Grizzlies Coaching Staff

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Grizzlies coaching staff host Police Basketball League clinic

What is your relationship with Coach Fizdale like?

“It’s been phenomenal. For him to trust me and recognize that I can contribute to his staff means so much to me. He’s really into the development of everyone – players, coaches, the whole basketball operations staff.  He’s a true leader. His attitude, approach, and vision have been exciting to experience. It’s been hard work but it’s been a lot of fun. He’s really into our culture and being together – ‘We’re one and we’re a family and we’re going to do this together.’ I’m all about that. I’m all about being part of a team and being a part of something bigger than myself. I love being part of his staff and I’m hoping to contribute to him. He’s been really easy to talk to, and really easy to approach. He’s very open to any suggestions or any opinions. We have the same values of loyalty, trust, and positivity. I’m obviously pretty excited to be working alongside him."

How excited are you to be coaching alongside J.B. Bickerstaff, Keith Smart and Nick Van Exel?

“This staff is the best. They are very knowledgeable and have so much experience playing and coaching. I’m in such a great position to develop and get better every day. These guys are not only great coaches, but even better people. I love coming to work every day and am very fortunate to be in my position.”

What drove you to decide you wanted to get into coaching?

“It was toward the end of my senior year at Redlands. I always wanted to create an AAU program and give the youth of the area the right skills and approach to be successful in basketball. I wanted our program to properly prepare players for the next level. I felt that was a need in my hometown so I was motivated to create that.”

“My mom and dad. They both love hoop. They call me after every single Grizzlies game and watch every single second, they’re definitely our biggest fans in California.  They both have always mentored me when it comes to making correct decisions, and always gave me direction and feedback. Both of them were immigrants and they really instilled in me the value of hard work, keeping your head down, and letting your work speak for itself. My three brothers mentored me as well – Michael, Amir and Matthew. I played alongside Amir in college. He was a stud and Matt was really good as well. We are just a hoop family and really close. I wouldn’t be where I am without them.

“Basketball-wise it would be my college coach – Gary Smith. He had a huge influence on me as a player and more importantly as a person. He’s the kindest person I know. Joe Abunassar from Impact Basketball helped me get my foot in the door. He’s one of the top trainers in the world and I learned a ton from him before joining the Grizzlies. Lastly, Coach Jeff Bzdelik – who’s with Houston now – he’s an amazing human being and a great coach. He taught me a lot over the last two years on and off the court.”

What did you pick up from your years as a player development coach?

“I learned that the guys want to be coached. They want to be coached and they want to learn and to be challenged. They want to get better. These guys are professionals and they want to improve every year – they take their craft seriously. It’s about working hard every single day for them and trying to get them better. That can be through technical skill work, working on their confidence and trust or just watching film. Player development is also about connecting with the staff and doing what’s best for the team. Giving them the tools they’ll use in a game, or giving them game shots at game speed from where they’ll get them in a game. I’d look at what the coaching staff wanted and applied it to workouts so they’ll be prepared when they play.”

Before the NBA, you were an assistant coach in college and helped build up a local young club back home, how did those jobs help develop you for now?

“Those jobs were really cool because I got to experiment a lot. I would create different drills and really experiment with them. If it didn’t work out, then I’d try something new. I got to play and fool around with my coaching skills, culture, system and pace of play. In college you recruit and you get different players, so you have to coach to your personnel. One year we’re playing fast, the next year we’re playing slow. One year we’re playing through the bigs, the next through the guards. AAU, and college too, is about relationships. You have to build those relationships with the players, even the parents, the school, the AD. You try to build trust and have good synergy between everybody and make it positive where everyone is on the same page with the same goal. Ever since college, since I was 22, that’s been my approach. All those years, coaching youth and coaching college, really has created what I believe in today.”

As you know, the Grizzlies organization has a close bond with the community through events and volunteer work. What are some of favorite events that you’ve been a part of and look forward to doing so again?

“I had a blast with the Grizzlies Day of Service. Last season we went out to Greenleaf Learning Farm and got to paint and create gardens and it was a great way to give back and experience our community. I enjoyed seeing how excited some of those kids were to get to work alongside their heroes and I look forward to doing that again. The organization also has a program called “GrizzFit” which promotes youth physical fitness and I find that to be really outstanding and positive for kids in this area.”

You’ve been around Memphis for a few years now, what are your favorite places to eat?

“Of course you have to mention Gus’s Fried Chicken. Gus’s is really, really good. Majestic Grille is must-see downtown, and in Midtown I really like Second Line.  And you can’t count out Rendezvous – I love those dry ribs.”

What are some of the things you like to do in your free time?

“I love different TV shows – Game of Thrones, everything on Netflix like Narcos and House of Cards. If I can go out and watch a movie, I really enjoy that. I still play video games a little bit – I used to be a real big gamer with NBA 2K, Madden, Call of Duty. But my gaming time has gone down substantially since getting into the league. I like to travel, and I like to go back home to LA. I enjoy the beach, swimming and getting a workout in. But I really enjoy the water.”

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Getting to Know... Assistant Coach Adam Mazarei

What are some things you’ve learned throughout your coaching career that have stuck with you and helped you?

“First off, having the chance from college in Indiana to play for a great coach in Bob Knight, then having the chance to win a championship.  Obviously, moving through my career and coaching in the NBA and having coaches around me, particularly Don Nelson, helped develop me as well. That showed me how to open my mind offensively, to look at the game based on how you can move players and pieces around. Since I’ve had a chance to be a head coach in the NBA, I was able to apply some of those things along the way of learning. Going to work in Miami for a couple of years and understanding their championship approach, how they operate daily when everything is focused on winning a championship, that also helped shape me. You learn from each situation you’ve been in during your career, then build on it during the next step.”

Why did you want to be a part of Memphis’ coaching staff?

“One of the biggest reasons was David Fizdale. He and I have known each other since 2003 when he was a young rookie coach, where he was pretty much under me. I’ve been able to watch him grow as a coach in the NBA – and obviously his championship success in Miami, and his experience in the Finals. Then we got to work together once again in Miami. He’s probably the only person I would leave Miami for to go coach elsewhere and that was because of the relationship David and I have had over the years. He’s grown so much as a coach over the years and this Memphis opportunity was a great one for him. Having been in those positions myself – starting out in a new situation, trying to get it up to speed to where you want it to be, and eventually competing for a championship – you go through those moments in the course of a season as a young coach and a new head coach. Since I’ve experienced those things, I think I can lend to him my experiences as you work through the ebbs and flows. Every team goes through them, super-elite teams even have moments, but for the most part every NBA team goes through those things.”

“He [Fizdale] came to Golden State, where I was coaching as an assistant coach when Eric Musselman was the head coach. We had a nickname for him [Fizdale], we called him ‘Staples.’ At that time, we would use posters and put on plays, our offensive plays and our defensive plays, and we would have them written on these cardboard-type post-it notes, huge post-it notes, and David would be the one who would put it on those boards. When we would go through a particular play, we would hold that card up and so all the players would get to see it. So, pre-practice in our coaches meeting, we would talk about the plays we would go over that day in practice, things we would look at doing, and David would be on the side with pens, colored pens and everything, drawing up all these different plays on the side we were going to color that day. So, we ended up nicknaming him ‘Staples’ because he would always have the pens, the posters and all those type things. But, you saw someone that had a great heart. He has a great heart for people. He really goes out of his way for relationship-dynamic building because he feels, and we all believe, that is how you win. Relationships have to grow to where individuals really care about each other deeply and that’s how you really end up winning big and winning in tough moments because that’s a connection that has to be made. Because of him, the connection, most of the time, will be made. He can function in any environment, but I think the Memphis situation for him, myself and the other coaching staff has a chance to be something special.”

Although you have coached alongside Fizz in the past, what are you most looking forward to about this coaching opportunity alongside him as head coach?

“I’m just looking forward to his first game. As all coaches go through that first game, not the preseason, but that first official game that you start to coach. Now you move over one seat to be the head man, and that’s a small scoot over, but yet it’s a gigantic scoot over. In that first game, when you draw up that first play and the players look you in the eye as they go out on that court for the first time and to play the first half under you, there’s that first play that you’ve drawn up that you want to see executed. And when it happens, the excitement that you have… But you can’t really celebrate it because you’re in a game. I’m looking forward to seeing that moment for him because he’s paid his dues like a lot of assistant coaches in the NBA. I’m looking forward to seeing him now grow into this next role in his coaching career. But also, how he’s going to manage players. That’s where myself and [J.B.] Bickerstaff come in –  we’ve been there and we understand it and how to help in any way that we can as far as managing a basketball team because sometimes in the NBA you don’t get a chance to get to the X’s and O’s first or as soon as you want to. It’s all about managing first. You’re managing players, ideas and everything around you first, and you’re trying to get that under control. So, that’s why when you get to that first game, there’s a sense of relief, but yet it’s your first start.”

What are you most excited about in terms of coaching alongside this assistant coaching staff?

“Once again, it’s all new, hungry guys getting the chance to write a chapter in our coaching careers. I’m just as excited as all those guys, as well. I was excited when I went to Miami and I’ve been in the league a long time. You have that excitement of something fresh and new and that’s what we have in Memphis. It’s something new, yet you still have the good pieces there. But it’s something that’s fresh, something that’s going to be new and different. So, the excitement for our coaching staff is that we get a chance now to help imprint and help carry out Coach Fizdale’s plan and his ideas. That’s always exciting because you put your ideals on hold, yet you share, but you try to blend in what you’re capable of doing and to what the head coach wants to be done. That’s the exciting part, because not only is the team going to be growing to new ideas, thoughts and a process, the staff is going to be molded into a process and a structure that can help us be successful.”

When you have traveled to Memphis, what are some of your favorite places to eat?

“As much as you try to stay disciplined during the course of the season, there are definitely certain cities on an NBA schedule that you can’t wait to get to and Memphis is one of them. Obviously, you’re going to hit Rendezvous, for sure.  If you come in and have extra time, or an extra day, you’re going to find a good restaurant. The team will go out, sometimes the staff will go out or sometimes you go out by yourself or you may have some friends in town. When you’ve been around the league a long time you end up having friends in different cities.  I have guys that I went to college with who live in Memphis. Another place that everyone tries is Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken. You try as much as you can to not over-indulge, but sometimes you do. Obviously though, during the season, you don’t eat that way all the time.”

Are there any places you’re looking forward to visiting that you haven’t yet?

“As long as I’ve been around the NBA and coming into Memphis, there’s one place that I have not had the chance to go: The National Civil Rights Museum. I’ll definitely be adding that to my list.  When you come in town on an NBA schedule, you really don’t have a lot of time. You come in that night, you go to practice the next morning, you probably have time for a quick meal and then it’s time to get ready for the afternoon and to head to the arena. But now having the chance to live in this city, I’ll get a chance to explore and sit there and really pay attention to all the new things that are here.”

The Grizzlies are known for their special bond with this community and their volunteer work. How do you see yourself fitting into that mindset?

“I’ve always tried to be involved in the community that I’ve been in. I was in Oakland at Golden State for almost 11 years, so I got a chance to be involved in a lot of activities there. Obviously, I’ll have a chance to be here in Memphis and jump right into whatever needs to be done. I’m a cancer survivor – I had an episode of skin cancer. So, I can definitely see myself lending myself to that cause because I know first-hand what the family goes through when you’re dealing with it. As a former athlete, you just go through it and just deal with whatever it is, but when you stop and look around, you see how the family and friends are affected. They see you in state that they haven’t seen you in. So, I totally understand what someone would go through when they have been diagnosed with something like that. Although we have a smile on our face, barely trying to get through it, we’re in a lot of pain and we’re in a difficult place, but with the family and friends around you, you get through it and then hopefully come out on the other side with good news. But, not everyone has that and so I can see myself lending myself to that battle in Memphis.”

When you’re not coaching, what do you like to do in your spare time?

“A good friend of mine introduced me to the world of golf, which is something I thought I would never, ever be involved in. With the grind of the NBA season, it’s a great way to relax. So, if I’m not involved with anything with my family, with the team or any other activities I need to be doing, I’m going to try to find a golf course somewhere to play. For the last three years, I’ve been getting into the golf scene. I’d never thought I would ever have The Golf Channel on in my house.  My wife will turn on the TV in the morning and what does she find? It’s on The Golf Channel since I watch it at night. One thing golf has taught and shown me is the details of the coaching aspect. When you’re practicing golf, you’re being precise and being definite in what it is that you’re trying to accomplish. That is definitely what we do in basketball – having a definite plan, a structure… Because you get better when you have a plan and structure going into coaching. So, I think the golf game has really helped open my eyes to coaching because it’s something along the lines of what I do already.”

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Getting to Know... Assistant Coach Keith Smart

Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace today announced that the organization has hired Keith Smart and Adam Mazarei as assistant coaches on head coach David Fizdale’s staff. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Smart comes to Memphis with over 25 years of professional basketball experience as either a player or coach, spending the last two seasons (2014-16) working with Fizdale as an assistant coach for the Miami Heat, assisting in game management. Smart has served as head coach for three different NBA franchises, guiding the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, and has worked as an assistant coach for those same organizations. Before starting his NBA coaching career with Cleveland, he spent three seasons as head coach of the Continental Basketball Association’s (CBA) Fort Wayne Fury, guiding the team to the first back-to-back winning seasons (1997-99) in franchise history.

A graduate of Indiana University, Smart helped lead the Hoosiers to the 1987 NCAA National Championship and was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Final Four after hitting the game-winning shot with five seconds remaining in the title game against Syracuse. Selected in the second round (41st overall) of the 1988 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, Smart spent part of his nine-year professional career with the San Antonio Spurs (1988) before playing in the Philippines (1989), World Basketball League (1989-91), CBA (1992, 1995-97), Venezuela (1993) and France (1994).

Mazarei joins Fizdale’s staff after serving as a player development assistant for the Grizzlies for the past three seasons, during which time he assisted with advance and pro personnel scouting. Last summer, he attended the prestigious Grgurich camp, led by respected veteran NBA assistant coach Tim Grgurich, in Las Vegas. Before coming to Memphis, he served as an assistant and associate head coach for three years (2010-13) at Moorpark College in California where his responsibilities included assisting and organizing all scouting, recruiting, practice and game plans as well as player development.

In addition, Mazarei served as a player development coach at the IMPACT Basketball Academy in Las Vegas (2009-13) where he helped train current NBA veterans such as Serge Ibaka, Kyle Lowry and Terrence Ross in addition to pre-draft rookies. He holds a master’s degree in athletic administration and coaching from Concordia University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Redlands, where he led the SCIAC Conference in assists per game and paced the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (5:1) as a senior.

Fans who want to support the Memphis Grizzlies by purchasing 2016-17 Season Tickets can do so by calling (901) 888-HOOP or going online to grizzlies.com. For more information on the Grizzlies, ‘like’ Memphis Grizzlies on Facebook or follow on Twitter (@memgrizz).

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Grizzlies hire Keith Smart and Adam Mazarei as Assistant Coaches

What is your relationship with Coach Fizdale like, and are you excited to be coaching alongside him and J.B. Bickerstaff?

NVE: “With Fizz, he coached me at Golden State. We had a pretty good relationship there. We’ve always kept in touch. Any time I would be in Atlanta, as a player, we spoke. Even as a coach, we spoke. Even when he went to Miami, we kept in contact and went out to eat a few times here and there. One thing I know about Coach Fizz is, he’s a winner. He’s been with Miami for a while, but he has a passion and a drive. I think he has a vision – a clear vision on what he wants to get done with these guys here. I like his vision.”

“J.B. [Bickerstaff], it’s my first time meeting him, but I literally talked to four coaches congratulating me, and they were like, ‘You couldn’t be with a group of two better guys,’ talking about Fizz and J.B. I’m really excited. J.B.’s been around the block a long time. His dad is a great figure in the NBA. So I’m just going to soak up all the knowledge I can.”

How did your playing career help you prepare for your coaching career and specifically this position?

NVE: “Playing the point guard position, I had to know everybody’s positon. I had to know the two position, three, four and five – offensively and defensively. So I’m just a reflection of the coach out on the court. I was a big talker, a big communicator, so it kind of rolled right into coaching. Around 2003 is when I first really thought about coaching. When the Mavericks traded me to Golden State is when I started thinking about it, because our Golden State team had so many young players. It seemed like I was always just talking, trying to get these guys to understand how to play the game the right way.”

How does the competitive spirit you showed in your playing days drive you as a coach?

NVE: “Well, I’m a lot different as a coach. Like I tell people all the time, my basketball side is so much different than my off-the-court side. It’s not even close. I’m a lot more quiet and laid back as a coach, but I think the respect that the players give me because I played the game, it makes it easier for me to be more relaxed and be more calm. So I’m just a total opposite. The drive and the competiveness is, when you’re teaching a player something and they go out there and do what you were working on, that’s the gratification for me. That’s my thrill right now. When you’re sitting there busting a player in practice or in the summer time and you see them improving and getting better, that’s kind of my drive. That’s what gets me pumped up.”

NVE: “There are quite a few guys. I keep in contact with a lot of guys. Lester Conner has been big for me. He was an assistant for like, 17-19 years in the league. Of course, Coach Larry Drew first hired me in Atlanta. Tim Grgurich, I’ve always looked up to him and his work effort. Ironically, Del Harris – Del Harris has been great for me in my second career as far as coaching is concerned. I saw him the other day. He’s been very helpful and gives me a lot of pointers and things like that.”

What did you pick up from coaching two seasons in the D-League as an assistant and a head coach?

NVE: “It’s humbling, but I’m a humble person so it didn’t bother me much. It’s just going back to like, when I used to be in junior college, taking the busses, waking up at three in the morning and catching a 4:30 a.m. flight and things like that. As far as coaching is concerned, it’s just being able to relate to the players. Being able to communicate. Getting their respect from them. I wasn’t a big yeller, so for me it was, ‘Can I get my point across, and can these guys go out and execute what I’m trying to get done?’ That was good for me. I thought I had a good group of guys. They listened. I still keep in contact with a lot of them. It was a challenge as far as the revolving door. The challenge for me last year was so many new players coming in. You’d get a core and then they may go overseas. We literally had to have a training camp in the middle of the season because we had so many new guys. That was a challenge for me as far as coaching is concerned. I doubt that it’ll ever happen again unless I’m in that situation. But to see new guys come, it could happen for trades in this league, it prepared me for a situation like that.”

Do you have any barbecue places you are going to check out?

NVE:“Man, listen to me, I’m going to try every barbecue spot I see, like literally, because I want to taste it all. Every place I go to, I’m going to get some rib tips. I’m a fried chicken man, so I’m going to try all the good foods.”

NVE: “I’m anxious, because I have a few friends, a few business friends, who are here locally. You know, we’ve already been talking about some things – some things they do as far as the community is concerned. Just look out and see which ones l like the most. For me personally, I was big into single mothers and helping them out, because my mom was a single mom. I was big into Parks and Recreation systems and things like that. If anything, it’s got something to do with kids and single parents and things like that. I’ll see where I can fit in there.”

NVE: “Can you believe I’m 44 years old and I’m still a video game junkie? I still play video games. I love Madden and this game called The Division right now on the PS4 – and golf. If I can get out and play some golf, come home and play with my 3-year-old and then she lets me play my PS4, I’m good. Very simple. I’m just Madden and The Division, those two. I just started playing The Division about a month ago. But if it’s not Madden, I’m not playing.”

Are you looking forward to playing in the St. Jude Pro AM this week?

NVE: “I’m nervous as hell, I’m not even going to lie to you. I was hitting my driver pretty good, and like the last two weeks, I actually lost my driver and don’t know what happened to it. I’m just hitting the ball all over the place. I’m thinking about teeing off with a 4-iron all day tomorrow (laughs). So yeah, I’m a little bit nervous. But it will be a fun event.”

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Getting to Know... Assistant Coach Nick Van Exel

JB: “I’ve had a relationship with Coach Fizz since I was 17 years old, so we’ve had this conversation for a long, long time. It was whoever got a head coaching job first, the other one was coming with him. So, my trust and respect for him was the initial reason. Then, when you take a look at the make-up of the team, the character of the players, that’s important. When you want to win and you want to go to work every day, you want to work with high character people, you want to work with classy people. I think this organization has a bunch of those people.”

How did your relationship start with Coach Fizz? What are you most looking forward to about this coaching opportunity alongside him?

JB: “So, he was getting ready to be a senior in college and I was getting ready to be a senior in high school. Tim Grgurich and Mike Brown would have a camp in the summer where guys would go and workout. At the time it was more a workout than a camp, but it had grown to become a camp. So, one summer I was in Denver, where I went to high school, Mike Brown was a video coordinator there at the time and he was going to work out with Grg [Grgurich]. Mike Brown went to the University of San Diego and Coach Fizz went to the University of San Diego, so we all came out and end up meeting there. He [Fizz] and I worked out together every day. We kind of went our ways as we got older, but our relationship started to blossom when we got into coaching. We knew each other. I started coaching in the NBA when I was 24 and he was just starting at the same [time], so our paths were kind of similar and tracking in the same direction. We were together every summer, but then our relationship just blossomed. The trust came, the respect for each other’s skill set came and our personalities are similar, so we know that we have each other’s back no matter what and there’s a trust there and a fight that we have that’s similar. The relationship off the court, not basketball related, was great. Then there’s a symmetry in what we believe in on the court, so it makes it even easier.”

Growing up you’ve had a lot of exposure to the NBA, with your dad coaching and all, how has that helped you develop as a coach and as a person?

JB: “As a coach, the more experience you have, the more you’re around players, it helps so you see how guys learn, ways that are effective to reach different people. You see the aftermath of all the things that happened; you don’t just see what happens at the game, you see what happens after the game, the follow through and those types of things. So, you’re better prepared for the behind-the-scenes things that you might not have seen before. As a person, being a coach’s son, you understand the importance of routine, you understand the importance of discipline, so I think that helps you be successful in life. No matter what your job is, you know that you need to have a routine, that you need to be disciplined, you need to work. I think one of the things that coaches are always talking about is how hard you work, so that’s put into you at a young age. So, I think those are the things that have been helpful for me.”

You’ve coached alongside legendary player Kevin McHale. What are some things you’ve learned from him or which things have stuck with you and helped you in your coaching career?

JB: “The work ethic that it takes to be great. The determination, the mental toughness, those things that separate bad from average, average from good and good to great. Obviously, there’s a bunch of guys that have skill, a bunch of guys that have talent, but the difference is the mental part of the game. Are you mentally tough enough to get it done? When things are hard, can you fight through adversity? Are you willing to sacrifice a Friday night out to be in the gym getting extra shots up or getting the rest you need, whatever it may be? He taught me the difference between what it takes, not just as an individual player, but as a team too, he taught me the difference in that.”

You’ve been on the coaching trail for years now, which brings you to Memphis quite often. What are some of your favorite places to eat or visit?

JB: “Gus’ [Fried Chicken]. I know every NBA guy who you talk to says the same thing, but Gus’ is one of my favorite places. When we came here, we would even order it and have them bring it to the locker room. So, I’d say it’s my favorite.”

What are you most excited about in terms of coaching alongside Nick Van Exel?

JB: “Obviously, I’ve watched him a bunch and he’s got that fighting spirit. He’s that [type of] competitive that I think is going to be fun to be in the trenches with him. His basketball IQ, obviously, is high. His ability to play the point guard position, you have to be intelligent to be as good as he was, so there’s a lot you can learn from him. There’s certain things that you want to see through a point guard’s eyes, so to be able to ask him those questions, him having been through those experiences and when it mattered most; playoff games, big games, big moments, being able to have those conversations with him, pick his brain and learn from him.”

Tell me a little bit about your family. What do you enjoy doing together? Any things you’re looking forward to doing together in Memphis?

JB: “I have a wife and three small kids. I’ve got a five-year old girl, a four-year old girl and a boy who will turn three [years old] in August. We spend a lot of time together when we can, obviously the summers we get more time together. We love vacationing and going to the beach. Our kids they love the beach. They love the water. My wife is here now and she took them to the Children’s Museum yesterday already, so they do those types of things. We went and saw the movie ‘Angry Birds’ the other day. So, we’re looking forward to all those things.”

You spent a season with the Timberwolves as a radio color analyst. Tell me a little bit about your experience with that. What did you enjoy about it? Is it something you’ll want to do in the future?

JB: “It was a lot of fun. It was a great year, too, for the Timberwolves. It was the year they went to the Western Conference Finals with Kevin Garnett, Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell, so it was an awesome experience. You had a courtside seat to some of the best basketball in the NBA every night. It was a lot of fun. But again, you go to see… because Flip Saunders was the coach and he was good enough to me that he would let me come and watch practices. You got to see everything. Again, you got to see the difference between good and great. You got to see Kevin Garnett handle practices and how competitive he is. Like, Flip would take days where he would just split Kevin [Garnett] and Latrell [Sprewell] up. Now those are two very competitive guys and changed the entire practice because they wanted to win the drill and they were going at each other so hard. So, always knowing that I wanted to coach, that played a part in my mind, but being able to watch the game and analyze the game helps you learn the game too, in a different way. It was great. It was a great experience. It was a lot fun and no pressure, since when the game was over, the game was over. So, it’s definitely something that I’ll think about getting into post-coaching.”

When you’re not courtside coaching, what do you like to do in your spare time?

JB: “I watch a ton of movies. Going way back, I like The Godfather, The Matrix was one of my favorites – the first one, they got a little carried away after the first one. Those are two that stand out. I like more action movies. I like to hangout with my family, too.”

getting-to-know-associate-head-coach-j-b-bickerstaff

Getting to Know... Associate Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff

Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace today announced that the organization has hired J.B. Bickerstaff as associate head coach and Nick Van Exel as an assistant coach on Grizzlies Head Coach David Fizdale’s staff. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Fans are encouraged to check out grizzlies.com for expanded coverage on the Grizzlies newest additions. See J.B. Bickerstaff's coaching profile. See Nick Van Exel's coaching profile.

Bickerstaff comes to Memphis after spending five seasons (2011-16) on the sidelines with the Houston Rockets. First hired as an assistant coach, he was later named interim head coach in November 2015 and guided the Rockets to a 37-34 record and postseason berth to close the 2015-16 season.  Prior his time in Houston, Bickerstaff spent four seasons (2007-11) as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves and three seasons (2004-07) as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Bobcats under his father, Bernie Bickerstaff. He was the youngest assistant coach in the NBA when he began with the Bobcats at age 25 in 2004-05.

Before beginning his NBA coaching career, Bickerstaff provided color analysis on radio broadcasts for the Timberwolves during the 2003-04 season. Prior to that, he served as director of operations for the University of Minnesota’s men’s basketball program where he oversaw all administrative areas of the program and assisted the coaching staff with recruiting, scouting and coaching. Bickerstaff played two seasons with the Golden Gophers (1999-2001) to complete his collegiate career after playing two seasons at Oregon State University, where he was the youngest NCAA Division I player as a 17-year-old freshman.

Van Exel joins the Grizzlies after spending the last two seasons (2014-16) with the NBA Development League’s Texas Legends, serving as head coach during the 2015-16 season. Before his time in the D-League, the Kenosha, Wis. native spent one season (2013-14) as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks and three seasons (2010-13) as a player development instructor for the Atlanta Hawks. Van Exel got his coaching start as an assistant coach for Texas Southern University in 2009-10.

Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round (37th overall) of the 1993 NBA Draft, Van Exel enjoyed a 13-year career as an NBA player (1993-2006), including 76 playoff games and one All-Star appearance (1998), with career averages of 14.4 points and 6.6 assists for the Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs. An NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection in 1994, Van Exel spent his final two collegiate seasons at the University of Cincinnati, where he led the Bearcats to the 1993 NCAA Final Four as a senior and earned Third Team All-American honors in addition to being selected as a finalist for the Wooden Award.

grizzlies-announce-additions-to-coaching-staff

Grizzlies announce additions to Coaching Staff

Memphis  Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace announced today that Dave Joerger will  not return as head coach next season.

“After careful consideration, I concluded  that a change was needed to foster the strong culture required to achieve  sustainable, long-term success for this organization, the city and our fans,”  said General Manager, Chris Wallace.

“On behalf of the Grizzlies organization I  would like to thank Dave for his work and time in Memphis,” Wallace continued.  “We wish Dave and his family all the best and success as he moves forward in  his career.”

Joerger started with the Grizzlies as an assistant coach with  the Grizzlies prior to the 2007-08 season, eventually replacing Lionel Hollins as head coach on June  27, 2013. Joerger owns an overall career head coaching record of 147-99 (.598),  including three NBA Playoff appearances with the Grizzlies. In 22  career playoff games, he holds an overall record of 9-13 (.409).

The search for a new head coach will begin immediately.

Read Grizzlies.com's exclusive Q &amp; A with General Manager, Chris  Wallace.

grizzlies-announce-changes-to-coaching-staff

Grizzlies announce changes to coaching staff

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