The Pistons may be closing in on a new head coach.
According to Mark Stein of ESPN.com, the Pistons seems set on either hiring former Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Woodson or Boston Celtics assistant coach Lawrence Frank.
Of the five known candidates for job, sources say that former Pistons assistant Mike Woodson is still the closest thing to a favorite, thanks largely to Woodson’s good working relationship with Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars and the fact that Detroit would know exactly what it’s getting after Woodson’s work under Larry Brown during the Pistons’ 2004 title run.
Yet sources say that one reason Detroit’s search has dragged out so long is the strong impression that Lawrence Frank made on new Pistons owner Tom Gores and his advisers, among them former New York Knicks executive Dave Checketts.
Detroit’s choice, then, appears to be a tossup between the unattached Woodson and Frank, who remains part of Doc Rivers’ staff in Boston.
Right now I favor Woodson over Frank for the Pistons job. I like what Woodson did in Atlanta before getting fired after being swept by the Orlando Magic in the second round of the playoffs in 2010. Like Stein also mentions, Woodson also has a good relationship with Joe Dumars.
Prior to Woodson and Frank other candidates that were considered for the Pistons head coaching job were former Piston Bill Laimbeer, Bucks assistant coach Kelvin Sampson and former New York Knicks great Patrick Ewing.
Source: ESPN.com