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Desmond Bane on learning he was traded: 'My heart sank'
And when Memphis general manager Zach Kleiman informed Bane he was traded, there was a moment of angst. “Before he told me where I was going, my heart sank, just because there’s 29 other teams outside of the Grizzlies that I could have ended up on,” Bane said. “Once he said Orlando, I was smiling through the phone. I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful like I was moving on from Memphis that fast, but I was genuinely excited about the new opportunity.”
Desmond Bane trade not a precursor for full Memphis teardown
The Desmond Bane deal has naturally sparked a much louder round of questioning about what the Grizzlies' next moves might be, but I don't get the sense that rival teams are expecting them to proceed to more of a teardown. At least that's not my early impression after several Father's Day phone calls. Rival teams, if anything, seemed to be more intent in the aftermath of the trade in trying to figure out what Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman might try to turn all of these new picks at his disposal into ... and whether such flipping might happen sooner rather later.
Michael Scotto: Memphis Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman on naming Tuomas Iisalo head coach: “I have full confidence in Tuomas serving as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies going forward. Tuomas’ teams at every level have been disciplined, tenacious and connected on both ends of the floor, consistently exceeding expectations. We look forward to the same in Memphis.”
To make room for these new voices, Kleiman insisted Jenkins replace five of the assistant coaches who'd been with him throughout his time in Memphis: Brad Jones, Blake Ahearn, Scoonie Penn, Vitaly Potapenko and Sonia Raman. Jenkins went along with the request, in an effort to be a good partner, said a league source, who added, "Taylor shouldn't have allowed that to happen." The coach was so upset at the news he'd have to deliver to each of his longtime assistants, he invited each over to his house in Memphis for individual sessions. The front office felt the new approach needed space to get off the ground, according to a source. So the club cut ties with virtually everyone associated with the team's ways of the past.
Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman on firing Taylor Jenkins: 'This decision is mine and mine only'
Memphis Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman took ownership Saturday for the surprise dismissal of coach Taylor Jenkins, but did not offer clarity on the motivations behind the decision. In his first public comments since firing Jenkins on Friday with just nine games left in the regular season, Kleiman said several times the decision was “mine and mine only” and that he did not consult the Grizzlies players before making his decision. Kleiman said the decision was “in the best interest of the team.”
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“Urgency is a core principle of ours,” said Kleiman, who spoke for less than three minutes. “So, (I) decided to go on with the move.” Memphis holds a 44-29 record heading into a crucial three-game homestand, which begins with a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, a fellow Western Conference contender with the exact same record, on Saturday night. However, the Grizzlies have dipped in the standings in recent weeks after going 2-5 in their last seven games and 8-11 since the All-Star break.
In early July, three months after a disastrous, injury-riddled 27-55 season had come to an end, the Grizzlies front office, led by executive vice president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman, made the unilateral choice to swap out five members of Jenkins’ coaching staff.
When Edey was drafted, general manager Zach Kleiman pointed out how Memphis wanted to be enforcers by punishing teams that played small against the Grizzlies, instead of just subbing out Edey to go small. However, Jenkins' usage of the 7-foot-4 rookie suggests different. Edey has started in 47 of his 58 games played. He has come off the bench in the past three games. "Zach (Kleiman) blamed Taylor. Taylor blamed Zach. No one takes accountability for absolutely anything," a league source told The Commercial Appeal.
Chris Haynes: Memphis GM Zach Kleiman: “I’m genuinely appreciative of Taylor’s contributions to this team and this city over the past six seasons. This was a difficult decision given the consistent and tangible development of our players and overall success under Taylor’s leadership. I wish Taylor the very best going forward.”
Michael A. Scotto: The Memphis Grizzlies have parted ways with head coach Taylor Jenkins, team says. Statement from Grizzlies President Zach Kleiman below.
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The sun was shining last July. Jet lagged after a 12-hour flight to Tahiti, Williams didn’t have a signal on his phone while riding the Bora Bora Navette from the airport to the main island. When he finally connected to Wi-Fi, thousands of text messages and social media alerts said the same thing. Just off the coast of paradise, during a family vacation, Williams learned he was traded. Zach Kleiman, the Grizzlies’ general manager, called Williams and thanked him for his service. He knew it was coming. But still. “I never experienced anything like that,” Williams said. “I felt numb. There was so much going on. When I’m overwhelmed, I just get away from everything…I threw my phone to the side and let it be.”
Grizzlies GM emphatically shuts down Ja Morant trade rumors: We are not trading Ja, I'm not giving this nonsense more oxygen
Drew Hill: I reached out to Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman to see if he would comment about the recent speculation around Ja Morant. Here’s what he had to say: “I can’t blame other “executives” for fantasizing about us trading Ja. But it’s just that - fantasy. We are not trading Ja. Continue to underestimate Ja, this team and this city, and we will let our performance on the floor speak for itself. I’m not going to give this nonsense further oxygen and look forward to getting back to basketball.”
Zach Kleiman: Zach Kleiman said they explored and exhausted avenues to upgrade the team. They didn't work out. "Rather than do something to try to win a press conference, the focus from there was different. It was like, 'How do we keep this team and roll forward with the guys that we really believe in and want to have the opportunities moving forward?'"
Luke Kennard on re-signing with Memphis: This is where I want to be
"There are a lot of different conversations that go on throughout that process," Luke Kennard said. "I told (Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman) I want to be in Memphis. This is where I want to be. I'm excited with what they have built here over the last few years. I just wanted to be a small part of that."
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