The Memphis Grizzlies have reportedly found their replacement for recently-fired head coach David Joerger. From Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski:
Memphis has offered Miami assistant David Fizdale its head coaching job, league sources tell @TheVertical. Sides working on a contract.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) May 25, 2016
This comes after reports that the Grizzlies gained permission to interview Fizdale, and that he was “gaining serious traction” as a candidate.
This will be Fizdale’s first head coaching position at any level. At the college level, he served as an assistant coach for San Diego and Fresno State, and in the NBA he was an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors for the 2003-2004 season, and with the Atlanta Hawks from 2004-2008. From 2008 until now he has been an assistant with the Miami Heat.
Fizdale was Miami’s assistant coach during both of their championship runs in the “Big Three” era with LeBron James.
Fizdale also coached “Team Shaq” in the 2013 Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend.
Other candidates for the Memphis job included Spurs assistant James Borrego, Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts, and Patrick Ewing. Jeff Hornacek and Frank Vogel were also reportedly candidates, but both have since taken other jobs(Hornacek with the Knicks, Vogel with the Magic)
UPDATE:
Fizdale and the Grizzlies have agreed to a four year deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo! Sports.
Miami Heat assistant David Fizdale agreed to a four-year deal to become head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, league sources told The Vertical.
The contract includes a team option for the fourth year, league sources said.
