What shocked the NBA world was not so much that coach Taylor Jenkins was fired in Memphis — things had been trending that way since last summer when Jenkins was forced to fire his assistants and replace his entire staff — but the timing. The Grizzlies are 44-29, tied for a top-four seed in the West, and have just nine games remaining in the season.
The reaction around the league was primarily “why now?” Also, “How is this making the team better heading into the playoffs?” While the Grizzlies are 8-11 since the All-Star break and have been middle-of-the-pack on offense and defense in that time, is a coaching change just before the playoffs the answer?