Grizzlies notes: Hollins on Iverson, and more

November 6, 11:12 AMMemphis Grizzlies ExaminerJohn Hoffman

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Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins

AP Photo/Steve Helber

Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins is now refusing to answer reporters’ questions about Allen Iverson and any comments he makes about playing time or his role on the team. Only two games into his Grizzlies’ tenure, Iverson has made it clear after each game he is not interested in being a bench player, or playing limited minutes. Coming back from a hamstring injury, A. I. has been productive on the court, scoring eleven points in 18 minutes in his first outing against Sacramento, and 18 points in 27 minutes against Golden State. He makes it clear nobody suggested to him the Grizzlies might sacrifice winning games this season to develop young talent, and says he would not have been interested if they had. Iverson also says he is not a man to keep his mouth shut when he believes things are not as they should be.

Hollins is taking what may be the only road open to him to avoid getting tangled up in a public debate. Give the man credit: he knows Iverson may not shut up in public just because the coach tells him to, and refusing to talk about it may be the only way he can talk about anything else. Reporters, predictably, myself included, don’t like it, but it may be Hollins sees no other way to deal with a situation over which he has little control.

Lost in the debate is the fact that Iverson, despite being unhappy about his role, is playing well. Like the other scorers, he’s not much of a defender, but nobody can justly accuse him of dogging it when he’s on the floor. The same cannot always be said of several others.

How all this will affect the atmosphere in the locker room is not yet clear. I suspect it may be less a problem inside the locker room than outside it. Whatever he says publicly, Iverson is deeply respected among the young Grizzlies, all of whom grew up watching him dominate games for the Philadelphia 76ers. If they choose to learn from his non-stop hustle on the floor, they will be better players for it.

Coach Hollins has a bigger problem than potential dissension over Iverson: how to get his scorers to play some defense. Beat writer Ron Tillery has a good story covering the Grizzlies defensive woes in today’s (Friday) “Commercial Appeal.” The summary is that the Grizz rank last or close to last in the league in most key defensive categories, with the exception of rebounding. They are dead last in points allowed per game and opponents’ field goal percentage.

Nobody thinks the Grizzlies will ever lead the league in defense, but a reasonable level of effort should get them off the bottom of the defensive rankings, and give them a much better shot at winning some games. If things don’t change, those fans who show up will be treated to a series of games where the Grizzlies lose, despite scoring over a hundred points per game.

One other note: the Grizzlies waived forward Trey Gilder Thursday, reducing the roster to 14 players, including guard Marko Jaric, who is not with the team. Gilder was signed prior to training camp for a small guarantee, and appeared in two regular season games, playing a total of five minutes, logging two points, a rebound, and a steal. His departure leaves the Grizzlies in need of another forward, with Darrell Arthur sidelined until January following surgery on a torn pectoral muscle. The “Commercial Appeal” reports one possible candidate is 6-9 journeyman Chris Richard.

The season-opening five game road trip continues tonight in Los Angeles, against the defending champion Lakers. Game time is 9:30pm, with TV coverage in the Memphis area on the cable/satellite channel FoxSportsTennessee.

The road trip conludes Saturday against the Clippers, with the next home set for Tuesday night against the Portland Trailblazers.