Pistons decide Curry must go
Dumars fires coach after one year at helm
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Who will be No. 6?
Having fired Michael Curry after one season on the bench, the Detroit Pistons are in the market for the sixth head coach in Joe Dumars’ nine-year reign as president of basketball operations.
It marked a stunning reversal from the end of the season when Dumars called Curry’s status a non-issue following a 39-43 campaign and a first-round sweep by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Dumars said in an e-mail Tuesday: “As we’ve continued through this transition, it’s become clear that we need a more experienced coach for where we are right now. I asked a lot of Mike as a first-year head coach.”
Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey said the move caught him off-guard. “To tell you the truth, at the end of the day it’s a business,” said the former Eastern Washington University standout. “He was a good guy, and I learned a lot from him. But at the end of the day it’s a business.”
The move comes a day after the Pistons introduced their draft picks, including first-round selection Austin Daye from Gonzaga.
One candidate to replace Curry is ESPN analyst and former Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson, whose agent has been contacted by the Pistons about the job, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person said Johnson “absolutely” would be interested in the position.
Another likely candidate is TNT analyst and former Pistons coach Doug Collins. It’s unlikely that former Pistons great Bill Laimbeer, who recently resigned as coach of the WNBA’s Shock, will be considered.
Curry played 11 seasons in the NBA, including two stints with the Pistons (1996-97 and 1999-2003). Before becoming head coach, Curry was an assistant under Flip Saunders in Detroit.
When Dumars took over the team in June 2000, George Irvine was the coach and lasted one season. He was succeeded by Rick Carlisle (two seasons), Larry Brown (two seasons) and Saunders (three seasons).