Even in the world of sports, where one’s ability to help a team win can be valued over a great number of things, loyalty can still supersede performance.
The Memphis Grizzlies announced Saturday their decision to fire Coach Dave Joerger. The move was made by General Manager Chris Wallace, who said in a Q&A posted on the team site that Memphis needed a committed head coach. The firing comes as a surprise given Joerger’s winning record (147-99) in his first three years as a head coach.
Wallace acknowledged the action was the not result of Joerger’s on-court coaching abilities. The Grizzlies are coming off a season marked by numerous injuries – a record 28 players competed for at least a minute of game-time. Despite the revolving door roster, the Grizzlies scraped together a regular-season record of 42-40 and claimed the seventh seed in the 2016 playoffs. Their third straight postseason trip under Joerger ended quickly, though, as they were swept by San Antonio in the opening round.
ESPN’s Marc Spears reports Memphis was put off by Joerger’s continued requests to interview with other teams for head coaching gigs. Yahoo Sports’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Joerger and his agent requested interviews with other teams twice in three years. Joerger complained publicly at the beginning of the season regarding the free agent and draft decisions made by the team during his tenure.
Wallace answered a string of questions regarding his reasoning behind the firing, but did not directly confirm Spears’s report:
“The decision was made because I believe you need a deeply committed leadership team in order to establish the strong culture needed for sustainable long-term success.”
…
“The decision was not about Dave’s in-game coaching. Dave did an admirable job managing games. However, being an NBA head coach is about more than just coaching a 48 minute game.”
Wallace said the team has already begun its search for a new coach.
The Grizzlies are the second Western Conference playoff team to head into the offseason without a head coach, as Houston Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff elected to leave the team in search of an assistant coaching position elsewhere.
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