| | RICHMOND, British Columbia -- Feeling the Vancouver Grizzlies were better than their 4-18 record, president and general
manager Stu Jackson said Thursday he was left with no choice but to
fire coach Brian Hill.
Lionel Hollins, the only remaining member of the coaching staff
from the Grizzlies' inaugural 1995 season, will take over on an
interim basis the rest of the season.
Hollins, 46, takes over a club that has lost four straight
games, has won only one of its last 15 and following last Monday's
loss to the Los Angeles Clippers is back at the bottom of the NBA
Western Conference standings.
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Thu., Dec. 16
It's a different scenario in Vancouver. They just haven't found their niche or place. Unfortunately for the people of Vancouver, things just haven't worked out with player acquisition, and Hill pays the price.
If only the Grizzlies had made the right moves to solidify the ballclub. They drafted Steve Francis when he didn't want to play here. Lamar Odom would have been a pretty good pick. Their decision making has been very questionable. Last season, they take point guard Mike Bibby when Vince Carter, Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce were all taken later. In the case of Brian Hill, it all came down to the talent pool.
The shining star in Vancouver is Shareef Abdur-Rahim, but "Big Country," Bryant Reeves, has not developed. It puts a lot of pressure on a coach to win when the team doesn't land the right players.
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"I believe this team has the talent level to play better and
the capability to compete harder and I felt that a coaching change
was necessary in order to facilitate improvement," Jackson said at
a news conference at the team's suburban Vancouver training
facility.
The coaching change was the second this season in the NBA as
Danny Ainge resigned at Phoenix on Monday and was replaced by
assistant Scott Skiles.
After making seven offseason changes to a team that finished
with an NBA-low 8-42 record last year, Jackson felt the Grizzlies
were not responding.
"This is a relatively new group for all intents and purposes
and it's my belief that (the chemistry) is there and it needs to be
unleashed and unlocked. And we hope that by changing a small piece
that we can at least make our way to accomplishing that," said
Jackson, who called this the Grizzlies most experienced and
talented team in the club's five-year history.
Jackson, who is in the final year of his contract, said he
considered making the move last month but wanted to give Hill and
the team an opportunity to turn things around.
"It didn't seem like it was going to go that way," Jackson
said. "Fall guy's really the wrong term. We're in a really
difficult business and decisions like these are part of our
business. They're never easy but they have to be made. You can't
rip down the whole house."
With the Grizzlies sale to St. Louis businessman Bill Laurie
still in limbo, Jackson said he sought and received approval to
make the coaching change from Orca Bay officials, the team's
current owners.
Hill, unavailable for comment, was informed of the firing
Thursday morning, a day after the Grizzlies blew a three-point lead
in the final minute and lost 109-106 to the Sacramento Kings.
Hill was in his third season with the Grizzlies, hired after he
was let go in the middle of 1996-97 season by the Orlando Magic,
who he led to the NBA Finals in 1995.
Hill had a 31-123 record with Vancouver, dropping his career
mark to 222-227. Hill took over in Vancouver for Jackson, who
served as interim coach after he dismissed Brian Winters in January
1997.
Although disappointed in Hill's dismissal, some of the players
believed a change was necessary.
"He's not the one going out there and performing, we are,"
center Bryant Reeves said. "But at the same time you kind of see
things slipping away and it was time for them to make the change."
Shareef Abdur-Rahim, the Grizzlies best player, said it's hard
to just blame the coach.
"Everything, top to bottom, we're all in this together,"
Abdur-Rahim said. "It was a frustrating situation to be in, losing
and to be going through this. ... Regardless of what a coach says
or does, you've got to play."
The Grizzlies' offseason moves included an 11-player deal that
sent disgruntled draft pick Steve Francis to the Houston Rockets.
In return, the Grizzlies got forwards Othella Harrington,
Antoine Carr and guards Michael Dickerson and Brent Price. They
also added veteran free agents Dennis Scott and Grant Long.
The start was hampered by a rash of injuries. Reeves is nursing
a sore right knee, which forced him to miss seven straight games.
Long (sprained left knee) has yet to play this season. Scott, who
missed the first 14 games with a right hamstring pull, has been
used only sparingly. Carr, Price and Felipe Lopez have missed games
because of an assortment of injuries.
Hollins, the starting point guard with the 1977 NBA champion
Portland Trail Blazers, thanked his predecessors for "laying the
foundation" for this young team, adding that his first head
coaching job comes with mixed emotions.
Hollins, who spent seven seasons as an assistant with Phoenix,
said he wasn't planning to make many changes to the lineup.
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Stu Jackson wants to give the Grizzlies a chance to grow.
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