The shocking breakup between the Memphis Grizzlies and former head coach David Fizdale caught many people by surprise. It was a move not many saw coming, except possibly those close to the organization who had some knowledge of his relationship with Marc Gasol.
Grizzlies star center Marc Gasol was benched for the fourth quarter of a loss to the Brooklyn Nets and the big man didn’t hide his frustrations. That was apparently the point of no-return for Fizdale as he was ousted less than 20 games into his second season with the team the very next day.
But apparently, it wasn’t just the benching alone that did Fizdale in. The problems between Fizdale and Marc Gasol had been boiling for a long-time and Gasol’s Sunday seat was the last straw.
Following comes from Sam Amick of USA Today.
Two people with knowledge of the situation say there was little-to-no communication between the two of them for the better part of the past 10 months, with the Sunday night benching in Brooklyn merely a tipping point in a situation that started to go sour quite some time ago. And with the Feb. trade deadline looming, no better way to appease Gasol and quell the league-wide chatter about how he might want out of Memphis than to show him where the organization’s loyalties lie. The people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
