Lionel Hollins is ready to return to coaching in the NBA.

The Memphis Grizzlies decided not to retain Hollins with his contract up this past offseason despite winning 56 games. The Grizzlies and Hollins had apparent philosophical differences.

"I believe I've established myself as a head coach and I'd like another opportunity to show that [my success] wasn't a fluke," Hollins said. "I feel like I've proven I can take a young team and develop it, then sustain what I've done by what I did in the last five years in Memphis."

Hollins had an opportunity to join Maurice Cheeks' staff as an assistant coach but declined.

"I had done it [serve as an assistant coach] for a long time before I was given the opportunity to be a head coach," Hollins said. "But my thought process was, 'I've established myself as a head coach. I'd like to stay in that state at the moment.' But if it didn't work out, yeah, I'd go back and be an assistant coach. I'd go to college and be a head coach there, if I had the opportunity. But my thought process is to be a professional head coach."