Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff discusses his team's need for rebounding before a game against the Mavericks on November 19, 2018.
David Cobb, The Commercial Appeal
Like many of his players who weighed in on what they are thankful for this Thanksgiving week, Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff noted that, first off, he is thankful for his family.
"My wife, my three kids, they're the most important thing to me," Bickerstaff said.
And when it comes to basketball, Bickerstaff is just grateful for a chance.
"It's been an interesting 15 years with some of the positions I've been put in," Bickerstaff said. "But I'm thankful the Grizz gave me an opportunity to coach this team, and I'm thankful for the guys I get to come to work with every single day."
The Grizzlies have plenty to be thankful for amid a hot start that catapulted them to the top of the Western Conference standings this week.
On the list is a 39-year-old coach who is successfully recapturing the essence of a franchise during his first non-interim head coaching opportunity.
"When he made the emphasis on the grit and grind style, he pointed me and Marc (Gasol) out and said, 'You guys lived it. You guys know what it's like,' " point guard Mike Conley said. "He basically used us as examples and had us be the guys, the leaders of this ship. He's done a great job of working with us and building off of what we've done here.
"He's done a great job."
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Bickerstaff thought he put his career on the line while leading the Conley-less Grizzlies as the interim coach after David Fizdale's firing last season.
"Because of the situation, not a lot of places are going to give you a chance with all those losses," Bickerstaff said. "For them to reward me with this opportunity says a lot about them and how they appreciate the job we did even in very tough circumstances."
It's something to be thankful for.
"You get to put a plan in place," Bickerstaff said. "And it's not a what-are-we-going-to-do-today plan. It's a two- to three-year plan. And you can live with making decisions on the big picture instead of having to make the decisions on tonight's game, tomorrow's practice. You can stick to your guns a little bit and your principles because you know that you're trying to build something bigger."
Here's what some of the rest of the Grizzlies are thankful for:
Conley: "I'm definitely thankful for my family, my health, my children."
What about your golf game?
"It's not good," Conley said. "I don't know how thankful I am for that right now."
Wayne Selden: "Family, for sure. My mom, my little brother, my grandparents. I'm thankful for my family."
Omri Casspi: "Health and family."
Garrett Temple: "I'm thankful to get JaMychal (Green) back. And I'm thankful for this grit and grind mentality."
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JaMychal Green: "My family."
Kyle Anderson: "Sweet potatoes, yams and macaroni and cheese."
Marc Gasol: "Health and family, to be honest. Family because that's what makes me happy."
Ivan Rabb: "My family."
Jaren Jackson: "I'm thankful for being able to do this. Being able to do what I love. To do what I like to do for fun for a living."
What about your family?
"Well that's what everybody says," Jackson said. "I feel like that's a given. Also, I'm thankful for the veteran leadership on this team."
Grizzlies TV play-by-play announcer Pete Pranica: "Friends, family, a great organization, great broadcast partners and friends behind the scenes."
Sideline analyst Rob Fischer: "I'm thankful to work with a great TV broadcast crew. If you have to spend Thanksgiving away from your family, it's great to spend it with people that are like your second family."
Reach David Cobb at david.cobb@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @DavidWCobb.
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