Dumars wants new coach by Tuesday
July 1, 2009
DETROIT (AP)—The Detroit Pistons don’t plan to wait long to name a replacementfor fired coach Michael Curry.
Joe Dumars, the Pistons’ president for basketball operations, doesn’t have a“complete list” of candidates but wants to act in less than a week, beforenext Tuesday’s opening practice for the NBA developmental league.
“My goal is to have a head coach in place by the time we go out to LasVegas,” Dumars said in a video posted on the team’s Web site. The NBA SummerLeague runs July 10-19.
The Pistons are in a good position to improve their lineup for the comingseason with about $20 million under the salary cap to work with, to say nothingabout four of the first 44 picks in the NBA draft.
“We’re definitely in the mode of reshaping our roster,” Dumars said lastweek. “We need to add about three or four talented players by drafting them,signing them or trading for them.”
Dumars announced Curry’s dismissal Tuesday. The first-year coach led thePistons to a 39-43 regular-season record and a four-straight-game loss to theCleveland Cavaliers in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.
In the video, Dumars said Detroit needs a more experienced coach as it movesto integrate new players with remaining veterans.
“We think it’s best to move forward with a more experienced coach to get usthrough these times right now,” Dumars said. “We’re going through a transitionnow where we’re bringing back some of the veterans, we’re implementing some ofthe younger guys.
“That’s probably a little bit too much for a first-time head coach. …It’s a little bit unfair of me to put him in that situation.”
Dumars and Curry played together at Detroit, but that wasn’t enough to saveCurry’s job after he led the team to a losing regular-season record and fourlopsided playoff losses to the Cavaliers after six straight Eastern Conferencefinals appearances.
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