Details about the Marc Gasol-David Fizdale relationship that wasn’t continue to trickle out.
The latest comes from USA Today‘s Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt, who heard that when the Memphis Grizzlies fired their head coach, he and Big Spain hadn’t really spoken over the past 10 months:
But while the widespread confusion about the Fizdale move is understandable, it can’t be said enough that there’s no quicker way to lose job security in the NBA coaching ranks than getting sideways with the franchise star. And while there was tension between Marc Gasol and Fizdale, the truth is that the dynamic was even worse than realized.
Two people with knowledge of the situation say there was little-to-no communication between the two of them for the better part of the past 10 months, with the Sunday night benching in Brooklyn merely a tipping point in a situation that started to go sour quite some time ago. And with the Feb. trade deadline looming, there was no better way to appease Gasol and quell the league-wide chatter about how he might want out of Memphis than to show him where the organization’s loyalties lie. The people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
This tracks with the timing of Memphis’ decision. Gasol maintains that he didn’t have a direct hand in Fizdale’s dismissal, but he didn’t need to. The front office can sense what’s happening. Everyone around the organization had to know the relationship between superstar and coach wasn’t peachy keen.
The Grizzlies’ recent 2-11 stretch (now 2-12 after a loss to the San Antonio Spurs) provided general manager Chris Wallace with the perfect cover for the move. Yes, it came after Gasol complained about a fourth-quarter benching in Sunday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets. But he can sell that Fizdale wasn’t meeting expectations, and that the Grizzlies have no intention of rebuilding, thus leaving them with little other shakeup options outside of this coaching change.
Is this an ideal way to sell it? Or even an ideal decision to make? Not at all. But it’s done. How the Grizzlies respond from here, how Gasol plays and how Gasol is received by his teammates following Fizdale’s dismissal is all that matters now.
