Lionel Hollins rocks the finest threads of any NBA coach, but he's not afraid to roll up his sleeves and wrinkle up his Armani. Back in February, Mike Conley told GQ Magazine that Hollins was the type of coach who wasn't afraid to put hands on somebody.
I think people might know who he is, but what is he like in the locker room or at practice? He's intense, man. He's a guy who speaks his mind. He's pretty straightforward. He's not afraid to fight a player or anybody. So he's definitely somebody that you don't want to mess with.
On Monday night he ruffled a few feathers when he shoved Jerryd Bayless to the bench during the fourth quarter. Unlike the recent rash of violent power-hungry college coaches, Hollins is a pro coach and on the verge of getting swept by San Antonio, his passion-bucked spilled over. Hollins is under more pressure than any other head coach in the Conference Finals because he's playing for a new contract in the offseason. While he smoothed things over with Bayless pretty quickly, he probably wouldn't try that with Z-Bo or a vet like Stack.
