Griz to retain Iavaroni as coach
By Ronald Tillery
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Marc Iavaroni will return to coach the Grizzlies next season, ending speculation that he would be fired after the team finished with a 22-60 record for a second straight season.
Iavaroni will enter the second of a three-year deal after what was described by a source as a "difficult" meeting Thursday with team owner Michael Heisley. The performance review delved into Iavaroni's growing pains as a rookie head coach but centered on defense -- specifically the team's inability to guard -- and set up Iavaroni's main objective for the 2008-09 season.
The Grizzlies tied for the NBA's worst field goal percentage allowed (.480) and yielded the third-most points per game (106.9). Memphis was 11-52 when its opponent scored 100-plus points.
Iavaroni and Heisley met for the first time since the season ended April 16. Speculation about Iavaroni's job status began several months ago with national media reports suggesting that Heisley was already courting successors.
In the end, Heisley decided against firing a coach after just one season and sent the message that he is seeking stability. Iavaroni is the team's fifth coach in the seven seasons that the Grizzlies have been in Memphis.
Last May, the Grizzlies hired Iavaroni to replace interim coach Tony Barone Sr., who took over for Mike Fratello with more than 50 games left in the 2006-07 season. Heisley chose Iavaroni over legendary coach Larry Brown, who was recently hired by the Charlotte Bobcats.
Iavaroni has always indicated that turning around a franchise that owned the NBA's worst record a year ago would take more than one season, and even more so given the Grizzlies' dramatic changes during this campaign.
It was a tale of two seasons with Iavaroni coaching a group led by 7-footer Pau Gasol until February when the Griz traded their franchise player to the Los Angeles Lakers for draft picks and salary-cap relief.
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