"Right before the playoffs is insane": Fans stunned over Grizzlies bombshell firing of Taylor Jenkins
As the regular season comes to a close, the Memphis Grizzlies are among the teams gearing up for what they hope will be a deep postseason run. They'll now have a major obstacle to hurdle following a move that left fans stunned.
On Friday afternoon, Memphis announced that they've parted ways with head coach Taylor Jenkins. This ends a nearly six-year run with the franchise in which he posted a 250-214 record while leading them to the postseason three times.
Seeing that this move seemingly came out of nowhere, fans rushed to social media to react to the Grizzlies' late-season coaching change.
As expected, most were left in shock to see Memphis make such a move in the final stretch of the regular season.
"Are they aware that they are in the playoffs?" One fan said.
"Someone explain this to me like I’m 5, aren’t they 4th in West right now?" Another fan said.
"An insane thing to do two weeks out from the playoffs," said one fan.
Memphis Grizzlies GM makes statement on firing of Taylor Jenkins
Shortly after the initial reporting of the firing, NBA insider Shams Charania dove more into the Memphis Grizzlies firing Taylor Jenkins. He reported that a meeting was had between him and the higher-ups in the organization, and everything was done in person.
In the official press release of the decision, GM Zach Kleiman gave a brief statement on removing Jenkins from his position. He admitted that it was an extremely tough decision and they hope the longtime coach is able to land on his feet moving forward.
“I’m genuinely appreciative of Taylor’s contributions to this team and this city over the past six seasons," Kleiman said. "This was a difficult decision given the consistent and tangible development of our players and overall success under Taylor’s leadership. I wish Taylor the very best going forward.”
Seeing that he helped turn the Grizzlies from a young team to one of the more competitive squads in the Western Conference, Jenkins likely won't be without a job long. In the event positions become available across the NBA this offseason, he'll surely be a top candidate.
As of now, there is no reporting as to why the organization made such a drastic move at this stage in the season. In his last game as head coach in Memphis, Jenkins suffered a 125-104 loss at the hands of the OKC Thunder.
Now, under the watch of an interim coach, Ja Morant and company have to rally for the postseason. They currently find themselves in fifth place with a two-and-a-half-game lead on the LA Clippers. If things remain as is, Memphis will square off against LeBron James and the LA Lakers in round one.