Where do the Memphis Grizzlies Go From Here?
With the Memphis Grizzlies firing Dave Joerger, what will they do now? Who will be the next hire? How will this move affect their roster going forward?
The Memphis Grizzlies sent waves through the NBA world by firing head coach Dave Joerger. These past several years, NBA owners have shown how impatient they are with their coaches.
The Denver Nuggets fired George Karl after he won Coach of the Year. The Memphis Grizzlies fired Lionel Hollins after their first trip to the Western Conference Finals. The Chicago Bulls fired Tom Thibodeau after years of success in the Eastern Conference.
These firings show how inferior coaches are in relation to their owners. Unless they have dual responsibility of coach and president of basketball operations, they walk on thin ice by the time they are in the third year of their tenure.
While Joerger’s firing comes at a shock after he led his team to the playoffs after an emotional, injury-riddled season. general manager Chris Wallace can’t be blamed. If your coach is asking permission to interview for all these jobs, his loyalty to the team can be questioned.
While a new coach may bring stability, will that be enough for the Memphis Grizzlies’ bleak future?
Due to poor talent evaluating and poor drafting, the Grizzlies have placed themselves in a tough predicament. Wallace has chased veteran guys these past few years that honestly did not push the needle towards title contention.
They missed out on prospects such as Draymond Green and Rodney Hood in the draft. Instead of finding diamonds in the rough, they chased guys like Matt Barnes and Vince Carter and let guys like Hassan Whiteside walk away for nothing.
Both of these players performed admirably, but the future could be brighter if they found younger players with a similar skill set.
These moves have left them in a hole that could dig deeper next year. With young teams such as the New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves up next for playoff spots, the Memphis Grizzlies may find themselves on the outside looking in.
If they don’t land in the top five in next year’s arguably deeper draft, they will lose their lottery pick to Denver. Basically, if the Grizzlies make the playoffs, bottom out or get lucky in the draft, they’ll find a future cornerstone.
The Grizzlies are running into a predicament where it’s either win-now by retooling or go into full rebuild mode.
What moves must be done? Do they trade Zach Randolph? Do they trade Tony Allen? Do they pick up Stephenson’s option? Do they let Mike Conley walk? Who do they hire as a head coach?
Before they do anything they need to look at a coach. The beauty of the coaching issue is no matter what direction they choose to go, all the candidates are good enough to win now. Here is the Grizzlies’ main intention:
I'd be shocked if Frank Vogel not at top of the list for the Grizzlies job. Chris Wallace has known him since he was a kid and loves him.
— Chris Vernon (@ChrisVernonShow) May 7, 2016
If the Grizzlies strike out with Frank Vogel, they’d be wise to reach out to veteran coaches Mark Jackson or David Blatt or someone from the Spurs’ coaching tree such as Ettore Messina or Ime Udoka. If they go down the Vinny del Negro or Byron Scott route, the Grizzlies are in trouble.
One thing the Memphis Grizzlies should look into doing is solely building around Conley and Marc Gasol. With their contracts expiring, they should look into trading Zach Randolph and Allen for younger pieces. Boston had to do it with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
Memphis fans can live with losing two icons if it means becoming better immediately or for the future.
Zach Randolph scenario:
Zach Randolph/17th pick to Toronto for their lottery pick/Terrence Ross.
The Raptors get a starting power forward who can help them make another playoff push. The Grizzlies get younger with an athletic 3-and-D wing while attaining a lottery pick that can be used on someone like Skal Labissiere, Denzel Valentine, or Jaylen Brown.
Tony Allen scenario:
Tony Allen to Sacramento for Marco Belinelli.
The Kings gain a player who actually has a defensive mindset, which is good since Dave Joerger took the Sacramento job. The Grizzlies gain another shooter.
With free agency, they need to definitely re-sign Conley. When it comes to Stephenson, the only reasons why they should opt out of his deal are if he is willing to come back on a cheaper deal or if they have their sights on someone like Harrison Barnes or Kent Bazemore.
The Memphis Grizzlies may be best to go the Portland Trail Blazers route by finding value players. While signing both Conley and Harrison Barnes will be a boost both now and the future, they need to build a younger supporting cast.
They found promises in pieces like Jarrell Martin and JaMychal Green. They need to build off that in order to establish a brighter future.
What about a roster next season that looks like this:
PG: Conley/(FA such as Mario Chalmers or Aaron Brooks)/Munford}
SG: Belinelli/Denzel Valentine/Adams
SF: Ross/(FA such as Gerald Green)
PF: Harrison Barnes/JaMychal/Martin
C: Gasol/Wright
This roster may not blow teams out every night; however, they can definitely compete for a playoff spot next season with hopes of building for the future. With Belinelli, Ross and Harrison Barnes in the starting lineup, they are positioning themselves for the modern NBA by spacing the court and giving Conley and Marc room to operate.
There are many routes the Memphis Grizzlies can choose to go. Their main objective needs to be finding a coach who gets along with their front office, after conflicts with former head coaches Dave Joerger and Lionel Hollins.
If they don’t find someone who commands respect from both the players and the front office, Memphis is in for some dark days.