David Fizdale Fired: LeBron and Wade Reacted

Both stars said that Fizdale was treated unfairly. Are they right?

David Fizdale got fired after a 7-12 start in the current season.

In most cases, every time a team stumbles down the standings, the blame always goes to the coach. 

Why? Sure, the players are the one playing the game but their plays are determined by the strategy that was planned beforehand by their coach. So whether we like it or not, being a head coach is not easy. Especially in the NBA.

After starting the 2017-2018 season with a 5-1 record, the Memphis Grizzlies have dropped 8 consecutive games after losing to the Brooklyn Nets. But what caught most people's attention was not the loss. It was David Fizdale's decision to bench Marc Gasol in the fourth quarter when the Grizzlies were making a comeback. Obviously, that didn't sit well with Gasol and, that decision by Fizdale cost him his job as he just got fired by Memphis front office.

However, some people are not happy with the way the Memphis front office has treated David Fizdale who led the Grizzlies into the first round in last season's playoffs. Among those who expressed their support towards the under-fire coach are two of his former players with the Miami Heat who won two championships with him 2012 and 2013: LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. Both superstars made their support known through social media and they are asking for answers.

LeBron, for one, felt that Fizdale was a "fall guy". In addition to this, both stars felt that the decision to fire Fizdale when the Grizzlies have yet to reach 20 games into the season, is an unfair decision owing to various reasons such as injury to Memphis's former leading scorer, Mike Conley. And if you ask this basketball pundit on wheels, it's ugly for a player to question a coach's decision- no matter how harsh that decision is.

Question: Was the decision to fire David Fizdale unfair?

Let's be realistic, folks. Whatever decision that Memphis front office chooses, they did it for the good of their franchise. So in firing David Fizdale as their head coach, they are signaling that changes are coming to the team and the coaching change is just the beginning. 

But was it unfair?

For Fizdale and his supporters, it's probably is. 

Conclusion

However, let's also keep in mind that basketball is also a business whether we like it or not. And you cannot blame a team owner for firing a coach just because his team is lagging behind the standings. After all, losing is bad for business, right?