Lionel Hollins

Grizzlies opened the 2009-10 season by hosting the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.

Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins is not mincing words after the team's opening-night loss to the Pistons.  Stressing defense and intensity over offense, Hollins called out Marc Gasol, who put up decent numbers, saying, "Well, he didn't block any shots.  He didn't guard anybody."  The man means business.  In his mind, basketball is a team game.  He is talking the talk and he expects his players to walk the walk.  A few individuals played well tonight, but until they come together as a unit, their coach will not be impressed.

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n't any lingering effects of this injury as the season progresses.

As far as the team goes, coach Lionel Hollins is returning to teaching the basics.  That's kind of scary because it pai

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The long losing streak is over, and it appears the Grizzlies are taking a turn for the better under Lionel Hollins.  The Grizzlies won their second straight game on Wednesday, surviving a late rally by Houston to hold on for a 104-93 win.  O.J. Mayo scored 32 against the Rockets, two nights after putting up 33 in a win at Washington.  The two wins are the first consecutive victories for the Grizzlies in nearly two months and the first consecutive double-digit triumphs in two years.

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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.

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Lionel Hollins will sign a contract this weekend to become the full-time coach of the Memphis Grizzlies.  No doubt barraged by questions about this hasty and, well, questionable, decision, owner Michael Heisley said this one is all on him.  Heisley said this is the first coach he has ever selected himself, and he will take responsibility for the outcome of his decision.  On one hand, that seems awfully big of him.  At closer inspection, however, you have to ask : How much risk is Heisley himself actually taking?  His job can't be on the line if this pick doesn't pan out.  He's the owner.  Still, it brings up the possibility that he is tired of relying on his general manager to make such a critical decision for the franchise.  This may bring him one step closer to replacing Chris Wallace.  It's a mess.  There is no other way to describe it.  The Grizzlies franchise is in a state of chaos.  Any dreams of a three-year plan are now officially shot, not that such a plan ever really got off the ground to begin with.  We can only hope that somehow Hollins has improved as a coach since he was last here, or else Heisley is just wasting more time and money.

Continue reading "Grizzlies tab Hollins, fade against Knicks"

I have just read that Lionel Hollins is bringing Maurice Cheeks with him as an assistant coach, so Hollins may not end up being the full-time guy after all.  Cheeks was one of the first names to come up in rumors yesterday as a possible replacement for Marc Iavaroni.  Hollins hasn't signed a contract as of yet, so he isn't officially the new head coach.  All I am asking is that Michael Heisley and his front office staff put some consideration into this move.  The Grizzlies are struggling to get fans to come to their games, and they need to make a positive move now to show that they are committed to winning.  I guess I will get off Chris Wallace's back for now, but I still don't trust him not to screw this up somehow.

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ob, here's a cookie.  Unfortunately, they couldn't wait to screw it up.  They had to name Lionel Hollins as the permanent replacement to Iavaroni less than 12 hours later.  That was after announcing that there would be a league-wide search.  Hollins has been the interim coach before, and we all know how well that went.  This will be his third stint with the Grizzlies.  Apparently I forgot about one of them last night.  He is 18-46 in that time.

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delphia 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks and current Milwaukee Bucks assistant and former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins.  Now, I'm not a genius, but Hollins didn't work out the first two times

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