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Detroit Pistons Reportedly Done Interviewing Head Coaching Candidates

May 23rd, 2013 at 1:38 PM
By Phil Fattore

Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach, and two-time head coach Maurice Cheeks was in Detroit yesterday for a face-to-face interview with Detroit Pistons front office personnel regarding the vacant head coaching seat. Contrary to what Pistons 101 reported yesterday, this was Cheeks' second interview with the Pistons after he reportedly had a phone interview with the Pistons while the Thunder were still in the playoffs. Two interviews leads to speculation about Cheeks becoming the next head coach, but if the second interview status wasn't enough Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News is reporting that the Pistons are done bringing in candidates for the coaching job:

But as the Pistons concluded their interview with Oklahoma City assistant Maurice Cheeks Wednesday, their first face-to-face meeting after phone conversations while the Thunder were still in the playoffs, it appears they won't be bringing in any more candidates, a source tells The Detroit News.

 

Joe Dumars has stated that there isn't a clear timetable as to when the hire will be made, but many believe the start of June is decently safe bet as to when the Pistons will wait to make a decision. Still, closing the door on new candidates means the Pistons are closing the door on both Miami Heat assistant coach David Fizdale, and Indiana Pacers associate head coach Brian Shaw. The Pistons were thought to have had interest in both candidates, but there's no chance of hiring either now that the interview process is over. 
 
To recap, the Pistons have interviewed Nate McMillan, Lindsey Hunter, San Antonio Spurs Assistant Mike Budenholzer, New York Knicks assistant Darrell Walker, and Houston Rockets assistant J.B. Bickerstaff. Most recently, they interviewed Maurice Cheeks. 
 
Of those names the only real standout is Nate McMillan, who was dubbed as the "front-runner" in the weeks following his initial interview with Joe Dumars. It was reported that Dumars had met with McMillan in North Carolina a week before his formal interview in Detroit, which would make McMillan and Cheeks the only two candidates who have met/talked with the Pistons more than once, that the media knows about.
 
In McMillan's case many believed, this writer included, that the inclusion of Phil Jackson as an unpaid consultant following the McMillan interview was a sign of McMillan's disinterest in the head-coaching job with the Pistons. If the Pistons offered McMillan the job, he might have told the Pistons he needed time to wait to see what other opportunities came his way. McMillan has also interviewed with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Atlanta Hawks (both playoff teams), and has recently been linked to the Los Angeles Clippers coaching job after Vinny Del Negro wad fired. McMillan is also thought to be the coach-in-waiting should the Sacramento Kings move to Seattle and become the Super Sonics again. (via HoopsHype.com)
 
Of those scenarios, the argument could be made that the Pistons job would be the least appealing landing spot for McMillan. 
 
In Cheeks' case, the only other job that the former head coach had been linked to was the Orlando Magic head-coaching job. However, that report was called "baseless" shortly after it was released. Cheeks has only seriously been linked to the Pistons, and as his second interview concluded yesterday with the Pistons putting out a "closed door" sign on Six Championship Drive, one could surmise that Cheeks is the new "front-runner" for the coaching job. 
 
Video of Maurice Cheeks talking about the emergence of Russell Westbrook in 2011. Might Cheeks be the coach to get Brandon Knight to the next step? 
 
 
The Pistons aren't going to rush the situation, but ending the interview process is a big step towards naming a coach. When asked if the search would be dragged out until the start of free agency, Joe Dumars told the The Detroit News, "We want to have it done by then. We're not going to drag this out." It's also unlikely that the search would be "dragged out" up to the June 27th NBA Draft, as head coaches are invaluable when evaluating rookie talent via one-on-one team workouts. 
 
The coaching search is nearing an end, and no matter who the hire is no one can say the Pistons didn't due their due diligence this time around.
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Detroit Pistons to Interview Maurice Cheeks About Head Coaching Job Today

May 22nd, 2013 at 10:11 AM
By Phil Fattore

While many were pre-occupied with frustrated complaints over the Detroit Pistons dropping a spot in the NBA Draft Lottery to the no. 8 pick overall (Pistons were slotted to pick seventh), news about the team's ongoing coaching search broke last night as well. Amid the sea of #NBA conversations swirling with the typical praise for the Cleveland Cavaliers winning of the no. 1 pick for the second time in three years, and the usual conspiracy theories about the draft lottery being rigged by NBA commissioner David Stern, ESPN's Marc Stein posted that the Pistons were expected to meet with Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach Mo Cheeks today about the vacant head coaching seat: 

 

Since Lawrence Frank was fired at the end of the regular season, Mo Cheeks' name was one that many expected would be put on Joe Dumars' coaching interview list. As many players in the Pistons' locker room complained that Frank didn't have the "former player" attributes they respected in a head coach, former-players-turned-coaches such as Brian Shaw, Nate McMillan, Lindsey Hunter and Darrell Walker have interviewed with the Pistons. From the front office standpoint, the hiring of former player with tenured coaching experience is likely a priority, as the premature hiring of Michael Curry in 2008 has turned the word "young" to "inexperienced" in the minds of the front office. 
 
Mo Cheeks played 15 seasons in the NBA, mostly with the Philadelphia 76ers, and was a four-time All-Star. From a coaching standpoint, Cheeks has been a head coach eight years in the NBA before becoming an assistant for Oklahoma City. Cheeks was the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers from 2001-2005, and the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers from 2005-2008 when he was fired after a 9-14 start to the 2008-2009 season. He's taken his teams to the playoffs three times in his eight-year coaching tenure (twice with Portland, once with Philadelphia), but has never made past the first round of the NBA Playoffs as a head coach. There’s mild success in Cheeks’ coaching career, but more importantly he’s got a lot experience in the first chair. 
 
Cheeks isn't the highly touted former-player-turned-coach name as Nate McMillan was when he interviewed weeks ago, but the silence towards McMillan's name is a likely sign that McMillan isn't interested in the Pistons coaching job. Brian Shaw, Darrell Walker and Lindsey Hunter have also all reportedly met with the Pistons for interviews, but nothing has come of that yet either. It's possible that many of the more desirable names (Shaw) are deciding to wait until their team's playoff season is over to make a decision, and that the Pistons are deciding to wait with them. Still, those close to the situation believe that the Pistons want to have their coach in place by the start of June when individual player workouts for the draft will begin, and the free agent evaluation period will kick into high gear. 
 
Just like the case with every other coaching candidate that's been interviewed by the Pistons so far, Mo Cheeks' arrival in Detroit today shouldn't be read into any further than Nate McMillan's visit was weeks ago. All that can be done is to add him to a coaching “sign-in” sheet like all the others.
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Detroit Pistons Will Pick Eighth in 2013 NBA Draft

May 21st, 2013 at 8:51 PM
By Phil Fattore

The NBA Draft Lottery is now over, and in a surprising outcome that saw the Washington Wizards jump from no. 8 to the no. 3 pick overall, the Detroit Pistons found themselves ending the night with the eighth pick overall. The Cleveland Cavaliers jumped ahead of both the Charlotte Bobcats and Orlando Magic, who had the second and first best chances of getting the no. 1 pick overall, and will be picking no. 1 overall in the draft. This will be the fourth time since the NBA Draft Lottery has begun that the Cavaliers will be picking first overall, the most by any NBA franchise.

 The full top 14 order is as follows: 

  1. Cleveland Cavaliers
  2. Orlando Magic
  3. Washington Wizards
  4. Charlotte Bobcats
  5. Phoenix Suns
  6. New Orleans Pelicans
  7. Sacramento Kings
  8. Detroit Pistons 
  9. Minnesota Timberwolves
  10. Portland Trail Blazers
  11. Philadelphia 76ers
  12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Toronto Raptors)
  13. Dallas Mavericks 
  14. Utah Jazz
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Detroit Pistons NBA Draft Lottery Update

May 20th, 2013 at 12:45 PM
By Phil Fattore

When it comes to winning the lottery, it's said that you have a better chance of being struck by lightening than cashing in on a ticket. Tomorrow night is the NBA's annual Draft Lottery to determine the top three picks in the upcoming June 27th draft, and with a 3.6% chance of winning the no.1 pick, the Detroit Pistons' odds are slightly better than a lightening strike. Still, it's highly unlikely that the Pistons find themselves sitting any higher than the no.7 pick their 2012-13 season record has earned them. Whether random dumb-luck propels the Pistons into a top-three pick, or they remain at no.7, this weekend's NBA Draft Combine may have given away some answers as to who might be this year's first-round rookie in Detroit. 

 
Last week, Pistons 101 reported on the combine interviews that were scheduled to happen between the prospective draft picks and the Detroit Pistons. (read list here) After the interviews were all said and done, The Detroit News was able to get a word from Indiana Hoosiers shooting guard, and possible "favorite" of the Pistons, Victor Oladipo: 
 
Oladipo called the experience "one of the best interviews I've been on." The Pistons' front office sat in a room with Oladipo and the crew acted as if he wasn't there, speaking honestly and candidly about Oladipo's game, what they loved, liked and thought he needed to work on.
 
Oladipo said he knows the Pistons roster and feels the team is defensively oriented, the type he would fit in with perfectly.
 
It's good to hear that Oladipo responded positively to the Pistons reported criticisms of him during the interview. Like many of the players in this year's draft class, Oladipo does not appear to have "superstar" qualities and will likely need a lot of work. That means that whoever ends up being hired as the next Pistons head coach will have a good amount of coaching to do on Oladipo, or any other draft pick for that matter. Any time a young player is open to improving, that's a good sign for a team looking to get better. 
 
More insight into the interview process came from North Texas forward Tony Mitchell, who was slotted as potential lottery pick last season before his stat line dropped in a lesser-known conference. Mitchell spoke with The Detroit News about is meeting with the Pistons, and the forward wasn't as pleased as Oladipo was: 
 
On the other side of the spectrum, North Texas forward Tony Mitchell called the Pistons "my toughest interview." Mitchell went from being at the top of the draft boards to turning in a mediocre sophomore campaign where, admittedly, he didn't bring full effort every night.
 
"They got after me, early," Mitchell said. "I respect Joe Dumars and all those guys. It was an informative interview. They asked questions constantly and I had to give answers. It was more than one guy."
 
The Pistons were likely looking at Mitchell for the first of two, second-round picks in the draft. Mitchell showed great promise during his freshman season, and was even slotted as a "player to watch" in Sports Illustrated college basketball preview. If last season was a fluke season for Mitchell, and his freshman campaign was the truer representation of his ability, then he could turn into a potential second-round steal for the Pistons. 
 
Of course, if the Pistons get lucky and win the draft lottery, then neither Oladipo nor Mitchell will be an option, as they'd likely be looking at Ben McLemore, Nerlens Noel, Anthony Bennett and Trey Burke (players slotted to go top-five in the draft). The NBA Draft Lottery takes place tomorrow night on ESPN, and Pistons fans should look for Andre Drummond representing the team at the lottery drawing. 
 
 
 
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Detroit Pistons NBA Draft Combine Update: Day 1

May 16th, 2013 at 4:21 PM
By Phil Fattore

The first day of the NBA Draft Combine is in the books. This year's prospective first and second rounders were split-up into respective groups based on position, put through numerous physical skill and shooting drills, and must now wait for the team-scheduled interviews later in the night. As each team is only given 18 official combine interviews by the NBA, a team's interest in a player can suddenly become "common knowledge" based on the selectivity of the process. Pertaining to the Detroit Pistons, Pistons.com writer Keith Langlois was in Chicago tweeting the live updates about who the Pistons are planning on interviewing. 

 
Here's what is known so far after one day at the draft combine (via @Keith_Langlois): 
 
Last night, before today's physical activities, the Pistons reportedly interviewed point guards Isaiah Canaan from Murray State, and Michael Carter-Williams from Syracuse. Canaan could be taken with the Pistons' no. 38 pick in the second round, and Carter-Williams would have to be taken with the Pistons' lottery pick if he were selected. 
 
No combine interview is scheduled with Trey Burke, but as the NBA doles out the 18 interviews it doesn't mean the Pistons aren't interested. Ray McCallum Jr. from Detroit Mercy was also in attendance at the combine, but the projected second-rounder wasn't scheduled for an interview with the Pistons. Still, both Burke and McCallum Jr. are very close to the Palace of Auburn Hills and could both be brought in to meet with the Pistons' front office outside of the combine. Both guards could be "in play" despite not being interviewed this week. 
 
Two power forwards reportedly interviewed with the Pistons on Wednesday night. Colorado power forward Andre Roberson told Langlois that he met with the Pistons. Roberson averaged 10.9 points per game, 11.2 rebounds per game, and was named the Pac-12 defensive player of the year. Roberson is a second-round pick. Arizona power forward Grant Jerrett also told Langlois that he met with the Pistons on Wednesday night as well. Jerrett averaged 5.2 points per game with 3.6 rebounds as a freshman for Arizona, and he'd likely be used with the Pistons' second second-round pick at no. 56. 
 
For tonight, the Pistons reportedly have interviews scheduled with shooting guards Ben McLemore from Kansas, and Victor Oladipo from Indiana. The Pistons reportedly also have interviews scheduled for tonight with small forwards DeShaun Thomas of Ohio State, and Shabazz Muhammad of UCLA. 
 
In general draft combine news, ESPN.com Insider Chad Ford has reported that European prospects Dennis Schroeder (point guard from Germany) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (small forward from Greece) have been given first-round promises from two unnamed teams. Both players could have pulled their names from draft eligibility, but will likely remain in the draft field now that they've been guaranteed first round landing spots. 
 
Day two of the NBA draft combine will resume again tomorrow at 10am on ESPNU. 
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