The Memphis Grizzlies have fired coach David Fizdale, a day after he benched NBA All-Star centre Marc Gasol for the fourth quarter of an eighth-straight loss.
General manager Chris Wallace announced the move on Monday. Assistant J.B. Bickerstaff has been named interim head coach of the 7-12 Grizzlies.
"After a thorough evaluation, I decided a change in course was necessary to move forward and provide the team and organisation its best chance at success this season and beyond," Wallace said in a statement.
The move caught the NBA by surprise.
Dwyane Wade, who played with the Miami Heat when Fizdale was an assistant coach, wrote on Twitter that he needed answers.
LeBron James retweeted a comment on Twitter calling the sacking so stunning that the writer triple-checked the original ESPN report to make sure he wasn't being duped by a fake account.
"I need some answers. Feels like my man was a fall guy," James wrote.
Fizdale became the franchise's 13th head coach on May 29, 2016, and he went 50-51.
The Grizzlies reached the postseason for a seventh-straight time in Fizdale's first season, when they lost to the San Antonio Spurs.
Fizdale was fined $30,000 by the NBA for a rant over officiating after a loss in Game 2.
Memphis let Zach Randolph, Vince Carter and Tony Allen all leave as free agents and signed Ben McLemore, Tyreke Evans and Mario Chalmers to retool the roster around Gasol and point guard Mike Conley to give Fizdale a faster lineup.
The moves appeared to be working early in the season but Conley has been out since November 17 resting an aching left Achilles tendon and Sunday's loss to the Brooklyn Nets matching the longest skid for Memphis since 2009.
Fizdale kept Gasol on the bench for the fourth quarter, and the Spaniard made his unhappiness clear after the game.
"It's a first for me, trust me, and I don't like it one bit," Gasol, who leads Memphis in points, rebounds and assists, said.
"I'm more (ticked) than I can show and frustrated."
