Sports / Basketball |
Grizzlies fire coach Fratello(Xinhua)Updated: 2006-12-29 14:11
The struggling Memphis Grizzlies fired head coach Mike Fratello on Thursday. The club did not immediately announce a replacement for Fratello, the most successful career coach in the franchise's history, but did schedule a press conference for Friday in Memphis. "We felt it was time to make a change and move in a different direction based on our record and future goals," Grizzlies president of basketball operations Jerry West said in a statement. Fratello had a 95-83 record and led Memphis to consecutive playoff appearances in his first two seasons with the team, but the Grizzlies slipped to an NBA-worse 6-24 after a 112-96 loss at home to Milwaukee on Thursday. "Unfortunately, this season has been one of disarray starting this past summer," Fratello said in a statement. The Grizzlies lost All-Star center Pau Gasol with a broken foot in this summer's world championships and missed the first 22 games of the season. A former NBA broadcaster, Fratello is 19th on the all-time wins list among NBA coaches. He coached the Atlanta Hawks for eight years and the Cleveland Cavaliers for six seasons before launching his TV career, which he gave up to coach the Grizzlies.
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