Lionel Hollins is not bitter about leading the Grizzlies out of the abyss but not receiving a chance to finish the job. He said he understands his role as a coach who is skilled at rebuilding yet hasn’t received enough faith from management to see his plan to fruition.
That doesn’t stop him from wanting to return to coaching. Hollins, who spoke at the Harvard Basketball Coaches Clinic earlier this month, is spending his time between jobs passing along knowledge and waiting for another opportunity, but he understands the politics of coaching hires.
“It’s very humbling to have people want to hear what I have to say, first of all,’’ he said. “I feel privileged to have the opportunity. I remember when I started coaching. It seemed like yesterday, but it was a long time ago and going to camps and going to clinics. It’s just part of being a coach. You go from learning to getting to a point where you’re giving basic learning back to young coaches. You are inspiring them and encouraging them. It’s a part of passing the baton.’’
Hollins was fired in Memphis following the 2012-13 season, after leading the Grizzlies to a surprising 56-26 record and a spot in the Western finals. The was the beginning of the Grindhouse Grizzlies with former Celtic Tony Allen, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, and Tayshaun Prince. The Grizzlies were a rising team, but Hollins’s style did not emphasize 3-point shooting or an uptempo offense, so he was replaced by Dave Joerger, a younger coach who was fired after failing to advance beyond the second round in three seasons.
The Nets called on Hollins in 2014 to lead them, but Brooklyn — having moved on from Paul Pierce after just one year — endured a chaotic season. The Nets won 38 games, lost in the first round to the Hawks, and decided to rebuild just two years after their mega-deal with the Celtics.
For the past several months, Hollins, 64, has been recharging himself for another coaching run.
“I have League Pass, I watch as many games as I can, I wish I had about six or seven screens,’’ he said. “The game has obviously got a different vibe to it with the space and pace and pick-and-roll being the main offensive play. The game is still the game. You’ve got to compete. You’ve got to defend. You’ve got to rebound and you’ve got to close out games at the end. Not enough time is spent on the situational part of the game. It’s not as classic as it used to be. I have some ideas that I would implement if I were part of a team again.’’
What is difficult for veteran coaches searching for jobs, such as Hollins, is they are considered old school in a new-school game. Every team wants the next Brad Stevens, the thirtysomething genius with plenty of patience.
Hollins’s first NBA head coaching job was in 1999-2000 with the Vancouver Grizzlies, when Stevens was 22 years old.
Hollins said he has embraced analytics, a philosophy that has changed the face of the game and how owners and GMs hire coaches and executives.
“There’s not a coach who coached ever who did not use some kind of analytics,’’ Hollins said. “Now the description of analytics has changed. The meaning of something is different. As a coach, I used deflections, I used contested shots, those are all analytics. Is it good or is it bad? I’m not one to say. Would I use it? Of course. If I had a general manager that believed in the stuff, I would hope that I would have a voice. But I have no problem with that stuff.’’
Hollins said he has no issue with dealing with younger GMs and executives who never played in the NBA.
“Let me put it to you this way: My wife never played in the NBA and she never coached and she tries to tell me who I should be playing,’’ he said. “You can’t get into that stuff. The fans are telling you. Media people are telling you who you should play. There’s always people. Somebody said if you don’t have enemies, you must not be a success.’’
Hollins holds no bitterness despite lacking the opportunity to see rebuilding projects through.
“You don’t always get to do what you want to do but you have to survive and I’m surviving,’’ he said. “I’m happy. I’m not upset. I’m not miserable. I would like to coach again and if in the cards, I’ll be excited about it. If not, I’ll do some other things that would hold me over.’’
HONEST ASSESSMENT
McHale likes what he sees
Kevin McHale has been out of coaching for more than a year and is comfortable as an analyst for Turner Sports and NBA TV. His affable personality and brutal honesty make him a natural for the job. He has been watching the Celtics closely during their winning streak and offered his opinions on perhaps the most surprising story of the young season.
“It’s been pretty amazing, really, because you think about losing Gordon Hayward and it just made Jaylen Brown and [Jayson] Tatum have to play more, and those kids have really stepped up and just played fantastic,’’ McHale said. “I was thinking this year going in my dark-horse pick for MVP would be Kyrie Irving because I just think he had a lot of game that he didn’t show [in Cleveland]. LeBron James is the best player in the league and he’s going to have the ball a lot.
“Kyrie just has a lot of game, and Al Horford is finding some rhythm with Kyrie with a lot of pick-and-rolls. And behind that, they just have a lot of guys that come in the game that give them lifts, whether it’s [Aron] Baynes or [Marcus] Smart. Everybody’s played well, so they have a nice rhythm going.’’
McHale had nothing but compliments for the Celtics’ coaching staff and management, including his former teammate Danny Ainge.
“I think Brad Stevens does a wonderful job, and again I think Danny is ahead of the curve with taking Tatum ahead of [Lonzo] Ball and [Markelle] Fultz,’’ McHale said. “Just a lot of real positive things in Boston and they’re finding ways to win and that’s a great sign, especially for young kids.’’
Tatum’s rapid development and adjustment to the NBA has been perhaps the Celtics’ biggest surprise. At just 19 years old, Tatum is sixth among rookies in scoring average, and fourth on the team.
“I think he’s playing really well. His ability to get his own shot is really impressive,’’ McHale said. “You could see that in the summer league. He can make real tough shots. He can get into a shot, 12, 14 feet, jump up and make a fadeaway jump shot. The defense can contest as hard as they can and he can just fade away a little more and make that shot. He’s got enough length, he’s got enough strength. For a young kid to be able to go over the top of people, shoot over people, rebound the ball. I’m just as impressed with Jaylen Brown. Tatum is able to defend. Their defensive schemes are tight.
“I thought they were really going to miss Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder just because of that pit bull mentality that they brought, but they still have enough of those guys. They have a very interesting team. They’re not the biggest team in the NBA but they sure play well.’’
The Celtics were believed to have sought a rim protector for years, a legitimate big center who could gobble up rebounds and block shots. Yet Boston has become the league’s best defensive team because of its overall length, with the 6-foot-10-inch Baynes the team’s lone center, and he isn’t considered a classic rim protector.
“The Celtics can defend so well because so many teams go small,’’ McHale said. “So you can go small but still keep some length on the floor. The best small lineup in the league [is the Warriors] when they have [Kevin Durant] and Draymond Green at [forward and center] and Klay Thompson and Steph Curry at the guards. Those guys have a lot of length and defend well, and they move the ball.
“You see so many teams go small that when the Celtics go small, you’ll see Tatum going to get a rebound in the crowd. You’ll see Brown going to get a rebound. They still have some athleticism and some length. But they can get on the perimeter. They can move their feet. They can make plays with the ball. It’s just kind of the new era of the NBA.’’
McHale isn’t of the belief that the quality center has been phased out of the game, replaced by a bunch of 7-foot, 3-point shooters.
“You just need to be a center with skill,’’ McHale said. “Basketball is still a game of efficiency. Believe me, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would find a way to play in today’s game because he was so efficient. It’s not so much the 3-ball, it’s the efficiency. But if you don’t shoot any threes and you have an effective field goal percentage of 55, 60 percent, I think there’s a spot left for the big in the NBA, but you have to be talented. Look at Joel Embiid, you got Jusuf Nurkic, Nikola Jokic. You’ve got Karl-Anthony Towns. The bigs are skilled and basketball is still played on a 10-foot rim, so a really talented 7-foot guy beats a really talented 6-foot guy.’’
ETC.
Kuzma landed in the right spot
It’s quite evident one month into the season that the best rookie on the Lakers is not second overall pick Lonzo Ball. That title goes to 27th overall pick Kyle Kuzma, the swingman who replaced injured Larry Nance Jr. in the starting lineup and may never relinquish that spot.
He is third among rookies in scoring average — 15.5 points entering Friday — trailing the 76ers’ Ben Simmons (17.8) and Mavericks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. (15.8).
Kuzma is a 6-foot-9-inch combo forward who played three years at the University of Utah. He caught scouts’ attention when they were following point guard Delon Wright and center Jakob Poeltl, both now with the Raptors. Kuzma was a strong senior season away from being a lottery pick, but he decided to declare after an All-Pac-12 junior season, showing an impressive blend of shooting, athleticism, and defense.
“I made it a mission after my sophomore year to be like, ‘Hey this is my last year [in college] regardless,’ ’’ he said. “I could be projected first, 30th, or whatever. I know I’m going to leave because that was my dream. For me, those guys [Wright and Poeltl] had scouts all up and down the gym every single game so scouts got to see me at a young age and progress. That definitely helped also.’’
Kuzma said he started receiving scouts’ attention at the start of Utah’s Pac-12 schedule. Despite the loss of Poeltl (a lottery pick), Kuzma led the Utes to a 20-win season and an NIT appearance. He also played for former NBA forward Larry Krystkowiak.
“We had like 14 guys drafted in the Pac-12 [in 2016, including the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown], and once that came about, teams were always coming out to [my games],’’ Kuzma said. “I don’t know if they were there for me or other [players], but I would think they were there for me. So after that, I got more confidence, playing against those guys who were on those mock drafts, I did fairly well. During that time I knew it was time to go [pro].’’
Kuzma might have improved his draft stock had he stayed one more season. But then again, he might not have been acquired by the Lakers or be in a situation where he could flourish for a storied franchise.
“There’s not too many seniors and fifth-year seniors going in the lottery,’’ he said. “Unless you have a Buddy Hield or Frank Kaminsky type of year [taking their teams to the Final Four]. For me to average 16 [points] and nine [rebounds], and for me to come back and say, ‘OK, let’s average 22 and 10,’ that’s kind of impossible in college. So I just took the high road, took a leap of faith, bet on myself, and it paid off.’’
Kuzma worked out for teams and was projected as a late-first or second-round pick. That didn’t deter him. There are a handful of veteran gems who slip in the draft every year. Semi Ojeleye, a second-round pick of the Celtics this year, left SMU after his redshirt junior season and is getting important playing time as a rookie.
The decision to leave school early is difficult, Kuzma said, but it’s about having faith in yourself.
“Of course it’s tough because you have a lot of naysayers and people that are going to question your decision,’’ he said. “But for me, scared money don’t really make money. That’s how I live by.’’
Kuzma is a prime example of how situation is far more important than draft position for NBA rookies. Players such as Smith, Ojeleye, the Hawks’ John Collins, and the Kings’ Frank Mason are in situations where they can play immediately and flourish.
“It’s not about where you get drafted, it’s about what you do when you get there,’’ Kuzma said. “For me, I was blessed enough to fall into a great situation here where I can play right away. Of course it would have been nice to be drafted in the lottery just because of that paycheck, but I’ll get paid in a couple of years.’’
Layups
Jared Sullinger may have landed an NBA-minimum deal this season if he were fortunate. Instead, he decided to play in the Chinese Basketball Association, where he is averaging 35 points and 15 rebounds as he attempts to rebuild his career. One important factor for Sullinger is to prove that he can play a full season without health issues, after battling injuries throughout four seasons with the Celtics and in his lone season with the Raptors. Although Sullinger is never going to be svelte, the Celtics and Raptors wanted him to get into premium basketball shape to withstand the rigors without sustaining foot or back issues. If he stays healthy through the CBA season, Sullinger could be one of the more sought-after roster additions in March, when he is eligible to return to the NBA . . . Here’s something to watch in the case of LiAngelo Ball and his status at UCLA after he and two teammates were caught shoplifting during a team trip to China. The middle Ball brother is considered the least talented of the Balls — he’s the 41st-rated small forward in the country, the lowest-ranked UCLA recruit in 2017 — and since younger brother LaMelo is expected to bypass college after being home-schooled, there is less incentive for UCLA to keep LiAngelo on the roster. An NBA scout said LiAngelo is a mid-major college talent, and UCLA has not decided on a penalty for the trio other than an indefinite suspension . . . The NBA has not considered expansion for more than a decade, but don’t take the WNBA’s move to Las Vegas lightly. The San Antonio Stars are off to Las Vegas, the first NBA-related team to move to the city. (Spurs Sports & Entertainment sold the team to MGM Resorts International.) Las Vegas would love an NBA team to join the NFL’s Raiders and NHL’s Golden Knights, and the NBA has long stated it would take a state-of-the-art arena to even begin a conversation. Well, the city built T-Mobile Arena for the Golden Knights, and MGM Resorts will have the WNBA team play at the Mandalay Bay Events Center to start. The NBA will be closely monitoring the situation in Las Vegas. But there are other cities that would love to be considered for an expansion team, such as Seattle, Louisville, and Kansas City.
Gary Washburn can be reached at gwashburn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @GwashburnGlobe. Material from interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.
