Ja Morant was suspended this week again.
No guns or Instagram lives this which is a huge relief to all the Ja and Memphis fans out there.
This suspension for taking shot’s at the coaching staff after the Memphis Grizzlies’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. In his postgame interview, he said:
“Go ask the coaching staff.”
When pressed further, he added:
“According to them, probably don’t play me, honestly. That’s what basically the message was after. It’s cool.”
Ja has had his issues in the past and has made very public mistakes for which he was rightfully punished. But does that mean we have to assume every problem in the Memphis Grizzlies organisation is Ja’s fault or that he is the central figure in every conflict?
It is easy to point at Ja as the problem and suspend him for “conduct detrimental to the team.” But doesn’t the same organisation have the same burden to contribute action which are favourable to the team too? Or does this lie solely on Ja Morant?
Who in the organisation faced consequences for firing Memphis’ all-time winningest coach, Taylor Jenkins, only nine games before the playoffs? That decision cannot reasonably be seen as “conduct advantageous to the team”.
Reports indicate that concerns about direction and urgency were factors, and that the team’s front office believed Jenkins was not the person to take the team to the next level and compete for a championship.
True or not, firing a coach so close to the playoffs is unlikely to improve the team’s chances of winning.
Even if this was the plan, who did they replace him with? Tuomas Iisalo, who has EuroCup experience but no prior NBA head coaching experience.
It is rare for a first-time head coach to win a championship at their first gig. The few who have done it, such as Steve Kerr, Ty Lue, and Nick Nurse, all had their superstar players fully bought into their system and vision.
The Grizzlies are nowhere near winning an NBA championship, even in the most ideal scenario. The Western Conference is extremely competitive; with alot of young talent at the Thunder, Rockets and even the Spurs rising.
If Ja and Tuomas want to succeed in Memphis, they need to find common ground and very quickly. Otherwise, at least one of them may soon be walking out the door.