Lionel Hollins has been more successful than any Grizzlies coach and will be a free agent after June 30.
He has the Grizzlies in the Western Conference
finals for the first time and has won more games with this team than any
other coach.
He probably wouldn’t have a problem getting
another job, but is very happy with the one he has. And he’s not
worrying about what the future holds.
‘’I have a job,’’ Hollins said. ‘’I’m happy with
where we are and excited about what we’re doing. That’s my only concern.
Everything else is irrelevant.’’
New owners took over in November and decided to
wait until after the season to see what they had before extending
contracts. That has made Hollins a popular potential candidate for other
openings.
Memphis needs Hollins’ full postseason attention
right now with the Grizzlies down 0-2 heading into today’s Game 3
against San Antonio.
They rallied from an 0-2 deficit against the
Clippers in the first round, becoming only the 10th team to win four
straight and the first to win all four by double digits.
The challenge now is tougher because no NBA team has won two series in the same postseason after trailing 0-2.
Centre Marc Gasol said Thursday that Hollins’
focus on the task at hand definitely helps the Grizzlies concentrate
only on the Spurs right now.
‘’We know that there’s nothing we can do about it
right now,’’ Gasol said of Hollins’ future in Memphis. ‘’Eventually,
that’s going to come, and hopefully, it’s going to be solved quickly
after we do what we’re supposed to do.’’
Dealing with adversity is nothing new for Hollins.
The sixth selection overall in 1975 by Portland remembers having to
wait to make sure his check had cleared in a career that included 673
games five teams.
He also has a championship starting for the Trail
Blazers in 1977 when they won the NBA title despite starting the finals
with an 0-2 deficit themselves.
Hollins started coaching at his alma mater Arizona State before returning to the NBA where he worked at Phoenix.
He was an assistant on the original Grizzlies’
coaching staff as an expansion franchise in Vancouver in 1995 and even
served as interim head coach twice. (AFP)
