After a shaky start to the season, Memphis head coach Dave Joerger is reportedly on the hot seat and his relationship with the front office could result in him getting fired.
After a brutal stretch to start the season, the Memphis Grizzlies front office might be looking to make a change at head coach. The Grizzlies lost by 30 at home to the Cavaliers, followed that up with a 50 point loss to the Golden State Warriors, then lost to the new look Portland Trailblazers by 19.
These lopsided losses have not sat well with owner Robert Pera, who might not wait long to make a coaching change. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, this isn’t the first time Pera has thought of letting Joerger go, and if he does fire him this go around, he might already have his next coach in mind.
"The biggest source of vulnerability for Joerger, of course, is the fact that Pera has internally questioned Joerger’s leadership in the past and nearly fired him once before, only to patch things up in a stunning about-face in May 2014 when Joerger, deep in talks with the Minnesota Timberwolves, got a new three-year contract. Another potential complication: Pera is known to be a huge fan of Tom Thibodeau, has pursued him before and could be moved to make a run at Thibs before someone else does."
Given the history behind Pera and Joerger, it wouldn’t be that much of a surprise if Joerger is fired. Tom Thibodeau is a defensive wizard and his leadership qualities and knowledge of basketball would make him a perfect fit to coach the Grizzlies.
It’s only 6 games into the Grizzlies’ season, but their signature “grit and grind” type of basketball has been missing and it’s apparently not sitting well with the front office. Time will tell if Joerger can get his team back to playing winning basketball, but if he doesn’t succeed, his time in Memphis could be coming to an end soon.