Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman has the decision to fire Taylor Jenkins, offers little clarity
The general manager of Memphis Grizzlies Zach Kleiman took the property on Saturday The surprise dismissal of the coach Taylor JenkinsBut he did not offer clarity on the reasons behind the decision.
In his first public comments since he fired Jenkins on Friday with only nine games left in the regular season, Kleiman said that several times the decision was “only mine and mine” and that he did not consult Grizzlies’s players before making his decision. Kleiman said that the decision was “in the best interest of the team”.
“Urgency is our fundamental principle,” said Kleiman, who spoke for less than three minutes. “So, (i) I decided to continue with the move.”
Memphis achieved a record of 44-29 in a crucial house in three games, which starts with a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, a contending colleague of the Western Conference with the same record, Saturday evening. However, the Grizzlies have immersed themselves in the ranking in the last few weeks after going 2-5 in the last seven games and 8-11 from the All-Star break.
Despite their overall record, the struggles extend even beyond the last few weeks. Memphis has lost nine consecutive games against the teams with a .500 or higher record and has been in 20th place since the beginning of January.
With the playoffs a few weeks later, Kleiman decided that it was time to make a move.
As reported by AtleticoThe Grizzlies fought to install a new offense this season. There have been noises that Grizzlies’s star Ja Morant has not always been happy with the new scheme that often requires him to play without the ball instead of leaning against the heavy pick-and-rock patterns that have helped him become all-stars twice.
Kleiman minimized the role of Morant in Jenkins’ dismissal and, once again, he underlined that the decision was the one he made alone.
“I am focused on how we operate. I am responsible for everything. I am responsible for coaching. I am responsible for the roster. I am not trying to fulfill myself. I am excited to see what this team can do for the rest,” said Kleiman. “This is the conclusion to which I have come that this is in the best interest of the team and we go forward with this group.”
The Grizzlies also announced on Friday that the deputy coach Tuomas Iisalo will take the place as head coach to the interim coach. Kleiman refused to answer a question about the possibilities of Iisalo to remove the provisional tag based on his performance for the rest of this season, but he said he is enthusiastic to see how Iisalo can get the most out of this group.
“There are realistic expectations. There will be no time to install a lot of things in this period of the year,” said Kleiman. “My expectations are clarity of the direction and we will see what we can do. We will see what we can perform.”
(Photo: Petre Thomas / Image images)
