Lakers Rumors: Three candidates that could replace Luke Walton

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David Fizdale

Yes, the guy recently fired by the Memphis Grizzlies. It’s been a fallout of fallouts in Memphis, but Fizdale was removed from his post after the benching of Marc Gasol for the entirety of the fourth quarter during a game against the Nets.

Gasol was displeased with the decision, obviously, and the organization decided to take the side of one of their best players — particularly from his play this season — and moved on to J.B. Bickerstaff.

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According to a report from Sports Illustrated, Fizdale didn’t back down or apologize for the decision to bench Gasol. In his defense, he cited his desire for winning as to why he did what he did in that particular game.

Let’s cut to the chase — here’s why he’s good for the Lakers, even though he led the Grizzlies on their longest losing streak in nearly a decade.

In all fairness, there is a time and place for everything. While Fizdale benched a star for the sake of winning, Brooklyn had that game in their hands by the end of the third quarter after jumping out to a 14-point lead.

I’m going to explain why this is actually the reason that Los Angeles should consider him if push comes to shove with Walton. The fact that Fizdale has the gall to bench a star like Gasol for what he thought was the best move for the team shows that he would’ve not benched Clarkson in the same situation against the Clippers that Walton did.

Instead, it seems that Fizdale would also know how to best handle LaVar Ball and put Lonzo in his place until he earns the right to start at point guard. Because, honestly, the Lakers need to address Ball’s shooting woes if they expect this young core to go anywhere.

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