Dave Joerger: From C.R. to (?) NBA head coach

Nine years ago, Dave Joerger spent his summer coaching the Cedar Rapids River Raiders of the United States Basketball League. The USBL was born in 1985. It died in 2007. Its lone year in Cedar Rapids was 2004.

Joerger was already an established coach in minor-league pro ball. He won five minor-league championships, one in the International Basketball League, three in the Continental Basketball Association, and one in the NBA D-League.

He became an assistant coach with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies in 2007, and was made the lead assistant to Lionel Hollins in 2011. But the Hollins-Grizzlies marriage appears about to come to an end even though Hollins coached the Grizzlies to the Western Conference finals. Memphis' management told Hollins he is free to seek employment elsewhere. And Joerger would be his likely replacement.

I was in Memphis late last December, and talked to Joerger after watching the Grizzlies beat Denver. He reflected back on that short season in Cedar Rapids. Former Iowa guard Dean Oliver was one of his players there.

Joerger said he took that USBL gig because its 30-game season on top of the 48-game CBA season he had just finished with the Dakota Wizards gave him a feel for what coaching an 82-game NBA season would be like. He knew long ago that he wanted to be an NBA head coach.

It was fun covering him for the short period of time Joerger -- now 39 -- was in Cedar Rapids. He was a fireball on the bench, but with a sense of humor. His running stream of commentary during games was a hoot, but it was clear from the get-go that he knew his hoops and related well to the pro player. Now, it appears it's time for his close-up.