Moderators: Cowology, theBigLip, Snakebites, dVs33
Breaking News: Curry Fired
The Pistons have fired Michael Curry after one disappointing season as coach.
"This was a difficult decision to make," Pistons president Joe Dumars said. "I want to thank Michael for his hard work and dedication to the organization. However, at this time, I have decided to make a change."
–Detroit News
It’s fair to wonder if Bill Laimbeer’s resignation from the Detroit Shock was a related move. More on this to come.
Source: Pistons contact Avery Johnson's agent
The surprising firing of Pistons coach Michael Curry today seems to prove the old adage that the NBA is a player’s league. Hired last summer to replace Flip Saunders, it was initially thought that Curry, just a few years removed from his NBA playing days, would have the ear of the players. Far from it. As the team tumbled to a 39-43 record and first-round sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers, players privately questioned game plans as well as the many lineup changes Curry implemented. Rip Hamilton and Allen Iverson, both the subject of a midseason controversy over who would be in the starting lineup, both publicly questioned Curry's decision-making. At the end of the season, Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said that Curry’s status was a non-issue, but something obviously changed. So here’s today’s lesson on how professional sports operate. Coaches lead at the whim of their much higher-paid players. And unless a coach carries the weight of a lot of victories or, even better, championship rings, he must quickly establish himself as worthy of respect.
One would have to figure that word spread around the league about players’ reservations over Curry. And what with Dumars hoping to attract at least two proven starters through free agency — which begins at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow — it appears that Joe is seeking a more established coach for the next Pistons’ era. Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey said the move caught him off-guard. He told the Free Press that he learned of the firing after he awoke this morning and read the e-mail. "To tell you the truth at the end of the day it’s a business,” Stuckey said. “He was a good guy and I learned a lot from him, but at the end of the day it’s a business." A list of possible candidates to replace Curry would have to include ESPN analysts and former Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson and TNT analyst and former Pistons coach Doug Collins. Johnson's agent has been contacted by the Pistons but no formal talks have been scheduled, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person said Johnson "absolutely" would be interested in the position.
A Pistons source doubted that former Pistons great Bill Laimbeer, who recently resigned as coach of the WNBA's Shock, would be considered. "As we've continued through this transition, it's become clear that we need a more experienced coach for where we are right now," Dumars said today in an e-mail. "I asked a lot of Mike as a first-year head coach." Curry’s tenure was doomed after the loss of All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups, who was traded to Denver for Iverson last November. Dumars fired Saunders last year after he led the team to the Eastern Conference finals in each of his three seasons. Curry played eleven seasons in the NBA, including two stints with the Pistons (1996-97 and 1999-2003). He also played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Bullets, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers. Prior to becoming a head coach, Curry was an assistant under Saunders in Detroit and served as the NBA's Vice President of Player Development. Calls to Michael Curry's cell phone were not returned. Dumars declined to answer additional questions.
Kwame Brown won’t opt out
Kwame Brown will be back with the Pistons for $4.1 million next season, according to A. Sherod Blakely of MLive.
I’d rather have the extra cap space, but this isn’t too detrimental for the Pistons. They are lacking on big men, and this isn’t a strong free-agent class for centers. A suitable replacement wouldn’t cost much less.
But as the Amir Johnson trade showed, Joe Dumars is trying to eke out every last bit of cap space he can. So why did Brown have this option in his contract? Was he in such high demand last summer that Dumars couldn’t have signed him to a one-year deal?
BREAKING NEWS: Pistons fire Michael Curry
From a release by the team: Joe Dumars announced this evening that Michael Curry will not return next season as the team’s head coach.
“This was a difficult decision to make,” Dumars said. “I want to thank Michael for his hard work and dedication to the organization. However, at this time, I have decided to make a change.”
Curry, who was named head coach on June 10, 2008, tallied a regular-season record of 39-43 in his first season as an NBA head coach with the Pistons and led the club to the first round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs. Detroit was swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games. He served one season in Detroit as an assistant coach under Flip Saunders (2007-08) and had two separate stints with the organization as a player
Christmas in July
We got to open one present a day early! Curry is safe? Joe D., you sly devil. Michael Curry’s on-the-job training has been mercifully squashed, for today he is fired. Unlike the Lions, the Pistons did not chose to go “lalalala I can’t hear you” to their nation of fans. “This was a difficult decision to make,” said Joe Dumars, Detroit’s president of basketball operations. “I want to thank Michael for his hard work and dedication to the organization. However, at this time, I have decided to make a change.”
Nothing against Curry as a man, it was just wrong coach at the wrong time. He’ll get on somewhere. I guess it might also be time to park this domain.
Let the “We want Laimbeer” chants begin. Whether it be Lambs or someones else Joe knows he needs a coach that big time free agents are going to want to play for. Someone who has a vision that doesn’t include game-by-game lineup changes or visions of small ball grandeur.
Questions left in the wake of Michael Curry’s firing
I’m going to continue updating this post, so check back to read more analysis.
Who will replace Curry?
Bill Laimbeer
He’s the most obvious candidate. Did he know Curry would be fired when he resigned from the Shock? He’d bring the toughness Detroit lacked last year.
Avery Johnson
He might be a little too high-strung for this job. But he has shown he can be successful in the short-term. Has he learned how to mellow out?
Tom Izzo
I don’t think he’d leave leave Michigan State, but this might be the job that tempts him. He’s very competitive, and I think, on some level, he wants to prove he can be a successful professional coach.
Jeff Van Gundy
He wants to get back into coaching, and he has an impressive record. There are probably better candidates out there, but he’s a fairly safe choice.
Tom Thibodeau
He’s widely regarded as the best assistant in the league. And he’s credited with orchestrating the Celtics’ defense.
Doug Collins
He coached Dumars, and he was interested in the 76ers opening. He’d be a solid choice, but he hasn’t coached in seven years.
Hubie Brown
I doubt he’s interested in returning to the bench at 75. But if he is, he’s probably my first choice. He even took the Grizzlies to the playoffs.
Terry Porter
He was a Pistons assistant before going to Phoenix. He was solid as a head coach in Milwaukee, and Phoenix didn’t improve after firing him last season. He’d probably come fairly cheap, too.
Larry Brown
Isn’t he always a candidate for every open job?
Commentary: Time for Joe Dumars to halt parade of scapegoats
The names change but the story remains the same. The Pistons fired Michael Curry on Tuesday, and this is about another Pistons coach who failed to gain the respect of the players. Curry was a fine assistant coach who could keep the peace as an underling, but he was not the right guy to lead this team. It is not all Curry's fault, however, because Pistons president Joe Dumars made it impossible for Curry to succeed. Once Dumars dropped an atomic bomb named Allen Iverson in the dressing room, there was no way Curry had the name, game and experience to keep things together. Curry was not the right guy, but he faced an impossible task during the 2008-09 season.
Now the Pistons must find a guy that players respect -- and that will be nearly impossible. There is speculation that Bill Laimbeer is in the running for the position. But I question if he can get respect from a dressing room full of players who believe they are running the show. And for the most part, they are. The players never respected Michael Curry. They called him "MC," not "Coach," or "Coach Curry," and they often rolled their eyes when you asked about their coach. The Pistons are transitioning to a new type of team, with a new way of playing and a new game plan. Curry obviously did not fit that plan and neither does Laimbeer.
The guy who should take over this team is the man who made the move. If Dumars wants to fix this mess, he should take over the team. He cannot keep firing coaches and moving players. Dumars must either step down as team president or step up as head coach. He is not willing to give his coaches enough support to control an unprofessional dressing room. Is Joe willing to step up and do it? I doubt it. Instead, it is likely Dumars will hire a guy that will last another two or three years before he moves on to the next scapegoat. It is time for Dumars to put his stamp on this franchise from the bench.
Ax falls again on Pistons coach, where nothing but NBA title seems to make the grade
All or nothing seems to be the formula for coaching the Detroit Pistons. Bring home an NBA championship or hit the road. First-year coach Michael Curry became the latest Pistons coach to get the ax as president for basketball operations Joe Dumars fired him Tuesday after watching his team stumble to a sub-.500 record and an embarrassing first-round exit from the playoffs. But winning playoff games hasn't been enough to keep Pistons management happy. Just ask Flip Saunders. Dumars fired Saunders last season after he led the team to the Eastern Conference finals in each of his three seasons. Curry was an assistant under Saunders for one season. Pistons parted ways with Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown after he helped them win a title and almost repeat during his two years with the team. And Rick Carlisle was fired after two years with the Pistons following a conference finals appearance in 2003 in his second season and NBA Coach of the Year honors in his first. Curry and Dumars shared playing days together with Detroit. That may have helped Curry land the coaching job last year, but it wasn't enough to keep him in it. The Pistons went 39-43 in 2008-09 and were swept in the postseason in four lopsided losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers after six straight conference finals appearances. Dumars said after that series that Curry would return, but changed his mind by Tuesday. "This was a difficult decision to make," Dumars said in a statement. "I want to thank Michael for his hard work and dedication to the organization. However, at this time, I have decided to make a change."
Pistons spokesman Kevin Grigg said the timetable for naming a new coach was up in the air. "Obviously with the free agency period starting tomorrow (Wednesday), we don't know quite the speed of it," Grigg said. Another ex-Pistons player and former Dumars teammate, Bill Laimbeer, stepped down in June as coach of the WNBA's Detroit Shock, saying he wanted a shot at coaching in the NBA. An e-mail message was left for Laimbeer seeking comment Tuesday. The Pistons began the season with big hopes but couldn't recover from the loss of All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups in a November trade to Denver for Allen Iverson — a move intended to feature Iverson's creativity and create time for emerging guard Rodney Stuckey. Instead, the Pistons fell apart. They won just three games in February and three in April, plummeting to the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff seeding and a no-win matchup with LeBron James and the Cavs. The playoff series loss ended a dominant run: The Pistons and the Magic Johnson-led Los Angeles Lakers are the only franchises to play in six straight conference finals since 1970-71, when teams had to win two series to advance that far. Immediately after the season, Dumars defended Curry. "It was an up-and-down season for him," Dumars said then. "And, an up-and down-season for us. ... The fact that we made so many changes for a first-year coach, I had to step back and be a little more patient than I have been. ... I tried to put myself in his shoes."
A telephone message seeking comment was left for Curry on Tuesday. In January, he said he expected to be held responsible for the team's fortunes. "It's part of the job," he said. "When you lose, it's the coach's fault. When you win, the players get the praise." Dumars last week started rebuilding the roster. The Pistons may very well part with unrestricted free agents Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess, and they picked up forwards Austin Daye, DaJuan Summers and Jonas Jerebko in last week's draft. Curry, who played for the Pistons in 1995-1997 and 1999-2003, started his playing career as an undrafted free agent during the 1993-94 season in Philadelphia and ended during the 2004-05 season with the Indiana Pacers. Near the end of his playing career, Curry headed the NBA players' association, leading it from 2001-2003. He later served as the NBA Development League's vice president for player development and the NBA's vice president for basketball operations. Curry averaged 4 1/2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 20 minutes a game over his career, which also included stints in Milwaukee, Toronto and Washington. His defense and leadership kept him in the league despite averaging less than seven points a season.
Did Curry deserve to be fired?
He only had one year, so there was still a chance he would develop into a quality coach. But he did a terrible job in that year.
He alienated Detroit’s star player, Richard Hamilton.
He claimed to emphasize defense and rebounding, but he started a ridiculously small lineup for much of the season.
He overly complicated defensive schemes.
He annoyed several players, most notably Jason Maxiell, by cutting their minutes with little explanation.
He failed to control Allen Iverson.
He let Rasheed Wallace’s discontent spread through the team.
The last two would be tough for any coach, but the first four should have been handled better. I expected Curry to return next year, especially considering Joe Dumars said he would in April. My guess is Curry was unable or unwilling to repair his relationship with Hamilton. What else could have changed between April now besides Dumars’s assessment of whether that would happen? So, if that’s the case, Curry deserved to be fired. You can’t be that stubborn as an NBA head coach. The players will win.
Top free agents in the NBA
1. Ron Artest (Houston)
• 2008-09 salary/stats: $7.4M/ 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists
• Age: 29
• Outlook: Artest has transformed himself from combustible to dependable. When Tracy McGrady went down last season, Artest stepped up in every way possible. He helped the overachieving Rockets push the Lakers to seven games in the West semifinals, which boosted his value. He's still one of the top five perimeter defenders in the game, and in the right situation, could be extremely helpful to teams looking to get over the hump. With the recent news about Yao Ming, Houston may go into full-bore rebuilding mode.
• Interested teams: L.A. Lakers, Houston, Cleveland
• Likely landing: Houston
2. Hedo Turkoglu (Orlando)
• 2008-09 salary/stats: $6.8M/16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists
• Age: 30
• Outlook: Turkoglu helped carry the Magic to the Finals. His ballhandling skills are rare for his size (6-foot-11) and he's more than capable of running an offense. He makes difficult shots and isn't afraid to shoot with the game on the line. But since Orlando acquired Vince Carter, it's clear Turkoglu will be hitting the open market, although teams may be hesitant to give a 30-year-old $10M per year.
• Interested teams: Toronto, Portland, Sacramento
• Likely landing: Portland
3. Trevor Ariza (L.A. Lakers)
• 2008-09 salary/stats: $3.1M/8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals
• Age: 23
• Outlook: Ariza's one of few who should get a raise. His game has grown by leaps and bounds after missing the 2008 playoff run, and it showed how much he worked on his game in the meantime. He shot nearly 50 percent from 3-point range during the playoffs, and "stole" two games from Denver in the West finals. He's only tapped the surface of his potential and is a top priority for the Lakers.
• Interested teams: L.A. Lakers, Detroit
• Likely landing: L.A. Lakers
4. Paul Millsap (Utah)
• 2008-09 salary/stats: $797K/13.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, .96 blocks
• Age: 24
• Outlook: Millsap always was viewed as a valuable backup, but in 2009, he stepped up in a major way after Carlos Boozer went down for extended periods. At 250 pounds, he's built to take the extra beating, and is the kind of player Jazz coach Jerry Sloan craves. He's aggressive on the glass, averaging almost nine rebounds in 30 minutes.
• Interested teams: Detroit, Utah, Oklahoma City
• Likely landing: Oklahoma City
5. Lamar Odom (L.A. Lakers)
• 2008-09 salary/stats: $14.1M/11.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 blocks
• Age: 29
• Outlook: Odom's inconsistency always has worried GMs, but his willingness to come off the bench during a contract year has to earn him some brownie points. He's easily one of the most versatile players in the game when motivated. His efficient performance in the playoffs turned some heads.
• Interested teams: L.A. Lakers, New Orleans
• Likely landing: L.A. Lakers
6. Ben Gordon (Chicago)
• 2008-09 salary/stats: $6.4M/20.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists
• Age: 26
• Outlook: Gordon has signed one-year deals in the past after failing to agree to long-term deals with the Bulls, and logic would indicate he's looking. He's one of the better clutch shooters, evidenced by his performance in the playoffs against Boston. Because of his height (6-3), he's a smallish shooting guard in the Vinnie Johnson-mode, but for the money he's looking to make ($10-11M), coming off the bench might not be best.
• Interested teams: Chicago, Detroit
• Likely landing: Detroit
7. David Lee (New York)
• 2008-09 salary/stats: $1.7M/16.0 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists
• Age: 26
• Outlook: Lee led the NBA in double-doubles (65) and is an ideal role player. He excelled in Mike D'Antoni's system, willing to do all the dirty work necessary to complement anyone. He turned down a three-year, $8M offer to test the market, so he's expecting at least $10M, and the Knicks can match any offer. But the acquisition of Darko Milicic and drafting Jordan Hill would seem to indicate Lee's expendable.
• Interested teams: New York, Oklahoma City, Atlanta
• Likely landing: New York
8. Jason Kidd (Dallas)
• 2008-09 salary/stats: $21.3M/9 points, 8.7 assists, 6.2 rebounds, 1.98 steals
• Age: 36
• Outlook: Even though Dallas was bounced in the second round, Kidd's teammates Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry had career years, thanks to Kidd. His veteran leadership still is valued, and he's a triple-double waiting to happen. His age would be a concern, but he keeps himself in excellent shape and his shooting percentages are up from his career averages. He wants a ring, badly, so L.A. is an obvious destination. But Dallas owner Mark Cuban has deeper pockets than most, so it wouldn't be shocking if Kidd returned to Dallas.
• Interested teams: Dallas, New York, L.A. Lakers
• Likely landing: Dallas
9. Charlie Villanueva (Milwaukee)
• 2008-09 salary/stats: $3.4M/16.2 points, 6.7 rebounds
• Age: 24
• Outlook: Villanueva is a big man who can score from all angles, and is just tapping the surface of his potential. He's not as strong on the boards as you'd expect from a guy who's 6-11, and his defense could use some work. After seeing guys in the same mold, however, lead Orlando to the NBA Finals (Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis), he will be in high demand. He's never played big minutes before, so his production should rise.
• Interested teams: Detroit, Cleveland
• Likely landing: Detroit
10. Mike Bibby (Atlanta)
• 2008-09 salary/stats: $14.9M/14.9 points, 5 assists
• Age: 31
• Outlook: Bibby's 2009 stats were down in almost every category from his career stats, but his savvy and big-game experience will make him a valued asset. Since Atlanta traded for Jamal Crawford and drafted Jeff Teague, it's unlikely he'll return. There was no way Bibby was going to command a high salary before the economy went in the tank.
• Interested teams: Atlanta, Cleveland, L.A. Lakers
• Likely landing: L.A. Lakers
What does this mean for the roster?
It’s much more likely Hamilton will be back next season. As I said above, there’s no way Dumars would get rid of Hamilton for Curry. But if he planned on trading Hamilton anyway, Curry might have seen a second year. Since it’s more likely Hamilton is returning, it’s slightly less likely Detroit will sign Ben Gordon. The common thought is Detroit wants both, so the odds of Gordon signing didn’t take a huge hit. But there’s still a chance it’s one or the other, so it’s a little less likely. I guess this opens up the possibility of Rasheed Wallace returning. But I’d be shocked if he does.
This one comes from Henry Abbot of TrueHoop: Don’t we all suspect that the best coach hired this off-season will prove to have been Flip Saunders? With that in mind, the Pistons are in the market for a coach, having fired the guy they hired after firing Flip Saunders. You see what I’m saying? Isn’t there a chance they would have been better just keeping him?
No. Saunders is a better coach than Curry, and the Wizards probably made the best hire of the offseason. But Saunders’s time had run out in Detroit. The players had tuned him out, and he had to move on. That happens when you’re dealing with highly paid coddled athletes. The message just loses its meaning.
Doug Collins, Joe Dumars candidates to replace Curry?
Doug CollinsCollins could be the Pistons’ next coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Unlike most other outlets (PistonPowered included), he’s not speculating who would be a logical candidate. He has a source tying Collins to the job.
Wojnarowski also says Michael Curry was fired for “refusing to reconcile with a disgruntled star.” I can see not being able to patch things up with Richard Hamilton. But refusing to try?
Curry asked to be fired.
Joe Dumars
Terry Foster of the Detroit News has a brilliant plan: The guy who should take over this team is the man who made the move. If Dumars wants to fix this mess, he should take over the team. He cannot keep firing coaches and moving players. Dumars must either step down as team president or step up as head coach.
Dumars is the GM. Firing coaches and moving players is his job. Of course, he should continue doing that. It’s dysfunctional to have the same GM and coach. There needs to be checks and balance for an organization to run smoothly.
Players and coaches become tired of working with each other. This is the nature of the NBA. Despite what you think about Bill Laimber, it will be a long time, if ever, before some coaches the Pistons nine seasons like Chuck Daly did. And even he left because the players grew tired of his message.
Joe Dumars is plenty tough on Pistons' coaches
When Pistons president Joe Dumars traded Chauncey Billups for chemistry-buster Allen Iverson, he made the job for his coach impossible. Michael Curry became a dead man walking. And Dumars was the man who shot the electricity through his coach. Once that trade was made, Curry had no chance. In fact, nobody outside, say, Phil Jackson could have made it work. It's nothing new. Dumars is the NBA's grim reaper when it comes to coaches. He fires them win, lose or draw. He fires them when they don't get along with the front office or players.
Dumars added Curry to the list, firing him after one season. "Any time it doesn't work out, it is a mistake," Dumars said. "Some of the things we want to do in bringing in some of the veterans is probably a little too much for a first-time head coach. "It is clear to everybody that we need a more experienced guy to get through this." But it isn't really about coaching, is it? Shouldn't Dumars be held accountable?
After all, it was Dumars who put this team together through drafts, free-agent signings and trades -- especially a bad one. Dumars actually did a good job of building the Pistons into a contender. They won a title in 2004 and reached the Finals in 2005, losing in seven games. But even when the Pistons were successful -- included in the two-year Finals run was a stretch of six consecutive Eastern Conference finals appearances -- this organization was in decline.
What hasn't worked
Dumars made one huge mistake he can't escape: He selected Darko Milicic with the No. 2 overall pick in 2003, hoping the youngster would be his star of the future. Milicic was supposed to be an athletic big man who could defend the post, score from the post and pop 15-foot jumpers. The Pistons were prepared to build around him. Oops. He turned into a bust.
So now, Dumars is building around another kid, Rodney Stuckey, whom he selected 15th in the 2007 draft. Stuckey's a nice player, but he won't become the leader -- or the player -- the Pistons are hoping for. And since the Milicic disaster, Dumars has been unable to get things straightened out.
Consider:
• He brought in Nazr Mohammed and Kwame Brown to fill the void left by losing Milicic (traded to the Knicks).
Neither filled the void.
• He has drafted only three players who have even remotely contributed to the team -- Jason Maxiell, Aaron Afflalo and Stuckey.
Stuckey can be an impact player, but the others are career backups. Still, while Dumars' drafts have been suspect, at best, this isn't a call for his head. He has the right to rebuild this team. He's had a bad run. You don't do what he did to Curry.
Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur don’t opt out
Carlos Boozer will remain with the Jazz next season, according to the Associated Press (via Sports Illustrated). He will be paid $12.7 million.
This is good news for the Pistons from my perspective. I didn’t want Boozer, and this should help their chances of getting Mehmet Okur and/or Paul Millsap. (Wouldn’t that be an excellent starting power forward/center combo next year?).
UPDATE: Mehmet Okur isn’t opting out, either.
Hello, Paul Millsap.
It's up to Dumars
Now, it wasn't a bad idea to fire Curry -- he wasn't the guy to coach this team. It simply was a bad idea to fire another coach after being on the job for such a short time. Dumars is about to hire his sixthcoach since taking over as president in 2000. Three of the five had winning records -- Rick Carlisle (100-64), Larry Brown (108-56) and Flip Saunders (176-70).
So why were they fired?
• Carlisle got whacked because he was distant with players and angered people in the front office.
• Brown wanted to be fired, and players were tired of his grinding ways; and
• Saunders lost the respect of the players within minutes of stepping into the practice facility.
The same thing happened to Curry. Now, Dumars must make sure his next coach can handle everything -- the owner, front office, Dumars himself, and especially the players. And whether it's Doug Collins, Avery Johnson, John Kuester, or anyone else, for that matter, Dumars promises he'll be in place for the Summer League in Las Vegas next week. Joe, it's your show. Run it.
Dumars Basically Admits Hiring Curry Was Foolish
That’s what the firing of Curry tells us. Joe D. is on record earlier today as saying that he feels Curry isn’t the right man to lead this team back to where it needs to be.
I don’t necessarily disagree. BUT, The timing sucks. This could have been done before the draft, heck, it could have been done on the Friday after it.
Doing this just hours before free agency does not make a whole lot of sense. I think Joe has officially lost it. And also, who in their right mind would want to come here and coach for Joe D? I mean, think about it.
The five coaches of Joe Dumars' reign
George Irvine
Record: 30-52 (2000-01)
Reason fired: Irvine and Joe Dumars didn't share philosophies on direction of the team. Irvine losing 50 games didn't help his case, either.
Dumars on Irvine's firing: "I really applaud and thank George for everything he did here. He was put in a tough position. I just didn't feel comfortable going in the same direction. We had different philosophies on how the team should be playing."
Rick Carlisle
Hired: May 25, 2003
Record: 100-64 (50-32, 2001-02; 50-32, 2002-03)
Dumars on Carlisle's hiring: "He is a basketball coach, that's what he is. He is a guy who has had head-coaching experience without the actual title. He's a guy who knows this league inside and out. That's what we were looking for. I feel like he is the right guy to coach our team right now."
Reason for firing: Carlisle's inability to make adjustments during the playoffs. Also contributing was his frosty relationship with owner Bill Davidson.
Dumars on Carlisle's firing: "If I had to go back two years ago and do it again, I would do the same thing. I was lucky to get him two years ago."
Larry Brown
Hired: June 1, 2003
Record: 108-56 (54-28*, 2003-04; 54-28**, 2004-05)
Dumars on Brown's hiring: "We know his history, but my thing was, I was willing to take him, a coach of his stature, for as long as we could get him. If it's five years, fine. If it's less, then we'll worry about that then."
Reason for firing: Owner Bill Davidson tired of Brown's flirtatious ways, especially during the 2005 playoffs. Brown could not give assurances he would be healthy enough to coach 82 games in 2006, and was bought out.
Dumars on Brown's firing: "It was well worth it for the two years we had Larry here. You have to put your team in the position to be the best in the world, and we were the best. This did not work out in the long term, but we were world champions, so it worked out in the short term."
Flip Saunders
Hired: July 21, 2005
Record: 176-70 (64-18, 2005-06; 53-29, 2006-07; 59-23, 2007-08)
Dumars on Saunders' hiring: "To step into this spot right now, there is going to be some heat. There is going to be some pressure to win. The flip side is, to all the guys who called -- and we had a lot of guys call about this job -- is they all know they're going to be handed a hell of a team."
Reason for firing: Saunders couldn't get past one hurdle -- Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. Brown's success loomed over his head, and Saunders' relationships with players, notably Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton, disintegrated over time. When LeBron James single-handedly beat the Pistons in 2007, it was almost a foregone conclusion.
Dumars on Saunders' firing: "Decisions like this are difficult to make, especially with the success the Pistons had throughout the last three regular seasons. However, at this time, I feel it is necessary to make a change. I thank Flip for his hard work and dedication, but it is time for a new voice to lead our team."
Michael Curry
Hired: June 10, 2008
Record: 39-43 (2008-09)
Dumars on Curry hiring: "Michael has been a proven leader throughout his NBA career as a player, administrator and assistant coach. Given his strong knowledge of the game and tireless work ethic, we feel he is the right person to lead our team. Michael understands the culture of our franchise and its expectations."
Reason for firing: Curry's strength was supposed to be relationships with players, but he lost the team midway through the season and never got it back. Erratic substitution patterns and lack of player development led to his demise.
Dumars on Curry's firing: "It became clear to me that we would need a more experienced coach to help guide us through this period."
* NBA champions; ** reached NBA Finals
Report: Hedo Turkoglu Detroit Pistons first option
The Chicago Sun Times is reporting that the Detroit Pistons are interested in pursuing Orlando Magic point-forward Hedo Turkoglu as their first option.
With Boozer out of the picture, the NBA source said small forward Hedo Turkoglu of the Orlando Magic is now the Pistons' first choice. Detroit can free up about $18 million in salary-cap room, and probably would have to overpay Turkoglu to get him to leave a contending team for a rebuilding team. If the Pistons can't sign Turkoglu, they would turn their attention to Gordon, who is the second-best scorer in this year's class behind Turkoglu. Exactly how Detroit's firing of coach Mike Curry on Tuesday will affect its pursuit of free agents -- or the free agents' perception of the Pistons -- remains to be seen... This year, the only teams besides the Pistons that can free up significant cap room are the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings. Neither is expected to make a significant push for Gordon, so his only hope for getting the contract he seeks may be a battle between the Bulls and Pistons.
It might be hard to believe that Joe's top target is Hedo Turkoglu, considering Hedo is 30 years old and said to be demanding $10 million a year contract for five seasons. But Turkoglu is a 6'10 forward that can play multiple positions, bring the ball up the court and puts up pretty good numbers. Hedo scored almost 17 points per game last season, while grabbing 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Although last year was not his best season, in 2008 Turkoglu put up 19.5 ppg, 5.0 apg and 5.7 rpg while shooting 40% from the 3-point line. Whether he's Joe's first option or not, I'm not sure. It seems more likely Joe is targeting Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Since both skilled players and they have youth. Stay tuned...