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What's going on here? Lionel Hollins pre-game comments

By Net Income
Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

There will be plenty of time to analyze what Lionel Hollins said about analyzing his team's 3-12 record, but at first take, it's kinda bizarre: the coach appears to be surrendering.

Here's the comment in full.


and as it was transcribed for Twitter...

Two comments stand out:

1) The one on the lack of analysis ..."I don't try to analyze everything. I see it and I know what it is. But what good does it do for me to stay up all night and analyze it and try to figure it out and try to make it different when we don't have Kevin Durant and we don't have Westbrook, we don't have LeBron James."

2) The other on the lack of talent ... "And if you're not good enough to win those games because of the other team's talent, you've still done all you can do and you go home and go to bed."

What has always bothered us about Lionel Hollins coaching has been his unwillingness to take responsibility for the mess that team is and has been.  We cannot recall him publicly saying, "this is on me."  This seems to be an extension of that.  Coaches do not want to do that.  It's refreshing when they do, but the complete lack of accountability for a team that before tonight had a record of 41-56 on your watch is troubling.

Yes, yes, you can note that the team doesn't have a lot of talent, particularly on the bench, and you can say, correctly, that decisions by ownership and management are a big reason for that.  But at its core what Hollins said was wrong.  It's not his job to analyze everything and try to make it different?  Yes it is!   Analyzing, figuring out what is wrong and how it can be improved is what a coach is SUPPOSED to do, is EXPECTED to do..

If we were conspiracy theorists ---something we try to avoid, but will entertain just this time-- we'd also wonder if Hollins is pointing fingers.  It would not surprise us ... at all.

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