SI

Grizzlies GM Offered Thin Explanation for Firing Taylor Jenkins

Zach Kleiman addressed the media on Saturday to chat about his decision to fire Memphis's longtime head coach.

Stephen Douglas

Taylor Jenkins on the sideline for a Grizzlies game earlier this season.
Taylor Jenkins on the sideline for a Grizzlies game earlier this season. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Memphis Grizzlies firing longtime coach Taylor Jenkins on Friday and replaced him with interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo. While those who covered the team weren't shocked that Jenkins was fired, the timing was surprising as there are just two weeks remaining in the regular season and Memphis is headed for the playoffs.

General manager Zach Kleiman briefly addressed the media on Saturday morning to try and explain why the club made the move, and many people were left with even more questions. Kleiman held court for less than three minutes with one media member saying it was "Easily the shortest media availability Zach Kleiman has given in my time covering him."

The main gist of Kleiman's comments was that he was the one who made the call.

Asked about the timing, Kleiman said that the team believes in urgency.

"I came to the conclusion that this was in the best interest of the team," he said. "Urgency is a core principle of ours. So, (I) decided to go on with the move."

Again reiterating that he was the one who made the decision, Kleiman also insisted that no players were involved in the coaching change.

The Grizzlies host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.

More NBA on Sports Illustrated

Published
Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.

Home/NBA