Where desperate Pistons should look for their next head coach

To the joy of most Pistons fans, the abysmal era of head coach Dwane Casey is over. In five seasons in Detroit, Casey -- who will move to a front-office role -- compiled a 121-263 record and made one playoff appearance. 

Casey was hired to help develop the young squad, but the team regressed every year since his first season in 2018-19. So, the Pistons will hire their eighth head coach since they last won a playoff game in 2008. In that time, they’ve tried retreads such as Casey and Maurice Cheeks. They also tried a hot NBA assistant (John Kuester).

None worked out. Now the Pistons must reach into the college ranks for a head coach.

In 2022-23, the Pistons were the second-youngest team in the NBA (average age of 23.4 years). Detroit will add at least one more young player this offseason, as it tied for the league’s worst record and will have a top pick – again—in the NBA Draft.

Where the Pistons have failed most is in player development. A college coach can help as they often must teach the game to players who dominated high school with pure athleticism.  

So whom should the Pistons target?

Tom Izzo at Michigan State and former Michigan coach John Beilein--a bust in the NBA with the Cavs --have ties to the state, but they are 68 and 70, respectively. They might not want to be part of a long rebuilding effort.

Former Villanova coach Jay Wright is 61, and after a year on TV, he might be ready to return to coaching. But could Detroit entice a coach who had huge, sustained success in college?

Kentucky coach John Calipari, 64, was on the hot seat last season, so he might be looking for a new team. But he was a disaster in the NBA with the Nets, compiling a 72-112 record in the late 1990s.

Pistons leadership might be willing to lure national champion Connecticut coach Dan Hurley or Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd. Both are young and successful but have no NBA experience. Still, either would be an excellent choice guaranteed to fire up the fanbase.

After the dismal Casey years, Detroit could use all the sunshine it can get.