Report: Rockets target former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins to join coaching staff

Lionel Hollins played for the Rockets in 1984-85, his final season as a player in the NBA. (Joe Murphy/Getty Images) The Houston Rockets are in pursuit of

Lionel Hollins played for the Rockets in 1984-85, his final season as a player in the NBA. (Joe Murphy/Getty Images)

The Houston Rockets are in pursuit of former Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins -- who played for the Rockets in his final season as player in the NBA in 1984-85 -- to try to add him to Kevin McHale's coaching staff, Marc Stein of ESPN reported on Tuesday.

Hollins, 60, coached in Memphis from 2009-'13, his third stint as a coach with the franchise dating back to the 1999-2000 season when the Grizzlies were in Vancouver.  In the 2012-13 season, his last with the organization before it was announced that his contract would not be renewed, Hollins led the Grizzlies to a franchise record 56-win season, bowing out in the playoffs to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.

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A defensive mind with the Grizzlies, Hollins could help boost a Rockets team that ranked 12th in defense, allowing the most points per possession in the playoffs.

After carving out a 10-year career as a player in the league -- winning an NBA championship in 1977 with the Portland Trail Blazers -- Hollins recently interviewed for the vacant head coaching openings with the Cavaliers and the Lakers. According to Stein, he is still in pursuit of a head coaching gig and is hesitant to accept an assistant role.

Word is Rockets making hard sell to Lionel Hollins to join Kevin McHale's staff as assistant. Hollins, naturally, still chasing next HC gig

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 17, 2014