Former Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins will interview Saturday with the Nuggets for their coaching vacancy, an NBA source confirmed Friday. Hollins and Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw are Denver’s two top targets for the job, after the Nuggets fired longtime coach George Karl this month.
Hollins, 59, led the Grizzlies to the Western Conference finals this summer, but he was in the last year of his contract and it wasn’t renewed. Hollins is known for his motivational tactics and ability to mold his players into a strong defensive unit.
“Lionel’s personality is that he’s tough — as a player, he was tough, he was disciplined,” NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, now an ESPN analyst, said on a conference call Wednesday. “He was a hard-nosed guy, and he coaches the same way. And then he understands how to get the best out of each individual player that he coaches, but he’s a no nonsense guy, and he coaches like that.
“So that’s why you have been able to see Memphis be so disciplined; they were physical, so they took on his personality. And then you’ve got Brian who was totally different from Lionel’s personality.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294, bhochman@denverpost.com or
