The Jazz, Cavs, Warriors and Wolves have shown interest in Lionel Hollins for their coaching vacancies, while the Lakers and Knicks have not, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities heard that the Wolves had not made contact with the former Grizzlies coach as of Monday night (on Twitter), but perhaps that’s changed. The Warriors were the only team among the four apparently eyeing him whose interest was known, and they’re reportedly set to interview him on Thursday.
Hollins has been connected to many openings since the Grizzlies cut ties with him last summer, and he and the Pistons appeared to have mutual interest after the team fired Maurice Cheeks. Hollins would like a crack at the Lakers job, but the team has yet to reach out to any candidates, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link). The Knicks have focused entirely on Steve Kerr.
The Jazz are unlikely to hire a former NBA head coach, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News hears (Twitter link), but Utah is planning to interview more than 20 candidates, so it would be somewhat surprising if they didn’t talk to at least one ex-NBA coach. Hollins’ reputation grew in his last three seasons with Memphis as the team went to the playoffs each year, culminating in a Western Conference Finals appearance after last year’s 56-win regular season. He was 214-201 over parts of seven seasons in two separate stints with the Grizzlies.
Hollins’ best teams excelled defensively, but the Warriors reportedly prefer an offensively minded coach. He’d look to bring Paul Westphal aboard as an assistant to design the Golden State offense, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, but it’s unclear if Westphal would be a part of the plan if Hollins ends up elsewhere.