The Memphis Grizzlies fired Dave Joerger as head coach on Saturday, but already have a big name in mind to fill the void.
According to Adrian Wojnarowksi of The Vertical, the Grizzlies will pursue Frank Vogel and are willing to pay him top dollar to coach in Memphis:
Memphis plans to pursue Frank Vogel, league sources tell @TheVertical. Grizzlies willing to pay market value for top available candidates.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) May 7, 2016
Vogel was fired as head coach of the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, concluding a run of six seasons with the team which included two conference finals appearances. With the Pacers moving to a more up-tempo offensive attack under the suggestion of team president Larry Bird, Vogel's coaching philosophy felt out of place in Indiana.
What makes a Vogel-to-Grizzlies move interesting is the fact that Vogel's first NBA job was under Memphis general manager Chris Wallace when the two were with the Boston Celtics:
Vogel also has ties to Grizz GM Chris Wallace; Vogel’s first NBA job was in video room for Rick Pitino in Boston while Wallace was GM there.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) May 7, 2016
If Vogel does indeed sign with the Grizzlies, they would retain their signature defensive-minded approach. In his five full seasons with Indiana, the Pacers always ranked in the top 10 in points allowed per game.
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It's worth nothing that the New York Knicks contacted Vogel's agent on Friday, to gauge his interest in their head coaching job.
With Memphis bringing back Marc Gasol and Zack Randolph, they'll have to make an attempt to re-sign Mike Conley and bring in stronger offensive-minded perimeter players. Provided that happens, Vogel would have one heck of a team entering the 2016-17 season.
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