Pistons hire former 76ers, Trail Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks
6/10/2013DETROIT — The Pistons have hired former 76ers and Trail Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks to take over in Detroit, the Associated Press has learned.
The move was made today, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the hired had not yet been announced by the team.
The Pistons fired Lawrence Frank in April, a day after they finished 29-53. Frank was 54-94 in two seasons with the Pistons.
Cheeks was 284-286 in the regular season and 5-11 in the playoffs as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers.
He was fired by Philadelphia during the 2008-09 season with a 9-14 record. Cheeks spent the past four seasons as an Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach. The Chicago native played 15 seasons in the NBA, helping the Sixers win a championship in 1983.
This is Detroit's ninth coach since 1999 and fourth in the past six seasons. Although the Pistons won a championship in 2004, their decline has been sharp in recent years. Attendance has been poor, and the drawn-out process of identifying the new coach drew little buzz around the city.