Since Stan Van Gundy and the Pistons parted ways, owner Tom Gores brought in Ed Stefanski from Memphis to be a senior advisor and with that has come an unusual simultaneous coach and general manager search.
The coaching search seems to be narrowing, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Detroit is interested in further conversations with former Toronto coach Dwane Casey and Michigan coach John Beilein on Pistons head coaching job, league sources tell ESPN. Both coaches have met with front office already.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 4, 2018
Casey was considered the frontrunner from the start. The former Raptors coach — just voted Coach of the Year by his peers — makes a lot of sense for a Pistons team looking to win now with Andre Drummond, Blake Griffin, and point guard Reggie Jackson. Casey had the Raptors taking steps forward every year, the best run of play in franchise history, they could just not get over the LeBron James hump and that cost him his job.
Beilein is the University of Michigan coach who has taken that team to the NCAA title game twice. He has a great offensive mind, and he has the right temperament to be an NBA coach. The question, as it is with a lot of college coaches coming up, is can Beilein check his ego at the door? In college the coach has the power, in the NBA that belongs to star players, and not every coach can adjust to that dynamic.