NBA Notes: Grizzlies fire head coach Dave Joerger

Share

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Memphis Grizzlies have fired Dave Joerger after three seasons and three straight playoff appearances.

The Grizzlies announced the decision Saturday morning.

General manager Chris Wallace said in a statement the Grizzlies needed a change to "foster the strong culture required to achieve sustainable, long-term success."

The Grizzlies used an NBA-record 28 players this season. They finished the regular season at 42-40 and were swept in the first round by San Antonio.

Joerger had been with Memphis since before the 2007-08 season. He was promoted to replace Lionel Hollins after the Grizzlies were swept in the Western Conference finals in 2013. Joerger is 147-99 overall, 9-13 in the postseason (see full story).

Thunder: Durant's mom subject of Lifetime movie
OKLAHOMA CITY -- With a single sentence uttered by her world-famous son, Wanda Pratt's life changed forever.

"You the real MVP."

Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant said those now-famous words during his emotional acceptance speech for the 2014 NBA MVP award. Right before Mother's Day, Pratt suddenly was the central figure of one of the most memorable speeches in sports history.

"Of course, I knew he that would mention me in the speech, or I believed he would mention me in the speech," Pratt recalled during an interview with The Associated Press. "But I didn't expect it to be to that magnitude, so I was quite caught off guard."

During the speech, Durant recalled some of Pratt's sacrifices for him and his brother, Tony, as they grew up in the Washington D.C. area, including how the young single mother gave them hope, kept them out of trouble and sometimes went without food to make sure her boys were fed. Interest in Pratt's story has remained high, and now, she's the subject of a movie of a Lifetime original movie called, "The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story," which will premiere May 7 at 8 p.m. Eastern (see full story).

Contact Us