Memphis Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today the team has signed Mike Conley to a contract.  Per team policy, financial terms of the deal are not disclosed.  

?Mike has all the attributes needed to develop into a top flight NBA point guard,? said Wallace. ?We are excited about the progress he has shown in the brief period of time he has been with the Grizzlies.  Now that he has signed, Mike and his family are eager to become further involved in the greater Memphis community.?

Conley, the fourth overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft, averaged 11.4 points, 5.2 assists, 3.0 rebounds and a team-high 39.8 minutes in five games with the Grizzlies at the 2007 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.  

The former Ohio State guard was named First Team All-Big Ten by the media and Second Team All-Big Ten by the coaches, and was also named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team as a freshman. He started all 39 games for the Buckeyes, finishing third on the team in scoring (11.3 ppg) and first in assists (6.1 apg) and steals (2.2 spg). He had a career-high 23 points in a win over Michigan and a career-high eight rebounds in a win against Cincinnati.

Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni has already played Mike Conley highlights in his mind over and over and over again.

"I can't express how happy I am we got Mike Conley," Iavaroni said. "I am really excited. ... I feel blessed as a coach that he will fit our system. He fits our philosophy."

"I want to be one of the best point guards in the league," Conley said.

There still is no substitute for maturity -- something that is undeniable about Conley.

"He's got 'it,' " teammate Rudy Gay said. "He seems like he has what it takes to be a very good point guard in this league if he continues to work at it. He's another threat offensively and defensively. He has long arms, he can penetrate against anybody, and he's fun to watch."

Eight teams have contacted the Wizards with interest in acquiring Juan Carlos Navarro, including the Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies, but so far, no offers have been to the liking of Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld.

The team has never seriously considered signing Navarro, who is seeking a contract that would pay him around $3.5 million, according to a league source.

Memphis Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today the team has signed free agent guard/forward Casey Jacobsen to a contract.  Per team policy, financial terms of the deal are not disclosed.

"We are pleased that Casey is coming to resume his NBA career in Memphis,? said Wallace. ?Casey brings much needed outside shooting to the team.  He also provides size in the backcourt. Casey has NBA experience, is a former first round draft pick and has benefited from spending two seasons in Europe. He is a player who is intent on reestablishing himself in the league. Coach Iavaroni worked with Casey in Phoenix and our assistant coach Andy Greer was with him last year in the preseason with Houston.  Having coaches who have first hand experience with a new player is an advantage, and we are fortunate that our coaching staff has that familiarity with Casey.?

The Grizzlies finalized a deal Monday with Casey Jacobsen, a guard who last played in the NBA during the 2004-05 season when he split time with Phoenix and New Orleans.

An NBA source confirmed that Jacobsen was in town Monday to sign the contract and visit with Griz personnel. Jacobsen signed a one-year contract.

Jacobsen adds perimeter scoring the Grizzlies sought in order to bolster their guard rotation. He came out of Stanford in 2002 and played 2 1/2 seasons with the Suns before being traded to the Hornets.

The Grizzlies could have the two-guard/small forward they've been searching for by early this week.

And one of the players the team is looking at is Casey Jacobsen, who last played in the NBA during the 2004-05 season when he split time with Phoenix and New Orleans.

'We've talked to a lot of people through this process,'' Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said. ''Casey's a name we talked about at the beginning. He's been out of the NBA for a couple of years and just didn't receive the scrutiny that the other names did.''

Wallace said he has also talked with Portland free agent Ime Udoka. Udoka is an unrestricted free agent who started 75 games for the Trail Blazers last season, averaging 8.4 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 40.6 percent from 3-point range. Portland has the league maximum 15 players under contract. The San Antonio Spurs also have expressed interest in signing Udoka.

Wallace did say the player the team signs most likely won't come through a trade. The Grizzlies prefer to hang on to their current players and future draft picks.

''It's a small group we're looking at and we could have something pretty soon,'' he said.

The Grizzlies have again bolstered their frontline.

According to a source, the Grizzlies have signed 6-9 free agent forward Andre Brown, who was playing on the Indiana Pacers summer league team.

Brown, who played collegiately at DePaul, spent last season with Seattle where he appeared in 38 games, averaging 2.4 points and 1.9 rebounds.

The 26-year-old will add speed and quickness to the Grizzlies front court, which last week added 7-footer Darko MIlicic.

As Darko Milicic was introduced to the Memphis media yesterday he put to bed any rumors that there would a problem between himself and Pau Gasol.

"I never said Pau Gasol was soft. I've said a lot of other things in the newspaper, But I told (Pau) that it's not true. He told me it's fine." said Milicic.

With their need for frontcourt help mostly addressed by the signing of Darko Milicic, the Grizzlies have turned their attention toward adding perimeter shooting and defense.

Memphis has inquired about free agent swingmen Ime Udoka (Portland) and Matt Barnes (Golden State) as options in those areas.

Spanish guard Juan Carlos Navarro, whose rights belong to the Washington Wizards, is also a player of interest for the Grizzlies.

The 76ers lost out on their top off-season priority Friday night, with free-agent forward Joe Smith agreeing to a two-year, $10 million deal with the Chicago Bulls, according to David Aldridge of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Sixers had been pleasantly surprised with the 31-year-old Smith, the former first pick overall in the 1995 draft, who was a piece in the Allen Iverson trade with the Denver Nuggets last winter.

Smith played in 54 games with the Sixers, averaging 9.2 points and 6.7 rebounds in 25 minutes a game. But he quickly became a solid presence in the locker room and a teacher to some of the team's younger players, and president and general manager Billy King wanted very badly to re-sign him.

"Philly really couldn't come up with the same package," said Dan Fegan, Smith's agent. "We tried. I really like both of those groups. We wouldn't have sent him to another team if the dollars were the same."

The Sixers' best offer was a three-year deal for $10 million.

The Bulls had been interested in Smith from the beginning of the free-agent process, looking for a veteran big man to come off the bench. Chicago also re-signed its own restricted free agent, Andres Nocioni, to a $38 million deal earlier in the week.

Also, free-agent center Mikki Moore accepted a three-year deal with the Sacramento Kings. Moore was one of the more coveted big men available, but the 76ers were more interested in either re-signing Smith or signing center Darko Milicic, who agreed to a three-year deal with Memphis for $21 million.

A source indicated that Milicic may have come to the Sixers on a two-year agreement if he had not gotten the three-year deal in Memphis.