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. Asked if the @memgrizz plan on retaining JB Bickerstaff, GM Chris Wallace said, “Yes we do. We think JB and his staff did a terrific job.” pic.twitter.com/xPnkamLWHf — Rob Fischer (@thefishnation) April 11, 2019 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. 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.<doc-sep>The Memphis Grizzlies are making a change on the bench. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been fired by the team. Bickerstaff had spent nearly two seasons with the team after Memphis fired David Fizdale in November of 2017. Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix confirmed the news with a release from the team: In addition, the franchise reassigned general manager Chris Wallace to a scouting position and vice president John Hollinger is slated to move over to a senior advisory role with the team. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Bickerstaff did conduct exit interviews with members of the Grizzlies on Thursday. However, the front office met with Bickerstaff shortly after that and informed him that he would not be returning. Bickerstaff put together a 48-97 record in his nearly two seasons as the Memphis head coach. The Grizzlies are coming off a 33-49 campaign and traded center Marc Gasol to the Toronto Raptors at the trade deadline. The Grizzlies failed to make the playoffs in their two seasons under Bickerstaff. It also marks the first time they missed the cut in back-to-back seasons since a four-year postseason drought, from 2006-07 to the 2009-10 campaign.<doc-sep>Memphis Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff watches in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, in Detroit, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) The Memphis Grizzlies are shaking things up. The team announced Thursday that it has decided to fire head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Bickerstaff just finished his first season as the team’s full-time head coach. He served as the interim head coach for the 2017-18 season after David Fizdale’s firing. Over that span, Bickerstaff accumulated a 85-131 record, including a 33-49 mark this season. Sources: J.B. Bickerstaff conducted exit meetings with Grizzlies players today, discussing ways to improve the team and summer expectations — and then went to his own exit meeting with ownership. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 11, 2019 Front-office shakeup The organizational changes went beyond just Bickerstaff. Among the changes is a demotion for general manager Chris Wallace, who will “focus exclusively on player scouting” moving forward, the team said. Wallace has been the franchise’s GM since 2007 and oversaw the “Grit and Grind” Grizzlies teams led by Zach Randolph, Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and Rudy Gay. Memphis made the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons, but only once made it to the Western Conference Finals under Wallace’s watch. That came in 2013 and resulted in a sweep at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, who went on to lose to the Miami Heat in a seven-game NBA Finals. Elsewhere, Jason Wexler will serve as team president and oversee both business and basketball operations while Zachary Kleiman has been promoted to vice president of basketball operations. John Hollinger, previously the vice president of basketball operations, will stay with the team in a “senior advisory capacity.” “In order to put our team on the path to sustainable success, it was necessary to change our approach to basketball operations,” team owner Robert Pera said. “I look forward to a reenergized front office and fresh approach to Memphis Grizzlies basketball under new leadership, while retaining the identity and values that have distinguished our team. Story continues “I want to thank Chris and John for their long-term service and dedication to the Memphis Grizzlies and for their considerable contributions to our past successes, and look forward to their contributions to our future ones. I also want to thank J.B. for his leadership and commitment to our organization in his time as our coach.” Rebuild coming? The Grizzlies’ playoff streak ended last season as the team limped to a 22-60 record with Conley playing in just 12 games due to injury. Bickerstaff took over for Fizdale after just 19 games and was promoted to full-time head coach at the conclusion of the season. This year, the team won 11 more games but now could be headed toward a rebuild. Gasol was shipped to Toronto at the trade deadline, and Conley could possibly be next. Conley was on the block at the deadline, but a deal was not reached. Earlier Thursday, before news of his demotion emerged, Wallace said the franchise would listen to offers for Conley. Moving on from Conley would allow Memphis to build around promising rookie Jaren Jackson Jr., the No. 2 pick who averaged 13.8 points per game before being sidelined with a leg injury. If that’s the direction the franchise takes, it will be spearheaded by a new front office. More from Yahoo Sports:<doc-sep>
Changes are afoot in the Memphis Grizzlies organization. The franchise has reportedly fired its head coach and is reorganizing its front office. J.B. Bickerstaff has been let go after t one-plus seasons as Memphis’ head coach, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Bickerstaff originally took over after David Fizdale was fired in November 2017. Bickerstaff compiled a 48-97 record with Memphis. His teams failed to make the playoffs. In addition to moving on from Bickerstaff, Wojnarowski reports that the Grizzlies are shifting GM Chris Wallace to a scouting role. That’s one of several front office moves the club is trying out. The Grizzlies dismissed coach J.B. Bickerstaff and reassigned GM Chris Wallace to a scouting capacity in the front office, league sources tell ESPN. VP John Hollinger will also move into a senior advisory role. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 11, 2019 Sources: The Grizzlies are promoting Jason Wexler to President, overseeing both business and basketball — and Zach Kleiman to Executive VP of Basketball Operations as the day-to-day lead on basketball matters. https://t.co/AWOekLnBF4 — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 11, 2019 After seven consecutive playoff appearances during the “Grit and Grind” era, Memphis has missed the playoffs the last two seasons. The team finished 33-49 in 2018-19. Now, it looks like the Grizzlies are lining themselves up for a major rebuild. Remaining stars Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are still solid players, but at 31 and 34 years old, may not fit on this roster any longer. Memphis will likely build around last year’s first-round pick, Jaren Jackson Jr., as it moves forward with a new coaching staff.