Former Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel leads the list of playoff head coaches who are dropping like flies joining Dave Joerger in Memphis and J.B. Bickerstaff in Houston. When the Memphis Grizzlies moved on from Dave Joerger over the weekend, it came as a shock to some considering how Joerger managed to keep his team afloat amid their litany of injuries. At the end of the day, his coaching wasn’t the reason why he was let go but instead, there were questions about his loyalty.
The Grizzlies joined the Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets as the playoff teams who currently do not have a coach and the Memphis gig could be the most intriguing due to the fact of the uncertainty of their future. Where does Mike Conley go this summer? Also, does that mean guys like Zach Randolph or Tony Allen could also be on their way out if he does leave.
But before the Grizzlies make any decisions on their roster they need to hire a head coach and it appears that recently fired Frank Vogel, leads the list of head coaching candidates for the Memphis job along with Patrick Ewing and Jeff Hornacek.
Following from Adrian Wojnarowksi of The Vertical on Yahoo! Sports.
The Memphis Grizzlies have begun making contact with several head-coaching candidates, as well as the representatives of Frank Vogel, league sources told The Vertical.
The preliminary stages of Memphis’ search to replace Dave Joerger include Vogel – the former Indiana Pacers coach – who used the weekend to decompress after losing his job on Thursday, league sources said.
Memphis has started reaching out to teams to obtain permission to interview candidates, and league sources told The Vertical that part of the franchise’s working list of coaches includes former Phoenix Suns coach Jeff Hornacek, San Antonio assistant Ettore Messina, Charlotte Hornets associate head coach Patrick Ewing, Portland assistant Nate Tibbets and Miami Heat assistant David Fizdale, league sources said.
Memphis general manager Chris Wallace and assistant general manager Ed Stefanski are planning to start meeting with candidates at the Chicago pre-draft camp this week, league sources said.
