Sports shorts Grizzlies fire David Fizdale

The Memphis Grizzlies fired coach David Fizdale on Monday, with the team at 7-12 and a day after he benched center Marc Gasol for the fourth quarter of an eighth straight loss.

General manager Chris Wallace announced the move. Associate head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been named interim head coach.

“After a thorough evaluation, I decided a change in course was necessary to move forward and provide the team and organization its best chance at success this season and beyond,” Wallace said in a statement.

Gasol, given a maximum deal by the Grizzlies in July 2015, sat throughout the fourth quarter of a 98-88 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. Gasol leads the Grizzlies in points, rebounds and assists, and he was an AllStar in Fizdale’s inaugural season. But the center spent plenty of time after the game making it clear to reporters how upset he was at sitting out a full quarter.

“It’s a first for me, trust me, and I don’t like it one bit,” Gasol said. “I’m more (ticked) than I can show and frustrated.”

Fizdale explained his decision before Gasol spoke in the locker room and said he simply was trying to win a game while sticking with his reserves. Fizdale said taking a risk as head coach means sometimes upsetting a player or two.

“If I’m not on the floor, I’m not valued,” Gasol said. “I’m sure (the coaching staff) knew that would hurt me the most.”

The move caught the NBA by surprise. Dwyane Wade, who played with the Miami Heat when Fizdale was an assistant coach, wrote on Twitter that he needed answers . LeBron James retweeted a comment on Twitter calling the firing so stunning that the writer triple-checked the original ESPN report to make sure he wasn’t being duped by a fake account.

“I need some answers. Feels like my man was a fall guy,” James wrote.

Portland coach Terry Stotts called Fizdale’s firing very disappointing.

“Losing in this league and not meeting expectations in this league takes its toll on everybody,” Stotts said before a game in New York. “Owners, general managers, coaches, players, and handling that is a strain on relationships, and it’s disappointing. It’s probably the most difficult part of being in the NBA, is managing that part of the season.”

Fizdale became the franchise’s 13th head coach on May 29, 2016, and he went 50-51. The Grizzlies reached the postseason for a seventh straight time in Fizdale’s first season, when they lost to the San Antonio Spurs. Fizdale was fined $30,000 by the NBA for a rant over officiating after a loss in Game 2.

Memphis let Zach Randolph, Vince Carter and Tony Allen all leave as free agents and signed Ben McLemore, Tyreke Evans and Mario Chalmers to retool the roster around Gasol and point guard Mike Conley and give Fizdale a faster lineup.

NHL

AVALANCHE STAR SUSPENDED » Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog was suspended four games without pay by the NHL on Monday for his crosscheck on Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk.

Landeskog was assessed a minor penalty in the first period on Saturday when he hit Tkachuk in the ribs with his stick, pushing the Flames forward into back of the Colorado net. Landeskog then delivered another blow to the head and neck area of Tkachuk.

The 25-year-old Landeskog will forfeit $119,815 under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. Landeskog has nine goals and eight assists this season.