Detroit Pistons interview former WNBA coach Bill Laimbeer: NBA Update
According to the sources, the Detroit Pistons have recently concluded yet another interview for their vacant head coach slot, and the latest candidate for the job is the ultimate ‘Bad Boy’ of the league, Bill Laimbeer.
Laimbeer, who played as a centre with the Pistons was interviewed on Wednesday. However it is understood that in comparison to the other three candidates, Laimbeer chances of landing with the Pistons are very thin as the franchise
is looking to hire an experienced NBA coach.
Laimbeer remained the head coach of the Women National Basketball Association’s Detroit Shocks from 2002 until 2008. However, the standard of the two leagues is very different and Bill will certainly take some time to settle down
in his comfort zone. Laimbeer remained a Piston through most part of career and was a key member of the Detroit’s golden squad that claimed the title twice. Besides two championships, he was selected as an All-Star on four occasions.
Prior to Laimbeer’s interview, the Pistons have also interviewed former Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Woodson and the current assistant coach of the Boston Celtics, Lawrence Frank. Frank served as the head coach of the New Jersey Nets
for two seasons.
Woodson is famous for his defensive strategy and assisted former Detroit Pistons head coach Larry Brown for a long time. Woodson was considered as the favourite in the beginning. The Pistons however are very careful that they do
not make another coaching mistake and they are taking their time.
The Pistons fired their two year coach John Kuester as soon as the new owner, billionaire Tom Gores, took over the reins of the franchise. Kuester had a very troubled time at Detroit, which not only saw the bad boys sink to new
lows, but there were also reports of player rebellion in his era.
The Pistons have also interviewed Milwaukee Bucks assistant Kelvin Sampson, but he also lacks head coaching experience in NBA. Sampson though had a terrific record when he used to coach at the college level. He won the National
Coach of the Year award from National Association of Basketball Coaches back in 2002.
The Pistons were also interested in the former assistant coach of the Dallas Mavericks Dwane Casey and had requested the Mavs to interview him. At that point though, Casey was busy in Dallas’ successful playoffs run and later he
moved to the Toronto Raptors as their new head coach.
Wooden and Frank however, are still excellent options and their record as assistants speaks for itself. Despite of a 206-286 record in six years, the Hawks decided not to sign a contract extension with Wooden after they were ousted
in the second round of the 2010-11 playoffs. Frank on the other hand has a 225-241 record during his entire coaching career with different teams.
Tags: