Lionel Hollins, a former NBA player and one of the most renowned defensive stoppers in NBA history, had especially deep insight into zone pressure.
As a player, he won a championship with the Trail Blazers in 1977 and made the All-Defensive Team in both 1977 and 1978.
Now, Lionel Hollins was the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies.
In fact, Lionel Hollins had begun his coaching career in 1999. But at first, things hadn't gone smoothly. It wasn't until the Grizzlies rehired him as head coach for the 2008–09 season that he truly established himself as an NBA head coach. Over the past three years, the Grizzlies' record had steadily improved.
Lionel Hollins's arrival laid the foundation for the Memphis Grizzlies' style of play: defense first.
Whenever people mentioned the Memphis Grizzlies, the first thing that came to mind was their unbreakable defense. From Mike Conley at point guard to the "Grit and Grind" duo in the paint, all five Grizzlies positions were manned by defensive stalwarts.
In an era when possessions were growing more frequent and the pace of offense was getting faster, Lionel Hollins's Grizzlies were undoubtedly moving farther and farther down a unique path.
Hollins's preference for defense was common knowledge. No matter what kind of player you were, if you could defend, you could get a chance with the Grizzlies. Just look at how well Tony Allen, who could barely shoot, was doing in Memphis, and you'd see how unusual Hollins's taste in players was.
That was exactly why Lionel Hollins had recently taken an interest in the Chinese-American player who'd been making headlines. The slightly slender forward, standing 6'8", was just the kind of player Hollins needed.
People might have noticed Link's 52-point night, but overlooked the fact that he'd never let his matchup score big in the G League. Whether it was Luke Ba Weiyuan, Lance Stephenson, or DeMarre Carroll, they'd all been overshadowed by Link.
Even in those three games with the Rockets, Link had shown impressive defense despite his limited playing time. In fact, that was the real reason the Grizzlies were interested in him.
A potential 3-and-D player was exactly what the Grizzlies needed. Originally, they'd planned to trade for their former star, Sean Battier. But compared with Battier, Link was younger, and the Grizzlies could get him without giving up much of anything.
What was there not to like about that deal?
So that afternoon, at the training facility, Lionel Hollins finally got to see his new player, the guy who'd taken the entire G League by storm in just three games: Link.
"Link, I'm glad you came in so quickly. I'm Lionel Hollins, head coach of the Grizzlies." Hollins shook Link's hand politely, leaving Link flattered.
After all, when he'd first arrived at the Rockets, Adelman hadn't even looked at him.
"Hello, sir. I'm glad to get the chance to practice here." Link shook Hollins's hand politely. "When do we start?"
Link was eager, of course. More than anyone, he wanted to get out on the court as soon as possible.
"Start? Start what? Full-contact practice?" Hollins laughed. "No rush, Link. You don't know anything about the Grizzlies' system yet. Get familiar with our style of play and what you'll need to do first. Then you can practice with the team. But I'm sure your basketball fundamentals will make that easy."
Hollins patted Link on the shoulder. Spending four years in college wasn't all bad. NCAA had surely given Link a solid foundation in basketball. Learning the system shouldn't be difficult for a senior.
"I'll work hard, Mr. Lionel Hollins."
"Hahaha, you don't have to keep calling me 'sir.' I'm the coach, you're a player. We need clear communication, not unnecessary formalities. Got it?" Hollins smiled. Were all Chinese-American players this polite?
"I understand, Coach."
"Good. Warm up properly. This afternoon, I'll have Turner explain the plays to you. Then you might need to get out there and try running them. Don't worry, I'll let you make mistakes for now. Besides, your teammates are all very gentle. So go all out."
With that, Hollins turned and headed back to his office. Link stayed where he was, scratching his head.
The Grizzlies' teammates were all gentle? He must've thought I'd never watched the NBA...
At two that afternoon, the moment Link had been dreading finally arrived. The Grizzlies' afternoon practice was starting, which meant the players would soon be filing in.
And Link was the most unusual presence in the training facility.
Mike Conley was the first to walk in. Though he was only in his fourth year and had already become the Grizzlies' starting point guard, and though he was levelheaded and deeply devoted to the team, he wasn't one to wear his heart on his sleeve.
"Hi." After spotting Link, Conley merely greeted him, then went off to warm up on his own, as if Link didn't even exist.
Marc Gasol was the second to enter. He'd once been so fat he hardly looked like a professional athlete, but now he was lean and powerful—a true "European Fortress."
Marc was more outgoing than his brother, Paul, but as a European player, he wasn't especially warm toward people he didn't know. The Spanish center simply nodded at Link, and that was his greeting.
Tony Allen was the third to step onto the court, and the warmest of the three. As soon as he came in, he walked over to Link in surprise. "You really came! Hahaha, I can't believe Wallace actually brought you to Memphis! Hey, did you guys know this dude just scored 52 points in the G League the other day? You're good, man. I'm sorry about Zeke. Hey, do well here, and you'll come to love Memphis. Trust me."
Tony Allen's enthusiasm took Link by surprise. As a fan in his previous life, he'd known Tony Allen as a defensive stopper, the kind of player who gave even athletes like LeBron James a headache.
He just hadn't expected such a tough guy to be so easygoing off the court.
"Thanks for the encouragement, Tony. I'll do my best."
Link gave an awkward smile. He just couldn't match the easy familiarity of guys like Tony.
The rest of the Grizzlies players trickled in. Some greeted Link, while others ignored him outright. O.J. Mayo, for his part, sized up his new teammate with an arrogant look.
On top of that, Sam Young glared at Link with resentment. Everyone knew that if Sam Young had performed well, the Grizzlies wouldn't have needed to bring Link in. Link was there to compete with Sam Young, and rivals weren't exactly known for making friendly conversation.
As time passed, more and more people filled the training facility. Link began to feel nervous. The most "bearish" guy on the Grizzlies still hadn't shown up.
"Bang!" Just then, the training facility doors swung open, and a human mountain of meat walked in, waving to everyone. "Afternoon, everyone."
Link looked at the Black Jon Brockman and couldn't help swallowing nervously.
Zach Randolph, the Grizzlies' "gentlest" teammate, had arrived!
As Link stared at Randolph, Randolph happened to turn his gaze toward him. Their eyes met, and Randolph flashed a wicked grin before walking over.
"You're Link? The guy who set the G League single-game scoring record?" Randolph asked as he approached.
"Hey, Zach."
"Our team doesn't need any softies, so if you want to stick around, you'd better play tough in practice. Memphis scrimmages aren't like the G League's little games. Hahahaha." Randolph laughed, and Sam Young chuckled along with him.
"I know how to play tough better than you do, Zach. I've seen plenty of big guys like you. There was a guy just like you in the G League who tried to intimidate me." Link replied firmly, much to Randolph's surprise.
"And how'd that turn out?" Randolph moved closer to Link. He'd thought the rookie would be too scared to speak, but now he had to admit he kind of liked this yellow-skinned kid.
The Grizzlies needed that kind of fearless spirit.
"You're about to find out."
"Ooooh!" Link's reply set off an uproar among the Grizzlies players watching nearby.
Randolph laughed too. He grabbed Link by the shoulder and gave it a subtle squeeze. "I'm looking forward to finding out, kid."
After Randolph walked away, Link let out a long breath. It seemed you had to deal with different people in different ways.
The taciturn Conley and Marc Gasol, the arrogant Mayo, the enthusiastic Tony Allen, the resentful Sam Young, and the inscrutable Randolph... Like Memphis itself, the Grizzlies were a chaotic melting pot of all kinds of people.
Still, Link was looking forward to his first practice more and more. This unusual little group seemed pretty interesting.
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