Mike Woodson and Lawrence Frank remain the leading contenders for the still-open Detroit Pistons head coaching job, reports ESPN's Marc Stein. Woodson, who most recently coached the Atlanta Hawks before being fired in 2010, previously served as an assistant in Detroit under Larry Brown. Frank coached the New Jersey Nets before being relieved (in the truest sense of the word) of his duties during that team's historic futility streak to start the 2009-10 season.
Mike Woodson, Lawrence Frank Finalists For Open Pistons Coach Job
The Pistons fired John Kuester after two mostly miserable seasons, and according to Stein, are committed to hiring a coach with experience in the first chair after striking out with first-time head coaches Kuester and Michael Curry before him. The other candidates who have interviewed with Detroit's management team include Pistons legend Bill Laimbeer, Magic assistant Patrick Ewing and Bucks assistant Kelvin Sampson. None of those three have served as an NBA head coach. Laimbeer did win a title as head coach of the WNBA's Detroit Shock, and Sampson was a successful head coach at the NCAA level before scandal pushed him to the pros.
Stein reports that new franchise owner Tom Gores' management team was impressed with Frank, who is Doc Rivers' top assistant with the Celtics.
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