Haddadi, the league's first Iranian player, is going to the NBA Developmental League.

"We want him to play and get some time," Griz coach Marc Iavaroni said. "We're not practicing enough for him to develop."

The 7-footer didn't appear in any of the Grizzlies' 14 games, including a Monday night contest with the San Antonio Spurs. Haddadi's mostly spent time on the inactive list.

He will report to the Dakota Wizards on an early-morning flight with Griz advanced scout Gordon Chiesa , who was an assistant coach under Iavaroni last season. Chiesa is credited for convincing the Griz to sign Haddadi after watching his performances at the Rocky Mountain Revue summer league in Utah.

Conley on upswing

Maligned for his slow start to the season, second-year point guard Mike Conley has picked up the pace lately and provided a silver lining to the cloud of losing.

Despite the Griz losing six of their last seven games, Conley entered Monday's play averaging 12.3 points on 55-percent shooting, 5 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 28.7 minutes in three previous games.

Conley appears to have gained confidence, particularly with his shooting after playing tentatively earlier this season. He's also driving to the basket more, finishing at the rim or handing out nifty assists to teammates.

Last Saturday was easily Conley's best game of the season as he amassed 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting (2-of-3 on 3-point shooting) and eight assists and no turnovers.

Parker update

The Spurs are expressing optimism about their starting point guard, Tony Parker , who continues to recover from a sprained left ankle. He recently joined the team for light shooting, and coach Gregg Popovich said Parker is improving rapidly.

Popovich, though, gave no timetable for Parker's return. The initial diagnosis was that Parker would miss four weeks after he suffered the injury on Nov. 7.

"It's a situation where every team gets injuries, and you have to continue to perform as best you can," Popovich said. "We've done a decent job. Could have been better, could have been worse."

- Ronald Tillery: 529-2353