Memphis Grizzlies: 2017-18 team awards
By Tony East
Coach of the Year: David Fizdale
Most teams just have one guy in this category and thus there is no point of discussing the award. But between JB Bickerstaff and David Fizdale, the Memphis Grizzlies have competition for the Coach of the Year award.
Well, not actually. There is only a competition in that there are two competitors. In reality, one was way better.
David Fizdale was 7-12 at the time of his firing. Bickerstaff went 15-48 the rest of the way. In 19 games, Fizdale coached nearly a third of the team’s wins and had the Grizz actually looking like a decent squad.
Unfortunately, his player relationships (specifically with Marc Gasol) weren’t very good and that caused him to be let go. Sure, his poor emotional intelligence dings him as a coach, but he was so much better than Bickerstaff at everything else that he gets the nod here.