Lionel Hollins confirms Pistons offered assistant coaching job

Former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins officially confirmed what we basically already knew: the Detroit Pistons pursued him this summer as an assistant coach. Hollins turned down the offer, though, in hopes of landing another head coaching gig in the near future. From ESPN's Ramona Shelburne:

Over the summer, Hollins said he had an opportunity to join Maurice Cheeks' staff with the Detroit Pistons as an assistant coach but declined.

"I had done it [serve as an assistant coach] for a long time before I was given the opportunity to be a head coach," Hollins said. "But my thought process was, 'I've established myself as a head coach. I'd like to stay in that state at the moment.' But if it didn't work out, yeah, I'd go back and be an assistant coach. I'd go to college and be a head coach there, if I had the opportunity. But my thought process is to be a professional head coach."

Hollins coached the Grizzlies to a franchise-best 56 wins last season, improving his career mark to 214-201. His teams aren't flashy, but any team looking to rebuild through defense and hustle could do a lot worse than give him a shot.

(Hat-tip: Vincent Goodwill)