Herrington: Sorting through the aftermath of Taylor Jenkins’ dismissal
Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins talks with guard Luke Kennard (10) in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs Saturday on March 1. (Brandon Dill/AP)
Chris Herrington
Chris Herrington has covered the Memphis Grizzlies, in one way or another, since the franchise’s second season in Memphis, while also writing about music, movies, food and civic life. As far as he knows, he’s the only member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association who is also a member of a film critics group and has also voted in national music critic polls for Rolling Stone and the Village Voice (RIP). He and his wife have two kids and, for reasons that sometimes elude him, three dogs.
A day after the Memphis Grizzlies’ surprise firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins, there’s a game to play.
As this is written, we’re only hours away from getting answers to how the players will respond and just how different Interim Coach Tuomas Iisalo’s lineups, rotations and game strategies will or even can be.
But as the wider NBA world has reacted to the Grizzlies’ decision, let’s sort through a handful of the lingering issues.
The national/local disconnect
Jenkins’ dismissal was treated as an out-of-nowhere bolt by many national NBA observers. Among those who follow the team daily, only the timing was a surprise.
In truth, “will they make a coaching change and if so when” had become a constant conversation around the team in the past month as frequently lackadaisical starts and a collapsing defense became apparent. Fairly or not, the sense Jenkins’ voice had lost its impact was becoming widespread.
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