How Long Will It Take for Memphis Grizzlies to Fill Head Coaching Vacancy?

The Memphis Grizzlies changed their minds on J.B. Bickerstaff after one full season as their head coach. Will they conduct a thorough search for their next?

The clock is ticking for the Memphis Grizzlies and the search for their next head coach. When will they learn to put time and effort into their interview process in order to land the right man for the job?

When you look within Grizzlies franchise history, wins and losses have not necessarily determined the length of tenure for their past head coaches. For instance, Lionel Hollins did not have his contract renewed immediately after making history by leading Memphis to their first trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2013. This was after a 56-win regular season.

Hollins’ successor — Dave Joerger — was a case of promotion from within. While there is nothing wrong with that, it was questionable when the Memphis Grizzlies parted ways with Joerger after three seasons. Dave Joerger led Memphis to three consecutive playoff appearances, which led to exists in the first, second, and first rounds, respectively, from 2014 through 2016. Plus, Joerger led the Grizzlies to two seasons of 50+ wins.

There there was David Fizdale, the current head coach of the New York Knicks. In Fizdale’s time with the Memphis Grizzlies — barely more than one full season in total length — he reached the postseason with a shorthanded club. Though they did not prevail in the first round of the NBA Playoffs in 2017, Fizdale’s Grizzlies did not get swept by a stellar San Antonio Spurs club. David Fizdale’s demise occurred when a rift formed between him and Marc Gasol. The Front Office obviously sided with Gasol and moved on from there.

This leads to J.B. Bickerstaff, who was placed on the chopping block hours after former General Manager Chris Wallace stated Bickerstaff did a “terrific job” in his first full-time season at the helm.

Aside from the obvious dysfunction running throughout the Memphis Grizzlies organization during the 2018-19 season, Bickerstaff was not given much of a chance to prove himself. If anything, the Grizzlies have been caught performing an “undo” of sorts, where they corrected their mistake of not performing a thorough search and interview process one year ago.

Historically, as the Memphis Grizzlies have burned through head coaches — five different names in the past 10 years — they have remained consistent in being quick to fill the void.

Of the four replacements conducted by the Grizzlies over the past 10 years, there were two instances of an interim tag being attached to the replacement. However, Memphis has named an official full-time head coach four times, with the fifth to occur at any time.

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Once Lionel Hollins’ contract was not renewed on June 10th, 2013, the Memphis Grizzlies officially promoted Dave Joerger 17 days later. At the end of the Joerger era (May 7th, 2016), David Fizdale was officially brought in 22 days later. In the most recent case, though J.B. Bickerstaff was the interim head coach following Fizdale’s midseason departure, the Grizzlies officially named Bickerstaff the new head coach 20 days after the conclusion of the team’s 2017-18 season schedule.

Now, Grizz Nation awaits the Memphis Grizzlies’ next big decision. When will they decide on a new head coach? Who will it be?

As of April 13th, no indication has been given on a short list of names the franchise is considering. Given the sudden changes within the organization of the past week, chances are no list exists. That will change, especially as the NBA Playoffs unfold and other teams’ coaches begin to think about their moves in preparation for the 2019-20 NBA season.

There are plenty of prototypes to choose from regardless of who the Grizzlies will choose to lead this club moving forward. There are young guns, older and seasoned candidates, first-time hopefuls, female candidates, collegiate coaches looking to take it to a professional level, and more. The possibilities are endless.

It is difficult to place predictions on a top-five or top-10 list the Grizzlies may have in mind because there has been no indication of what they are looking for. Memphis has had winning coaches and veteran coaches. They got the boot. The Grizzlies went with young and inexperienced a few times, leading to the same end result for those coaches. There is no consistency coming from the Memphis Grizzlies, which could alternatively keep candidates from pursuing this new job opening. This Front Office is hard to trust, as Grizz fans can definitely relate.

The most likely aspect to this head coaching search is that it will be a quick hire. Perhaps the Grizzlies will actually take their time and sift through all potential candidates and choose the best fit. It is hard to type that sentence with a straight face. These are the Memphis Grizzlies, so do not be surprised when they announce their decision by, say, May 1st.

The bright side to a quick hire is that the incoming head coach will have plenty of time to understand the current roster and decipher what is needed heading into next season well before the arrival of June’s NBA Draft. It is looking like the Memphis Grizzlies will indeed retain their first-round selection, and they absolutely need to make the most of it as they enter a new era littered with plenty of unknowns.