Parsons rejects pretty-boy label: 'That's not me'

Chandler Parsons knows there's a certain perception of him that's incongruous with that of the team he just signed with in free agency, but the small forward and sometimes model insists he'll be a perfect fit with the notoriously rugged Memphis Grizzlies.

"Grit 'n Grind is something that this core group of guys with Marc (Gasol), Mike (Conley), Z-Bo (Zach Randolph), and Tony (Allen) have established here. It's something special," Parsons told ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "It's in their DNA, and it's in their culture and in this community. Maybe not by looking at me - I kind of have the pretty-boy tag - but that's not me. I compete, I play hard, I'm tough. That's kind of how I got my niche in the league, doing all the dirty things. Playing under Kevin McHale (with the Rockets), I was taught from my rookie year to take charges, dive on the floor."

Parsons signed a four-year, $94-million deal as part of an uncharacteristically lavish summer for the Grizzlies, who also inked Conley to the richest contract in league history. (Owner Robert Pera was so taken by his own open-handedness that he tweeted a GIF of a baby tossing cash out a window.)

Before injuries eviscerated them this year, the Grizzlies' Grit n' Grind core posted a top-eight defensive rating in five straight seasons, and won at least 50 games in three straight. Parsons believes he can offer the kind of offensive punch that's long been lacking in Memphis, a void that's prevented them in the past from parlaying their championship-level defense into actual championship contention.

"I think you add a guy like me who's hungry and willing to take the big shot and really be the versatile forward that this team's been missing. I think my game really complements their game and vice versa," Parsons said. "Grit n' Grind or not, I think we're going to mesh very, very well together, and I think those guys are a perfect group of players to play with me."