The Memphis Grizzlies’ surprising decision to fire head coach David Fizdale left many scratching their heads. But Stephen Jackson thinks he has it figured out.
The NBA journeyman-turned-TV analyst reacted to Fizdale’s firing Monday on Instagram and put one player square in his sights: Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons.
Parsons signed a lucrative four-year, $94 million contract with Memphis in 2016 but so far hasn’t lived up to his paycheck, averaging just 7.0 points per game while battling a slew of injuries.
Jackson wasn’t done with Parsons, though, explaining in a lengthy video rant how the Grizzlies will never win with “guys who don’t even care about the game” instead of tougher former Memphis players like Zach Randolph and Tony Allen.
Parsons, of course, took exception to this blatant call-out. But Jackson was on the full offensive, posting an Instagram exchange between the two that included the line, “I’ve been better than (you) and still is.”
Basically, Jackson thinks Parsons and his Grizzlies teammates are soft and non-competitive and that there was nothing Fizdale could have done to fix that problem. In Jackson’s mind, though, Memphis’ problem extends to the rest of the league.
“Guys don’t love the game enough to fight to win,” Jackson said in another Instagram video diatribe. “During games I was willing to fight to win. That’s how much I cared about winning.”
You can agree with Jackson or not, but Detroit Pistons fans will attest to his willingness to scrap.
