Lionel Hollins, whose contract is about to expire, may very well have coached his final game for the Memphis Grizzlies.
And he may have sealed his fate months ago, not mere hours ago when his Grizzlies were swept out of the playoffs, when he said you can’t have champagne tastes on a beer budget.
That quote came after Memphis traded Rudy Gay to get below the luxury tax threshold, and it was a clear sign that Hollins — a holdover from the previous ownership group led by Michael Heisley — was not on the same page as the new ownership group led by Robert Pera.
A number of NBA coaching jobs have remained open while the playoffs have moved along, most notably in Brooklyn and Milwaukee — two cities where the teams made the playoffs and then fired their interim coaches upon their departures.
Hollins’ name popped up in connection with the Bucks job the same day that Jim Boylan was dismissed, and the Nets would like to sit down and chat with as many worthy candidates as possible as they plot their future course — which will not include a run at Dwight Howard via a sign-and-trade unless they can first get their payroll cut by $20 million, which would put them below the luxury tax apron and would allow them to do a S&T.
The Los Angeles Clippers have an opening, as do the Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons — although the educated guess here is that the Pistons are waiting for the Indiana Pacers to be eliminated so that they can hire Brian Shaw, while the Hawks job will remain vacant until Atlanta can make a run at Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer, who will be occupied while San Antonio awaits the opening of the NBA Finals on June 6.
And then there is Howard, whose future will be debated throughout the month of June … and with good reason.
Are we ready for a 40-day buildup to “The Dwecision?”
More on that — and a swift reaction to that nickname — in this video with CineSport’s Noah Coslov.
(RELATED: Grizzlies face franchise altering decisions post-sweep)