MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman took ownership Saturday for the surprise dismissal of coach Taylor Jenkins, but did not offer clarity on the motivations behind the decision.
In his first public comments since firing Jenkins on Friday with just nine games left in the regular season, Kleiman said several times that the decision was “mine and mine only” and that he did not consult the Grizzlies players before making his decision. Kleiman said the decision was “in the best interest of the team.”
“Urgency is a core principle of ours,” said Kleiman, who spoke for less than three minutes. “So, (I) decided to go on with the move.”
Memphis holds a 44-29 record heading into a crucial three-game homestand, which begins with a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, a fellow Western Conference contender with the same record, on Saturday night. However, the Grizzlies have dipped in the standings in recent weeks after going 2-5 in their last seven games and 8-11 since the All-Star break. They enter Saturday’s play two games ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. If they fall behind both teams, they would have to go through at least one Play-In game to make the playoffs. Only one of the Grizzlies’ remaining games is against a team guaranteed to fall short of the Play-In.
Despite their overall record, the struggles extend beyond the last few weeks, too. Memphis has lost nine consecutive games against teams with a record of .500 or better and ranks 20th in defense since the start of January.
With the playoffs only a few weeks away, Kleiman decided it was time to make a move.
As reported by The Athletic, the Grizzlies have struggled to install a new offense this season. There have been rumblings that Grizzlies star Ja Morant hasn’t always been happy with the new scheme that often requires him to play without the ball instead of leaning on the heavy pick-and-roll schemes that helped him become a two-time All-Star.
Kleiman downplayed Morant’s role in Jenkins’ firing and, once again, emphasized that the decision was one he made on his own.
“I’m focused on how we operate. I’m responsible for everything. I’m responsible for coaching. I’m responsible for the roster. I’m not trying to absolve myself of anything. I’m excited to see what this team can do the rest of the way,” Kleiman said. “This is the conclusion I came to that this is in the best interest of the team and we push forward with this group.”
The Grizzlies also announced Friday that assistant coach Tuomas Iisalo will take over as interim head coach. Kleiman declined to answer a question about Iisalo’s chances of removing the interim tag based on his performance the rest of this season, but he did say he’s excited to see how Iisalo can get the most out of this group.
“There’s realistic expectations. There’s not going to be time to install a bunch of things this time of year,” Kleiman said. “My expectations are clarity of direction and we’ll see what we can do. We’ll see what we can execute.”
(Photo: Petre Thomas / Imagn Images)
