After losing eight games in a row and falling to a 7-12 record after a 3-0 start, the Memphis Grizzlies fired head coach David Fizdale on Monday. And you can now include LeBron James among those who feel the firing was suspicious, to say the least:
LeBron James on David Fizdale’s firing: ‘He ain’t gonna kiss nobody’s ass’
LeBron wants answers for his former coach’s unexpected dismissal.
“[Fizdale’s firing] probably took everybody in the basketball world by surprise besides who pulled the trigger,” LeBron said. “I don’t know the details of it because I’m not around [the Grizzlies]. But I know the type of coach Fiz is, I know how players relate to him, and I know what he stands for. And he don’t stand for no... Maybe that’s what it was because he ain’t gonna kiss nobody’s ass, I know that. Maybe that’s what it was.”
James’s comments came after he tweeted his unease with the firing:
Fizdale was fired a day after the Grizzlies lost by 10 to the Brooklyn Nets. He did not play All-Star center Marc Gasol in the fourth quarter of Memphis’ loss. Gasol is in the third year of his five-year, $113 million contract and, along with Mike Conley, is one of the Grizzlies’ two best players.
Gasol was upset after being benched:
“I hate not playing; that’s what I value most,” he said, via The Memphis Commercial-Appeal’s Peter Edmiston. “If I’m not out there, I’m not valued. I’m sure they knew that would hurt me the most.”
Well, how does LeBron fit into this?
Once upon a time, LeBron James played for the Miami Heat. And during his time in Miami, Fizdale was an assistant head coach.
The two were so close, LeBron even got Fiz a role in a Samsung commercial as a wedding gift. James was one of the first to make public comments on Fizdale’s firing, and he probably won’t be the last.
Fizdale wasn’t Memphis’ problem. And if they keep losing ball games with J.B. Bickerstaff as interim head coach, the Grizzlies’ issues will compound.
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