Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
(female announcer) This is a production of WKNO - Memphis.
Production funding for "Sports Files" is made possible in part
by...
My guest today on "Sports Files" is the new head coach of the
Memphis Grizzlies, Dave Joerger.
♪♪♪
He's young, he's sharp and he's confident.
Dave Joerger is the new head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies
and he's ready to lead this team into the future.
And while there are many Grizzlies fans who still
question the decision to part ways with former coach Lionel
Hollins, there's no denying the fact that Joerger has paid his
dues and has earned his shot to be a head coach in the NBA.
Today, Dave Joerger up close and personal.
♪♪♪
Congratulations on the new gig and thank you for being with us.
We appreciate it.
What was it like when Jason Levien came up to you and said,
"Dave, you got the job."
Certainly a lot of emotions and relief.
Obviously I'm very excited to be asked to lead this franchise.
And you know I love head coaching.
I do.
And so there's only 30 of these jobs and to be asked to coach an
N-B-A head team is very humbling.
And it feels really good.
It feels really good.
It feels good to be a head coach.
That's the biggest thing.
It doesn't matter where it is but coaching basketball to me,
the biggest part of that and the most fun part of that is being a
head coach.
How long do you think you've been ready now for the N-B-A as
a head coach?
I don't think -- You know I feel like my time in the minor
leagues for seven years has helped a lot.
I don't know that I was really ready at that time.
As a matter of fact, you know, understanding the league is a
very important part of the total development of being ready to
sit in the first chair.
So having these six years -- Could I have used another five
or six?
Yeah.
Could I have maybe been ready?
I don't know.
You know it's hard to say but you just feel like for me
personally that the time in the minor leagues,
being the head coach for 350 games in seven years and all the
ups and downs and the training camps and the post-seasons and
the injuries and the win streaks and the losing streaks.
And those conversations that we enjoyed the most were sitting
down a player and saying," Hey, you know so-and-so called and
you've been called up."
That's the best in the world.
And certainly, you know, guys not getting their dreams
fulfilled or being injured and not getting called up.
So all of those things have led to my experience to be here.
With all that said, why are you so confident in yourself that
you will succeed?
I just feel like we've been successful in the past and it
wasn't obviously a minor league team.
But head coaching is head coaching of pro basketball.
And so that gives me the confidence to know,
you know, I have my voice.
I know what my voice is.
I know how I deal with players.
You know it's been asked, "How are you going to be with players
because you were in an assistant?"
"Now you're going to be the head."
You know I know my style as far as how I deal with every
situation for the most part.
And that's going to be no different with the players.
I think the worst thing that I can do is to try to be somebody
else and say, "Oh, I got to act differently."
"I'm a head coach now."
And you know I don't know that we were ever buddies with
players as an assistant coach.
And I don't know that that'll be what it is as the head coach
either.
But I know that they're going to look at me and say,
"This is Dave -- He's the head coach."
Not, "This is Dave -- He was the assistant coach."
You know what I'm saying?
So..
You went upper deck with that press conference speech if you
will.
What you had to say I think a lot of people -- They latched on
to it.
Did you prepare a lot for that?
Was it off the cuff?
What was that like as you prepared for the first time
meeting the media as the head coach of the Grizzlies?
It was definitely from the heart.
You know and I think you've been around me long enough to know,
you know, I'm very conversational in the way that I
speak and I'm out there.
I think that I look people in the eye and I feel good about
spending time talking to people.
And I think people need to know and feel that when you look in
the camera.
You know like this is me, you know.
And I'm very comfortable.
So it was a little bit prepared but not like overly done.
It was just like I had some thoughts that I wanted to get
through.
And I wanted to share that, you know,
I am confident.
I am very humble about the opporunity.
And I like the group that we're going forward with,
our front office.
And the feeling of going forward together.
And all those things that you were talking about at the press
conference was definitely genuine,
was definitely sincere.
What was your relationship like with your predecessor and what
did you learn from Lionel?
The relationship was great.
We're fine.
Um, you know, he just did a very good job of being direct.
I think you know that would be the one thing,
you know, with nothing festered and I want that to carry on.
And another thing that I learned from him which just solidifies
in my confidence in myself if you be comfortable in your own
skin.
And Lionel was that way.
And I will be that way as well.
When you found out that he was not going to be retained as the
head coach, did you immediately contact Jason Levien and say,
"Listen, I'm interested.' Or did he come to you?
How did that work?
We just talked about it at a point after that time.
Certainly that was a very emotional time,
you know, not knowing, you know, where is Coach Hollins going to
go and that means us or should we look at other places?
Or not knowing and then that thing came up and we have
conversations with Jason.
And so yeah, it was very emotinal.
What do you think will be the toughest part of this job and
the thing that you'll be most comfortable with having the
prior experience?
Uh, the toughest part of the job is going to be probably right
here at this conference table.
I've never had five assistant coaches before.
Mhmm.
In the minor leagues, it was one.
And so but I knew this.
You know this is something that I..
You got in the N-B-A and you're like,
"Okay.
got a couple years in."
And you think, "Okay.
what else can I be doing?"
And so I started studying, like, what would I need to get better
at if I do get to sit in the first chair.
And that's one of the things that I was considering.
So the part that I'm most comfortable with -- the part
that I'm most passionate about.
This is what I love is when you walk in the huddle with two
minutes left to go in the game and you're clear and you're
concise and you're confident.
And you just roll in there and you don't just roll in there.
That's a bad way.
But you know what I'm saying.
You come in there like here's the plan,
here's what we're going to do.
It's your game.
I'm going to give you the opportunity to win this thing.
It's right here.
You can count on me for, you know,
putting you in a position to be successful.
And when you do that, the confidence that your team
gathers not in just you and themselves but in the
opportunity to win.
And when these situations keep coming up because 82 games is a
lot.
They come up.
N-B-A games are close games.
That, to me, that's the most fun.
On the court, you're going to confer with your assistant
coaches.
You're going to map out strategy for a certain play or a certain
thing you want to do in the game.
And you're going to make the decision.
You're going to make the ultimate,
the final decision.
Within the organization, you're going to have a say.
So are a number of other people.
But Jason Levien, the buck will stop with him.
Are you fine with that?
Especially if it's a personnel move that he makes with
consultation but makes the final decision.
Are you good wtih something like that?
Absolutely, I don't think there will ever be any,
"Well Dave said we wanted to do this" or,
"Jason, that wasn't my guy."
That's what I was referring to earlier about the feeling going
forward and doing stuff together.
We're going to get after each other and argue our points and
try to be strong about how we feel about something.
Because if we don't have that and we can't be clear on stuff,
when we walk out of the door, it's going to be arm in arm.
And there's going to be one voice.
And I think the best franchises in the league do it that way.
Mhmm.
And top to bottom and that's how we're going to do it.
Dave, you touched on this a little bit earlier.
But now you're the head guy.
So you have this relationship you've built with a number of
these players and a good relationship in that.
A lot of times the assistant coach is good cop.
The head coach is bad cop.
Do you feel there'll be any issues in the respect that
you've gotten as an assistant now as a head coach from the
same type play.
No, I just think, you know, people always want an answer to
a question like, "Oh, what are you going to do when this
happens?"
And yeah and so what happens is that that's just the tip of the
iceburg.
And what no body sees is all the work that you do in building
that relationship.
And so you can't say, "Oh, well Iw ould just do this."
Because there's not a pat-answer.
The answer is that there's a relationship that's going to be
built on respect, on trusting each other,
on hard work and doing it together.
And so that that is going to eliminate a lot of those things,
scenarios that may come up.
Alright, let's talk about the team.
First of all, what must this team improve upon to become even
better?
I think, you know, we're going to push the basketball up the
floor to start off and it's quicker.
And if, you know, our wings run and they have an opportunity to
catch and score, then awesome.
But you know I don't think we're going to run up the floor and
shoot jump shots in the first five seconds of the clock.
We want to pressure the rim a lot.
That just means we want to keep the floor open and drive it.
And then what we're going to do is here comes our bigs.
And now they're going to be able to work in more space when the
ball is going ***-***-***.
And Zach -- Boom!
When he catches it, he doesn't have to go,
Well okay, this guys right here and then that guys ready to go."
Hopefully we can get this thing where guys are flying out at
guys.
We can drive it.
We can hit it.
We've got him ducking in or we got Marc and obviously we're
going to run plenty of sets through those guys.
And that falls upon the shoulders of Mike Conley's the
facilitator to move it quickly.
A little bit.
I think he unfairly gets a lot of the criticism of us playing a
little slow and going forward.
It's incumbent.
And I've told all the guys that I met with,
it's not just Mike.
It's not just the bigs.
It's not just the coaches.
It's all of us are going to demand it from minute-one.
So between here and minute-one, you better get in shape.
And I think, you know, you're going to see one of the things.
There's a lot of positives that come with it and I'm excited
about that part.
But you may see a couple turnovers because you play a
little faster to start.
But we will then bring those back down and hopefully that
will be our identity to go with our 'Grit and Grind'.
You know that will never go away.
That's who we are.
And you're exactly right, Dave.
We know the D-N-A of this team.
We know the grit and grind.
We know playing physical.
And it landed you in the Western Conference Finals.
But in the Western Conference Finals against San Antonio,
they were able to exploit a team that offensively had some
liabilities.
I don't know what's left.
I don't know what you can get.
I know you can't comment specifically on players.
But we talk about this each and every off season.
You've been here long enough.
How do you get a shooter?
How do you get more ability to shoot from the outside to open
up things and keep the defenses honest?
Yeah, well certainly we want to grow from within and put in a
system of ball movement and people movement.
We need to open the floor up a little bit.
And as far as what goes on outside of what I can control in
there, we do need an N-B-A basketball player.
You know I mean like you or I could go maybe make enough shots
to be considered a shooter.
But we're certainly not good enough.
I don't know that there's a guy out there you can just get and
just say, "Well, we just stand him in the corner."
I don't think.
You still got to get good players and play makers.
And I'm excited about where we're headed.
Do you have a championship caliber team?
I would say if things fall right which is to say every team needs
to say that, that, you know, we're right there in that
conversation -- absolutely.
You mentioned Franklin and what he brings to the table.
He fell in to your laps.
Everything I've heard.
First round grade by many.
You get him in the second round.
How big was that and what was that like for ya,
the first draft as the head coach?
Well it happened very quickly because of the press conference
and dealing with all the media and stuff in the afternoons.
So you know he's guy that there's a lot oh high-fiving
going on.
And obviously we wish him that maybe if he wanted to be drafted
higher.
But for us and our organization to get a player that should have
gone way higher and for one reason or another at no fault of
his or his agent with his ankle, he fell to us and to our
benefit.
What has fan reaction been for you so far from people that have
been able to contact you?
It's been really, really positive.
You know I'm out.
I'm out there.
People on the street -- it's been positive.
And church and, you know, the calls and the texts and the
e-mails.
Things have been very, very positive.
How will you handle criticism if it comes?
Oh, it'll come -- right?
It's not if.
It's when.
It'll happen.
You just deal with it head-on and take that hiding.
I'm going to go out there and do the best job that I can and I'm
going to be me.
And if I do that, then I'll be able to sleep at night.
How was your relationship like with the C-E-O Jason Levien?
It's good, it's good.
I really like the things that he talks about.
I like the way that he wants this culture to be.
And I like thae way that he set up his vision going forward for
not just the next six months, you know,
for going out for four or five years and talking about the
tools that we need as a coaching staff or with our team going
forward.
Do you feel comfortable if you need something,
asking for it?
Yeah, he's made that very, very clear that whatever tool it is
and I don't refer to players or coaches as tools -- okay?
But you now anything that we need down here or technology,
whatever else, okay.
And let's talk about the players and let's talk about the staff
and what do you need to be successful and then let's do it
together.
I asked you about the fans reaction.
What's it been like from the players that you've had a chance
to talk with or maybe even meet with?
You're going to tryto meet face-to-face with as many as I
can, talking and texting to as many people as I can and our
guys have been very, vert positive.
Talking about, you know, the way we went out wasn't fun.
You know losing the way we did to San Antonio.
That part wasn't fun.
The guys feel like, "Okay, what else can we do?"
"What else can we do to improve?"
And one of the thigns is getting the ball up and playing with
more speed in to offense and opening up the offense.
And there's a lot of agreement up and down our roster.
"Yeah, I'm in.' "You can count on me."
"I will run."
You know and so now we've got to hold those guys accountable to
that.
How excited are you?
It's hard to tell, isn't it?
(laughter) You've lost that smile for one moment?
You know I'm pretty much the same guy all the time,
I think, day in and day out.
People that deal with me know that they're going to get the
same guy.
But yeah, it'll come down a little bit.
Alright, that's all the tough questions.
But I got 'Five for the Road' for ya.
I do this with all my folks I interview.
Alright.
Question, quick answer, first thing that comes to mind.
What is your favorite professional sports team in any
sport?
You can't say the Memphis Grizzlies.
That's the obvious.
Obviously Minnesota Vikings.
Been the home state team where there's only one.
The whole state is behind the franchise,
football-wise.
And they're finally gettng a new stadium -- right?
I don't know.
There are rumors that they're going to move so hopefully they
don't.
The dome -- The domes been there a long time.
Domes falling apart!
Your favorite professional athlete of all time?
Oh...
Joe Montana.
Is it Joe Montana?
It's not a Viking?
No, it's Joe Montana.
Just flat-out winner.
You know and it was my age, you know,
you're pretending when you're playing three-on-three in the
backyard that that's your guy.
Just seemed to be pure and played the game the way it was
supposed to be played.
Was football your sport more than basketball?
It seems like with answers so far with football.
We played a lot, you know, a lot of pick-up.
Whether it be basketball or football and all the family
gatherings.
My dads the oldest of 11.
Wow!
So you'd have four teams of basketball.
We know everybody would get out and sling it around.
Favorite music, genre, musician, band?
Who do you listen to?
My wife -- craziest.
The '80s.
It's the '80s?
What band in particular?
Oh, any of them from late '80s.
The metal or the hair bands?
What are we talking here?
Hair bands, the metal.
Yeah, yeah.
Absolutely.
Elton John.
I mean, I love the '80s.
You get the big fake wig on and start rocking at home and all
that?
No?
You don't do that?
Okay.
Favorite movie of all time?
"Braveheart".
"Braveheart?"
Why?
It's just the passion, the why are we fighting for.
Can you take that creed of Mel Gibson as Braveheart and take it
in to your new job?
I don't know.
I just love the passion.
It's a little violent but the passion was good.
Final question for ya.
Favorite television show of all time?
Probably don't get a chance to watch too much.
No, it's got to be "Sportscenter".
"Sportscenter?"
You're only about the 50th guest I've had that answers with
"Sportcenter."
It came when we were coming up.
You know we were sitting there eating our cereal at 7:00 AM and
there's Chris Vernon and duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh.
And that's what we grew up with.
Anytime of day.
It doesn't have to be 7:00 AM.
It is now.
You can find it all the time.
Dave, we congratulate you once again.
Best of luck.
It's going to be a great thing for me working with you
personally as the new head coach of the Grizzlies.
And go get 'em.
Thank you!
Appreciate it.
♪♪♪
Needless to say it has been a whirlwind for Dave Joerger ever
since last week's introductory Press Conference.
There has been a tremendous demand on his time with
countless interviews and of course the draft and now the
free agency period is underway.
There was even a trade that happened the night of the draft
which sent Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur and a second
round pick to Denver for Center Kosta Koufos.
And earlier this week the Ohio State product was introduced to
the Memphis media.
Thanks everyone for being here.
One of our priorities this off-season was adding size and
length and skill to our front court.
And we feel excited that this man to my left,
Kostaa Koufos, has joined our team.
The trade has been completed.
And he's now a member of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Kostas not only a very skilled athlete and skilled player who
started over 80 games for the Nuggets this year.
Was a bit of a thorn in our side if you go back and look at the
games we played against them this season.
But he had a terrific year, showed a lot of growth,
a lot of development in his game.
And he's also a real professional,
hard worker.
He's known for his work ethic and his professionalism and his
approach to the game.
And I think he's going to fit in very well here as a member of
the Memphis Grizzlies.
You know with Memphis this past season making it to Western
Conference Finals, you know, I'm very honored to be a part of
this organization.
I'm here to help them everything they need with another big
coming off playing minutes.
And you know my ultimate goal end everybody else's ultimate
goal is to try to win a ring.
And that's what our mindset is.
And you know I think we have all the pieces to the puzzle to have
a succesful season for that for next year.
As Jason said, Kosta was a bit of a thorn in the side of you
guys this past season.
What does it mean to have somebody as skilled as he is to
go along with Marc and just to have that type of fire power as
your bigs?
Certainly he is very skilled.
But he's also a guy who doesn't need to the basketball.
He can make plays that that's what made me mad about that
game.
He's just activity.
His length, his want-to around the basket getting tip-ins,
creating extra possessions for his team.
He's a good I-Q guy.
And we're going to ask him for more.
And that's what he's saying.
He feels like he's got more in him.
I know that he's got more in him.
I think that his best days are in front of him.
Basketball wise, 22 -- 24, excuse me.
In the prime of his career.
And we're going to put him on the move.
We want our bigs on the move.
I feel like he's a guy that can play with Zach.
He can play with Ed.
And he can play with Marc at times.
And I'm not afraid to try any of those.
And we've talked about our style of play.
And obviously with Denver, they get the ball up and down the
floor.
We're trying to get the ball up and down the floor and be active
in getting in to our pick and rolls and beginning our offense
much quicker.
That's where he comes from and I think it's gonna suit him very
well.
Three.
Two..
One..
(buzzer sounding)
Last month the Germantown Charity Horse Show
celebrated it's 65th anniversary.
The annual equine showcase began in 1948 when the Germantown
Civic Club and Oak Grove Hunt Club combined forces,
hosting the inaugural Show on the Germantown High School
football field.
And it's been going strong ever since.
The five day event raises thousands of dollars for local
charities and the Germantown community,
and features an all-volunteer organization.
And there's something for everyone with hunters and
jumpers and saddlebred and shod walking horses,
plus roadsters and carriage drivers and several new events
this year.
Today we want to give you a taste of what the show is all
about.
♪♪♪
This our 65th year that we've been in the business with a
variety of horses that we've had.
We run the largest running in the Mid-South that has the
riding shows.
And mostly we start at 7:30 in the morning with hunters and
jumpers.
And tonight or Saturday night, today we'll have $25,000 grand
prix which is going to be exciting.
We already have our 21 horses already entered in to the event
class.
And then we go from there with the walking horses,
speed horses and we've got everything.
And we've got carriages.
And this is from the Exchange Club for Abused Children.
That's what our charity organization is.
♪♪♪
And we got 265 stalls here.
We got over 300 stalls in the tents put up.
And we are full.
This is nice out this year.
We got about 25 campers that people come in with their
campers and picnic.
Everybody just comes and have a good time.
It's a five-day show.
The price of the tickets are cheap.
They put children three-dollars and adults five-dollars.
If you bought the ticekts in advance,
you get five tickets for ten-dollars.
So it's really just happening.
It's really a fun, entertaining place to be.
♪♪♪
I've been riding since I was like five years old.
I started like a two-foot in the short-stirrup.
But then I finally got to here and he started as a green pony
which is about two years ago.
♪♪♪
And if you missed it this time around,
there's always next year.
And that will do it for this week's show.
As always, you can watch any of our previous episodes by going
to our website at WKNO-dot-org and clicking on KNO Tonite.
Enjoy what's left of your 4th of July Holiday.
Be safe.
Happy Birthday America, and we'll see you next time.
♪♪♪
Closed Captions priovided by WKNO - Memphis.