Mike Vorkunov: 14 NBA teams had a winning record this season and 3 fired their coach. Tom Thibodeau: fired right after helping Knicks to their best season in 25 years Mike Malone: fired 2 years after winning a NBA title Taylor Jenkins: fired 3 years after tying for most wins in Memphis history
Memphis Grizzlies Rumors
Law Murray: The last six times a team changed coaches after a Conference Finals appearance – 2022 Celtics (Ime Udoka*) – 2014 Grizzlies (Lionel Hollins) – 2008 Pistons (Flip Saunders) – 2005 Pistons (Larry Brown) – 2004 Lakers (Phil Jackson) – 2003 Pistons (Rick Carlisle) *unplanned lol
Then there is the belief that Memphis still views the former All-Star as a player to build around not just next season but in the foreseeable future. The 25-year-old had 18 straight 20-plus-point games this season, the third-longest streak in his career. Morant also averaged a career high in turnovers and shot 45.4% from the field, the second-lowest percentage since he was drafted in 2019. What to expect: Memphis plays out the season and entertains extension talks next offseason.
Ary: Belmont’s Jonathan Pierre will work out for the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow, Tuesday, June 3, sources tell @TheDraftStack . The 6-foot-9 wing averaged 13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 36.9% from three this past season with Belmont.
The NBA Finals begin later this week. But the Miami Heat has already moved on to next season after its early first-round playoff exit, announcing its home preseason schedule for this upcoming season on Monday. The Heat will host three preseason games at Kaseya Center: Oct. 6 vs. Milwaukee Bucks at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 8 vs. San Antonio Spurs at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 17 vs. Memphis Grizzlies at 8 p.m.
Timberwolves-Thunder Game 5 draws second smallest Western Conference Finals audience since 2013
A lopsided Western Conference Finals ended on a low note Wednesday night. Wednesday’s Timberwolves-Thunder NBA Western Conference Finals Game 5 averaged 4.62 million viewers on ESPN, topping only Nuggets-Lakers Game 2 on an NFL Sunday in September 2020 (3.28M) as the least-watched WCF game since 2013 (Grizzlies-Spurs Game 2: 4.62M).
Oklahoma City’s blowout win was also the least-watched WCF Game 5 since Jazz-Spurs in 2007 (3.94M), falling even below that Lakers-Nuggets series in the 2020 “bubble” (4.99M). (The 2013 Spurs-Grizzlies series ended in a sweep.) Viewership declined 26% from last year’s Mavericks-Timberwolves Game 5 on TNT and truTV (6.26M).
Whereas other defensive stoppers lean into the villain mentality — Dillon Brooks literally calls himself Dillon the Villain — Dort doesn’t seek such a moniker. If your favorite player has a bad game against Dort, or comes away from the matchup injured, like Ja Morant did in the Rockets’ first-round series versus the Grizzlies, Dort said he does feel badly about it. “He’ll come into the locker room after the game, after something happens, and he’ll tell us, ‘Obviously I didn’t mean to hurt him,'” Thunder teammate Aaron Wiggins told ESPN.
Chema de Lucas: Fenerbahçe already assumes both are leaving. Biberovic to Memphis, and we’ll see where Nigel Hayes-Davis ends up. At the power forward spot, Jantunen is signed
Bobby Marks: Here’s a look at Jaren Jackson Jr. and the ramifications of not being named All-NBA. Jackson Jr. is renegotiation eligible if the Grizzlies have cap space (see contract notes).