Coaches push back after LeBron James suggests NBA better if Grizzlies left Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A pair of NBA head coaches defended Memphis and its culture Friday following criticism by Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James that the Grizzlies should just relocate to Nashville. Current Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo and Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic, an assistant in Memphis before taking over as head coach of Toronto, said their experiences did not match the comments by James in a "Bob Does Sports” YouTube video earlier this week.
James criticized Memphis and indicated the NBA would be better off if the Grizzlies moved 200 miles east to Nashville where Tennessee's capital city has Vanderbilt University, NASCAR and even the NHL's Predators. He even said he might have opted to say he wouldn't play in Memphis if the Grizzlies had the first pick in the 2003 draft. “I can say from my own perspective that I have the complete opposite — 180-degree perspective on that,” Iisalo said.
“The Memphis where we have arrived less than two years ago has been very warm. Very welcoming. ” Rajakovic added: “I don't care what the rest of the world thinks.
I love the people of Memphis. I love the food. I love every single time I come over here.
” James' criticism included NBA players having nothing to do when teams arrive in Memphis for games. “In Memphis on a (expletive) random (expletive) Thursday," James said. "I’m not even the first guy to talk about it in the NBA, like, ‘You guys have to move.