With their mediocre record and litany of blowout losses, the Memphis Grizzlies may be looking to replace head coach Dave Joerger.
The Memphis Grizzlies have been perennially considered one of the toughest teams in the NBA. With their gritty and hard nose style of play, the Grizzles have gained a reputation as one of the stingiest defenses and most underrated squads in the Western Conference. However at present the mystique associated with the Grindhouse, aka the Fedex Forum, now seems to be waning. The Grizzlies lost two straight games over the weekend. One was a terrible 24 point blowout loss to the Hornets at home and a the other was a narrow loss in Miami by 3.
With a 13-12 record, the Grizzlies aren’t making any waves in the now not so hot Western Conference. Huge losses to Golden State, Oklahoma City, Cleveland and San Antonio, have left the Grizzlies reeling. It now seems that friction between head coach Dave Joerger and head office executive Joe Adabi are reaching critical levels. Rumor has it that if the Grizzlies lose tonight against the Wizards at home, and fall to a .500 record, Joerger could lose his job as soon as tomorrow.
NBA insiders Brian Geltzeiler and Marc Stein, have both reported on the mounting pressure on Joerger:
League source tells me that Dave Joerger is extremely close to being fired. Depending upon tonight's game, could happen as soon as tomorrow
— Brian Geltzeiler (@BGeltzNBA) December 14, 2015
Keep your eye, meantime, on Grizz. Latest run of blowout Ls can only heat up simmering tension between bench & lead decision-maker Joe Abadi
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 12, 2015
A loss at home tonight could spell the end of Joerger’s tenure in Memphis. The only question remaining is who do the Grizzlies replace him with?