According to ABC 7 in Detroit, the Pistons have contacted Brian Shaw about an interview for their vacant head coaching position.
HoopsVibe Very Quick Call: Why in the world hasn't Shaw gotten a head coaching job yet?
Joe Dumars
Joe Dumars, Chauncey Billups and the death of the Detroit Pistons
The Quick Hit: For years, almost everything Joe Dumars touched turned to gold.
After all, the Hall of Fame shooting guard turned General Manager built the Detroit Pistons into a perennial contender, model franchise, and World Champion by giving underappreciated players an opportunity.
1985 NBA Draft; Best First Round Ever?
Was the envelope frozen? Or was the crease in the upper right hand/folded corner enough for the commish to know it was the correct envelope to pick? Watching the NBA Draft this past week, and the tepid response from most fans concerning who would go number one overall, is a long way from when it was held in 1985. Back in 1985 the Draft actually mattered because Patrick Ewing was at stake.
Report: Rip Hamilton to join Bulls?
Sources with knowledge of the Bulls free-agency plans confirmed to CSNChicago.com Friday evening that the Bulls are targeting recently waived veteran shooting guard Rip Hamilton. The organization's pursuit of the longtime Piston was first reported by the Chicago Tribune.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: This was long overdue.
Once upon a time, Rip Hamilton was an All-Star two-guard for the Detroit Pistons, however, his career went sideways once the team traded Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson.
At the time, GM Joe Dumars needed stability, so he extended Hamilton with a multi- year contract for well over $30 million.
This was a mistake. A bad signing for team and player. The two-guard couldn’t handle losing, feuding with coaches, teammates, and management.
For instance, Hamilton led the Pistons in rebelling against former coach John Kuester, which included boycotting practice and laughing when the sideline boss got ejected from a game. There were other transgressions.
Years back, Hamilton should have played out his contract, hit free agency, and joined a contender as a third or fourth scoring option -like the Chicago Bulls.
Hamilton will take the scoring pressure off 2011 MVP Derrick Rose and often-injured post Carlos Boozer. He’ll also hold his own defensively.
The only problem with this signing is that it’s happening too late.
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Would David Kahn and Larry Brown Fail in Minnesota?
After interviewing Rick Adelman and Don Nelson over the weekend, the Timberwolves intend to interview Larry Brown and possibly one or two others in this first phase to replace fired coach Kurt Rambis.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: It makes some sense -more than hiring Don Nelson, at least.
Larry Brown is best when spreading his ‘Play The Right Way’ mantra amongst a young, impressionable group. After all, Brown considers himself a teacher of the game, and clearly he suffers for his students.
Well, the Minnesota Timberwolves are young and impressionable. They've won just 32 games since 2009, so Brown’s message would, at least initially, hold weight.
The on-court dynamic would be fine -for a while. The off-court end of things sounds dicey.
Yes, Wolves GM David Kahn has known Brown since their days at UCLA. In fact, Kahn considers Brown a mentor, who guided him as a young, impressionable reporter on the west coast.
This is a problem. Brown, to be effective on the sideline, needs a strong counterweight in the front office, who can laugh off his idiosyncrasies, worrying, and perfectionist nature.
There was the legendary Donnie Walsh in Indiana. There was the enthusiastic Pat Croce in Philadelphia. And there was Joe Dumars, who at the time still possessed his magical touch in Detroit.
This trio knew when to listen and when to ignore Brown. Not surprisingly, this formula worked in Indiana, Philadelphia, and Detroit.
Kahn is already a disaster. He would misread, misquote, and mishandle Brown, which, in turn, would have a negative impact on those young, impressionable, and talented players.
The nomad sideline boss isn’t right for the Wolves. But this is about Kahn's inadequacies, not Brown's.
--Oly Sandor.
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Report: Detroit Pistons to hire Lawrence Frank as coach?
Lawrence Frank is Detroit’s choice to be its next head coach, and formal offer imminent within next 24-36 hours, league sources tell Y!
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: The Detroit Pistons aren’t kind on coaches –but I suppose new sideline boss Lawrence Frank is aware of this.
Whether because of Executive Joe Dumars or the team’s temperamental players, the Pistons have chewed up and spit out seven coaches in eleven years. Many of those coaches left on bad terms; a few had awful experiences.
Frank knows this. He also knows what he has –or doesn’t have. The Pistons are a mediocre team, with several players who may resist his defense-first approach.
Still, Frank has one of the NBA’s thirty head coaching gigs. After getting fired by the New Jersey Nets and spending time as an assistant with Doc Rivers' Boston Celtics, Frank is back in ‘The Big Chair’.
--Oly Sandor.
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Pistons relieve Kuester of coaching duties and misery
John Kuester will not be returning to the Pistons as head coach, according to sources. Kuester has posted a 57-107 mark in his two years in Detroit. Kuester seemed to have a personality clash with Richard Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince and Tracy McGrady.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: John Kuester didn’t deserve to keep his job as coach of the Detroit Pistons. He did, however, deserve to be treated better.
After all, the players crapped on their sideline boss, viewing him as a career assistant who didn’t deserve to sit in the big chair.
From day one Kuester didn’t have their respect. Veteran Rip Hamilton chewed him out in front of the team. Several players boycotted practice. And many of those same players were caught laughing on camera when he got ejected from a game.
Kuester was part of the problem. Clearly, there were others.
It starts with GM Joe Dumars, who has lost his touch. The roster he assembled is flawed, dysfunctional, and overmatched.
Fortunately, the Pistons have new owners. So Kuester won’t be the only change.
--Oly Sandor.
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Jeff Van Gundy: ‘Tracy McGrady should be a Hall of Fame player’
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“Tracy McGrady was 1,000 hours of practice,” Van Gundy said to laughter from the audience. “He should be a Hall of Fame player. His talent was other-worldly. He was given a great leg up in the race against other players. He’s as close as I’ve ever seen to someone with a perfect body and a good mind.”
Rumor: Pistons helping Nets land Anthony and Billups?
Two sources confirmed to CBSSports.com Friday night that the Nets were trying to recruit the Pistons to enter a blockbuster three-team scenario in which New Jersey would've gotten Anthony and Chauncey Billups from the Nuggets and Richard Hamilton from the Pistons. The complicated and intriguing scenario was first reported by the The Record of Hackensack, N.J.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Not long ago, GM Joe Dumars was confident he could rebuild his Detroit Pistons on the fly.
The plan was simple enough: trade Chauncey Billups’ multi-year contract for Allen Iverson’s expiring contract; let Iverson’s contract come off-the-books; and ink a big-ticket free agent.
Then Detroit would be back. They’d have the horses to beat the Boston Celtics and win another championship.
Well, the plan never materialized. Instead of landing a big-ticket free agent, Dumars signed underachievers like Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. And instead of rebuilding on the fly, the Pistons have gotten worse.
They’re part of the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes. Only they aren’t competing for Anthony, the big-ticket piece they supposedly covet. They’ve been relegated to third team status.
Reports indicate the Pistons’ involvement will allow the Nets to get Anthony, and former Piston Billups, who Dumars originally dealt to the Denver Nuggets for Iverson three years ago.
Things have come full circle for Piston-nation. Rebuilding on the fly didn’t work. Now Dumars must tear the team he built down and start all over.
--Oly Sandor.
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Jon Barry: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade less great together
I hate to see two great, great players -- in my mind, two of the top three in the league with he and Wade -- join up. I like seeing them go against each other. We're not going to see the greatness of each player on a nightly basis like we're accustomed to seeing. That's disappointing. But I can't blame LeBron because you're ultimately judged by the number of NBA rings on your finger, and that team is going to be one of the favorites.
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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade’s stature won’t decrease because they’re together with the Miami Heat.
If anything, it’s the opposite. Their greatness will increase.
Instead of being a one-man show, instead of making-do with sub-par co-stars, instead of bowing out prematurely in the playoffs year-after-year, James and Wade will play relevant basketball in May and June.
Great players need each other. And great players should bring out the best in each other.
Consider the past. Magic Johnson had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Larry Bird had Dennis Johnson, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parrish. Isiah Thomas had Joe Dumars. Or vice-versa. And Tim Duncan had David Robinson.
There’s a misconception a great player is only great if he’s leading ‘His Team’. One superstar is the general with eleven other players following.
What a crock.
Even the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan, had considerable help. During their championship run, Scottie Pippen was arguably the second best player in the NBA.
Pippen is a top fifty player of all-time. He’s in the Hall of Fame. He could pass, score, rebound, and finish in the open-court. His athleticism and ability to defend all five positions made him invaluable.
Expect James and Wade to excel together. They’re friends. They engineered this situation. And they’ll bring out the greatness in each other.
--Oly Sandor.
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Desperate times, desperate measures: fading Pistons sign fading T-Mac
Seven-time NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady has reached agreement on a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Detroit Pistons, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: This situation should work for Tracy McGrady and the Detroit Pistons.
After all, McGrady needs regular minutes, shots, and touches. This opportunity only happens on a mediocre team such as the Pistons.
Meanwhile, Detroit needs to distract fans from the on-court product. It's a mess.
Executive Joe Dumars has been too loyal to his 2004 championship team, hanging on to past their prime pieces like Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, and re-signing Ben Wallace. He also overpaid free agents Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.
Enter McGrady.
His name and fading star power should keep the masses talking, and not about Dumars' recent failures. Best of all, McGrady has dropped his demand to start; he has agreed to compete for minutes.
So McGrady and the Pistons seem a fit. As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.
--Oly Sandor.
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