(Memphis) Coming off such a great season, it’s not like Grizzlies fans were demanding a coaching change. In fact, most of the fans we spoke to said they were disappointed when they heard the news.
“I’m hopeful things will work,” Coach Lionel Hollins told News Channel 3 last week.
His fans wanted it too. They held a rally in his honor, and even had an online petition and Facebook pages showing support.
But Monday, Grizz management announced they won’t renew Coach Hollins’ contract.
“They’re a worse team now,” Bryan Smith said.
We caught up with several Memphis sports fans outside AutoZone Park.
Some had not heard the news.
“No. Oh my God, that`s terrible,” Grizzlies fan Wes Mueller said.
Just about everyone shared the same reaction.
While disappointed, many fans say it wasn’t a total surprise
“You just about knew it was going to happen,” Doris Richmond said.
Why the Grizzlies wanted to go in another direction baffles fans.
“We`re on the outside looking in,” Eunice Waller said.
“We can only speculate as fans what goes on behind the scenes,” Eric Mchargue said.
These fans are hopeful there is a silver lining in all this.
“It’s kind of like the Rudy Gay trade. If it had ended badly, they would have thought it was a bad choice, but we did well so it seemed like a smart move in retrospective. So it might end that way with Coach Hollins,” said.
The big question remains who will fill the big shoes Hollins leaves behind at the Grindhouse.
“It’s going to take a top of the line coach to replace him,” Smith said.