MEMPHIS – The Grizzlies vow to turn the page – and not turn on one another – as
they try to recover from a brutal stretch of 14 losses in their past 20 games.
Memphis players, coaches and executives took significant steps Thursday to move
past an emotionally charged locker room incident that followed Wednesday’s loss
to the Pistons in which veterans Garrett Temple and Omri Casspi had to be
separated amid a heated exchange.
Both players confirmed Thursday that the incident took place and that they were
disciplined by the team. Both players also apologized after Thursday’s practice
for their roles in the incident. Grizzlies’ general manager Chris Wallace
confirmed the disciplinary measures Thursday and said the incident and how
details leaked through social media would be addressed internally.
Beyond that, the franchise is focused on moving forward.
“First, we would like to apologize to the fans on behalf of the team and
organization – it was an emotionally-charged meeting and emotions got the best
of us,” Wallace told Grind City Media. “We all realize the heated incident in
the locker room is not the answer. None of us are happy with losing games. We
are all competitive and passionate, but the way the situation escalated is never
the answer. We addressed this with both players and the entire team, both last
night and again (Thursday). Both players have apologized to each other and,
subsequently, have been addressed for their actions.”
Wallace declined to address specific details of the incident that followed the
frustrating 101-94 setback to the Pistons, which was Memphis’ third straight
loss and eighth in the past 10 games.
The dispute between Temple and Casspi, two widely respected veterans, occurred
during a prolonged version of the team’s normal postgame meeting in the locker
room between players and coaches. J.B. Bickerstaff emerged to speak with the
media nearly 30 minutes later than usual for his press conference and alluded to
conversation “that needed to be had” among the team in the locker room.
“(It was) brothers getting into it,” said Temple, a starting shooting guard who
is also an executive member of the NBA Players Association board. “Whenever
you’re losing games, especially after the start that we had, tempers flare (and)
people are hot. At the end of the day, the old adage is true – winning cures
all. We had a team meeting, some things were said and, you know, some things
happened. But at the end of the day, we’re brothers and we’ve known each other
since we were rookies. We came out of that meeting on the same page and we’re
moving on from it.”
Casspi, who has played in 26 games this season off the bench, agreed that both
players can put Wednesday’s incident behind in the best interest of the team.
The two have a cordial history together and were also teammates when both
previously played for the Sacramento Kings.
“It is what it is, and at this point, we’re not focusing on that,” Casspi said
of any lingering tension. “We haven’t been focused on that, but sometimes things
go the wrong way. We’re focused on winning and trying to win (Friday). So,
that’s basically all we have to say, and everything else needs to stay in the
locker room. What happens in the locker room should stay in the locker room for
us. We feel very confident in moving forward.”
The Grizzlies hope to regroup for Friday’s home game against the Nets before
they travel for six of their next eight on the road. Frustrations had been
simmering in recent weeks, with the loss to Detroit coming on the heels of a
lackluster effort in a Dec. 31 lopsided loss at Houston. Several players said
there were pointed discussions after the game about entering the New Year with a
fresh start.
Two days later, the struggling Pistons arrived in Memphis on a three-game losing
streak to close out a four-game trip. The loss dropped Memphis (18-19) below the
.500 mark for the first time since its season-opening loss at Indiana on Oct.
17. The Grizzlies scored just 12 points in the third quarter and point guard
catalyst Mike Conley was held scoreless on eight or more shots for the first
time in his 12-year career.
Conley played 28 minutes, most of which with a sore left shoulder from a
collision with Pistons center Andre Drummond in the first quarter. Marc Gasol
was a game-worst, minus-20 in plus-minus ratio during his 30 minutes on the
court Wednesday. The team’s offensive struggles have lingered throughout the
season, with the Grizzlies ranked in the bottom third of the league in most
categories.
Since a 12-5 start that allowed them to rise to first place in the Western
Conference standings in November, the Grizzlies have since gone 6-14. Conley
said his shoulder felt better Thursday and he planned to play Friday. And
Bickerstaff is confident Wednesday’s raw emotion can be channeled into a
positive step.
“There’s still confidence in that group that we have in the locker room,”
Bickerstaff said. “There’s no doubt that we’ve done some things this year that
give us reason to believe. We’ve had some success, we’ve had some wins that lead
us to believe we can recapture it, and nothing changes. This is part of the NBA.
All teams go through something like this at some point and time in the year.
It’s a matter of how long we choose to stay in it. That’s where we’ve all got to
reevaluate what it is that we’re doing, how we’re doing it and who we’re doing
it for.”
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis
Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Michael Wallace are solely his own and do
not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations
staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known
to the Memphis Grizzlies and he has no special access to information beyond the
access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the
media.
Player: Omri Casspi
Player: Garrett Temple
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