The Pistons’ current two game winning streak was not enough to save the job of Maurice Cheeks. After the acquisition of Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith in the offseason, the Pistons’ talented roster was supposed to make a run at the playoffs. The team’s current record does not accurately depict the talent level of the team.
Currently, the Pistons are only a half game out of the Playoffs. They trail the Charlotte Bobcats by a half of a game for the eight spot in the Eastern Conference. The season is far from over for the Pistons. This coaching change may be the spark that the team needs to make a run.
Owner Tom Gores stated, ”We have not made the kind of progress that we should have over the first half of the season. This is a young team and we knew there would be growing pains, but we can be patient only as long as there is progress.”
The Pistons’ record is only three games better than it was last season after fifty games. The poor play of many other Eastern Conference teams has left the door open. If the Pistons were in the Western Conference they would have much less of a chance as all current playoff teams have a winning record. The Eastern Conference’s current 7 and 8 seeds are under .500 while their 5 and 6 seeds are exactly .500.
Assistant coach John Loyer will be taking over as the Pistons’ interim head coach. He is expected to retain the Job for the remaining 32 games. Lionel Hollins is another candidate for the Pistons job. He interviewed last summer but was beat out by Cheeks.
Hollins coached the Memphis Grizzlies from 2008-2013. Last season, he led them to a 56-26 record. His team ended up losing in the Conference Finals and management decided not to renew his contract. The Pistons could potentially bring him in soon but it is more likely that they would wait until the end of the season.
Detroit sports are having more than their fair share of coaching shakeups in the past year. New Tigers’ manager Brad Ausmus is now the second most tenured coach after the firings of Lions’ Jim Schwartz and Cheeks.
All eyes turn to Joe Dumars in his final year of his contract. Maurice Cheeks was supposed to be his guy but ended up being another one of the many coaches he has had to dismiss. It appears Dumars’ best days may be behind him.
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