John Hollinger, a fixture of ESPN.com's coverage of the NBA for the past eight seasons and one of the leaders in basketball's rising statistical analysis movement in the past decade, is leaving his role as a columnist to become the vice president of basketball operations for the Memphis Grizzlies. Best known for hatching the formula behind every player's Player Efficiency Rating (PER) -- which attempts to quantify player performance through the use of an all-in-one rating -- Hollinger will begin work as a senior executive in the Grizzlies' basketball department next week. "It's incredibly difficult to leave ESPN, but the chance to work for an NBA team and the Grizzlies' new ownership was an irresistible opportunity," Hollinger said Thursday. Hollinger was recruited to the Grizzlies by new controlling owner Robert Pera and CEO/managing partner Jason Levien, who have made upgrading Memphis' analytics department one of their front-office priorities. The Grizzlies also hired Stu Lash on Thursday as their director of player personnel and basketball development. "We are thrilled to have John and Stu join the Grizzlies," Levien said in a release. "Both of these individuals will provide innovative and unique perspectives that bolster the organization's future." Read more http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8...hollinger-join-memphis-grizzlies-front-office
