Lionel Hollins Link Dump

Now that the Lionel Hollins news is out (he’s not coming back, in case you missed it), we here at Beale Street Bears thought that now might be a good time to give you a link dump of all the news and analysis from around the blogosphere to keep track of what’s going on and what the best analysts have to say about the news.

Be sure to come back over the next few days, we have plenty of thoughts about the change headed this way!

The Beale Street Bears Report on Hollins Leaving:

"This isn’t exactly shocking news. We already knew there was bad blood between Hollins and the Grizzlies’ front office – justified or not…Joerger will maintain the distinction as front-runner for the Grizz coaching position moving forward. But with the likes of George Karl, Jeff Van Gundy, Alvin Gentry, Larry Brown and Byron Scott still on the market, Joerger is far from set in stone."

ESPN’s Mark Stein’s Report on Hollins Leaving:

"Sources say the Grizzlies feel Hollins, despite Memphis’ considerable success over the past three seasons, is not prepared to foster the sort of collaborative relationship the Grizzlies’ new management team — led by majority owner Robert Pera and CEO Jason Levien — wants to have with its coach."

Grizzly Bear Blues and Geoff Calkins on What Went Wrong:

"Clearly, Hollins doesn’t have to be best friends with everybody at the Griz office to be able to be the head coach. But this kind of tension–a coach who thinks the front office has no business telling him what to do, and a front office that wants to be able to have an open, communicative relationship with their coach (who is, after all, an employee of said F.O.)–is a recipe for a toxic situation."

Memphis Flyer’s Chris Herrington’s BRILLIANT reaction piece (at least read this one):

"‘Don’t mess with success’ is pretty persuasive if you ask me, but to call [letting Hollins go] a mistake is to assume a future, and I don’t put that much stock in the importance of Hollins or any individual coach. But it’s certainly a risk…[and then] Hollins’ success is too glaring in the context of franchise history, his community roots now too deep and personal, and his status as a successful black leader in a city (really, country) where race impacts perception too meaningful for his departure to ever be easy."

Beale Street Bears on the legacy that Hollins will be leaving behind:

"While he wasn’t the future of the franchise, he was the past. The most successful past in the franchise’s history. The past that led to the bright future that the team has before it. He’s not the best coach, and maybe not the right one, but he is a very good coach. A well intentioned, smart guy, who will always know what it takes to make a smart team."

Grizzly Bear Blues on why we shouldn’t panic about Hollins leaving:

"I liked Lionel Hollins. I wrote articles about why the Grizzlies should re-sign him months ago. But the fact of the matter is that now, he’s gone. The team isn’t. In fact, the new owners who this segment of Griz fans hates so much actually extended the lease to keep the team here at least 15 more years."

Lionel Hollins to interview with Clippers:

"The Clippers also will interviews Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins on Wednesday…[but] ESPN reported last week that Shaw and former Denver coach George Karl are considered the frontrunners for the job."

Brooklyn also asked for permission to interview Hollins before the split:

"A source confirmed that the Nets had officially requested permission to talk to Memphis coach Lionel Hollins about their vacancy"

Though Brooklyn seems to have nailed down a coach who’s not Hollins:

"Jason Kidd will reportedly sign a three-year deal to become the next head coach for the Brooklyn Nets."