Roughly 24 hours after the Memphis Grizzlies announced the firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins, general manager Zach Kleiman faced reporters to explain the surprising decision to dismiss a head coach with a 44-29 record and nine games remaining before the playoffs begin.
“I came to the conclusion that this is in the best interests of the team and urgency is a core principle of ours,” Kleiman said.
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Kleiman, who became the Grizzlies’ executive vice president of basketball operations in April 2019 after a season as assistant GM, added that he’s responsible for everything to do with the team and its performance.
“I’m responsible for coaching, I’m responsible for the roster,” he said. “I’m not trying to absolve myself of anything. I’m excited to see what this team can do the rest of the way.”
Unfortunately for those seeking clarity, Kleiman repeated his assertions that firing Jenkins was in the best interests of the team and didn’t provide any details as to what went into his thought process or created the urgency to make a move so late in the regular season.
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However, Kleiman did reveal that none of the Grizzlies players were consulted on the move.
“This decision was mine and mine only,” he insisted.
Ja Morant‘s recent unhappiness about playing through a right shoulder injury naturally led to speculation that perhaps he was dissatisfied with that decision. But if Morant was indeed pushed into playing, that wasn’t necessarily a directive from Jenkins. It also could have been a point of contention between Jenkins and Kleiman.
The Grizzlies have lost four of five games (by an average margin of 16.8 points) and nine of their past 15 going into Saturday’s matchup versus the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom they’re tied at 44-29. The Lakers hold the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference standings, while the Grizzlies are fifth due to tiebreakers.
Kleiman acknowledged that interim coach Tuomas Iisalo doesn’t have much time to implement changes before the playoffs begin, but said he expects “clarity of direction.”
This news was originally published on this post .
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