Tell us how you really feel, Taylor Jenkins! The Memphis Grizzlies coach is down bad. You can’t blame him for blowing off a little steam.
This once-promising nucleus of seemingly limitless young talent in Memphis is without troubled superstar Ja Morant in the early going. Unlike last season when they thrived sans Ja, the Grizz are 1-8 following Friday’s loss to Utah. In the midst of that latest “L”, Jaren Jackson Jr. got ejected on a pair of ticky-tack technical fouls when he didn’t get a foul call.
So like first of all, let’s get the big f-bomb sound from Jenkins as a nice little appetizer for what he thought of the officiating crew’s work:
My man said, “SADDLE UP!” when he sat down.
Aaaand now for the main course, where Jenkins discusses Jackson’s professionalism, the pathetic excuse refs gave for assessing the two techs on Jackson, the massive disparity in free throw attempts, among other things.
“Two possessions in a row, he gets hacked and zero free throw attempts!” Jenkins said of what his guy Jackson was going through. Jenkins added that his squad is “competing their a**es off.”
I’ve had kind of a soft awareness of Taylor Jenkins and admired the program he was building in Memphis at least for a while. Now respect levels are through the roof. There’s no question Adam Silver is going to tag Jenkins with a hefty fine. So the f*ck what. Money well spent.
Here’s another rather dubious call that Jenkins had to challenge. Somehow Bismack Biyombo is called for a foul despite getting headlocked by Jazz forward John Collins on the way up to the hoop.
I love, too, how Jenkins said in so many words at the podium that he wants to punch the refs in their stupid faces when they look at him dumbstruck, unable to provide a competent or logical explanation for their calls. This entire saga won’t quiet down “NBA IS RIGGED” conspiracy theorists, that’s for sure.
No matter how this turbulent 2023-24 campaign plays out for the Grizz, Jenkins absolutely deserves to keep his job. He’s had to deal with Ja’s nonsense, juggling the cocky egos and edginess of an upstart, swagger-filled team, and put Memphis in position to compete in a loaded Western Conference. My gut says Jenkins will rally the Grizzlies from their rough start. The hope is Ja’s return after a 25-game ban provides a big boost, and that he’s wised up and learned his lessons.
