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Peter Vecsey: Don't know if it's news to you but it was news to me when told today Lionel Hollins turned down offer to become Maurice Cheeks' top aide. Twitter @PeterVecsey1

We offered him an assistant coaching position? I wanted the man to be our head coach and the way luck would have it, we can only offer him an assistant position. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn.

I wonder why we didn't offer him a head coaching position??. Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn...

Ouch. That really stings... I wanted him here so badly.

Hollins, outside of Popovich, is probably the most ideal (active) coach for the roster we have this year. It's hard to believe that it was Cheeks' decision to make the assistant offer in the first place.

Jodi wrote:I wonder why we didn't offer him a head coaching position??. Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn...

This. Ugh.

damn, that sucks but very interesting nonetheless. Maybe he's just playing hardball for extra money and perhaps we could still coax him here with some more dough. I can understand him not being interested at first, after taking a team to the WCF last year he probably feels he deserves to be a head coach and rightfully so. However maybe he would be interested in a 1 yr gig if we give him a big load of money, given he has no chance of being a head coach until next year anyways.

Even if he ultimately says no, I love hearing that we are thinking big with this lead assistant job, and now I'm really curious to see who we end up getting if its not Hollins.

If Gores is serious about spending then he should make an offer that Hollins can't refuse. Adding him to the coaching staff would be HUGE for us.

Hollins has become quite the legend around here. He's a good coach, but let's not act like he's a POP/PJax level kind of guy. He did an adequate job with the Grizzlies squad, but with that talent, I can't say they overachieved.

I still can't believe he got fired, what were the grizzlies thinking?

ComboGuardCity wrote:Hollins has become quite the legend around here. He's a good coach, but let's not act like he's a POP/PJax level kind of guy. He did an adequate job with the Grizzlies squad, but with that talent, I can't say they overachieved.

I don't think the Griz are really all that talented. Don't get me wrong, they have a nice PG and a very good C to go along with a good PF too but their wings are all role players. I see them as a system team and Hollins was the architect of that system. He got them to play inside out as good as any team. The reason people want him here so badly is because we have similar personnel to the Griz but with more potential in many people's mind.

Jodi wrote:I wonder why we didn't offer him a head coaching position??. Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn...

Pistons were too deep into the interview process by the time Hollins could interview with other teams.

Would have rather had Hollins as HC, Mo as assistant.

Agree that by the time Memphis let him go it was too late for us and almost every other team.

Offering him an assistant's job is a good idea - he's obviously not going to be a head coach in 2013-14. If you can get him into the organisation in some kind of role that's a positive

I doubt it happens...pride is a funny thing

DETermination wrote:I still can't believe he got fired, what were the grizzlies thinking?

He wasn't a stat head/numbers kind of guy like the FO was. Plus, his assistant coach who is now the head coach was the soul of the defense of that team. Not much of a loss for them to be honest.

Big deal.. He was offered the opportunity to become the Pistons top aide. Are you guys really all that surprised that he turned it down? Would any of you have been shocked if he was offered the head coaching position and turned it down?? I wouldn't!!! No cause for damn anything here.

how does this guy not have a job yet?? I agree we should pay him like a head coach and let him be Cheeks' associate

Pretty sure the Sixers job is still available and Hollins maybe the best available candidate. I don't blame him for holding out for more money and waiting to see how that plays out.

DETermination wrote:I still can't believe he got fired, what were the grizzlies thinking?

He never got fired, his contract was up and didn't see eye to eye with management's vision going forward.

If they convinced Hollins to be the lead assistant I'd hand Joe an A+ for the offseason.

Piston Prince wrote:Pretty sure the Sixers job is still available and Hollins maybe the best available candidate. I don't blame him for holding out for more money and waiting to see how that plays out.

Why would he want that job though? They are in full on tank mode.

Considering he's not getting paid anything to sit out a year, like most coach's who get fired and get a years paid vacation (since he didn't get fired)...I don't see why he wouldn't want to earn some money for a year, while waiting for another job to open up. If we pay him head coach money, what's really the difference? I know he wants to be a head coach not an assstant, but he's not going to be a head coach until at least next year at the earliest anyways. So I would think he would be happy at least getting a head coach's salary for a season just to be an assistant while he's waiting, instead of earning nothing. It also gives him a chance to showcase himself for jobs, and it seems like teams are quicker to hire lead assistants today that are actively coaching, more than guys who have been sitting out a year. If we have the big turnaround that is expected, he will get big credit as the lead assistant, and that will then be two teams he's turned aroun in the last few years, upping his value even more on the open market next year.

I already give Joe an A+/grandslam for the offseason, but if he can get this done with Hollins, it will be like a grandslam walk-off homerun in the bottom of the 9th.