Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff took more than 30 minutes before addressing the media following Memphis’ loss to the Pistons on Wednesday. The standard wait time for a coach’s post-game press conference is about 10 minutes.
Chris Herrington of the Daily Memphian:
What was happening in the locker room?
“A conversation that needed to be had that will stay between those of us that were in that locker room,” said Bickerstaff when he finally, in a bleary state, took to the dais.
Apparently, it didn’t stay in the locker room.
Shams Charania of The Athletic:
Team meetings happen. They usually don’t include teammates physically fighting each other. When those physical fights happen, they don’t always leak to the media – especially this quickly. Every signal suggests larger-than-typical problems in Memphis.
The Grizzlies have lost three straight and eight of 10. Whether or not Garrett Temple‘s and Omri Casspi‘s altercation was specifically about on-court matters, losing exacerbates all problems.
Now that this is public, it demands a public response from the Grizzlies. They can’t just tolerate co-workers fighting each other. So, expect Memphis to announce suspensions, fines or even just a vague internal punishment. But it has to be something.