At one point Grizzlies assistant Dave Joerger was considered a strong front-runner to replace Lionel Hollins, but Memphis has interviewed former head coaches like George Karl and Alvin Gentry.
Apparently, those other interviews weren’t just for show before hiring Joerger, because the Grizzlies are on round two of interviews.
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports:Alvin Gentry will meet with Memphis Grizzlies officials to discuss their head-coaching opening for the second time on Thursday in Memphis, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Gentry first interviewed for the Grizzlies’ opening on Friday in Washington, D.C.
Gentry was also reportedly a candidate with the Nuggets and Clippers, though it seems he’s fallen behind in both searches. Even if Gentry doesn’t land a head-coaching job this offseason, he’s positioned himself to get one next summer.
After his Suns tenure ended with three straight years without a winning record and being fired mid-season, Gentry needed some positive momentum. Being a candidate for three of the, if not the, best openings on the market will do that, especially because the Grizzlies liked him enough to interview him twice.
Teams with openings next summer will now think positively of him when lining up candidates – unless he’s already coaching Memphis.