Don’t expect the Memphis Grizzlies to join the hunt for one of the many top head coaching prospects currently available. They’re apparently in favor of retaining J.B. Bickerstaff, who took over the team after David Fizdale was fired.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Dunc’d On podcast, Marc Stein of The New York Times intimated that Bickerstaff is the early favorite to be standing on Memphis’ sidelines next season (h/t RealGM):
“I can’t remember the last time somebody brought up the Grizzlies. Robert Pera, maybe he has a surprise in store. I can just tell you, basically everyone I talk to is operating under the assumption J.B. Bickerstaff is going to be brought back. Ultimately, we’ll see until we get an announcement from the team that’s the case it’s official.”
This makes sense when you think about everything we’ve heard since the end of the regular season—or rather, everything we haven’t heard.
Teams like the Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic have meandered in and out of the rumor mill as they try to fill their current head coaching vacancies. Even the Atlanta Hawks, who only recently parted ways with Mike Budenholzer, have a reported list of replacements.
The Grizzlies, though? Nothing, mostly. Not a peep. They’ve been quiet on that front. And that tracks with Stein’s news tidbit.
Bickerstaff’s name isn’t likely to wow any Grizzlies fans. The team was 15-48 under his care, and he’s not someone who is mentioned often, or at all, when head coaching gigs pop up.
Still, Bickerstaff has almost 15 years of assistant coaching experience at the NBA level. He also now has two partial seasons as a head coach under his belt; he assumed control of the Houston Rockets for 71 games in 2015-16 following Kevin McHale’s exit.
It’s fair to wonder what this line of thinking means for the Grizzlies’ future. Was owner Robert Pera and company that impressed by Bickerstaff this past season? Do they chalk up his record solely due to injuries and a midseason pivot to tanking? Or are they merely reluctant to chase and hire a bigger fish until they decide whether to hit reset or continue milking the Marc Gasol-Mike Conley core?
