Now we're tanking.

[Southern Piston]

This will snap us back enough to ensure another lottery pick. I kind of suspect a low level trade where we acquire a 2nd rd pick this summer, and will make us slightly worse this yr. I think we keep a core of
Jennings, Pope, Smith, Drummond, Monroe, Mitchell, Siva, Billups, Singler, and Harrelson. I bet Joe remains vp of operations, and someone new steps in as gm, Dumars has input, especially in areas where he has had success. I think we go with Hollins, unless Thibodou is available he could be top choice. Joe likes Woodson, you also got the Van Gundy's. This is a good move, we need to tank are way out of the season, get a lottery pick, and refresh one more time with a top tier coach( Gores will pay $$$ to get one). But the talent will finally pay off.

[Neptune]

Nah, I still think we're fighting for a playoff seed

[ComboGuardCity]

New coaches always get extra wins out of their squad midseason.

[Q00]

If they wanted to tank they would've just kept Cheeks and let him continue to fail. This change means they are definitely not tanking.

Apparently the players had not been happy with Cheeks since the beginning of the season.

Matt Dery: Source: Players have not been told anything, but most thrilled to hear the Cheeks news. "He lost the team before the season even started". Twitter @dery1051 -

[Maker_84]

If we don't hire Hollins I'm gonna continue to cheer for the tank

[Piston Pete]

Keeping Cheeks would have meant we were keeping the tank on....

Firing him likely means we're (or more specifically, Gores) looking to make a playoff push.

[Laimbeer]

Cheeks sucks, the team is out of control and going nowhere fast. Keeping him would be tanking.

I think this is about getting a jump on the new coaching search as opposed to teams waiting until the season is over.

[Q00]

Cheeks sucks, the team is out of control and going nowhere fast. Keeping him would be tanking.

I think this is about getting a jump on the new coaching search as opposed to teams waiting until the season is over.

This. Which is why I'll be more surprised if Loyer stays on the rest of the season than I will if Hollins is hired in the coming weeks.

In my opinion, the report that says we aren't conducting any search until the offseason is just the Pistons trying to keep the players focused and not wondering if they are going to have another new coach next week.

[ImHeisenberg]

How does firing Cheeks guarantee the team's management intends a tank? If anything, it's helped the team NOT tank. I'm sure Loyer will continue the trend of awful coaching, but Cheeks' firing wasn't a ploy to lose more games.

But, hey, keep waiving a bad opinion around like it's some sort of fact.

[ImHeisenberg]

If we don't hire Hollins I'm gonna continue to cheer for the tank

They aren't going to hire a new coach until the summer- so the new GM can choose his coach.

[Laimbeer]

Maybe I'm not remembering, but isn't the timeline wrong if Joe's being fired? Wouldn't he be the first to go? Then the new GM would fire Cheeks and bring in his guy.

[sc8581]

Maybe I'm not remembering, but isn't the timeline wrong if Joe's being fired? Wouldn't he be the first to go? Then the new GM would fire Cheeks and bring in his guy.

I do agree with you but most of us around here already seem to think that Dumars isn't running anything anyway so essentially he was already fired.

We are just 5 games out of the 3 seed so rotation adjustments alone could get us a home court series, trading Charlie V for a wing player could be another way.

[The Penguin]

I don't trust that Gores or Joe even knows what tanking means or why we'd do it.

[DETermination]

No tanking here, I'm guessing gores wants us to get into the playoffs and look at least decent in the playoffs so maybe a good coach will want to come here next off season. The trade deadline will be where we find out if we are tanking or trying to win now.