It’s not just that the Memphis Grizzlies have opened up the season 3-4. It’s that their historically underwhelming offense has gotten even worse (29th in the NBA this year in offensive efficiency), their hallowed defense has regressed horribly (26th in defensive efficiency), their already suspect three-point shooting has descended into “couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn” levels in a league where the outside shot is more important than ever (27.0 percent as a team ranks 29th in the league), and their four losses have come by an average of 27.3 points.
Simply put, Memphis looks slow, antiquated, and out of whack, and naturally questions have begun to arise about head coach Dave Joerger’s job security. But if we’re to make anything of recent comments by Memphis GM Chris Wallace, Joerger shouldn’t be too worried.
In an interview with Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal over the weekend, Wallace denied rumblings that Joerger is already on the hot seat less than two weeks into the 2015-16 NBA season.
“When things aren’t going well, there’s always a lot of noise from the outside,” Wallace said. “You can’t let it permeate the air you’re breathing as a team. You just have to keep your head down and do what you’ve done in the past to be successful.
“I don’t see Dave on the hot seat,” he continued. “We’re struggling right now, but Dave’s a proven commodity and he’s got a talented staff.”
If nothing else, Joerger has always seemed to have the support and respect of the locker room ever since taking over as a trusted in-house replacement for Lionel Hollins in 2013. The 41-year-old Joerger has led the team to back-to-back 50-win seasons in his first two years as head coach (despite notoriously underperforming in the playoffs), and it’s hard to envision a sluggish first tenth of the season suddenly erasing all that.
While team owner Robert Pera may see matters differently, with the public support of Wallace behind him, Joerger can breathe a bit easier for now and focus his efforts entirely on getting the Grizzlies’ house in order.
*Stats courtesy of ESPN*
