There is little doubt that, after a season in which NBA teams filed away their pink slips and did not fire a coach for an entire year, several coaches are now on the hot seat. But the strange thing is, Memphis’ David Fizdale was not supposed to be one of them, and it wasn’t until he benched star center Marc Gasol on Sunday that Fizdale’s employment status suddenly turned shaky.
Hours later, to the shock of many around the league, Fizdale was fired. Such is life on the NBA coaching carousel. Now, the problem for the Grizzlies is one with which they’re familiar: Who will replace Fizdale? That leads us to a dozen ideas...
MORE: Multiple NBA players criticize Fizdale firing, including LeBron
Shane Battier
Battier makes a whole lot of sense for Memphis, if the feeling is that he’s ready for a lead job. He has a very firm grasp of analytics, is known for his savvy with the media and has credentials as a player who has been part of a championship team.
Patrick Ewing
Ewing has been stewing over his inability to get the call on a head-coaching job for years now, and he was a finalist for the Grizzlies job before Fizdale was hired. He has a trove of experience as an assistant, and a Hall of Fame resume as a player. Would he jump from Georgetown to the NBA so quickly given the opportunity?
John Calipari
We’ll put this out there just so we can point out that it’s not happening. Calipari coached at Memphis, of course, and revived his career there. Those close to him insist he will eventually return to the NBA, and that’s probably true. But it won’t be with the Grizzlies, and it won’t be now.
David Blatt
Blatt has made it clear that he would like another crack at coaching in the NBA, after a tumultuous season-and-a-half with the Cavaliers that included a trip to the Finals. There were some aspects of his approach with Cleveland that could be nitpicked, but he has been successful wherever he’s gone, and he could step into the Memphis job with an established background of winning.
J.B. Bickerstaff
This will mark Bickerstaff’s second stint as an interim coach, having first taken over for the Rockets after the firing of Kevin McHale during their miserable 2015-16 campaign. Bickerstaff is well-respected around the league and probably deserving of a head-coaching job. You would have to think that the Grizzlies would at least give him an interview.
Mark Jackson
Jackson was exiled back to the broadcasting booth after the bizarre ending to his tenure with the Warriors, and he has not been a serious candidate for a job since. But, as thoroughly as he failed in the political aspects of the job, Jackson was central to the culture change of the Warriors. He is probably ready to get back into consideration for a head-coaching gig.
Greg Buckner
Buckner wrapped up his career in Memphis, and in the meantime, he has built a reputation as a quality assistant in Houston. Given the Rockets’ current run of success and his hand in developing young players, Buckner could be a good fit, especially if the Grizzlies look at trading Marc Gasol and rebuilding.
Monty Williams
While he was coaching for the Thunder, Williams suffered a tragedy in 2016 when his wife was killed in a car crash. He has since been hired by the Spurs, and he appears to be ready to get back into being a head coach. He had a 45-37 record in his final season with the Pelicans, who have struggled since he left.
Damon Stoudamire
Stoudamire played only two-plus seasons with the Grizzlies at the end of his career, but he went on to serve as an assistant for the team as well as putting in two stints as an assistant at the University of Memphis. He is currently head coach at Pacific and had a rough first year there (11-22) last season, but he could be worth a shot as an NBA head coach.
Jay Larranaga
Larranaga has gotten interest from a few colleges, including George Mason and Georgia Tech, and he was expected to be a candidate to replace George Karl in Sacramento before the Kings went after ex-Grizz coach Dave Joerger. The Celtics have had the league’s best start, so it would figure that teams will sniff around Brad Stevens’ staff in the offseason.
Stephen Silas
Silas was a finalist for the Rockets job before it went to Mike D’Antoni. He has gotten extensive coaching tutelage under his father, NBA great Paul Silas, and has amassed 17 years of experience as a scout and assistant coach. He is much more mild-mannered than his father, but combines a feel for the old-school NBA with a grasp of analytics and changes in the approach to the game.
Tony Bennett
If there is a college coach who could be ripe to make the leap to the NBA, it could be Bennett, whose stock is fairly high. His ability to drill discipline into his players, particularly with the pack-line defense his father championed at Wisconsin, is impressive, and he has shown the ability to get the most out of individual players. But it’s unlikely that the Grizzlies will go collegiate.
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