<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The suddenly spry Stromile Swift elevated a few feet in front of the rim and sent a message to teammate Chucky Atkins just before the Grizzlies' scrimmage ended Monday. Return to sender. Swift tossed Atkins' would-be layup several feet on an explosive defensive stance. It was the type of activity the Griz have enjoyed from the backup forward since Tony Barone Sr. became interim head coach. That the 6-9 Swift has regained the spring in his step -- evident by his scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking over the past five games -- begs only one question. Will Swift sustain the effort? "He just has to continue to push himself," Barone said. There is no doubt that Swift's emergence began with Barone's pushing the right buttons to instill confidence. Swift, along with swingman Mike Miller, immediately stepped up his play when Barone shifted the Grizzlies' offense into high gear. The Los Angeles Lakers won't find a gimpy and flat-footed Swift when they arrive in FedExForum tonight to face the Griz. He's used his athleticism to take advantage of the Grizzlies' change in style and flourished by simply making instinctive plays. "This is the way I've always liked to play," Swift said. "It helps me get out and be able to block shots and finish on the break. That makes it fun. In the past, we'd get back downcourt and a lot of times we didn't know what play we were running. That would slow us down. That was the worst part of everything." </div> Source
