NBA Rumors: Warriors, Rockets eyeing Lionel Hollins as asscoiate head coach
By Josh Hill
The NBA coaching pool is rather shallow this year and that has caused teams like the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers — two previously pristine franchises considered to be top jobs — to enter June without even an idea of who could be their next head coach.
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Right now it appears that former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins is at the top of just about every list but his demand extends beyond just those of teams looking for head coaches.
According to Marc J. Spears from Yahoo! Sports, it’s not just head coaching vacancies that teams are looking at Hollins to fill, it’s also potential head coaching vacancies too as both the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors are interested in hiring Hollins as an associate head coach.
While Lionel Hollins is getting head coach interest from LAL, CLE, UTH & MIN, sources say GS & HOU interested in him as associate head coach
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) May 31, 2014
Houston was in the same boat as the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers in the that an early playoff exit could cost their head coach his job. Both Scott Brooks and Frank Vogel took their teams to Game 6 of their respective Conference Finals while Mark Jackson was canned following a Conference Semifinals ousting.
Kevin McHale didn’t even make it out of the first round, and while he’s kept his job so far it’s easy to see the writing on the wall. As for Golden State, they were interested in Hollins as a ehad coach before hiring Steve Kerr and could now use him in more of a mentoring role for the first time head coach.
Either way, if the market wasn’t already bloated enough for Hollins, we’re now adding in teams who already have head coaches in place which only further complicates matters.