The Memphis Grizzlies have fired Dave Joerger after three seasons as coach, the team announced Saturday.
"The decision was made because I believe you need a deeply committed leadership team in order to establish the strong culture needed for sustainable long-term success," general manager Chris Wallace said in a Q-and-A on the team's website. "I don't want to get into specifics, but our goal now is to identify the best candidate for our organization."
Wallace said he made the final decision to fire Joerger. He commended the coach's in-game management but said "being an NBA head coach is about more than just coaching a 48-minute game."
Sources told Yahoo! Sports' The Vertical that Joerger was seeking permission to talk to other teams about their open coaching positions. The Grizzlies instead decided to let him go.
The Grizzlies stumbled into the playoffs after finishing the regular season with a 3-14 stretch. They were then swept in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs.
Memphis churned through players during an injury-heavy campaign. An NBA-record 28 players logged at least one minute for the Grizzlies this season.
Joerger was 147-99 in his first NBA head-coaching job. He took the Grizzlies to the playoffs in each of his three seasons.
The Sacramento Kings have put Joerger at the top of their list as they look for a new coach, according to The Vertical. Other teams with current head-coaching openings are the Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks.
