Grizzlies coach calls out Jordan Poole for Ja Morant’s knee injury
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins calls out Jordan Poole on Ja Morant Knee
injury: "I’m going to be very curious to see what happens after that”
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 7: Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant tries
keeping control of the ball as he’s defended by Golden State Warriors’
Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of a
second-round NBA basketball playoff series at Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News
Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 7: Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant tries
keeping control of the ball as he’s defended by Golden State Warriors’
Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of a
second-round NBA basketball playoff series at Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News
Group)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: May 7, 2022 at 8:56 p.m. | UPDATED: May 7, 2022 at 10:09 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/05/07/grizzlies-coach-calls-out-jordan-poole-for-ja-morants-knee-injury/

SAN FRANCISCO — In the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ blowout Game 3
win over Memphis on Saturday night, Ja Morant was limping back to the
visiting locker room.

Turns out, the star guard had injured his knee on a play at half-court
in the fourth quarter where the Warriors double-teamed Morant and Jordan
Poole, appearing to go for the ball, grabbed Morant’s knee. Memphis head
coach Taylor Jenkins seemed to insinuate that the “yank” was intentional
and added that Morant was undergoing evaluations on his knee.

“He was going after a dribble and Jordan Poole grabbed his knee and
yanked it,” Jenkins said. “I’m going to be very curious to see what
happens after that.”

Pressed if Jenkins wanted to say on the record that he hoped the league
would evaluate the play, Jenkins said he would “talk to Zach (Memphis GM
Zachary Kleiman) and take it from there.”

Asked if he thought Poole did it on purpose, Jenkins said, “I don’t know
what goes through a guys’ head. No, I didn’t say that it went on
purpose. I said the play happened…There was a grab. I’m just curious
what happened.”

As Morant departed for the team busses, he fired off a now-deleted tweet
with a video of the play with the caption “broke the code,” referencing
Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s response to Dillon Brooks’ flagrant two foul
in Game 2 that caused Gary Payton II to fall hard and break his left elbow.

[A screenshot of Ja Morant's since-deleted tweet after Saturday night's
Warriors-Grizzlies game.]

Shown the video on a reporter’s phone after the game, Poole said his
move “was a basketball play.”

“We doubled him, I hit the ball and I was going for the ball and
obviously you don’t want to see anybody get hurt,” Poole said. “I’m not
even that type of player. I respect everybody. So obviously, hopefully,
he gets better. … I don’t even play like that, that’s not my type of game.”

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Asked about the play, Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. — a high school
teammate of Poole — said the play was “unfortunate.”

“You never want to see that type of stuff…But no one’s out here dirty.
No one’s out here like that. It’s just unfortunate,” the Grizzlies’
forward said. “You know the code. We’ve been talking about the code all
series.”

Grizzlies’ De’Anthony Melton said he didn’t see the play.

“I didn’t notice it until he started limping,” he said. “But if that’s
how he feels, he understand the game and and what needs to happen out
there. I’m rolling with what he’s doing.”

Warriors teammates defended Poole, saying the play wasn’t malicious.

“I don’t think there’s any malicious intent from Jordan,” Klay Thompson
said. “I don’t even think he’s strong enough to effect someone’s knee.
But we’re not out here trying to hurt people. Or club people in the back
of the head on a fast break.”

Steph Curry compared it to an incident he experienced in a game against
Minnesota in 2019, where Josh Okogie made contact with his left ankle
while he was mid-air for a 3-pointer. In the last two minute report, the
league deemed it “hot stove contact.”

“I remember that term that came up with the hot stove contact, that’s
what it felt like. Keep it moving,” he said after lamenting the
insinuation that Poole’s play was dirty.

“It’s unfortunate that that’s a conversation right now because obviously
nobody wants to see anybody get hurt. But there’s nothing malicious
about what Jordan did. There’s no comparison to what Dillon did or
Draymond, like nothing in that vein. So it’s not a joking matter that Ja
is hurt but all the rest is total B.S. in terms of the conversation
right now.”

This Western Conference semi-final has been tainted by controversy.
Within these three games — in which the Warriors took a 2-1 series lead
after Saturday’s win — there have been two flagrant two fouls, three
ejections, a Brooks suspension, Payton’s broken bone, Draymond Green’s
stitched up eye and a $25,000 fine for flipping the double bird at
Memphis fans and Morant’s injured knee.

If Morant’s knee injury is serious, this series could be far more
tilted. Morant is averaging 38 points in three games this series,
including a 47-point performance in the Grizzlies’ Game 2 win. With
sharp-shooter Desmond Bane clearly impacted by a back injury, shooting
6-for-16 from three so far this series, Memphis may not have enough
offense to keep up.

Morant was walking under his own strength to the Memphis team busses
after the game, but the only update Saturday night from Jenkins was that
Morant was undergoing evaluations. His status is still unknown.

Staff writer Madeline Kenney contributed to this report.

--
Shayna Rubin | Oakland Athletics reporter