Spend a little time around the Memphis Grizzlies and they’ll change the way you think about pro sports. Okay, maybe not, but they are pretty entertaining. And possibly the strangest collection of personalities ever to share a locker room.

Here are a few observations from a couple hours with the Grizz. During pre-game shootaround, despite his limited English, Pau Gasol was able to rap nearly every lyric of Jay-Z’s "Izzo." Then, at the start of the game Issac Austin, the former basketball player and current 270-pound Memphis center, plops down on the last seat on the bench and throws his feet up on a cooler. Let the fun begin.

"Somebody bring me a hot dog," says Ike. Don’t you mean another hot dog, big fella? Later, Grant Long grabs a first-quarter rebound. "Yeah, Frank White," yells Ike. "That’s how we do it." It’s a reference to Christopher Walken’s character in The King of New York. He’s trying to say Grant’s tough. Moving on ...

When he’s not looking completely bored on the bench, Nick Anderson plays the role of the wise old vet. In the five minutes that rookie Gasol didn’t play, Anderson was in his ear explaining how to box out or clear space when you face up.

In the third, Jason Williams is pleading with referee Jack Nies. For a piece of gum. Nies finally tosses him one but nearly throws it over his head out of bounds. Now you see how it feels, JWill.

Pau reenters the game. "Gasoliiiine," screams Ike. A fan yells for Ike to get in the game. "I have no control of that," he shouts back. Thank goodness.

In the locker room -- after the Grizz shock the Knicks in The Garden -- Brevin Knight and Rodney Buford are busy giving each other rabbit punches. Those were the only shots they took all night. Gasol does his first interview in Spanish. Shane does his in Battiese -- the language of saying all the right things. I ask Pau if he’s ever been to Graceland. He gives me a strange look. "Why would I want to do that?" he asks.

At the shootaround, during the game, in the locker room and on the way to the bus, Stromile Swift doesn’t speak a single word. When a reporter takes about a minute to ask JWill a question about Battier, he replies "He made a shot."

Meanwhile, Ike gets dressed and walks out. I’ll never see pro hoops the same way. And hopefully, I’ll never see Ike without a shirt again.

Chris Palmer covers The NBA Life for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at christopher.palmer@espnmag.com.