Pistons Reportedly Hire Lawrence Frank As Head Coach

Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the Detroit Pistons have reached an agreement with Lawrence Frank for their head coaching job. Last week it came out that Frank was chosen to be the Pistons' next head coach, and now it appears the deal is finally done.

Frank's contract is for three years. Per Wojnarowski, it includes a team option for the fourth year. After the last two coaching hires struggled so much and abruptly had their tenures ended after only two seasons, the hope is Frank will do a good enough job to reach the option year.

Wojnarowski says Frank was the favorite from the very start of the search for John Kuester's replacement. There has been some talk in the past that Joe Dumars favored Mike Woodson and ownership favored Frank, but Wojnarowski says that wasn't the case.

From start of interview process, Frank was clearly Joe Dumars' choice to replace John Kuester. Ownership agreed. No close second in process.

If everybody was on the same page and Frank was clearly the man for the job, I'm not so sure why it took until the end of July for him to be hired. Regardless, he is now set to take over the Pistons and lead the franchise forward once the lockout ends.

Lawrence Frank Chosen As Detroit Pistons Head Coach, According To Yahoo!

The Detroit Pistons have taken their time choosing the team's next head coach, but it seems the end is finally near. Lawrence Frank will be formally offered the position within the next 36 hours according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.

Frank has been an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics since being fired by the New Jersey Nets during the 2009-10 season, but the 40-year-old has been a head coaching candidate for the past two offseasons. If Wojnarowski is correct in his report, it would mean that Frank has beat out former Larry Brown assistant -- and rumored Pistons favorite -- Mike Woodson in taking the head job with Detroit.

Frank began his NBA head coaching career by going 13-0 after taking over midseason for Byron Scott, setting a record for most consecutive wins to start a coaching career in the NBA.

Frank first interviewed with the Pistons on June 16. Aside from Frank, the Pistons also interviewed Bill Laimbeer, Patrick Ewing, Kelvin Sampson and Woodson.

Pistons Coaching Search Down To Mike Woodson, Lawrence Frank?

Although the NBA is now in lockout mode, the Detroit Pistons still have some business to take care of. They fired head coach John Kuester at the beginning of June and have yet to hire a replacement. Many interviews have taken place, but there haven't been many new developments on the Pistons coaching search front in the last few weeks.

One piece of news that did come out this week suggests a decision on the Pistons' next coach could be made soon. ESPN's Marc Stein reported on Thursday that the team has essentially narrowed its list of candidates down to former Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Woodson and current Boston Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank.

Stein's report suggests that the reason this search has taken so long is because there is a divide over if Woodson or Frank should be hired. Woodson's past history with the team (he was an assistant during the 2003-04 season) and his familiarity with Joe Dumars has seemingly made him the favorite, but Tom Gores and his advisers apparently like Frank.

Obviously at some point Dumars and the ownership will have to get on the same page and just hire somebody. With the lockout not likely ending anytime soon I suppose there's no need to rush the decision, but it would be nice if the Pistons at least decided on who will be leading the team going forward.

Detroit Pistons Bring Back Mike Woodson For Second Interview In Head Coaching Search

The Detroit Pistons seem to be narrowing down their head coaching search. Without a timetable in place, however, it isn’t clear quite how long it will take to find John Kuester’s replacement.

The Pistons will begin their second round of interviews with prospective candidates on Thursday by bring in Mike Woodson, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Woodson last coached in NBA with the Atlanta Hawks, leading them to a 206-286 record over five seasons — including three playoff appearances — before being let following the 2009-10 season. The 53-year-old was out of coaching this past season.

Woodson has been considered the front-runner for the head coaching job since it opened, but Patrick Ewing, Bill Laimbeer, Kelvin Sampson and Lawrence Frank have also interviewed for the position over the course of the past month.

Before being hired as the Hawks head coach, Woodson spent five seasons as an assistant split between the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphisa 76ers and Pistons. In his one season in Detroit, as an assistant under Larry Brown during the 2003-04 season, the Pistons won the NBA Championship.

Patrick Ewing Interviewed With Detroit Pistons For Head Coach Position

The Detroit Pistons have taken their time to fill the head coaching vacancy left by John Kuester, and appear that they will continue to do so after deciding to add another candidate this week rather than narrow the search as most teams might consider at this time of the year.

Patrick Ewing apparently met with the Pistons this week, according to NBA.com’s David Alrdidge. Ewing has most recently been the big man coach for Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic.

Ewing, a Hall of Fame player, has been looking for an opportunity to move into a head coaching role for a few seasons now.

“It’s disappointing that I haven’t moved to the next step to get a head coaching job, but all I can do is keep going and move on,” Ewing told reporters last month.

Along with Ewing, the Pistons have also interviewed Bill Laimbeer, Lawrence Frank, Kelvin Sampson and Mike Woodson. Aldridge reports that each has interviewed once with team president Joe Dumars. It is not known if second interviews will be conducted with the Pistons’ new majority owner, Tom Gores.

Detroit Pistons Interview Bill Laimbeer

The Detroit Pistons have interviewed former player and current Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Bill Laimbeer for their vacant head coaching job. The interview is believed to have happened on Wednesday, although Vince Goodwill's report for The Detroit News said it occurred on Tuesday.

Laimbeer is the fourth known candidate to interview for the Pistons job. Boston Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank, Milwaukee Bucks assistant Kelvin Sampson and former Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Woodson previously interviewed for the job.

The Pistons are expected to make a decision about who their next head coach will be sometime after Thursday's NBA Draft. Frank could be the leader in the clubhouse, according to the New York Daily News.

Lawrence Frank is moving closer to getting the Detroit Pistons' head coaching position, according to league sources. 

All of the coaches that have been linked to this job have now been interviewed. I would imagine once the draft stuff winds down, Joe Dumars will make a decision about who should be hired.

Pistons Interview Mike Woodson, Lose Dwane Casey As Candidate

According to Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News, the Detroit Pistons interviewed Mike Woodson on Monday for their vacant head coaching job. Woodson is a former head coach of the Atlanta Hawks and was an assistant for the Pistons when they won an NBA title in 2004.

Also according to Goodwill, Bill Laimbeer will interview with the Pistons on Wednesday. Laimbeer, of course, is a former Pistons player and former Detroit Shock head coach. Currently he is an assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Dallas Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey was also expected to get an interview with the Pistons this week, but that won't be happening. The Dallas Morning News reports that Casey has taken the head coaching job with the Toronto Raptors, and the news could be officially announced Monday afternoon.

Boston Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank was one of the top candidates for the Raptors job. He interviewed with the Pistons last week and reportedly blew the team away.

Detroit Pistons Interview Kelvin Sampson; Lawrence Frank The Favorite?

Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports that Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Kelvin Sampson interviewed for the Detroit Pistons head coaching job on Friday. Sampson flew in on Thursday and officially interviewed for the job on Friday.

Earlier in the week Boston Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank interviewed for the job with the Pistons, and the interview reportedly went quite well. The Toronto Sun reports that Frank "blew the Pistons away" during his interview and that he is becoming the "late-charging darkhorse in Detroit."

Frank was originally one of the top candidates for the Toronto Raptors job, but it appears that Dallas Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey is now the frontrunner. Casey is expected to interview with the Pistons in the next week, but if he lands the Raptors job an interview with Detroit obviously won't be necessary.

Minnesota Timberwolves assistant and former Piston Bill Laimbeer and former Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Woodson are also expected to interview with the Pistons sometime this week.

Pistons Interview Lawrence Frank, To Meet With Kelvin Sampson

ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting that the Detroit Pistons have interviewed Boston Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank for their vacant head coaching job. Frank was mentioned as being one of the candidates as soon as the search began following John Kuester's firing, and Frank reportedly met with Pistons officials on Wednesday.

At some point this week, the Pistons are planning to interview Milwaukee Bucks assistant Kelvin Sampson. Like Frank, Sampson was immediately mentioned as a candidate when Kuester was let go. Earlier this week the Pistons got permission to speak to Sampson, and his interview is coming up soon.

The other Pistons coaching candidate who has been mentioned as having interviewed for the job is ex-Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Woodson. Marc Stein said Woodson's interview already took place, but that report has been refuted by both Vincent Goodwill and Vincent Ellis. Woodson is expected to be interviewed at some point, but his meeting with Pistons officials has not taken place just yet, according to Goodwill and Ellis.

Other candidates that are expected to be interviewed by the Pistons at some point include Dallas Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Bill Laimbeer.

Pistons Have Mavericks Assistant Dwane Casey High On List Of Coaching Candidates

The Detroit Pistons have apparently moved Dwane Casey, the "defensive coordinator" for the now world champion Dallas Mavericks, to the top of their list of potential coaching candidates. CBS Sports' Ken Berger was the first to report the news following Sunday's finish of the NBA Finals.

Casey would be the fifth known legitimate candidate to take over as John Kuester's replacement as Detroit has already either interviewed or been granted permission to interview along with former Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Woodson, Kelvin Sampson of the Milwaukee Bucks, former Piston Bill Laimbeer of the Minnesota Timberwolves and current Boston Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank.

The addition of Casey would seemingly be a good hire as he's revered by a lot of people in the media. At the same time, however, he's been passed over for head coaching jobs by quite a few employers ever since being fired by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2007.

Pistons Coaching Candidates Include Kelvin Sampson, Bill Laimbeer, Mike Woodson & Lawrence Frank

The Detroit Pistons coaching search is slowly but surely progressing, even without Isiah Thomas, as the front office has received permission to interview assistants from other NBA teams as head coaching candidates.

Joe Dumars has received permission to interview Kelvin Sampson of the Milwaukee Bucks, former Piston Bill Laimbeer of the Minnesota Timberwolves and current Boston Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. The Pistons have also made contact with former Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Woodson.

The Pistons haven't narrowed that list down much as Sampson, Woodson and Frank are the early frontrunners for the job, according to Wojnarowski.

Detroit Bad Boys' Matt Watson brings up a good question: are these the only candidates the Pistons plan to interview?

I'm curious just how many candidates Dumars will interview before making a decision -- and more specifically, if this group of names are the only candidates being seriously considered. As much as I'd like to see San Antonio Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer develop into Gregg Popovich 2.0 for the Pistons, I'm surprised someone like Mavs assistant Dwane Casey hasn't been mentioned more prominently. 

Only time will tell, I guess, but Watson's right in saying Budenholzer and Casey both at least deserve consideration.

Nevermind: Isiah Thomas Not A Candidate For Pistons' Job

Isiah Thomas was a Pistons head coaching candidate for about a day.

ESPN’s Chris Broussard tweeted that Thomas was on the list of candidates, but the New York Post reported late last night that Thomas was not in consideration due to his close relationship to Pistons president Joe Dumars:

The Post also has learned Thomas is not expected to be a candidate for the Pistons’ vacant head-coaching job, despite a report out of Detroit. Two sources told The Post Thomas would not be considered by Pistons president Joe Dumars because Dumars does not want to jeopardize their friendship.

Dumars and Thomas were teammates on the Pistons squads that won back-to-back NBA titles in 1989 and 1990, forming one of the league’s best backcourts until Thomas’ retirement in 1994. Thomas has been in the rumor mill for the Knicks presidency that was left vacant by Donnie Walsh last week. Thomas has denied that he wants that job as well, a position he previously held with the team.

Isiah Thomas Is A Detroit Pistons Coaching Candidate

Isiah Thomas is apparently a candidate to be the Detroit Pistons next head coach according to ESPN's Chris Broussard. Other Pistons coaching candidates include Mike Woodson, Kelvin Sampson, Bill Laimbeer, Lawrence Frank and Dwane Casey.

Thomas hasn't shown to be a terrible NBA coach as he's compiled a 187-223 in past coaching stops with the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks along with three playoff appearances. He's known much better for his playing career with the Pistons, however, and even as a front office employee of the New York Knicks.

Thomas played 13 seasons with the Pistons, the last in 1994, while winning two championships and earning 12 appearances in the annual NBA All-Star game. The 50-year-old averaged 19.2 points and 9.3 assists over the course 979 NBA games.

It wouldn't be the biggest surprise if Thomas was able to impress the Pistons brass considering his familiarity with the team, but considering his current reputation around the league is none too rosy, he'd probably have to impress the new owners more than most.

Pistons' List Of Coaching Candidates Includes Mike Woodson, Kelvin Sampson, Bill Laimbeer

With John Kuester fired, the Detroit Pistons' search for a new head coach has already begun. Although Joe Dumars declined to outline a specific timetable for hiring a new coach, he said the Pistons' search would begin "immediately."

Considering the move to fire Kuester was expected to happen for quite some time, it didn't take long for names of potential candidates to leak out from a variety of sources.

The first report came from Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, who said the list of candidates includes the following people: former Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Woodson, Milwaukee Bucks assistant Kelvin Sampson, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant and former Pistons player Bill Laimbeer and TV analyst Mark Jackson.

CBS Sports' Ken Berger confirmed the preliminary list of candidates, and he also added these names into the mix: Boston Celtics assistant and former New Jersey Nets head coach Lawrence Frank, Dallas Mavericks head coach Dwane Casey and New Orleans Hornets assistant Michael Malone.

ESPN's Chris Broussard said that the Pistons will take their time with this search. With a lockout looming, there isn't necessarily a huge sense of urgency for teams to fill vacancies, so there's no telling when Kuester's replacement will be hired.