Grizzlies' Mike Conley tunes up his game with assist from keyboard and new teammate Tinsley

Mike Conley regained his confidence stroke by stroke by tickling the ivory keys.

The third-year point guard turned to the piano when times got tough, and to help drown out the noise of naysayers.

"It helps ease the stress," the Grizzlies point guard said of his new hobby. "You get home, play the piano and feel better. It's something to chill with."

Conley actually enters tonight's Memphis game against the Washington Wizards a little cold, having shot 28 percent with only six assists in his last two games. But those performances aren't emblematic of Conley's last month.

Conley seems settled and mostly on point after a horrid start.

He's relaxed, not shaky as the starter thanks in part to Allen Iverson's exit, Jamaal Tinsley's arrival and a sudden love affair with the piano.

About a month ago, Conley was walking in Best Buy with rookie teammate Sam Young. The pair stopped at a keyboard that Young began to play masterfully.

Conley became impressed and interested enough that he bought a keyboard the next day. Conley has learned the piano with the help of one-hour DVDs ever since, which included about four hours on Christmas Day.

"It's something to take your mind off basketball," said Young, a piano player since the ninth grade after picking up the talent from his blind younger brother, Michael Spriggs.

Coincidence or not, Conley's interest in taking up a musical instrument coincided with his turnaround on the court. He's gone from being off key to making joyful noises most times on the court over the past month, especially when he's attacking in the paint.

Conley is averaging 12.7 points on 49-percent shooting and 4.6 assists this month. He's shot better than 50 percent in eight of the past 12 games, which includes a career-high five 3-pointers Dec. 18 against Indiana.

His two 20-point games in December compared with zero in the Grizzlies' first 17 games this season indicate that Conley is capable of reaching an aggressive gear the coaching staff craves.

"He's still a young player learning when he can attack and when he has to pull the ball back," said Griz coach Lionel Hollins, who earlier praised Conley for channeling the end of last season. "There are a lot of expectations of each and every player. It doesn't always happen when you think it should happen. ... Some players start fast and some start slower. I'd rather have one start a little slower and get stronger as the season wears on rather than one that starts fast and fades."

Conley did more than start slowly. He began the season with performances marked by turnovers, misfires and tentative dribble drives in the lane.

He tends to occasionally revert to those maddening habits during games but Conley is progressing toward minimizing unproductive stretches like Sunday, when he didn't have an assist in 32 minutes.

Tinsley's veteran presence has proven constructive.

"Sometimes you have guys around you that don't want to see you do good. They want to see you mess up," Tinsley said. "I told (Conley) from the beginning 'I'm here to help you.' If we win games, everybody gets paid. At the end of the day, you've got to win.

"He's the starting point guard, and he's playing enough minutes so he has to stay aggressive. If you're not aggressive, then you have guys playing off you. You have to keep teams honest."

Conley said Tinsley often is a tutor during games and counsels him off the floor.

"It's important that he talks to me," Conley said. "Knowing we have a relationship on and off the court is good. He's one of the great guards to play in this league. It was a lot different (with Iverson). We didn't talk as much. That's the biggest difference."

Conley couldn't ignore Iverson's well-publicized rants about wanting to start. It was no secret that Iverson wanted to supplant Conley, whose performances made him the weakest link among the starters at the time.

"I knew who he was talking about. I was sitting right next to him in the locker room," Conley said. "It's hard to ignore, but it's all good now. It was pressure to a point because it's Allen Iverson. It was tough because he's a guy I looked up to and you care what he has to say. I wanted to help the team, but the whole deal was kind of tough."

Now, Conley leaves his frustration at a keyboard -- something his dad, Mike Sr., can play and that Young provided inspiration for.

"He's really raw right now," Young said of Conley on the keyboard. "But he seems really dedicated."

Conley's drive to master his position like he does the piano is music to the Grizzlies' ears.

Conley countdown

Griz point guard Mike Conley has improved markedly over the past 12 games compared with his first 16 appearances. He leads the Griz in assists for a third consecutive season with 4.8 per game. Conley also is the Grizzlies' best 3-point shooter.

/ First 12 / Last 16 /

Shots / 60 of 121 / 42 of 127 /

Pct. / .495 / .330 /

3s / 16 of 37 / 9 of 36 /

3 pct. / .432 / .250 /

Asst. / 53 / 81 /

PPG / 10.5 / 9.4 /