News Americas, BROOKLYN, NY, Tues. July 8, 2014: Jason Kidd may have dumped the Brooklyn Nets but on Monday, July 7th all the talk turned to their new coach – former Memphis Grizzlies’ coach Lionel Hollins.
Hollins, 60, took the Memphis Grizzlies to the Western Conference Finals in 2013 after serving as the floor general on the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers team that won the NBA title. He played for three Hall of Fame coaches – Lenny Wilkens, Chuck Daly, and Dr. Jack Ramsay – and coached under Cotton Fitzsimmons, Hubie Brown, Paul Westphal, and Mike Fratello.
But after leading the Grizzlies to 56 wins and the Western Conference Finals in 2013, Memphis opted not to renew his contract.
But on Monday he was welcomed to Brooklyn in a major way as the new Nets coach. Hollins made it abundantly clear during his introductory news conference Monday that he wants to be only the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.
ESPN.com quoted sources as saying that the Nets and Hollins agreed to a contract that could be worth as much as four years and $20 million if the team picks up his fourth-year option. Hollins called the opportunity to coach in Brooklyn “a miracle.”
“That’s all I want to do. I’m a basketball coach. I don’t want to do [general manager] Billy King’s job. I don’t want to do anybody else’s job in the organization but the one I’m hired to do,” Hollins said at Barclays Center, later clarifying that he was not taking a shot at Kidd or anything.
“That’s very important to me. I’m very low-maintenance. I’m actually embarrassed, I drove up to the [arena] and saw the [oculus] with my picture on it. I’m like, ‘Come on.’ I just want to coach.”
