While the Grizzlies are on the verge of a third-straight playoff campaign and huge games loom this weekend, the question of Lionel Hollins’ future can’t be tabled. The resolution — Hollins’ contract is up at the end of the season and ownership has been clear that it will negotiate after the season, and not in public — is being tabled. But there’s no corralling discussion.
I’ve been holding back on this issue for a while, but with next week subsumed by playoff preview, and the coaching question highlighted by the Commercial Appeal this morning, this seems like the right time to weigh the issue. So …
The Case for Lionel Hollins
On some level, fans might wonder why this is even a topic of discussion.
Hollins is — by far — the most successful coach in franchise history. His 10 playoff wins in two postseasons is 10 more than Hubie Brown and Mike Fratello managed in three postseasons. This season he’s added a franchise-record regular season to his Grizzlies’ resume. Hollins is also, to the degree it matters, a strong positive presence in the local community.
And this success hasn’t come without complication. Hollins inherited a mismanaged mess of a team in 2009 when he was brought in mid-season to replace Marc Iavaroni, and he quickly molded it into a unit that played with purpose. In subsequent seasons, Hollins has navigated through upheaval each and every time. First it was the misguided, ownership-imposed disruption of Allen Iverson. Hollins’ response to this — standing steadfast for team over individual — burnished his leadership credentials, and his ability to pull his team — which started 1-8 and had an all-time bad bench — into the playoff race before a couple of debilitating late injuries underscored his coaching acumen.
The next season, Hollins lost Rudy Gay to season-ending injury at a moment when his team seemed to be cresting and still went from the 8th seed to within a game of the conference finals. Last season, it was the twin early losses of Darrell Arthur and Zach Randolph that decimated the team’s frontcourt and spurred more roster upheaval, with Hollins still guiding the team to a highest-ever playoff seed.
This season, it began with an ownership change that had to be unsettling for Hollins, who had a close relationship with previous owner Michael Heisley. Next came the Rudy Gay trade, which Hollins had publicly campaigned against. (More on this in a bit.) And, still, here the Grizzlies are, with a franchise-record 53 wins and counting and again on the cusp of a top-four seed.
