they tried to get him as the defensive coordinator before the 2014-2015 season. i believe he said he'd take the job if no head coaching positions were offered to him, then the nets gave him the job. i think this means they'd still like him to be the lead assistant. however, i can see an upsetting scenario where vogel and joerger stay put, and JVG doesn't want to work for les (or les doesn't want JVG). in that case, hollins starts to look a lot better as a HC option. my gut tells me that the interviews they are taking with second rate coaches are for 2 reasons. 1) gathering information as Deuce points out. 2) checking for interests in being a lead assistant. hollins, blatt, del negro, would all make great lead assistants.
he has been doing a lot of disrespectful and tactless things lately. Last year with the press conference about Hibbert and then being rude with PG about his position in the press. West after leaving said he felt pissed about how Hibbert was treated by managment. So it wouldn't surprise me if he did that. Maybe he is getting too old and grumpy to be the GM anymore.
You are assuming that he hasn't privately already done so. Further, Larry Bird is very competitive and a demanding boss. He has a very different philosophy on basketball than Vogel. Bird for the last 3-4 years has started to really emphasize offense, and Vogel is still defensively oriented. It may not seem like a big deal but it is. Bird in the draft and free agency want a different type of player than Vogel. So you end up having players Bird wants to get minutes, not get the playing time or development that he wants.
I actually like Lionel Hollins, but whatever happened to Nate McMillan? I remember thinking he was one of the best in the NBA for the Blazers and I haven't heard his name ever since.
This only reinforces the idea of him fitting well in Houston (and better than in a losing team with no aspirations).
