Update: The hiring is official.
Pistons hire Mo Cheeks as next head coach
Can former Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks bring success back to Detroit’s NBA franchise?
The Detroit Pistons hired Oklahoma City Thunder assistant Maurice Cheeks as their new head coach on Monday, ESPN's Marc Stein reports. He takes over a developing Pistons team looking to make the leap to contention soon.
Cheeks will receive a three-year deal from the team, according to Pistons broadcaster Matt Dery. That should give him enough time to turn a core of Greg Monroe, Brandon Knight and Andre Drummond into a competitive team, especially with the reinforcements likely coming this offseason through free agency.
Though he's been an assistant with OKC for a few years, Cheeks has solid experience as an NBA head coach with the Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers.
He had mixed results in that role, especially after leading Portland to a 99-65 record in his first two seasons. His final five-plus years as a head coach saw Cheeks’ teams go 185-221 without any winning records.
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