The Grizzlies handled the Taylor Jenkins firing in silence, but the immediate cacophony it caused was far-reaching. Dismissing a 6th-year coach with just a few weeks to the playoffs for a 5th seed team made no sense to the community. Even after 24 hours, it doesn’t, but the words on the streets are that the dismissal was for Ja Morant. There’s silence over why that would be the case, but Memphis is ready to move on. And if luck favors, the Grizzlies might again get the Warriors in the playoffs, giving them the chance to finally get a foothold in the brewing rivalry.

The two teams have clashed in the playoffs in both seasons, the Warriors were crowned champions. This time around, the Grizzlies will have a chance to tie the series 2-2 for this season on April 1, before things roll to the playoffs. But what’s the reality behind this beef? At this point, it’s a one-sided one, at least for Draymond Green, who made his feelings clear about Ja Morant and his team.

On the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis, the Dubs enforcer dedicated a section of the podcast to shed light on this brewing rivalry. Reminiscing about his first ring, Draymond said, “Anytime you beat a team in the playoffs there’s some beef.” In 2015, the Dubs faced the Grizzlies in the Western Conference Semifinals. The team had the likes of Z-Bo (Zach Randolph), Marc Gasol, Tony Allen, and Mike Conley. “We beat them in the playoffs, and we came back from down two to one to win 4-2 and move on to win a championship. Beef started, but it wasn’t really serious then because there them TA, Z-Bo them all OGs like, so it ain’t going to be no real beef with them.”

Things, however, have changed in recent years. In 2022, the two teams also faced each other in the same round, with Ja Morant’s side falling short once again. “It’s kind of this thing brewing. It’s like man they got us, like it’s a little hatred coming from that fan base,” Green said. The younger Grizzlies’ side, with Ja Morant at its core, started the feeling of animosity towards the Warriors by talking about wanting to beat them in the playoffs. But Draymond and Co. “took care of business.”

Dray further added, “So that’s kind of where it really took off and then the one game they play ‘Whoop That Trick’, we dance into it, they beating our a–, we still dancing and ‘Whoop That Trick’ and so it’s just kind of been things that elevated it more and more as these years have gone on.” But according to Green this still isn’t a real beef until a condition is met. He concluded by stating, “I don’t call it a real beef because at the end of the day in order for it to be a real beef, it’s going to require two teams to win. We beat them in the playoffs, they beat us, so until that happens it’s always gonna be competitive there’s always gonna be a little bad blood.”

Even earlier this season, Draymond got into it with Zach Edey and later during the press conference, called Taylor Jenkins a “softy.” Now that somehow makes Draymond look like a visionary as new details of the Grizzlies’ firing emerge.

More details of Taylor Jenkins’ firing emerge amid Ja Morant accusations

With no real reason out yet, multiple speculations had to fill the space. Some blamed Ja Morant for getting the coach fired, while others thought it was some other action of a controversial kind, due to the secrecy maintained in the case. Now, amid all of this, fresh information on the controversial dismissal has emerged.

Apparently, Ja Morant wasn’t fully fit during their matchup against the Thunder. There’s an NBA source who confirmed to Damichael Cole of Memphis News that the Grizzlies pushed him to play against the team on March 5 when he wasn’t physically ready. He even confessed during that time, “I should’ve been out, but I was out there.” He further went on to add, “I’ve played like this all season honestly, but it is what it is.”

According to a report provided by Joe Vardon, Sam Amick and Fred Katz, Morant was also unhappy with the offensive scheme of the team. “Some days he looks like he’s ready to play, and some days he looks like he doesn’t want to be there… because he hates the offense,” the Athletic report read.

Jenkins reportedly tried to solve the issue by reinstalling some plays Morant liked and that might have been the tipping point for GM Zach Kleiman. Not only is Jenkins gone, but even the offensive schemer, Noah LaRoche, has also been fired along with two other staff members.

The Grizzlies have lost 4 out of their last five and are 8-11 since the All-Star break, with Ja Morant missing 8 of those 19 games, including the last six games. There are some encouraging updates on the Grizzlies guard ahead of the Lakers game tonight. And that could potentially give the interim head coach, Tuomas Iisalo, a bright start ahead of the postseason.