Mike Woodson set for a second interview with Detroit Pistons – NBA Update
Mike Woodson, the former Atlanta Hawks coach, is in the frame for the Detroit Pistons head coaching job. Woodson was considered the favourite to land the role and has now been reportedly called by the Detroit Pistons for a second interview.
A source familiar with Detroit’s search for a new coach revealed that Woodson will have the second interview on Thursday, even though there is no official word for the Pistons regarding the matter.
The Pistons have been looking for a new coach ever since they fired John Kuester on June 5. Kuester had two underwhelming years at the helm of affairs during which the franchise failed to make it into the playoffs.
In addition to that, the former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach faced pretty much a player rebellion as he was on poor terms with senior Detroit players like Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince.
The Pistons are now on the lookout for a new coach and Woodson seems like the ideal candidate. Mike Woodson was an assistant to Larry Brown back in the 2003-2004 season when the Detroit Pistons won the NBA World Championship.
Woodson left to coach the Atlanta Hawks afterwards and spent 6 impressive years at a franchise, that many considered lacked the talent to make serious inroads in the playoffs. The Hawks had an overall record of 206-286 over the six years that Mike was in charge and he led the team to the playoffs in his last three seasons.
Woodson though was let go by the Hawks after the team was swept by the Orlando Magic in the 2010 playoffs. Now the Pistons seemingly want him back to take the franchise into the transition period it has planned ahead.
Woodson is familiar with many of the senior players on the roster as he knows them from their time together in the 2004 season. The likes of Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, who gave John Kuester a hard time to say the least, are supposed to be open to the idea of Mike Woodson taking over the reins.
Another player from Detroit’s NBA Championship winning side of 2004, veteran centre Ben Wallace, threw his support behind Woodson. Wallace believed that Woodson had done a very good job with the Atlanta Hawks and would be a good fit for Detroit,
"I think Mike would do a great job. I think he did a great job with Atlanta," Wallace said. "I think he took those guys as far as they were ready to go. I think he'd be a great fit for us."
Woodson faces competition from the likes of Lawrence Frank and Kelvin Sampson, among others, for the Detroit Pistons head coaching job.
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