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I think Lionel Hollins should have been given a shot again. Fratello needs to stick to commentator duties.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1936077
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
To replace the most successful coach in their history, the Memphis Grizzlies are making two hires.
Mike Fratello, as expected, will be installed Thursday as the successor to Hubie Brown ... but with the surprising addition of Eric Musselman as Fratello's top assistant, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com on Wednesday.
Grizzlies interim coach Lionel Hollins will handle Memphis' game Wednesday night at New York before Fratello and Musselman take over.
Brown resigned on Thanksgiving, citing unspecificied health problems and later saying that he had lost some of the "spirit" he needs to be an effective coach. The 71-year-old earned Coach of the Year honors last season when Memphis went 50-32 -- after never winning more than 28 games in a season -- and reached the playoffs.
Fratello has been a TV analyst with TNT and the Miami Heat since his last head coaching stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Fratello spent 13 seasons as a head coach in the NBA, compiling a career record of 592-499, including 20-34 in the playoffs. He coached the Hawks from 1983 to 1990, going 324-253 (including three games in the 1980-81 season) and the Cavs from 1993 to 1999 (248-212). He's a former Brown assistant who also replaced Brown with the Atlanta Hawks.
Musselman was in his first season as an analyst for ESPN Radio after two seasons as the head coach in Golden State, where he posted a record of 75-89.
I think Lionel Hollins should have been given a shot again. Fratello needs to stick to commentator duties.
With Fratello and Musselman, that team is going to be schitzophrenic. Fratello plays those 61-59 games we all remember from his days in Cleveland, while Musselman affords guys like Bill Schoening so many opportunities to describe "uptempo" plays.
They'll probably score 75 one night and win, and 110 the next and lose.
Exactly.
good moves.
Eric Musselman is a DAMN good coach and Mullin was an idiot firing him for this clown Montgomery.
Keep Fratello around for a year or two, then let Musselman take over.
Great move by Jerry West.
Yeah, great move. Great move for us. Cross off the Grizzlies as a threat this year.
Good to see West acknowledges that no ONE MAN can replace Hubie. It's sad knowing Hubie won't be back on the sideline. I hope he comes back to the analyst position and brings his knowledge because they have suffered without him.
Sounds like a franchise that couldn't make the right choice = hire Musselman all along.
Total waste of two years coming. Would have expected more out of Mr. NBALingo but in a few years when the Williams experiment is toast and Gasol fleshes out, this team will improve again.
MadDoc
I'm with TPark. Eric Musselman is a damn fine coach. Too bad trading can only involve players and not coaches.
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