"It’s incredibly disappointing" - Heat coach Erik Spoelstra shares honest feelings on shocking Taylor Jenkins firing by Grizzlies

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra shared his opinion on Taylor Jenkins' surprising firing from the Memphis Grizzlies. The 40-year-old coach took the team to the fifth spot in the Western Conference standings (44-29), but his tenure with the squad came to a surprising end on Friday.

Ahead of the Heat's duel against the Philadelphia 76ers, Spoelstra told reporters how he felt about the decision. He expressed his surprise, given Jenkins' record and the prior good results he had with the Grizzlies.

"It's incredibly disappointing," Spoelstra said. "This profession is tough and you want to be in it together, through the good and the bad, and not looking for the easy escape route to point blame. His record speaks for itself. He built a great culture there... They won at a high level and they're fourth in the West and the West is so competitive. I don't get it. I feel for Taylor."

Taylor Jekins left the Grizzlies with a 250-214 record, becoming the winningest coach in franchise history. His numbers against winning teams weren't the best, though, as he was 33-9 against squads at or below .500. As for winning teams, they boasted an 11-20 record against Memphis.

Tuomas Iisalo has taken over as interim head coach as the organisation starts the search for a new leader of their project.

Taylor Jenkins reportedly had major issues with Grizzlies GM

While many thought Taylor Jenkins' job was on the line this season, not a lot of people imagined he would lose his seat even before the playoffs started. Right after fans learned about this news, speculation arrived.

Damichael Cole of the Commercial Appeal shared details of this situation on Saturday and revealed that Jenkins and the Grizzlies' general manager Zach Kleiman couldn't see eye to eye.

“Zach blamed Taylor. Taylor blamed Zach. No one takes accountability for absolutely anything,” Cole wrote, per Evan Sidery on X.

Ja Morant reportedly didn't like Jenkins' offensive scheme since it took the ball out of his hands and removed the screens that benefitted his playstyle. Kleiman was asked if that had something to do with his decision, but he took full responsibility for it.

The Grizzlies started the post-Taylor Jenkins era with a 134-127 loss to the LA Lakers at FedEx Forum.