Grizzlies power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. is among the best in the NBA at what he does, but like all of us, sometimes he’s not sure what to believe.
That seems to have been the case with the sudden and stunning news that ex-coach Taylor Jenkins was fired on Friday after six seasons.
“All of my friends called me and were like, ‘Is this real?’ ” Jackson said Saturday before the loss to the Lakers, via Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I was like, ‘They probably saw (social media troll account) NBA Centel or something.’ And then I went to Twitter, and his face was everywhere.”
The Grizzlies (44-30) dropped an important one on Saturday night at home, their losing ways continuing against teams with winning records. The Lakers (45-29) are now a game ahead of them in the Western Conference standings. If the playoffs started today, Memphis would face LA in the first round, with LA owning home-court advantage.
Why the Grizzlies made a coaching change at this stage of the season is anyone’s guess. Many around the NBA don’t think it will serve them well. GM Zach Kleiman said he and he alone made the decision.
“That’s my dog. That will forever be my dog,” Jackson Jr. said of Jenkins. “It was surprising. It would have been surprising at any point. He had a great impact while he was here. He’s gonna be one of the more sought-after coaches in his journey elsewhere and deservedly so.”
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