Marc Gasol's post-game rant after being benched in the fourth quarter of the Memphis Grizzlies' disheartening loss to the Brooklyn Nets was the final tick of head coach David Fizdale's clock, spelling the end to his one-year-and-some tenure with the team.
In retrospect, the 7-foot-1 big man noted how he can approach this situation with J.B. Bickerstaff at the helm and now a nine-game losing streak leading his Grizzlies right out of early playoff contention.
Article Continues Below“You control your mind a little bit more,” Gasol said after Wednesday morning's shootaround before Memphis lost to the San Antonio Spurs, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon. “See what happens, understand the solutions to it, communicating with your teammates better, think about the next play. It's all about trying to control those things.
“Obviously, if not as many things go wrong or we can do more things that work, that's easy, too. If things work out, it's easier to be positive, but it's mostly me. It's mostly me being positive and doing the things that I'm supposed to do on the floor to give confidence to my guys.”
Gasol is facing accusations of being a “coach killer” by some in the Grizzlies' fan base, a label, which according to ESPN Insider Bobby Marks has been able to destroy players in the past.
Memphis will need Gasol in a major way after Mike Conley is slated to be out for two-to-three weeks with an Achilles injury, resting as the lone pillar of an organization in flux with the potential of a buy-sell provision in the works for the franchise's ownership group.