Beale Street Bears
Fansided

Memphis Grizzlies: Permission Granted to Speak with Portland’s Nate Tibbetts

By Christian Dudley

DENVER, CO - February 25: Damian Lillard #0 and assistant coach Nate Tibbetts of the Portland Trail Blazers on the bench during the game versus the Denver Nuggets on February 23, 2014 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2014 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - February 25: Damian Lillard #0 and assistant coach Nate Tibbetts of the Portland Trail Blazers on the bench during the game versus the Denver Nuggets on February 23, 2014 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2014 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Behind the surprising Portland Trail Blazers is assistant coach Nate Tibbetts, who may soon become the Memphis Grizzlies’ next head coach.

The heat is on for the Memphis Grizzlies, who sit as the NBA’s lone team without a head coach exactly one month prior to the 2019 NBA Draft. This position could quickly become filled if the Grizzlies decide to proceed with new candidate Nate Tibbetts.

For those that may be unfamiliar with Tibbetts, he is still playoff-bound as an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. Nate has been in his current role with the Blazers since the 2013-14 NBA season, and it is his eighth total as an NBA assistant coach.

On Monday, ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski had the initial report on the Memphis Grizzlies reaching out to Portland with a wish to interview Nate Tibbetts for their job opening at head coach.

Tibbetts has been climbing the coaching ladder and he is taking his time in doing so, which is actually quite refreshing to hear from a candidate for this position within the Grizzlies organization. Thus far, candidates such as Jarron Collins and Sarunas Jasikevicius do not have much of a résumé and have only been coaching in any capacity for just a few years.

J.B. Bickerstaff's Poor Season with the Memphis Grizzlies a Fluke?. light. Related Story

Nate Tibbetts began in the collegiate ranks, holding the title of head coach between 2001 and 2005. From there, he earned the job of assistant coach within the NBA’s Developmental League. He split his time with two clubs in total while thriving in the NBADL, holding the head coach title with both. From there, it was on to the NBA as an assistant, where he continues to make a name for himself.

The Portland Trail Blazers are riding a playoff run which began in 2013, the same year Nate Tibbetts joined their organization. Was it a coincidence? Not entirely, at least. He is widely considered one of the best assistants in the association today and it is only a matter of time until he is offered a head coaching position in the NBA.

Portland is currently participating in the Western Conference Finals, and a lot of credit must be given to Tibbetts due to his behind-the-scenes work. He has helped develop guys such as Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Player development is right up his alley, as his NBADL background proves, too, alongside his NBA success stories.

For the Memphis Grizzlies, they could offer Tibbetts the golden opportunity he has been wanting. This could also unlock their own gateway to success as they prepare to enter a new era of their franchise and a new decade of NBA basketball.

Next. NBA Draft: R.J. Barrett Wants No Part of the Memphis Grizzlies. dark

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Monday’s news is that this is the second time Nate Tibbetts will have interviewed this decade for the job of head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies. His first time took place on May 18th, 2016, though the Grizzlies ultimately chose to go the route of David Fizdale.

Home/Grizzlies News