March Twitter Mailbag: Grizzlies, Dave Fizdale, Playoffs, Free Agency
@Drew_Elliott51: @BealeStBearsFS @PAKA_FLOCKA how would you rate David Fizdale’s performance so far this season?
Jerrod Smith (jerrod_smith7):
For a rookie head coach (and the cards he was dealt), Fizdale has done a fine job this season. The front office wanted him to transition away from the “grit n’ grind” era for a more “modern” offense and push for a title – all while building a crew of young players in Harrison, Baldwin and Davis.
Not the easiest thing to do.
It’s not easy teaching guys a new system after seven years of the same basketball, either. But, Fiz is right, that has never put them over the top.
A great example of that was the year they played the Spurs in 2013 in the Western Conference Finals. They clogged the paint, and the Grizz had no answer due to Tony Allen
and Tayshaun Prince’s poor outside shooting. The Grizzlies need a modern NBA offense to win a title. The signing of Chandler Parsons was supposed to do just this, but it just didn’t work out this year.
However, he has pushed for Mike and Marc to be more aggressive which has led to the two boasting career years. He’s helped the Grizzlies to smash franchise records in 3-point categories and develop the Grizzlies into an average outside shooting team.
The defense is still great, even though they struggle at times. This is likely because of a new system and constant lineup shuffles. I hate using excuses, because you need to learn how to adapt – but that’s just the reality of it.
Coaches are always criticized, especially when you coach in Memphis. But to his defense, Memphis have been a .500 team since Jan. 1st before he began experimenting with rotations. They weren’t winning, so why not try to shake things up?
Has he made mistakes? Absolutely. He’s a rookie head coach. What do you expect? They’ll still make the playoffs despite injuries throughout the year. I believe this team will be much better next year with a year of experience under Fizdale and hopefully with a healthy Parsons.