FanHouse LionelHollins

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Four games into the Memphis Grizzlies' season, head coach Lionel Hollins says he's done talking about Allen Iverson.

Well, not done all together. But apparently done talking about what Iverson says. Two days ago, Iverson complained about a lack of playing time after he made his Grizzlies' debut in Sacramento, and it was clear those statements didn't sit well with Hollins.

"I'm not commenting on Allen," Hollins said Wednesday when asked if he was surprised by Iverson's comments. "I'm done commenting on what Allen says. Allen has a right to say whatever he wants to say. ... Most of you are ready to leave now, huh?"

FanHouse previews all 30 NBA teams in advance of the 2009-10 season.

The Grizzlies are not a joke. They are the punchline. That's where they've fallen to. They aren't even the setup for the joke. They're just mentioned as the end point.

A little under two years ago, Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace (and by that, we mean owner Michael Heisley) traded Pau Gasol for cap room and some loose junk. The only valuable component they got out of the deal was Marc Gasol. The move elicited everything from mockery to outrage from pundits and even league personnel. Things have not improved considerably since.

The end of the regular season is winding down, so it's time to start thinking about who's going to be taking home the awards. With the Grizzlies in town on Monday to face the Phoenix Suns -- and with neither team having anything to play for but pride at this point -- I got the chance to speak with Memphis' coach Lionel Hollins about who he thinks should win Rookie of the Year.

And to the surprise of absolutely no one, Hollins enthusiastically said O.J. Mayo (who just happens to be on his team) should be the clear cut choice.

Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins is 8-22 since taking over for Marc Iavaroni in late January. Iavaroni was fired after the Grizzlies started the season 11-30.

In case you're scoring at home, that gives Iavaroni a .268 winning percentage compared with Hollins' .266. But Hollins should get credit for at least one thing: He's not selling false hope like a lot of other coaches. In fact, he's not selling hope at all, really.

Hollins peddles reality.

As teams get eliminated from the 2009 NBA playoff picture, Fork 'Em figures out what went wrong.

"The road to hell is paved with works-in-progress." -Philippe de Comines

It's also paved with the 2008-2009 Memphis Grizzlies and their fans.

The Grizzlies entered the season with a bizarre self-awareness. They were a young team with a coach that preached speed and aggression, but who had been told by his boss to instill defense, or else. They had lost their longtime franchise player in a rebuilding trade that resulted in much of the league mocking them, then pulled off a brilliant draft day trade to acquire O.J. Mayo. They had a deep set of guards, a great combination of young frontcourt players, returning superstar Rudy Gay, and a possible superstar in O.J. Mayo. And they were still expected to only win only 20-25 games.

The one plus to Thursday's firing of Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni was the report that deposed 76ers coach Mo Cheeks would join Lionel Hollins in Memphis as an assistant. Cheeks, you'd assume, would try his hand at developing O.J. Mayo's point guard skills and fixing Mike Conley.

Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News reports that Cheeks will not join Hollins in Memphis, however.

Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports that after sacking Marc Iavaroni on Thursday, the Grizzlies have decided to hire Milwaukee assistant Lionel Hollins to take over for the season. Most interesting to many will be the footnote: deposed 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks will join Hollins as an assistant.

The Cheeks move scrambles the other summer vacancies a bit, though it'd be hard to estimate just how many of the 6-10 teams seeking new coaches come April and May would have targeted Cheeks. But the decision to bring Hollins back really sticks out as odd considering the circumstances and the history.