Grizzlies Fire Iavaroni

[The Commish]

Updated: January 22, 2009, 10:34 PM ET
Report: Grizzlies fire coach


ESPN.com news services


The Memphis Grizzlies fired coach Marc Iavaroni after a season and a half, the Commercial Appeal reported Thursday.

The Grizzlies will begin the search for Iavaroni's replacement, which will come from outside of the organization. Former Philadelphia coach Maurice Cheeks and Milwaukee Bucks assistant and former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins will be among the candidates, a source told the Commercial Appeal.

One of the Grizzlies' assistants will coach the team against the New York Knicks on Friday.



http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3853749

Too bad, I always liked him. He seemed to be the only guy Amare would listen to.

 

[i am the bad guy]

He had to have known that it was gonna be a short stint when he was hired. Like he ever had a chance w/ that terrible roster. Plus the way they made moves to just keep the payroll low.

 

[cly2tw]

Can we swap coaches with Grizzs? They get paid anyway right?

 

[HooverDam]

Idiotic move for Memphis, their struggles are not Marc Ivaroni's fault. That roster is a roster thats going to lose 40+ games, they should've had that in mind and just rode out this season and probably the next as well. I feel bad for Ivaroni, he seems like a nice guy and a potentially good head coach.

 

[Chaplin]

I say bring him back to replace that worthless coach named Bill Cartwright.

 

[TBaslim]

Does Ivaroni's firing make it ok to ditch Porter now?

Anybody have phone numbers for Doug Collins (I shudder a little, but he might do well in this situation) or Hubie Brown? I'm down with Eddie Jordan too.

Heck, give this a few more games and Avery Johnson can even take a shot. At least the players would have to listen to him. He'd chew their kneecaps off if not. That's got to be good motivation for a half-season run at the playoffs.

 

[Wonder]

Iavaroni did indeed have a good connection with Stoudemire.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

Bum deal, he had crap to work with and not enough time to get any chemistry working with em.

 

[Shzm13]

 

[LV-Suns]

 

[Covert Rain]

Bring em back.

 

[nowagimp]

Iavaroni did indeed have a good connection with Stoudemire.

Its more than that, Ivaroni made a blue collar living in the NBA by playing smart, he knows how to play the 4/5. I watched Ivaroni in Phila int he early 80's, all technique and smarts, very little in the way of above average talent. Cartwright made a living in the NBA by having a back to the basket post game, being 7' tall, and playing with MJ. I thought he was a strange selection for big man coach.

Funny, they trade away gasol for garbage and then fire ivaroni a year later. That organization has some serious management issues.

 

[Bufalay]

Iavaroni along with Dan D'antoni were assistants with the homie Mike D'antoni, but he left Arizoni to replace Tony Barone.

 

[Hat]

We need him back, badly. He was the more defensive minded coach under DA, and Porter needs all the help he can get. No need for Cartwright or Majerle, although he squeaks by as a shooting coach (which btw he needs to work JRich and Barnes, their shooting is way off as of lately).

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

Thibadeou, Iavaroni, and Eddie Johnson >>>>> Porter, Cartwright and Majerle

A little extra effort in the coaching focus would have gone a long way.

 

[Covert Rain]

Thibadeou, Iavaroni, and Eddie Johnson >>>>> Porter, Cartwright and Majerle

A little extra effort in the coaching focus would have gone a long way.

Heh... I don't think Eddie Johnson can coach either. The main thing I wanted was Thibadeou. Sarver didn't want to pay him.

 

[nowagimp]

Heh... I don't think Eddie Johnson can coach either. The main thing I wanted was Thibadeou. Sarver didn't want to pay him.

But you wanted porter over DA, a huge downgrade. Saver sold you porter and you bought high(but the value was low).

 

[Covert Rain]

But you wanted porter over DA, a huge downgrade.

Your talking out of your backside. I never wanted Porter over D'Antoni. I wanted Thibadeou from day 1. What I said was that firing D'Antoni was the right move even if we made a mistake in hiring Porter.

Huge difference.

 

[mojorizen7]

But you wanted porter over DA, a huge downgrade. Saver sold you porter and you bought high(but the value was low).

I wanted anyone(within reason of course) who was willing to throw out the word's "committment to defense" over DA....
We got what we paid for during the DA era as well.....exciting offensive basketball that compiled lots of wins between November & April, not to mention revitalizing a sagging fan base. However after 4+ years it became obvious that Mike's approach was ultimately flawed when gameplanned against in a 7 game series.
Kerr hired the wrong guy obviously.
Porter used the words defense and smart basketball and he fooled me. Apparently he fooled Kerr as well,it's unfortunate because i feel that Kerr has made some sound moves(as well as some questionable ones).
I guess what i'm trying to say is that i believe that Kerr's plan was a sound one, but the execution of it has been a miserable failure.
Thats where i stand anyway.

 

[Mainstreet]

I wanted anyone(within reason of course) who was willing to throw out the word's "committment to defense" over DA....

Be careful what you wish for. The present Suns team was built for running.

 

[mojorizen7]

Be careful what you wish for. The present Suns team was built for running.

Exactly, which is why i was all for "reshaping" the roster when DA left instead of going with DA's pedigree of Nash,Bell,Diaw,Barbosa etc...and hoping that they could unlearn their undisciplined and defenseless ways.
If you recall Mainstreet i proposed trades for Nash & Amare not long after DA's departure. Then Kerr fooled me with the Barnes aquisition.Then there's the draft choices. I thought Dragic was going to be a major factor this year.
Ooops.
I knew Lopez was going to be a bust.
I didn't expect Bell's game to deteriorate so quickly either.
Nash's talents are being wasted here.
Amare IMO is a prima donna with quickly aging knees.
Barbosa has been a nice surprise amidst the turmoil.
Diaw?......he hasn't done crap in nearly 3 years.
Shoulda blown out DA's guys when DA left because you're right, this team wasn't built to take smart shot's,defend and rebound........ but Sarver/Kerr felt they could tweak a broken down Ferrarri into a Ford truck using a generic set of tools(ala Porter).
Blow it up tomorrow so we can all be honest with each other and get on with it.

 

[nowagimp]

I wanted anyone(within reason of course) who was willing to throw out the word's "committment to defense" over DA....
We got what we paid for during the DA era as well.....exciting offensive basketball that compiled lots of wins between November & April, not to mention revitalizing a sagging fan base. However after 4+ years it became obvious that Mike's approach was ultimately flawed when gameplanned against in a 7 game series.
Kerr hired the wrong guy obviously.
Porter used the words defense and smart basketball and he fooled me. Apparently he fooled Kerr as well,it's unfortunate because i feel that Kerr has made some sound moves(as well as some questionable ones).
I guess what i'm trying to say is that i believe that Kerr's plan was a sound one, but the execution of it has been a miserable failure.
Thats where i stand anyway.

But all you DA bashers said the suns had a coaching problem and not a talent problem. Suddenly, you guys are saying the opposite. I suppose its easy to drive from the backseat. Some said the suns needed a coach that believed in defense in practices, obviously now those who said good defenders made good defense and not the coachs beliefs were more correct.

 

[Covert Rain]

But all you DA bashers said the suns had a coaching problem and not a talent problem. Suddenly, you guys are saying the opposite. I suppose its easy to drive from the backseat. Some said the suns needed a coach that believed in defense in practices, obviously now those who said good defenders made good defense and not the coachs beliefs were more correct.

The Suns did have a coaching problem. They still do have a coaching problem. Just because Porter may have said all the right things in a job interview doesn't mean he was any better at coaching defense.

Even if the Suns had better defenders doesn't mean that D'Antoni was going to change his philosophy. It just mean D'Antoni would have made trades to ship those players out like he is doing in New York.

 

[mojorizen7]

But all you DA bashers said the suns had a coaching problem and not a talent problem. Suddenly, you guys are saying the opposite. I suppose its easy to drive from the backseat. Some said the suns needed a coach that believed in defense in practices, obviously now those who said good defenders made good defense and not the coachs beliefs were more correct.

There was absolutely no problem with DA's coaching if exciting basketball with futile results when the games really counted was the goal.
Yeah, i said futile.
We had the perfect talent for those results.
BTW, where you been Gimp?
Oh yeah, the SUNS have begun their tailspin and the blow it up posts are popping up like weeds. LOL
You make me sick.
Keep on shinin' them shoes for the mustache man.

 

[Rogue]

it makes no difference whether they fire him or not, either way the girzzlies are not a good team.