What Lawrence Frank must do at the Detroit Pistons? NBA Special Report - Part 2
It’s true that John Kuester’s disastrous reign has left the side in tatters, but it is equally true that the Detroit Pistons have a good mix of youth, talent and experience on their roster. If Lawrence Frank takes the right steps,
uses his players in the right way and instils that winning mentality in his side, the Pistons can soon re-emerge as a major player in the Eastern Conference.
Frank cannot talk openly about his plans, especially regarding players because of the restrictions imposed since the NBA went into a lockout so it’s hard to decipher what he will do with the franchise. We have thus taken the liberty
to compile a list of changes he needs to bring, some steps he needs to take if he is to bring the glory days back for the troubled franchise.
Take Control:
To start off, Lawrence Frank will need to establish his authority. The former New Jersey Nets coach is coming into a side that lost all semblance of order last season. It is no secret that the players were unhappy with John Kuester
and his methods at the end of the 2009-2010 season. However the management stuck with Kuester and what followed was a year full of debacles.
The Pistons roster practically revolted against the coach. The relationship between Kuester and the senior players were particularly strained. Tracy McGrady, TayShaun Prince and Richard Hamilton, all elder statesmen at Detroit,
simply did not get along with John.
Instead of trying to resolve their differences amicably, both sides instead went on a collision course that resulted in much public embarrassment for the franchise. The worst came when a whole host of players skipped practice and
John Kuester responded by benching them all in the next game, where he used only 6 players.
Lawrence Frank enjoys a good reputation and has previous experience of dealing with NBA stars in a head coaching capacity, something that Kuester lacked. Therefore the players should have a degree of respect for him coming in and
Frank needs to make the best of it.
The differences, if any, within the roster should be ironed out. The senior players caused most of the trouble last season, so they should be handled with care. Frank needs to listen to them and also get his own way, but not in
an aggressive manner.
If he can quickly get the big boys on his side, the rest of the pack should follow. After all, much of the Detroit Roster is made up of young players still finding their feet in the team and in the league. Ben Wallace and Ben Gordon
are not ones to cause much trouble anyway.
Once Lawrence has everybody on board, the real work can begin.
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