It was nearly a year ago when J.B. Bickerstaff went from associate head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies to interim head coach.
It was a challenging move. He took over for his friend David Fizdale, who was fired 19 games into his second season in Memphis — the first one included a playoff berth — after an eight-game losing streak.
Bickerstaff, a former University of Minnesota player and assistant coach with the Timberwolves, inherited an injury-riddled team that wound up 22-60. But, liking how he'd handled the team, the Grizzlies kept Bickerstaff, removing the interim tag shortly after the season ended.
"Basically you put your career on the line,'' Bickerstaff said before Sunday's game. "Because of the situation, not a lot of places are going to give you that chance, with all those losses. To reward me with this opportunity says a lot about them, how they appreciated the job we did, even under some tough circumstances.''
Early returns? It appears the decision was a good one.
The Grizzlies entered Sunday's game fifth in the West and are now 10-5. For Bickerstaff, his new position changes everything.
"You can put a plan in place,'' he said. "And it's not a 'What the heck are we going to do today?' plan. It's a two- or three-year plan. You can live with making decisions on the big picture instead of having to make decisions on tonight's game, tomorrow's practice. You can stick to your guns a little bit.''
Rotations, Part I
Looking to get his team going against Memphis, Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau went with a lineup that included backups Dario Saric, Derrick Rose and Tyus Jones for most of the fourth quarter while starters Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague stayed on the bench.
