Detroit fans want Bill Laimbeer, and other names have been mentioned, but former Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Woodson has always been the frontrunner to be the next coach of the Detroit Pistons.
Thursday Woodson will be brought in for a second interview with Pistons management, the first guy to get one, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Woodson was a Larry Brown assistant coach in 2004 when the Pistons won the title. He also shepherded the Atlanta Hawks through a rebuilding process not unlike the one the Pistons are about to undertake. The Hawks improved every year he was with the team but never went farther than the second round of the playoffs. While Laimbeer might well make a good coach, Joe Dumars has a track record that shows Woodson can help rebuild a team.
The other candidates are Laimbeer, former Nets head man (and Celtics assistant) Lawrence Frank, Kelvin Sampson and Patrick Ewing.
The upcoming lockout would not impact the Pistons ability to hire a new coach. But, once hired, this coach will not be able to communicate with his players until the lockout ends.
