LeBron: Maybe Fizdale was fired because he didn't 'kiss nobody's ass'

LeBron James may have found the answer for which he was looking.

Like many others, James was flabbergasted by the news of the Memphis Grizzlies firing head coach David Fizdale. He demanded some answers, wondering on Twitter if Fizdale was "a fall guy" for a team that had just dropped its eighth straight contest.

James later elaborated on that while defending Fizdale, who was an assistant coach with the Heat when the four-time MVP led Miami to back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.

"Probably everybody in the basketball world (was surprised) besides who pulled the trigger," he told reporters following Monday's win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

"I cannot (process it). ... I don't know the details of it because I'm not around, but I know the type of coach Fiz is, I know how players relate to him, and I know what he stands for.

"And he don't stand for no (pause) maybe that's what it was. Maybe that's what it was, because he ain't gon' kiss nobody's ass. I know that. Maybe that's what it was."

The Grizzlies canned their head coach less than a day after franchise player Marc Gasol complained to reporters about getting benched in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Brooklyn Nets. They appointed J.B. Bickerstaff as the interim head coach.

Related: Fizdale takes high road after firing, hopes Grizzlies win title someday

General manager Chris Wallace admitted Tuesday "there was tension" between the bench boss and the three-time All-Star, which factored into the decision but wasn't the main reason.