The Memphis Grizzlies have promoted from within to round out their lengthy list of staff members for the upcoming season.
It has been just 44 days since J.B. Bickerstaff has been introduced as the new full-time NBA head coach in Memphis, Tennessee. Ideally, that is a very short time for a leader to assemble a supporting cast. What is most surprising is the high level of quality amongst those staff members.
A list of six assistant coaches were officially announced by the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, as seen in their tweet directly below.
Welcome Grizzlies' Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff's Assistant Coaching Staff: Chad Forcier, Jerry Stackhouse, Greg Buckner, Vitaly Potapenko, Nick Van Exel and Adam Mazarei!https://t.co/9vhPN0V920
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) June 15, 2018
It all began this summer with Chad Forcier, a truly incredible hire. Plus, Nick Van Exel decided to remain alongside Bickerstaff by saying “nah” to David Fizdale and the New York Knicks. Adam Mazarei is also remaining on the Grizzlies’ staff.
Things have recently become even more impressive. 18-year NBA veteran Jerry Stackhouse agreed to join J.B. Bickerstaff on the Memphis Grizzlies’ bench. Stackhouse has been in the running for multiple NBA head coaching positions this offseason, but ultimately chose to continue to build his résumé. Now the Grizzlies have at least two guys — Bickerstaff and Stackhouse — within the organization worthy of being NBA head coaches.
Wait. That is not all. There are two other key cogs in amongst this cast of coaches. Beale Street Bears recently discussed Vitaly Potapenko’s previous roles sustained with various NBA teams, along with his best developmental success as a mentor. Potapenko should make an impact with Deyonta Davis, Ivan Rabb, Jarell Martin, and other members of Memphis’ frontcourt roster.
The final piece to the puzzle, Greg Buckner, is a similar scenario to that of Vitaly Potapenko. He can relate to the young players on the team and has plenty of playing experience. He can connect with these guys. The added bonus is that Buckner spent the 2017-18 within the Memphis Grizzlies organization, so he is already familiar with the developmental process within the organization and has chemistry built with a handful of current Grizzlies. Also important to note is that Buckner spent time as a player with the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2008-09 season. Playing in 63 games that season, he was a teammate of current Grizz franchise leaders Marc Gasol and Mike Conley. Talk about chemistry and familiarity!
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Attempt to find a more well-rounded coaching staff around the association. It will take you a while if you are even able. From top to bottom, this is a very impressive list of names J.B. Bickerstaff has formed to become one. Four of the six names are former NBA players with a combined 52 seasons of playing experience in the association. Not only will the youth development department continue to rise, but this group of guys — at least on paper — is a winning formula. Victories will be had because of this special cluster of NBA personnel.
Though it is the offseason, perhaps the most underrated aspect of the month of July for Grizz Nation is the fact that the NBA Summer League is soon to tip off. The string of games the Grizzlies’ youngsters will play is definitely cause for excitement, especially considering Memphis owning the No. 4 and No. 32 overall picks in this upcoming Thursday’s NBA Draft.
Additionally, the Grizzlies will be putting their stellar coaching staff to work. This had to be a big reason for J.B. Bickerstaff to complete his staff so quickly. This is the perfect time to get his staff members acclimated to one another as well as the players they will be required to develop over the next one, two, three or more seasons.
On a final note, Tayshaun Prince is still a member of the Memphis Grizzlies’ organization, though being recently courted by the Detroit Pistons’ Front Office. Prince has been serving as an assistant to the General Manager (Chris Wallace). If Tayshaun remains for at least one more season with the Grizzlies, the team’s rolodex of mentors is that much more potent. With having a history of trouble in the player development department, this shows the team is finally all-in when it comes to changing how things have been previously handled.
Go Grizz!