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**thaKEAF** · 05-04-2008, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Their meeting lasted two hours.

Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley expressed his concern and displeasure with a team that netted a 22-60 record. First-time head coach Marc Iavaroni countered with his philosophy and a plan for improvement.

The discussion was frank and sometimes uncomfortable but, in the end, both parties agreed that it was productive.
Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni survived an end-of-season review by owner Michael Heisley, and the head coach will return for his sophomore season with expectations to turn around a disappointing 22-win debut campaign.

Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni survived an end-of-season review by owner Michael Heisley, and the head coach will return for his sophomore season with expectations to turn around a disappointing 22-win debut campaign.

Iavaroni will return for the 2008-09 season, and Heisley's decision Thursday to retain his rookie head coach finally ended speculation about the bench boss two weeks after the regular season ended.

"It was an excellent meeting," Iavaroni said Friday. "He aired his concerns and I talked to him about where we can improve. We had a lot of consensus. This big holding of one's breath is a result of the NBA with the (coaching) situations that have opened up every day. This became an issue going into the end of the season because of the media reports that (Heisley) was forced to respond to. For whatever reason it didn't happen sooner but I'm happy it happened."

Iavaroni suggested that it was good to have his performance review sooner rather than later so that the players would have an understanding of the team's direction.

Also, the coaching staff and management can focus on draft plans in unison with this mild controversy behind the organization.

"I'm very glad because of the public perception," Iavaroni said. "I think inside we all knew that this was going to be the case. ... It helps that the public knows what's going on and we can officially move forward."

Heisley said he didn't evaluate Iavaroni based on last season. The Chicago billionaire insisted that what weighed heavily was whether he was convinced that Iavaroni would be part of the solution moving forward.

"None of the basketball operations staff was very satisfied with our performance," Heisley said. "There are several areas that needed to be addressed. ... It was his first year. He made some mistakes. Probably one of the biggest was not focusing on the defensive side of the equation. We had a lot of discussions along those lines. It was very productive and I decided Marc deserved an opportunity to rectify some of the things that didn't go right. ... I was satisfied with the meeting."

Speculation about Iavaroni's job status began in February with national news reports that insisted Heisley was on the verge of making a change. There was conjecture as late as the final week of the regular season that Iavaroni would be dismissed in favor of a veteran coach.

Heisley, though, clearly hadn't decided Iavaroni's fate before their meeting -- one that delved into offensive and defensive changes.

There was a strong emphasis placed on defense. The Griz were among the worst in the league at guarding people, and Iavaroni's defensive philosophy was an issue. On offense, the challenge will be for Iavaroni to play with more structure as opposed to the free-flowing style he brought from Phoenix.

"It was basically what all organizations do, they review all aspects of the operation and we came to the conclusion that Marc should come back again to get a chance to build on what he started," general manager Chris Wallace said. "The team is going to be much improved next year if for no other reason than the continuity we have, not only among our players but also the coaching staff as well."

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news...varoni-coming/

msladee · 05-06-2008, 10:08 PM

they really need to hire me

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