The Detroit Pistons are the only NBA team that does not have a head coach. Now, it appears that the new Pistons president of basketball operations, Trajan Langdon, has a little more work to do following James Borrego’s dropping out of consideration, according to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes. Borrego was considered the frontrunner for the Pistons’ job due to Langdon’s familiarity with Borrego during one season with New Orleans.
Now that Borrego is no longer a candidate for the Pistons’ job, he is expected to return to the Pelicans as an assistant coach under Willie Green. Borrego, a candidate for several other head coach openings this year, has been an NBA coach since 2003. He was the head coach for the Charlotte Hornets from 2018-22, posting a 138-163 record. The Hornets made the play-in tournament twice but lost their opening game during these four years.
Borrego also had a 30-game head coach with the Orlando Magic during the 2014-15 campaign.
Who Are the Detroit Pistons Looking at After Top Head Coach Candidate Drops Out of Contention?
Detroit is coming off its worst season in franchise history, posting a 14-68 record. As a result, Monty Williams lost his job after just one season. The Pistons finished the season with the fourth-worst offense and fifth-worst defense.
Last year, the Pistons also finished in the bottom two-thirds of the league in several categories, including field goal percentage and defensive field goal percentage. They were 28th in fouls created, 28th in fouls committed, 28th in turnovers committed, and 26th in turnovers forced.
Detroit has been far and away the worst franchise in the NBA since 2010. The Pistons have won a league-worst 427 games (46 victories fewer than any other team) or an average of 30.5 victories over the past 14 games. The Pistons have not won more than 23 games in any of the last five years and only made two playoff appearances during this decade-and-a-half.
With Borrego now out of contention, who is Langdon zeroing in on? Whoever ends up with the job, he will be the eighth head coach since 2010.
Looking At Pistons Top Head Coaching Candidates
Andrew Peters of Bleacher Report believes Detroit will pivot towards JB Bickerstaff, Micah Nori, and Sean Sweeney. All three coaches are expected to interview for the job. Langdon previously said there was no timetable for completing the hiring process.
JB Bickerstaff
Bickerstaff probably got a raw deal from the Cleveland Cavaliers and is the only candidate with head coaching experience. The 45-year-old has 545 games of NBA coaching experience over seven-plus years and has a 255-290 career record.
Bickerstaff posted a 170-159 record in four seasons with the Cavaliers, winning 44-plus contests in each of the last three seasons. The Cavs, who won 48 games last season, have made the playoffs in the previous two campaigns and reached the second round for the first time since 2018. However, they went 6-11 in the postseason.
Bickerstaff is a defensive-minded coach. The Cavaliers ranked in the top 10 in defensive rating in the last three seasons; they were first in 2022-23 and sixth last season.
Micah Nori
Nori is a 15-year NBA veteran coach who was part of the Pistons coaching staff from 2018-21. He has been the lead assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves since 2021 and is considered more of an offensive coach.
Sean Sweeney
Sweeney has been in the NBA since 2013. He was also part of the Pistons coaching staff from 2018-2021 and has been with the Dallas Mavericks since 2021. He was in charge of the Mavericks’ defense, turning them into one of the best on that end of the floor.
Last Word
While I could see any of the three candidates getting the job, Bickerstaff is the best candidate. If not Bickerstaff, then it should be Nori.
