The phone call came on a Sunday afternoon in November 2002.
The Memphis Grizzlies were 0-7 when general manager Jerry West reached out to broadcaster Hubie Brown about a potential opening. Brown, who hadn’t been a head coach since 1981, talked briefly with West before the two agreed to reconvene the following day after Brown met with his wife and West gave more details.
A day later, Brown confirmed his interest. Brown was allowed to bring his own coaching staff, and the 0-8 Grizzlies ran double practice sessions on Wednesday and Thursday ahead of a Friday game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Brown’s hiring led to the first 50-win season in Memphis. He was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2004 while West simultaneously earned the Executive of the Year award.
Hiring Brown was a bold move for West, but it’s one that carries significance in his Memphis tenure. West, who died Wednesday, was 86.
“Jerry proved that he was a star player and general manager,” Brown told The Commercial Appeal. “My family and I loved Memphis. It was a special time in our life, and Jerry West gave me that opportunity to be the coach. It was great to see what we accomplished.”
Brown’s coaching career in the NBA dates back to the 1972 season as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks. His life in basketball goes back much further than that. When Brown reflects on West’s legacy as a front office executive in the NBA, only Red Auerbach of the Boston Celtics is in the same category.
West won eight championships in the front office with the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, but he also produced strong results with the Grizzlies and Clippers. Auerbach had seven titles as an executive with the Celtics from 1968-86.
“I have respected many general managers, but Jerry West and Red Auerbach are the two best general managers that I ever watched operate,” Brown said. “Both of them had this incredible ability to judge talent and see where it would fit in with what they have. I think Jerry West proved that when he came to Memphis.”
West’s decision to join Memphis in 2002 took some by surprise, given his massive stature in the NBA and the Grizzlies’ lack of established relevance. However, it inspired West. After winning six championships as an executive with the Lakers, he retired in 2000 and returned for a completely different challenge.
The opportunity in Memphis was one West, known as a fierce competitor, took seriously. Brown recalls how he would meet with coaching staff almost every morning and discuss the roster outlook position by position. West would also attend every home practice.
“I have been a number of places, and I have never seen that happen,” Brown said. “He was truly involved with the franchise 24 hours a day.”
West made gutsy moves, including firing coach Sidney Lowe eight games into the season to hire Brown in 2002. He was also unafraid to make major player acquisitions.
West traded talented rookie top-five pick Drew Gooden to the Orlando Magic in 2003 for a package that included shooting guard Mike Miller. Miller won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award in 2006 and became a key component to three consecutive winning seasons.
Another prominent trade during West’s tenure was in 2006 when the Grizzlies acquired Stromile Swift and the draft rights to Rudy Gay for Shane Battier, who became a major key to Memphis’ success.
West only spent one more season in Memphis before retiring again in 2007, but Gay quickly turned into the “special kind of athlete” for West. Gay averaged 20.1 points per game in his second season in Memphis and had a 17-year NBA career.
“(West) had the courage to move excellent players in a present situation before the player’s talent level dropped off dramatically,” Brown said. “That is a God-given talent. He would always get something great in return, and then that player that left him would slowly dissolve.”
