don’t want to be seen by anybody. You just feel so terrible about the situation.”

So, Conley goes back to the place he knows best, the gym. There, he can bury himself in his work. Just 36 hours after that last game, he was at the Wolves’ practice facility. At 7 a.m. Anthony Edwards was there, as well.

“You can’t run from (the hurt). You’re going to feel that way anyway,” Conley said. “The best way for me is always to try to get right back into my routine.”

“Every time you’re in the weight room, every time you’re shooting or something, you’re like, ‘Man, I’m not going to miss this shot again,’ ” he added. “It just kind of gets you going forward toward another year. It’s probably why I keep trying, year after year: to give myself another chance.”

It’s why retirement isn’t an option. Ending the pursuit short of the ultimate destination would require some emotional management training.

“I don’t know how to cope, bro,” Conley joked. “I’ll be around. Even if I don’t play a minute, I’m just going to be around. I’ll be dressed up, in my routine, doing what I do until I somehow get a ring.”

The chase continues

The birth of a new league season brings the NBA Draft, Summer League and a fresh cycle. That’s when Conley feels himself turning the page and transforms thoughts from “What went wrong?” into “How can we improve?”

But that’s in July, at which point it’s time for him to begin gearing up physically for the upcoming campaign. Inevitably, he’s confronted with the fact that he spent most of his true “offseason” wallowing in his disappointment.

“Before I knew it, it was August and I was coming back (to Minnesota) for my kids to start school,” Conley said. “It just happens really quickly. If I could get out of that (rut), I could enjoy my summer a lot more.”

But it seems as if Conley’s only chance to break the cycle is to break through and win that elusive first title. So, the chase continues into Year 19. Conley joked that he now checks in with his body in the morning in the same way people open their car hoods to inspect the engine.

“I’ll be like, ‘This don’t work today. My ankle don’t work today. My knee don’t work today. My hip, my back, whatever — something random,” Conley said. “And I’m like, ‘Forget it.’ I’m still going to go down (to the facility) and do what I’ve got to do and get after this thing again.”

“Because the thought of the goal, achieving the goal, is so great to me that is just pushes me to want to do it more, regardless of how I feel.”

Aches and pains don’t compare to the agony of an unrealized dream.

“Hopefully, I ain’t got to feel that again,” Conley said. “Hopefully, we can figure it out.”

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Today is Monday, Oct. 13, the 286th day of 2025. There are 79 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 13, 2011, Raj Rajaratnam (rahj rah-juh-RUHT’-nuhm), the hedge fund billionaire at the center of one of the biggest insider-trading cases in U.S. history, was sentenced by a federal judge in New York to 11 years behind bars. He was released early, in 2019.

Also on this date:

In 1792, the cornerstone of the executive mansion, later known as the White House, was laid by President George Washington during a ceremony in the District of Columbia.

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Today in History: October 12, First woman lights Olympic flame

In 1932, President Herbert Hoover and Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes laid the cornerstone for the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington.

In 1943, Italy declared war on Germany, its one-time Axis partner.

In 1960, the Pittsburgh Pirates won the World Series, defeating the New York Yankees in Game 7, 10-9, on a home run hit by Bill Mazeroski.

In 1972, a Uruguayan chartered flight carrying 45 people crashed in the Andes. In order to stay alive, survivors resorted to feeding off the remains of some of the dead; 16 people were rescued more than two months later.

In 1999, in Boulder, Colorado, the JonBenet Ramsey grand jury was dismissed after 13 months of work with prosecutors saying there wasn’t enough evidence to charge anyone in the 6-year-old beauty queen’s slaying.

In 2010, 33 men were rescued from a collapsed Chilean mine after being lifted one by one in capsules 69 days after they were trapped 2,300 feet (700 meters) underground.

In 2016, Bob Dylan was named winner of the Nobel prize in literature.

In 2021, Hollywood’s Captain Kirk, 90-year-old William Shatner, blasted into space aboard a ship built by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company; the “Star Trek” actor and three fellow passengers reached an altitude of 66.5 miles (107 kilometers) during a flight lasting just over 10 minutes.

Today’s Birthdays:

Gospel singer Shirley Caesar is 87.
Singer-musician Paul Simon is 84.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is 83.
Singer-musician Sammy Hagar is 78.
Model Beverly Johnson is 73.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., is 67.
Singer/TV personality Marie Osmond is 66.
NBA coach Doc Rivers is 64.
Actor T’Keyah Crystal Keymah (tuh-KEE’-ah KRYS’-tal kee-MAH’) is 63.
Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice is 63.
Comedian and actor Matt Walsh is 61.
Baseball Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman is 58.
Actor Kate Walsh is 58.
Actor Tisha Campbell is 57.
Olympic silver medal figure skater Nancy Kerrigan is 56.
Actor Sacha Baron Cohen is 54.
Olympic gold medal swimmer and TV personality Summer Sanders is 53.
Football Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins is 52.
Basketball Hall of Famer Paul Pierce is 48.
Singer Ashanti is 45.
Olympic gold medal swimmer Ian Thorpe is 43.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is 36.
First daughter Tiffany Trump is 32.
Actor Caleb McLaughlin is 24.

There’s a growing sense of anticipation for University of St. Thomas men’s hockey fans, excitement that suffering a series sweep Sunday against future conference rival North Dakota dampened only mildly.

The 10th-ranked River Hawks broke a first-period tie and cruised to a 5-2 victory over the No. 19 Tommies on Sunday at Grand Casino Arena. St. Thomas, a current Central Collegiate Hockey Association member that will join UND in the stronger National Collegiate Hockey Conference next season, suffered a 6-2 loss to the same foe Friday night in Grand Forks, N.D.

Still, with the first game in their $175 million Lee and Penny Anderson Arena scheduled for October 24 against Providence, St. Thomas backers are happily anxious despite early-season setbacks against one of college hockey’s blue bloods. The River Hawks have won eight national championships and made 22 Frozen Four appearances.

“Four years into the journey of a lifetime, we’re ready for the next chapter … on a national stage, intoned a serious-voiced announcer during a pregame hype video played on the massive arena’s video boards.

Coach Rico Blasi currently wants nothing to do with a wider point of view. The Tommies’ lost weekend on the scoreboard was his main concern.

“I’m absolutely not looking at the big picture,” the Tommies’ fifth-year boss said after his 1-2 team surrendered two power-play goals in front of a half-full lower bowl. “We’re focused on today and getting better. This stings right now, and I want it to sting. There’s no moral victories.”

So thoughts of the pomp and circumstance surrounding the new building and the NCAA Division I program’s continued rise from the Division III level just four years ago aren’t creeping in?

“Not a chance,” said the stone-faced boss, whose club visits Air Force in Colorado Springs this weekend. “We’re in the development business, and it’s (the players’) job to get better. We can’t be thinking about two weeks down the road. That’s a long ways away.”

North Dakota (2-0) opened Sunday’s scoring in the seventh minute. Defenseman Jake Livanavage walked the puck down from center point and passed into the right circle. Cole Reschny ripped a one-time shot home past the blocker of goaltender Carsen Musser and into the net’s far side.

The Tommies’ Lucas Wahlin, a Woodbury native, scored his third goal of the season five minutes into the second period. The star wing shot from low on the left wing and with goaltender Gibson Homer on his knees on the opposite side of the slot. The Arizona State transfer (25 saves) landed there after denying a Lucas Van Vielt one-timer, a rip set up by a Wahlin cross-ice pass.

The River Hawks moved ahead, 2-1, seven minutes into the period when Abram Wiebe threw an off-balance shot at the net from high on the left sideboards. The hope-and-a-prayer attempt sailed through a mix of players, over Musser’s glove and inside the far post.

 

“Overall, he has been solid,” Blasi said of Musser, a Colorado College transfer who finished with 18 saves. “I think he’d probably want a couple back tonight.”

North Dakota went up, 3-1, during the third period’s fifth minute and on a power-play goal.

The man advantage was created when Alex Gaffney was assessed a kneeing penalty despite clearly hitting Reschny with his hip when the latter was attempting to turn up ice from behind his own net. Ellis Rickwood scored from the doorstep on the rebound of a sharp-angle Livanavage shot.

The Tommies cut their deficit to 3-2 two minutes later, Ryan O’Neill scoring on a redirection at the right post off Jake Braccini’s whip of a pass from the far wing. North Dakota, however, needed only 31 seconds to go up, 4-2. Rickwood, high in the right circle spotted a wide-open Zellers gliding down the opposite side of the slot. Zellers, a Maple Grove product, had ample time and space to fire home a wrist shot.

Livanavage closed the scoring for UND, which improved to 2-6 in its last eight games in the arena, where the NCHC postseason tournament is annually staged. The River Hawks replaced 10th-year coach Brad Berry earlier this year with longtime assistant Dane Jackson.

St. Thomas defenseman Chase Cheslock, while appropriately somber after the loss, said playing in an NHL rink was a thrill.

“It’s a privilege,” said the Rogers, Minn., native, whose team has played games at a community rink in Mendota Heights with a 1,000-fan capacity. “You don’t get to play in these buildings often, and you don’t know if you ever will again. You take it all in but when it’s game time, the rink and the puck are the same size.”

No looking forward. Not for at least another week.

Briefly

North Dakota defenseman and captain Bennett Zmolek, a Rochester, Minn., product and the son of former Gopher Doug Zmolek, is easing himself back into regular action after undergoing three hip surgeries in the past six years. Bennett Zmolek, a graduate student in athletic administration and coaching, transferred from Minnesota State Mankato in 2024 but suffered a season-ending injury during his first game last season. … North Dakota defenseman E.J. Emery is that program’s first black player since 1994 and a first-round NHL draft pick in 2024 by the New York Rangers. … St. Thomas assistant coach Cory Laylin, a Gophers player during the late 1980s and early 1990s, is a Tommies assistant coac,h and sons Luc and Casy play forward on the team, although the latter was scratched from Sunday’s lineup. … St. Thomas junior defenseman Mason Poolman is the third son of 31-year North Dakota athletic trainer Mark Poolman to play college hockey. His older brothers, Tucker and Colton, suited up for the Fighting Hawks.

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Two men were shot and injured in a parking lot near a strip of St. Paul fast food restaurants on Saturday night.

Shortly after 10:30 p.m., St. Paul police were called to a parking lot in the 1800 block of Suburban Avenue, where they found a man with gunshot wounds to his torso. The area includes both a Wendy’s and a McDonald’s restaurant. The shooting appears to have occurred in a parking lot and not inside a business, according to Alyssa Arcand, a St. Paul police spokesperson.

Another man with gunshot injuries to his head was found near White Bear Avenue and Old Hudson Road.

Both men were taken to Regions Hospital by St. Paul Fire Department medics, police said. Updates on their condition were not available Sunday.

Investigators were working Sunday to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting, but they believe the two men were part of the same incident. No arrests have been made and the incident is an open and active investigation.

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