To figure out who the next Detroit Pistons head coach might be, apparently one need look no further than the mix of Western Conference playoff teams.
After a front office housecleaning that started with the mid-season firing of rookie coach Maurice Cheeks and has continued with the post-season ouster of longtime GM and career Piston Joe Dumars, the Detroit Free Press now reports management is equally high on Oklahoma City’s Scott Brooks and Golden State’s Mark Jackson provided either of them becomes available after their team’s playoff runs.
Another possibility could be Frank Vogel, currently head coach of the Central Division rival Pacers and rumored to potentially be on the hot-seat in Indiana if the top-seeded Pacers don’t make the kind of deep post-season playoff run many have anticipated all season.
A year after adding veteran forward Josh Smith in free agency and acquiring up-and-coming point guard Brandon Jennings via trade, the Pistons are again looking to remake themselves this summer.
Though they boast one of the best young big men tandem in the league in Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond, Detroit finished the year at 29-53, missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season.
A big name coaching hire may also help the Pistons at the gate, where in recent years the franchise has also struggled mightily. Over the last few seasons, the Pistons have only ranked ahead of the Timberwolves, Hawks, 76ers and Bucks in attendance in 2012 gate receipts dwindled by more than 30 percent.
Whomever the Pistons hire will also have the added benefit of working with a mix of veterans such as Chauncey Billups and Rodney Stuckey and youngsters that include Peyton Siva and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
The Clippers lead the Warriors 2-1 in their Western Conference series, while the Pacers are tied with Atlanta at 2-2, as are the Thunder with the Grizzlies.
