I’ll be at MSG this evening for the Grizzlies/Knicks tilt but shall sadly be denied the sight of Mike D’Antoni embracing former assistant Marc Ivaroni (above, right, impossible to defend by Raja Bell, left).  The latter was fired earlier today after compiling a 33-90 record as Memphis’ head coach over the course of a miserable 18 months, outlined by the Commercial-Appeal’s Ronald Tillery.

Former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins, now an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks, will be named Iavaroni™s successor this weekend, according to a source with knowledge of the organization™s plans.

Ivaroni was charged with developing one of the youngest teams in the NBA this season. But the Griz struggled with consistency. The team never settled on a style of play and several players, including second-leading scorer Rudy Gay, regressed from last season.

Another major disappointment had to do with shaky point guard play, as neither Kyle Lowry nor Mike Conley was a consistent contributor.

Iavaroni essentially led three different teams while with the Griz. In 2007, he inherited a team with veterans Mike Miller and Pau Gasol. That team underwhelmed before the Griz traded Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers midway through the season.