- LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
- Is the clock ticking on Lionel Hollins’ coaching tenure with the Grizzliesl?
Major movement erupted on the Grizzlies’ coaching front Sunday afternoon when multiple outlets reported that the Grizzlies had given head coach Lionel Hollins permission to negotiate with other teams after an apparent bad turn in talks between Hollins and the Grizzlies. (Sorry. I was traveling when all of this came tumbling out. I have no idea who reported it first.)
Most stories cite sources as saying “major philosophical differences” were the reason talks stalled even before the sides could negotiate potential contract terms. It’s hard to be too surprised by this. In citing a series of questions and concerns that might prevent Hollins from returning to the Grizzlies’ sideline next season, I led with “implementing organizational philosophy” when working through The Coaching Question back in April. Revisiting the issue in May, I wrote this:
Given the on-going success of this postseason and the team’s player-contract situation, bringing the current core back next season now looks likely, and bringing Hollins back to coach it preferable. But this core has a two-year expiration date. So, is Hollins the right coach to preside over the transition to a new roster and potentially new style, the territory a new contract would take him into?
When that becomes part of the question, then issues about Hollins’ commitment to and ability to implement a new organizational philosophy, as well as his development of young assets begin to loom larger.
A second issue with a new long-term contract for Hollins — and one I’d prefer not to get too far into right now because if feels unnecessarily trouble-making, but here we are — is the opportunity cost in likely losing lead assistant Dave Joerger to a head-coaching opportunity elsewhere. Joerger has been, in large part — let’s not deny Hollins his due credit here as well — the architect of what may be the league’s best defense and has a compelling head-coaching pedigree at the minor-league level. There are many who believe he could be the next Tom Thibodeau or Erik Spoelstra. While Hollins may be the best coach for the present, does a long-term deal close off the possibility of Joerger in the future?
Though sources close to the talks have apparently stressed that a deal could still be reached, those two issues — Hollins’ potential incompatibility with the organizational philosophy and the long-term considerations that have to come into play when considering a likely four-year commitment — are the ones that now seem to be driving Hollins and the team apart. In both of those earlier posts, I concluded that losing Hollins would be very risky and that I felt the team was likely to try to bring him back. My opinion hasn’t changed on the former, but on the latter the tea leaves were pointing in the other direction last week, which Chris Vernon and I talked about on his show on Thursday.
A few thoughts on where we are now:
