Monday's firing of Memphis Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale sent shockwaves around the NBA, prompting several NBA players to publicly question what happened to a coach seemingly so beloved by the league.
The most glaring response came from none other than Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James.
I need some answers. Feels like my man was a fall guy
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 27, 2017
But for others, Fizdale's firing wasn't so shocking. To hear Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders tell it, it seemed as though Fizdale's fate was a foregone conclusion for some time.
The firing of Grizzlies coach David Fizdale isn't totally surprising. Owner Robert Pera once tried to fire David Joerger 3 games into his NBA head coaching career, sources told @BBallInsiders. Fizdale's relationship with Marc Gasol and 8-game losing streak was the deciding factor
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) November 28, 2017
Dave Joerger coached the Grizzlies for three seasons, sporting a 147-99 record and taking them to the postseason every year.
The Grizzlies had been struggling in the weeks before Fizdale's firing. Like Scotto states, Memphis had lost eight consecutive games, dropping contests to the likes of the Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks, and the Brooklyn Nets. Their other five losses were to elite-caliber NBA teams.
But one incident just before Fizdale was let go seems particularly interesting. Marc Gasol sat in the fourth quarter of Memphis' loss to the Nets, and he let it be known just how unhappy he was about the situation.
“I do not know the why,” Gasol said of not playing down the stretch, later adding: “It's a first for me, trust me, and I don't like it one bit. I'm more [ticked] than I can show and frustrated.”
The losing streak and Gasol's benching could very well be the straws that broke the camel's back. It's a big loss for the Grizzlies, who seemed to respond to Fizdale's coaching.
When Fizdale was an assistant in Miami, those players liked him plenty as well, which might explain why James was so outspoken about Memphis parting ways with him. James played for the Heat from 2010-2014, leading them to back-to-back championships.
In 101 games coaching the Grizzlies, Fizdale was 50-51 and led Memphis to a playoff berth last season, where he made this famous “take that for data” post-game speech.
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