<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello's reaction to being named the Western Conference Coach of the Month fit his team's turnaround this season. He called the honor "wonderful" and then reveled in the Grizzlies' comeback from a 5-11 start to the season. In registering a 12-3 record for January, the Griz produced an NBA-best 6-2 mark on the road and moved back into playoff contention. "I get more satisfaction with what's happened with the team," Fratello said. "It was a team that was struggling. They didn't get off to the fast start that they'd hoped to. ... We didn't set any big (goals) when I got here. We just said let's start playing well and start feeling good about ourselves." Impressive, too, is that Fratello just completed his second month on the job. He took over for the retired Hubie Brown Dec. 2 after spending nearly six years out of coaching. Chicago Bulls coach Scott Skiles won the Eastern Conference award. "I would think that there's some vindication," Shane Battier said of Fratello. "Anytime you're away from your craft, there's a sense of wanting instant gratification. He can take a lot of credit for our success because it's due in part to his coaching skills." </div> Source
