Iavaroni done as Grizzlies coach

The Memphis Grizzlies fired head coach Marc Iavaroni Thursday night.  Thus continues the trend of professional sports owners giving their coaches the "kiss of death" vote of confidence.  Everytime an owner says a coach's job is safe, you know he is about to get the boot.  It's the same as when a coach says he's not interested in any job other than his current one.  Grizz owner Michael Heisley said earlier in the year that Iavaroni was safe, only to retract that statement prior to the New Year, when his tone changed to "The month of January will decide Iavaroni's fate." The Grizzlies are currently in the midst of a seven-game losing skid, among their longest of the season.  Their lone win this month came against Dallas, and they got thumped by the lowly Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday, 101-86.  That loss was the Grizzlies' second of the year at the hands of the Bobcats.

Although they began the season with strong defensive performances, holding opponents to around 85 ppg, the Grizzlies soon lost that discipline amid reports of a clash in philosophy on the coaching staff.  The young team just didn't seem to make any progress in learning the game under Iavaroni, continually repeating the same mistakes in losses that piled up in what seemed to be a season of promise.  This change had to be made, and the new coach needs to come from the old school.  Unfortunately, not many of those coaches are around anymore, but they are exactly what a young team like the Grizzlies needs.  Iavaroni was too laid back and didn't earn the respect of his players, even throwing them under the bus after one loss in December.  That was extremely unprofessional and suggested that he had given up on the team and knew his days in Memphis were numbered.

Assistant coach Johnny Davis will take over on an interim basis.  A wider search will reportedly include former Philadelphia 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks and current Milwaukee Bucks assistant and former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins.  Now, I'm not a genius, but Hollins didn't work out the first two times he coached the Grizzlies, so I don't think the third time will be the charm.  At some point, you have to cut the cord.

Iavaroni led the Grizzlies to an 11-30 record through the midpoint of this season. Overall he guided the team to a record of 33-90 in 1 1/2 seasons, the fifth-worst career record among coaches in league history. Two other former Grizzlies coaches made the list.  Brian Winters holds the dubious distinction of having the worst mark at 36-148.  Sidney Lowe, who led the Grizzlies through their transition to Memphis, is fourth on the list with a record of 79-228.