Milwaukee Bucks: 10 potential head coaching candidates

David Fizdale

Perhaps the hottest coaching commodity on the open market at the moment, David Fizdale’s name has rarely been out of the rumor mill since he was surprisingly fired by the Memphis Grizzlies earlier in the season.

After a solid first season with the Grizzlies where he initiated an overhaul in identity while also guiding Memphis to the playoffs, Fizdale was relieved of his duties after just 19 games of the current season after a highly publicized fourth quarter benching of Marc Gasol.

That falling out came as a surprise as Fizdale has always held a reputation as being well regarded around the NBA, notably as a favorite of LeBron James who worked alongside Fizdale with the Miami Heat.

In his only full season in Memphis, Fizdale led the Grizzlies to the NBA’s seventh best defensive rating. As a leading assistant for Erik Spoelstra’s often stellar Heat defenses, it’s fair to say that Fizdale has the pedigree required to pique the interest of a franchise that has had to deal with deep rooted defensive issues.

At only 43-years-old, Fizdale is still young enough to continue growing and improving as a coach, while already boasting 14 years of experience in the NBA, and a reputation that wouldn’t seem detrimental to luring free agents not named Marc Gasol.