David Fizdale made two promises on May 29, 2016, the day it wasannounced he would be the nexthead coach of the Grizzlies, a culmination of a lifelong dream for the then 42-year-old.First, Fizdalepromised Grizzlies owner Robert Pera that the teamwould continue the "Grit and Grind" tradition that Memphishadbecome known for.Second, he promised himself that, when nece sary,he would be outspoken for causes of injustice."I knew as an a sistant coach it wasn't my place to overstep the head coach," Fizdale said. "I always wanted to make sure I respected my role. But as a head coach in this league at this time, I have a different responsibility, and I take it seriously."MORE: Fizdale came into the league in 2003 after spending five seasons in the college ranks as an a sistant. Before that, he was in the Heat video department in 1997, where he met Erik Spoelstra."Fiz is Phil Hoskins Jersey a special guy," Spoelstra, now in his 10thseason as Heat head coach, said. "He came up the old school way. Learned from some greats and made progre s everywhere he's been."Fizdale won three rings as an a sistant in Miami.From his first season on the Heat sidelines in 2008-09, Miami won more playoff games (70) and playoff series (15) than any team in the NBA and compiled the leagues second-best regular season (.623) and fourth-best postseason (.619) winning percentages."He knows how to work with players and make them better," former Heat and current Cavs guard Dwyane Wade said. "That's why Memphis will always be in the mix as long as he's there." Greg Olsen Jersey Fizdalehas kept the first promise so far. Inthe loaded Western Conference last season, the Grizzliesmanagedto earn a playoff spot by grabbing the No. 7 seed. This season, they're off to an even better start, standing at5-3, good forfifth in the West. The team is using ball movement and pace led by point guard Mike Conley. Players like Chandler Parsons, Mario Chalmersand Ivan Rabb are also contributing.On offense, the Grizzlies are following the league trend andgoing with more pace and space. They're never going to be the Warriors or Rockets the Grizzlies areinpace, per NBA.com but they've seen a jump from last season in their total number of po se sions.They're shooting more 3-pointers (29.8 3-point attempts per game this season vs. 26.5 last season). Memphis is only hitting from deep at a33 percent clip, butthe extra space leads to pa sing and driving lanes ( vs. ).The Grizzlies stillplay an aggre sive style of defense that keeps teamsfrom reaching the rim. Memphis has the fourth-best defensive rating in the NBA (98.2), only trailingthe Celtics, Thunder and Jazz in defensive rating.MORE: When it comes to the second promise, Fizdale is just as aggre sive as the Grizzlies' "Grindhouse" defense."Living in the city Carolina Panthers Accessories of Memphis, a city that played a huge role in the movement, it's my obligation to speak out when things aren't right," Fizdale said. "It's my duty to use this platform to speak out. But it isn't just about me. I want my players and not just the black players speaking up about what's going on."Fizdale didn't stop there."You have the president tweeting all this crazy stuff every day," Fizdale said. "Then you have the vice president spending taxpayer dollars to protest against the anthem protests. That was nothing but a distraction. They haven't said one word about police brutality or the i sues we're talking about. Because they're trying to distract you. They're trying to distract with staged protests."We as citizens are trying to clean water to Flint. We are trying to help out our brothers in sisters in Puerto Rico who are still struggling. We are trying to fix this education system. So while they're doing that,I'll be here rallying the ones who want to make this world better."His callouts aren't just for social justice. Fizdale is still very focused on his first promise, evidentafterWednesday's lo s to the Magic.Chalmers mi sed an easy layup on a breakaway because he was trying to draw a Jaycee Horn Jersey foul. Fizdalegot into a confrontation with his point guardon the sidelines Brandon Zylstra Jersey , and hedidn't shy away from addre sing it publicly."Well, Mario made a ridiculous play. I dont really need to go too deep into that,"Fizdale said on Fox Sports South. "He heard it from me, and he understands that. In the heat of the moment, he couldnt own it. And thats exactly what I meant. Twenty-five thousand people were in here and saw that was the most ridiculous play of the whole game, but because his brain was gone, he couldnt own that it was a bonehead play.""In the heat of the moment he couldn't own it."Coach Fizz on Mario Chalmers and the teams communication problems in the 4th. FOX Sports Grizzlies (@GrizzliesOnFSSE) Chalmers took to Twitter after the game to agree with Fizdaleand apologize, saying (probably a wise move). Fizdalewasn't going to back down, and he wasn't going to bite his tongue.That is what he promised when he started in Memphis,and so far, he's living up to his words.