Conversation so far:
who did Jerry West coach?
West became coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
how was he as a coach?
In three years, he led the Lakers and star center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to a 145-101 record, making the playoffs in all 3 seasons and.
did he have any other statistics?
reaching the Western Conference Finals once in 1977.
did he win any awards?
for turning the team around, West received his first Executive of the Year Award.
when did he start his executive career?
After his coaching stint, he worked as a scout for three years before becoming general manager of the Lakers prior to the 1982-83 season.
how did he do as general manager?
for turning the team around, West received his first Executive of the Year Award.
Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?
In 2002, West became general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies.
He explained his decision.

Question: what was his decision?
Self-contained rewrite: why did Jerry West decide to become general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies?