J.B. Bickerstaff to Grizzlies as Assistant: Latest Contract Details, Reaction

The Memphis Grizzlies reportedly added a piece to new head coach David Fizdale’s staff Thursday.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, “Memphis has reached [an] agreement with J.B. Bickerstaff as associate head coach.”

Wojnarowski noted the Los Angeles Lakers were also among the teams that were interested in Bickerstaff.

Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal noted his paper "confirmed Wednesday that Memphis was interested in Bickerstaff and had offered him $750,000 for the position."

Bickerstaff will join the Grizzlies as an experienced assistant in the NBA. He was an assistant coach from the 2004-05 season to the 2015-16 campaign with the Charlotte Hornets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets before he took over as the interim head coach of the Rockets after they fired Kevin McHale in November.

Bickerstaff finished with a 37-34 record and led the Rockets to the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Houston lost to the Golden State Warriors in five games in the first round even though two-time MVP Stephen Curry appeared in only two games because of ankle and knee injuries.

Wojnarowski reported in a separate piece that Bickerstaff had a meeting with the Rockets front office after the season ended and “informed team officials he’s no longer a candidate for the head coaching job.”

“He'll need a few years for the memories of this horrible Rockets team to escape," Matt Moore of CBS Sports observed. "To blame Bickerstaff for the problems of a team that failed in effort, heart, chemistry and execution is short-sighted.”

Bickerstaff will look to remove himself from the Houston situation by joining a Grizzlies team that fired head coach Dave Joerger after losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the postseason.

Memphis used an NBA-record 28 players this season and lost center Marc Gasol (foot) and point guard Mike Conley (Achilles) before the playoffs, which minimized its chances against the formidable Spurs.

The roster Bickerstaff and Fizdale will work with in Memphis brings some concerns because Conley is a free agent and both Gasol (31 years old) and Zach Randolph (34) are aging contributors who likely don't have many seasons of prime production remaining.