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"FacebookPinterest\n\nThrough their first 43 games this season, the Memphis Grizzlies are off to a franchise-best 28-15 start. They've been dynamic offensively and ferocious defensively, giving up just 89.5 points per game, and they currently sit in the upper half of the mighty Western Conference Playoff chase, which would mean at least one round of homecourt advantage in the Playoffs. A major part of their turnaround has passed through the hands of point guard Mike Conley. His first five years in the NBA were largely defined by inconsistent playing time for Conley and inconsistent play from the Grizzlies. But now Conley's their steadying force, averaging 13 points, 6 assists, and 2.4 steals per game. And as Conley's matured on the court, he feels he's mirrored that off the floor, as well.\n\n Some of your teammates are guys who've played elsewhere and now have found a home in Memphis, like Tony Allen or Zach Randolph. Why do you think this team has fit together so well?\n\n I think a lot of it is that we've put a team together full of guys who were searching for a home. And we've welcomed them and they've been a great fit. Zach, Tony--all of us, really--we've had our ups and downs in this League, and all of us had to go through little bits of adversity. So it makes us a strong, mentally tough team, and we're used to rumors and critics and all of that. So we're a much stronger unit because of that.\n\nFor a few years now, people have looked at your team as having a lot of potential. Are the Memphis Grizzlies now title contenders?\n\n I think we are. We have finally kind of jumped onto the scene where everybody in the league knows who we are, and the public seems to know what the Memphis Grizzlies are about. And that's a good thing for us. We worked very hard to try and turn the franchise around and we're finally getting some recognition for it.\n\nSo how did you turn the franchise around? Was it just time and experience?\n\n We built a lot of this team through the Draft, over many years. And keeping the same core group of guys together for that extended period of time, we were able to grow together, and we went through ups and downs together. It's so much more gratifying to see something go from the ground up. And we've been a part of that.\n\nYou've personally improved a lot the last few years. How did that come about?\n\n It's a lot of different things. I mean, I spend every summer working hard to improve my game. I've taken parts of my game that I might have been uncomfortable with and worked on them to make them second nature. Also, the opportunity that Coach Hollins gave me. He instilled a lot of confidence in me by letting me run the team. Letting me run the show really helped with my development.\n\nWhat is Coach Hollins like? I think people might know who he is, but what is he like in the locker room or at practice?\n\n He's intense, man. He's a guy who speaks his mind. He's pretty straightforward. He's not afraid to fight a player or anybody. So he's definitely somebody that you don't want to mess with.\n\nDo you think you could take him if you had to?\n\n Um... yeah. Don't tell him I said that, though.\n\nWhat do you do off the court there in Memphis?\n\n Well, Memphis isn't the most active city, but we find ways to have fun, whether it's going bowling, maybe to the movies, going out to eat. We eat a lot here because there's a lot of good food.\n\nYou hear a lot of NBA players--guys like Chris Paul, Durant--talk about how much they love bowling. Why do NBA players like bowling so much?\n\n I think it's one of the few activities we can do that's not against our contracts. It's a fun sport, and it's fun to compete against other guys on the team. And because we're athletes, guys think they can just pick up a ball and go bowl it, so it's fun to see guys struggle and compete against each other.\n\nJust be careful, because we saw what happened to Bynum. Oh, someone told me that you're not very good at Halo.\n\n (long pause) Oh my goodness. That is a lie. It's the complete opposite of that. I'm a Halo maniac right now. I'm a big ox guy. I play Gears of War, Halo, other stuff. But Halo is my game, definitely.\n\nDo you travel with your ox?\n\n I do not. I actually found a way to download games onto my MacBook, and I have this little controller that plugs into it, so I hook that up to my computer and I can play the games on the plane and in the hotel. I mostly play one-player games like Batman and Assassin's Creed.\n\nYou're also interested in fashion. When did that begin?\n\n Really, the last year and a half, I got into fashion. It was partially because my girlfriend was into it, and I started to catch a couple of shows, whatever she was watching on the Style Channel or on E! I started watching some of those shows with her and I thought, \"I want to start dressing nice and looking better.\"\n\nHow were you dressing before that?\n\n I think I dressed like I didn't care--like hoodies, jeans and a collared shirt. Maybe some nice shoes, but not really making an effort, I think. I never really put on a cardigan or whatever I could have done to make it look a little nicer. Then I got hooked up with a stylist out in L.A., Brandon Williams, and he really kind of helped me changed my image into something I'd rather have.\n\nSince you've started making an effort, how has that changed the way you dress?\n\n A lot of it was the fit of the clothes. I wore a lot of baggy stuff, and now everything's more slim-fit and tighter on the body. Now I'm wearing designer shoes, whether they're Giuseppi or Christian Louboutins, which are things I'd never bought before. And I'm wearing those with certain types of slacks or jeans, or mixing things like blazers with hoodies. Just combinations of clothing that I never thought I'd put together.\n\nDon't you think some guys just aren't used to wearing clothes tailored close to their bodies?\n\n Yeah. At first I felt like it was all too tight, and I felt funny. But the more I wore it, the more I felt comfortable. Then everyone started to notice, and people started saying, \"Hey, Mike's dressing a lot nicer.\" And that made me feel much more confident in what I was wearing.\n\nWhich one of your teammates needs a makeover?\n\n I'd probably have to say Marc Gasol. He'll wear a couple nice European things some days, and then he'll just wear jeans and Air Force 1s and a t-shirt or something.\n\nWhat about Coach Hollins?\n\n Actually, he's kind of stylish for his age. He's got a little game to him.\n\n_Lang Whitaker is GQ's NBA blogger as well as the editor-at-large at SLAM Magazine and a regular contributor to NBA TV. Follow him on Twitter @langwhitaker.\n\n _"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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