Reports: Fizdale-Gasol relationship was irreparably fractured

A late-game benching of Marc Gasol may have been the last straw for Memphis Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale, but reports suggest resentment between the two had been bubbling beneath the surface long before the coach lost his job.

There was "serious tension" between Fizdale and Gasol over the past two seasons, a team source told Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, though he added it "wasn't the only reason" for Fizdale's firing.

The bad blood included multiple confrontations at Grizzlies practices, according to Jonathon Givony of Draft Express.

Even as the Grizzlies have been "trending in the wrong direction," firing Fizdale likely wouldn't have been necessary if not for his irreconcilable differences with Gasol, a source told Matt Moore of CBS Sports

An NBA executive also told Moore that the animus between the two was basically an open secret, and suggested their relationship had at times soured to the point that they weren't even on speaking terms.

"It's not like people in the league didn't know that Marc and Fiz weren't speaking or getting along," the executive said.

It's unclear what, exactly, the points of contention between the men were. It's also unclear how big a part Gasol's public airing of grievances Sunday played in the Grizzlies' decision, but it sounds as though making that decision was always going to be a question of when, and not if.