When news broke out that the Memphis Grizzlies fired head coach David Fizdale, the reason that quickly emerged was their eight-game losing streak. However, there were also many who believed it stemmed from the benching of Marc Gasol in their game versus the Brooklyn Nets, and that the team had to choose between him and the second-year coach.

However, it has been reported that it was not the case and that the Spanish international center did not give a mandate of such kind to their management, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.

Gasol did not see action in the entire fourth period on Sunday and had to watch their bench players compete against the Nets. They ultimately lost the game, 98-88, in what can be considered as one of their worst performances of the young season.

With J.B. Bickerstaff taking over immediately, it will be interesting to see if he can help stir the Grizzlies back to their winning ways. It’s also worth monitoring if the franchise will hire another head coach later in the season to bring more stability to the team and try to continue their playoff contention this year.