The Grizzlies introduced once-and-current head coach Lionel Hollins at a press conference this afternoon, allowing him to get in a full day of practice with the team before Tuesday's game against Denver. It is still unclear at this time who will serve as Hollins' assistant coaches.
The Grizzlies (11-32) fell to the Nets 99-88 on Saturday despite hanging around for three quarters and winning the third. As in most of their recent losses they collapsed in the fourth quarter, losing the period 27-18. They opened the game by shooting well, especially from the perimeter. O.J. Mayo broke out of his recent shooting slump to lead the Grizzlies with 23 points. Mayo is having a rough January, suffering through the same shooting woes that haunted Rudy Gay earlier this season. It was good to see him match Vince Carter point-for-point. Statistically, the Grizzlies didn't play all that poorly. Probably the telling stat was the fact that New Jersey only turned the ball over six times, while the Grizzlies coughed it up 11 times. New Jersey scored 11 points off the Grizzlies' turnovers while the Grizzlies scored seven points off the Nets' miscues.
The Grizzlies played with a lot more energy under Johnny Davis, who has now completed his two-game interim assignment. The word is that Hollins will install a higher-paced offensive style, which should complement the team nicely. Early returns from the players suggest they are looking forward to getting out and running more than they have been able to do thus far this season. It is definitely something that needs to happen because they have not had success in the halfcourt offense this year. They will need to average at least 100 points a night to win some games. That total has been hard to come by up to this point.
Keywords: Lionel Hollins, Memphis Grizzlies, New Jersey Nets, O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay
