ESPN NBA

The worst record in the NBA, combined with listless play and a growing chorus of players calling for change led the Memphis Grizzlies to fire head coach Mike Fratello on Thursday.

Fratello was the first coaching casualty of the NBA season.

His boss, Grizzlies president Jerry West, was in a sober mood when reached by phone on Thursday afternoon.

"It's a sorrowful day," West told ESPN.com. "Mike was a friend. You can't really blame him. He wasn't dealt a good hand. But at the end of the day our team hadn't played well. We had no emotion. We were no longer competitive. The frustration in the locker room was too much to ignore."

West added in separate interview on Thursday's Daily Dish podcast that, "our efforts have been embarrassing."

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