Memphis Grizzlies: Head Coach Search Awaiting Candidate Still in NBA Playoffs?

The Memphis Grizzlies may be taking their time on their head coach search because their favorite candidate(s) are still participating in the NBA Playoffs.

For once, the Memphis Grizzlies are taking their time in conduting their search/interview process for their next head coach. Though this is something they should have practiced over the past several years while trialing random coaches, at least the Grizzlies are acting with care today. This could be due to their favorite candidate(s) still dueling it out in the NBA Playoffs.

Memphis has already interviewed one assistant coach still in the NBA Playoffs, which happened to be Jarron Collins of the Golden State Warriors. Still, it is a lot easier to interview an assistant coach that is still standing in the postseason than it would be for a team’s head coach. This is a good reason why teams must grant another team — such as the Memphis Grizzlies — to interview their personnel for a job opening.

The 2019 NBA Playoffs are on the cusp of Conference Finals action. However, as fans of the Memphis Grizzlies know, even a successful season does not mean the head coach has job security. Memphis did not renew the contract of Lionel Hollins in 2013, immediately after the franchise’s lone trip to the Western Conference Finals. Dave Joerger was canned in 2016 after a first-round playoff exit as the West’s seventh seed.

Perhaps the Memphis Grizzlies are serious about landing a permanent fixture in the head coaching position. It would make sense being as a new regime is in town — a culmination of Rich Cho, Glen Grunwald, and Zach Kleiman. For those wondering why there has been little news and only two interviews conducted thus far in regard to the head coaching vacancy in Memphis, it could very well be due to eyeing current head coaches still participating in the NBA Playoffs.

According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, if the Philadelphia 76ers lose Sunday’s Game 7 to the Toronto Raptors, Brett Brown‘s head coach title will be in jeopardy. He would hit an open market with most head coaching vacancies already filled — except for the one in Memphis, Tennessee.

If a Game 7 Philly loss to Toronto is the end result in the NBA Playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies’ job opening would be one opportunity for Brett Brown to jump right into another head coaching role rather than taking a year off and/or taking a demotion in title as part of another organization.

For Memphis, Brett Brown would instantly be the best and most realistic option for a head coach on the open market if he were to get the boot from the Sixers. Not only would he come to the Grizzlies with six full seaons of head coaching experience, but he has built Philadelphia in a manner that Memphis wants to rebuild their own product.

It took Brown just four seasons to transform the 76ers into an Eastern Conference force. This includes the infamous fully-missed seasons by Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Markelle Fultz. Though it took a lot of losses and some NBA Draft Lottery luck, he has enabled Philly to be a true contender in the East. Not only is he a mastermind with the Xs and Os of the NBA game, but he is a proven winner when it comes to player development.

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In looking at Joel Embiid’s progression since being drafted by the 76ers in 2014, Brett Brown deserves a lot of credit for making Embiid into the two-way All-Star big man he is today. Imagine what he could do with the Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. Brown would make Jackson Jr. a priority in the offense and could boost his confidence by allowing Jaren to play through foul trouble. Those were just a couple of the issues J.B. Bickerstaff did not adjust in the 2018-19 season.

It would be foolish for Philadelphia to give up on Brett Brown at this point. He is still making forward movement with the resources he has been provided. Still, it could be a huge opportunity for the Grizzlies if he would get the boot out of Philly.

At this point, in entrusting a new head coach with a full-on rebuilding effort, Memphis truly needs a coach that is a proven winner and plenty of experience in the role. Brown has won greater than 60% of the 76ers’ regular season games in each of the past two seasons, plus owns a winning playoff record in that span.

Enough is enough with risky candidates entering the job with zero prior head coaching experience. Memphis wants to hit the jackpot by landing the next big gem of an assistant-turned-head coach, but that ship has sailed. The fan base and the players deserve some stability at the helm. Plus, you cannot right the rebuild ship while constantly bringing in a new head coach each season. That trend cannot go on any longer.

Brett Brown will be a name to certainly watch, especially if the Philadelphia 76ers lose in the NBA Playoffs on Sunday. It would make perfect sense for the Memphis Grizzlies to interview and hire him as soon as he hits the open market, if that scenario were to happen. Brown has produced results in a similar fashion as to the phases the Grizzlies are about to enter. This is data that they must trust.