J.B. Bickerstaff Rumors

Central Notes: Cunningham, Pacers, Cavs, Allen, Mobley

December 8th, 2024 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons ended a 16-game losing streak to the Knicks with a 120-111 win at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. Cade Cunningham, who signed a max rookie scale extension in the offseason, carried them to victory with a triple-double, the first time a Detroit player has performed that feat at MSG.

Cunningham told reporters after the game that feels as if he’s moving into the conversation for All-Star consideration.

“I believe I am,” Cunningham said, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “Whenever I’m on the court every night, I feel like I’m the best player. I try to do whatever it takes to help my team win, and my teammates have made me look great this year. I’m just trying to help my team win and we’ll see what happens with it.”

In his last 10 games, Cunningham is averaging 24.5 points, 10.0 assists and 7.1 rebounds, Patterson notes.

We have more from the Central Division:

A 90-minute shootaround session paid dividends for the Pacers on Friday. They snapped a four-game losing streak with a 132-123 win in Chicago. “We spent a lot of time (Friday) morning and really had the longest shootaround that I’ve had since I’ve been here,” coach Rick Carlisle told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “We just had a lot of things that we had to clean up. One of them was our offensive spacing and movement.”
The Cavaliers had made 40.5% of their threes heading into Sunday’s action, leading the NBA in that category. They are tops in the league from long range and have a 17-0 record when making 35% or more of their three-point tries. “It’s starting to be real, this deep into the season,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson told Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “You can qualify us as a super excellent shooting team.”
Jerome Allen returned to the Pistons‘ staff this season under J.B. Bickerstaff after previously serving under Dwane Casey. In between, Allen worked in a variety of roles at Detroit Mumford High School and Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press details Allen’s lasting impact at the school.
Cavs forward Evan Mobley rolled his left ankle on Sunday and was ruled out for the second half, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets.

Pistons’ Bickerstaff Urges NBA To Reconsider Back-To-Backs Involving Cup Games

December 1st, 2024 at 3:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff believes the pressure to win NBA Cup games causes players to treat them like veritable mid-season playoff bouts, writes Hunter Patterson of The Athletic.

On Friday, the Pistons defeated the Pacers 130-106 in an NBA Cup game. With that win, the Pistons improved to 3-0 in East Group B, tied by record with the Bucks. Milwaukee’s +29 point differential in its three wins is only marginally better than Detroit’s +28 as the two teams prepare to match up on Tuesday.

The Pistons subsequently had to travel to Philadelphia, where they fell in a blowout to the lowly Sixers on Saturday. Citing travel issues and the challenge of playing a back-to-back set that includes an NBA Cup contest, Bickerstaff said his squad was worn out for Saturday’s game.

“I mean, our guys were exhausted,” Bickerstaff said following the Philadelphia defeat. “We sat on the runway last night until 2:30, 3:00 in the morning. Got home at 4:00 in the morning in the snowstorm. They drove home, by the time they got to bed it was 5:00 a.m, 5:30 a.m. I thought they went out and they dug down… They tried to give it what they had. We just didn’t have it tonight, and that’s fair. They tried but today was just a rough day for them.”

Later during his post-game remarks, Bickerstaff advocated for the league to make some tweaks to its NBA Cup scheduling, specifically in regard to how it doles out back-to-back sets of games if one is part of the in-season tournament.

“I’ll scream it to the rooftops, and I hope people will pay attention and they’ll listen,” Bickerstaff said. “I think the league has done a wonderful thing by adding the Cup series. Obviously, as time goes on, there will be adjustments that are made to it, but you should not play a back-to-back after one of those games. The guys are competing their tails off to go out and win at a high level, and it’s just extremely difficult to come back the next night and have to play a back-to-back to follow it up.

“Hopefully, it’s something that they’ll look at. I’m not a scheduling expert by any means. I just think it’s extremely difficult for guys to go out and compete at that intensity that we’re asking them to.”

Patterson notes as a caveat that Detroit has gone 1-4 on the second night of back-to-backs this year, regardless of whether or not an NBA Cup game was part of the set.

Cavaliers Notes: Bickerstaff, Allen, Mobley, G League Draft

October 26th, 2024 at 5:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

J.B. Bickerstaff wasn’t emotional about his return to Cleveland Friday night, writes Tom Withers of The Associated Press. Bickerstaff served as head coach of the Cavaliers for more than four years before being fired following last season’s second-round playoff loss to the Celtics. He wasn’t out of work long, as the Pistons tabbed him to fill their head coaching vacancy in early July.

“I didn’t recognize these (remodeled) halls back here trying to figure out where to go, but that’s it,” Bickerstaff responded when asked about being back at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. “I know there is a deal to be made about it. But honestly, all we’re trying to do is get together what we have, get better every day and spend your focus there.”

Bickerstaff took over the Cavs after John Beilein resigned midway through the 2019/20 season. He compiled a 170-159 record and oversaw a rebuilding project that resulted in playoff appearances his final two years. However, he was frequently a target of Cleveland fans who questioned his rotations, game strategies and other aspects of his coaching philosophy. Bickerstaff predicted a mixed response before the game, and that’s what he received during pregame introductions.

“We did a hell of a job here from where we started when our staff took over to where we finished,” he said. “In any kind of rebuild situation, if you could ask for that to happen, every GM in this league, every owner in this league, every player in this league would sign up for it. We got better every year. Every year we went further, so we did the job we were asked to do and I’m proud of that.”

There’s more from Cleveland:

Bickerstaff shot down speculation that he was criticizing Jarrett Allen for missing the series with Boston due a pierced rib he suffered in the first round, per Ethan Sands of Cleveland.com. After his dismissal, Bickerstaff appeared on a radio show and praised Luka Doncic for staying on the court despite injuries. Bickerstaff told reporters Friday night that his remarks shouldn’t have been interpreted as a shot at Allen. “Jarrett and I have a great relationship and always will, and none of the outside noise will impact that,” Bickerstaff said. “Those comments had absolutely nothing to do with Jarrett Allen. I love Jarrett Allen. We have a great relationship. … I would never say anything to slight him or question him, and I think that’s a lot of silly people that are just searching for something to be found who’ve got nothing better to do and looking for clickbait.”
Under new coach Kenny Atkinson, the Cavs are making a stronger effort to create scoring opportunities for Evan Mobley, observes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. It was evident in the season opener as Mobley took 14 shots and led the team with 25 points. “I’m just staying mentally in attack mode,” he said. “Always looking at the rim, always going to the basket, moving forward, looking to score and then looking for outlets after.”
The Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate, made two trades in today’s G League draft (Twitter links). The first deal sent No. 3 pick Sean East II to the South Bay Lakers in a four-team trade in exchange for No. 5 pick Chandler Hutchison and a 2025 G League International Draft pick. The team also shipped No. 22 pick Trae Hannibal to Indiana in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2025 G League Draft (via Rio Grande Valley.)

Pistons Notes: Cunningham, 2024/25 Outlook, Harris, Rotation, More

October 17th, 2024 at 9:39pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Pistons are dedicated to making sure the 2024/25 campaign goes far better than last season did. From the coaching staff to the front office to the roster, Detroit has been hellbent on enacting sweeping culture changes, according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. Those changes range from a new coach ( J.B. Bickerstaff) to a new rule prohibiting players from putting their hoods up when practicing.

The hiring of Bickerstaff is one of the biggest changes for the Pistons after their franchise-worst season. They also committed long-term to Cade Cunningham with a maximum-salary extension, traded for and signed a handful veterans with floor-spacing capabilities, and made Trajan Langdon their new head of basketball operations. Cunningham’s efficiency is maximized with floor spacers around him, so that was a concentrated effort by the front office.

“When we sat down when we were done playing [in a recent preseason game] and the younger guys were playing, he was like, ‘Beaz, I didn’t even realize how much the floor is open,’” new teammate Malik Beasley — a career 38.5% three-point shooter — recalled Cunningham saying to him. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, so use me to your advantage.'”

The franchise fully believes Cunningham can be a star and is ready to lean into him as their centerpiece.

“The conversations that I’ve had with Cade, the way that I see how his teammates follow him and the way that he engages his teammates, he wants to be amongst the elites and understands that winning matters in order to be respected by your peers in that way,” Bickerstaff said.

We have more from the Pistons:

Despite the optimism surrounding the team, the Pistons are still a work in progress, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes. They’re taking a patient approach with all the new systems in place. “We will be a work in progress all season long, and that’s our mentality going into this year,” Bickerstaff said. “We will not be a finished product and we don’t expect to be. This is something where we’re looking at the big picture, but our aim is to continue to get better until we feel like we’re that complete team that can compete at the level that we’re all looking to. We’ve got our foundation in. I think our guys have a clear understanding of who we are, what our plan is, what we’re trying to do.“
Harris is one of the crucial veterans who will help the young players like Cunningham in their continued transition efforts into a winning team. The 13-year NBA veteran is already making an impression on his teammates. “He’s bringing a lot of leadership for us,” teammate Simone Fontecchio said, per Sankofa (Twitter link). “A vet, being in this league for a lot of years. He’s really helping us. Since we have a lot of young guys on the team he’s been able to teach them, lead them and that’s what we need from him.“
Rookie No. 5 overall pick Ron Holland may have played his way into a regular season rotation role, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes in a mailbag. Holland’s held a regular rotation spot in five preseason games, averaging 7.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest. However, it’ll be interesting to see how the team handles his minutes when Ausar Thompson returns to action. Neither is a floor spacer at this point in their careers, so the Pistons will likely have to stagger their minutes. Langlois notes that both players are working extensively with shooting coach Fred Vinson, who was so coveted he was hired before Bickerstaff.
In the same piece, Langlois asserts Cunningham, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey are all firmly in the starting five. Ivey cemented his place in the lineup with strong offseason and preseason play. Beyond those four, Langlois thinks Thompson will be the fifth starter when healthy, with Beasley, Isaiah Stewart, Fontecchio, Holland and Tim Hardaway Jr. coming off the bench. Paul Reed and Marcus Sasser would be next in line in the rotation.
Ivey, Cunningham and Harris stand out as the winners of the preseason after answering certain questions about their respective games, Sankofa writes in another piece. On the other hand, Hardaway and the rest of the veteran wings didn’t shoot well, while Thompson’s status as he recovers from a blood clot that ended his rookie season remains in question.

Central Notes: Pistons, Bucks, Cavs, Collet, Haliburton

October 9th, 2024 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Pistons owner Tom Gores is pleased with the way that new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon identified three-point shooting and veteran leadership as priorities in his first summer on the job and made moves to address those areas, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Langdon and the Pistons’ front office signed Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, and Paul Reed as free agents and traded for Tim Hardaway Jr.

“The core of the way we thought is we have this young group of players that need to be developed and also need to be complemented with the right players,” Gores said. “I feel really good about the veterans we’ve added. Tobias, who I’ve known for a long time, we have Beasley and Hardaway and Reed that’s come in. I feel very good about the offseason with the veterans.

“We knew these young men were good, they have a lot of potential. All of them. You see (Jaden) Ivey‘s really coming along well. But all of that said, we needed to complement them with the right thing so they could grow properly. I’m pretty excited. That’s how we approached it. We have a core that we believe in and we’ve got the veterans added in.”

The other major move that Gores signed off on during Langdon’s first offseason was the decision to part ways with Monty Williams even though the veteran head coach had five years left on the lucrative contract he signed with Detroit a year ago. Gores has no regrets about approving that coaching change after seeing the way J.B. Bickerstaff has handled the job so far.

“I think J.B.’s doing an incredible job communicating with the players and getting us organized,” Gores said. “I feel good. Everybody knows we have a lot of work to do, but we turned the page and we’re ready to go.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers shared some positive health updates on Tuesday, telling reporters – including Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – that Gary Trent Jr. will be “fine” after hyperextending his left elbow and may even play on Thursday and that Khris Middleton, who is recovering from surgeries on both ankles, could suit up for a game or two before the end of the preseason.
Bucks newcomer Taurean Prince spoke this week about the role he expects to play in Milwaukee, expressing that he believes his ability to play power forward “can serve the team very, very well.” Eric Nehm of The Athletic has the details.
Vincent Collet, the former head coach of the French men’s basketball national team, is reuniting with Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson, according to reporting from L’Equipe (hat tip to Eurohoops). After Atkinson worked under Collet as an assistant coach for the French team over the summer, Collet will reportedly serve as a consultant for Atkinson and the Cavs this season.
Speaking to James Boyd of The Athletic, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton discussed what he learned from his summer experience with Team USA and explained why he’s so excited about the continuity Indiana has established heading into the 2024/25 season. “We have the same coaching staff, let alone the same group of guys,” Haliburton said. “So, this is really refreshing, really exciting, because it’s less about teaching and more of the detail work and complex stuff and getting to those (stages) quicker. That’s been so refreshing and so fun for me, and I think that’s gonna make us so good moving forward.”

NBA GMs High On Thunder’s Offseason Moves, Celtics’ Title Chances

October 8th, 2024 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder made the best roster moves during the 2024 offseason, according to the NBA’s general managers. Within his annual survey of the league’s top basketball decision-makers, John Schuhmann of NBA.com writes that 37% of his respondents picked Oklahoma City as having the best summer, with the Sixers coming in second place at 33%. The Knicks got 20% of the vote share, while no other club received more than a single vote.

It was one of many favorable outcomes in the survey for the Thunder, who were overwhelmingly selected as the team with the best young core — 60% of GMs selected OKC, compared to 20% for the second-place Magic.

New Thunder guard Alex Caruso was chosen by general managers as the most underrated offseason acquisition, receiving 23% of that vote share, while last year’s Most Valuable Player runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was picked as this year’s MVP favorite (40%), narrowly edging Mavericks star Luka Doncic (30%).

The Thunder also received a handful of votes from the league’s GMs as the team that will win the 2025 NBA Finals, but at 13%, they finished a distant second to the Celtics, who earned a whopping 83% of the vote. Besides those two clubs, only the Mavericks (3%) received a vote to become this season’s champions.

Here are a few more interesting results from Schuhmann’s GM survey, which is worth checking out in full:

New Sixers forward Paul George got 60% of the vote as the offseason acquisition who will have the biggest impact in 2024/25, followed by new Knicks Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns at 13% apiece. The Towns trade, meanwhile, was named the most surprising offseason move, eking out George leaving Los Angeles for Philadelphia (27% to 23%).
Unsurprisingly, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama was the overwhelming choice (77%) for which player the GMs would most want to start a franchise with. Gilgeous-Alexander and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic each earned three votes in that category, while Doncic got one.
The league’s general managers are high on No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard — the Rockets‘ guard is their pick to win the Rookie of the Year award (50%) ahead of betting favorite Zach Edey of the Grizzlies (30%). Sheppard also comfortably received the largest vote share (43%) when the GMs were asked which rookie will be the best player in five years. Spurs guard Stephon Castle (17%) and Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (13%) were the runners-up in that category.
There was no consensus among the GMs on which 2024 draftee was the biggest steal. Wizards guard Carlton Carrington, Kings guard Devin Carter, Pacers wing Johnny Furphy, Lakers forward Dalton Knecht, Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon, and Thunder guard Nikola Topic each received three votes to lead the way.
Among newly hired head coaches, Mike Budenholzer of the Suns is the one GMs feel will have the biggest impact on his new club. Budenholzer received 40% of the vote, beating out Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers and J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons (20% apiece). Meanwhile, Spurs guard Chris Paul (30%) and Raptors guard Garrett Temple (20%) are the active players that GMs feel would make the best head coaches down the road.
Asked what they’d change about the NBA, 20% of GMs said the rules related to the tax aprons, trades, and roster construction are too restrictive and/or should be “indexed to (a) team’s market,” per Schuhmann, making it the top response.

Pistons Announce Coaching Staff Under Bickerstaff

September 23rd, 2024 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons have officially announced new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s staff via a press release.

Luke Walton, Sidney Lowe, Fred Vinson, Vitaly Potapenko, Kevin Burleson, Jerome Allen and Josh Estes have been named as assistants.

Walton’s decision to join Bickerstaff was reported in mid-July. The former Kings and Lakers head coach comes to Detroit after spending the last two seasons in Cleveland on Bickerstaff’s staff. Lowe’s decision to join Bickerstaff was also revealed in July. This will be his third stint in Detroit, where he served as an assistant during the 2005/06 season and again from 2018 to 2021.

Vinson was hired in June prior to the Pistons’ decision to fire Monty Williams with five years remaining on his contract. Vinson spent 14 years with the Pelicans organization and is highly regarded for his expertise as a shooting instructor.

Potapenko spent the last six years with Memphis, while Burleson had been the head coach of the Rockets’ NBA G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the last two seasons. Allen was a candidate for the head coaching job after Williams’ dismissal and spent two seasons on Dwane Casey‘s staff in Detroit. He served as a pro personnel scout for the Celtics last season.

Estes spent the last four seasons as a coaching analyst and analytics coordinator in Cleveland under Bickerstaff.

Eastern Notes: Bickerstaff, Allen, Travers, Bey, Sixers

July 12th, 2024 at 4:04pm CST by Rory Maher

It didn’t take long for J.B. Bickerstaff to find a new job after being fired by Cleveland, having been hired by the Pistons as their new head coach. At his introductory press conference on Wednesday, Bickerstaff discussed why he found Detroit’s vacancy appealing, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.

“It was my conversations with (president of basketball operations) Trajan (Langdon), to begin with,” Bickerstaff said. “I had a great feeling that this organization was heading in the right direction and was being led by the right people. For me, going through some of the things that I’ve gone through in the past, the people that you work with … being of a shared vision and willingness to commit to one another and partner with one another, I thought this group, as a whole, had a great vision. (team owner) Tom (Gores) has given every resource to go out and execute that vision.

“Then, obviously, you study the team. I took a deep dive as soon as I could. Obviously, I have experience of playing against them four times a year for so many years, but I knew the players well. I believed in their ability and talent. There is a steps process that we have to take, and we’re really aware of that and Trajan and I are united in that. It just doesn’t happen for everyone overnight.”

Bickerstaff pointed to his success with Cleveland as proof that he can turn the Pistons around, writes Larry Lage of The Associated Press. Detroit finished with the worst record in the NBA last season. Langdon said he was looking for a veteran coach to lead a young team, as Lage relays.

“You want somebody who can come in here and hit the ground running, and who’s done this before,” Langdon said. “Especially with a young team coming off a difficult season, positivity was important. We felt experience was important. The players needed to feel like the person coming in here knew what he was talking about.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Cavaliers have been receiving trade inquiries on former All-Star center Jarrett Allen, but they continue to rebuff those overtures, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link). Allen, who averaged 16.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2.7 APG and 1.1 BPG in 77 games last season (31.7 MPG), will earn $40MM over the next two seasons.
Australian wing Luke Travers, a second-round pick (No. 56) by the Cavaliers in 2022, is dealing with a sore hamstring that sidelined him for the team’s Summer League opener in Las Vegas on Friday, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Travers has expressed a strong desire to come stateside in 2024/25, though it’s unclear if he’ll be able to earn a roster spot.
New Wizards forward Saddiq Bey will earn $6,440,678 in 2024/25, $6,118,644 in ’25/26, and $6,440,678 again in ’26/27, a source tells cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). Bey will likely miss most — if not all — of his first season with Washington after tearing his ACL in March. The 25-year-old’s new three-year deal also includes $1MM in incentives.
Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer argues that free agent signee Caleb Martin will bring a much-need infusion of “Heat Culture” to the Sixers, pointing to the 28-year-old’s success with Miami as evidence. According to Sielski, the 76ers have had plenty of talent in recent years, but the team has often lacked an identity, which Martin should help fortify with his willingness to make winning energy plays.
Former NBA forward Demetris Nichols has joined the Sixers as a player development coach, per Mike Waters of Syracuse.com (subscriber link). The No. 53 pick of the 2007 draft, Nichols appeared in 18 NBA games with Cleveland, Chicago and New York before spending several years overseas. The 39-year-old was an assistant with Wake Forest last season, Waters notes.

Sidney Lowe Joining J.B. Bickerstaff In Detroit

July 6th, 2024 at 7:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sidney Lowe has agreed to become an assistant to J.B. Bickerstaff with the Pistons, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Lowe also worked for Bickerstaff during his time in Cleveland.

Lowe is the first reported hiring since the organization confirmed that Bickerstaff will be its new head coach on Wednesday. Bickerstaff took the job a little more than a month after being dismissed by the Cavaliers following a second-round playoff exit.

Lowe, 64, played for five NBA teams in seven years after winning an NCAA title at North Carolina State. He moved into coaching in 1991 and spent time with numerous organizations over the past three decades.

This will be his third stint in Detroit, where he served as an assistant during the 2005/06 season and again from 2018 to 2021.

Pistons Hire J.B. Bickerstaff As Head Coach

July 3rd, 2024 at 10:38am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 3: The Pistons have officially confirmed that Bickerstaff will be the team’s new head coach, announcing the hiring in a press release (Twitter link).

“I am pleased to have J.B. joining our franchise and commend our front office team on leading an extensive search,” team owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “This is a pivotal time, and we need a leader who can immediately instill a culture of growth, development, and inspiration. After spending time with J.B., it’s clear he is a passionate teacher with a competitive spirit who knows what it takes to win in today’s NBA. He’s also a strong communicator, which provides great synergy with Trajan and the front office team we have assembled. He will be an outstanding partner in helping our players maximize their potential and compete consistently.”

JUNE 30: J.B. Bickerstaff will be the Pistons‘ next head coach, agreeing to a five-year contract with the team, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The first four seasons of the deal will be guaranteed, tweets James L. Edwards of The Athletic.

The 45-year-old coach lands his next job just weeks after being fired in Cleveland. He inherits a talented young roster, much like the one he had when he took over the Cavaliers in 2020.

Bickerstaff was one of three candidates who reportedly interviewed for the position in Detroit, as our head coaching search tracker shows. The competition thinned out on Friday when Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego opted to pull his name out of the search and remain in New Orleans.

Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney was the other finalist for the job, according to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

The Pistons are looking for a new direction after a disastrous season under Monty Williams, who guided them to a franchise-worst 14-68 record before being dismissed earlier this month. New head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon made the decision to fire Williams, who still had five seasons remaining on his six-year, $78.5MM contract, along with general manager Troy Weaver.

The mission to turn the franchise around now belongs to Bickerstaff, who led the Cavs to playoff appearances in the past two seasons. He compiled a 170-159 record in four-plus years in Cleveland, but players reportedly expressed doubts behind the scenes about his “strategies, game management, practice habits and accountability measures.”

Bickerstaff, the son of longtime NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff, broke into the league in 2004 as an assistant with Charlotte. He moved onto assistant jobs in Minnesota and Houston, then was promoted to head coach of the Rockets early in the 2015/16 season. He wasn’t brought back despite posting a 37-34 record and reaching the playoffs. He moved onto Memphis as an assistant and later became head coach, compiling a 48-97 record.

Bickerstaff will be expected to build a winning team around Cade Cunningham, something the franchise has been unable to do since he was the overall No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft. The new coach will have a roster filled with recent lottery picks, including Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson and this year’s first-round selection Ron Holland. The Pistons also have more than $58MM in cap room, allowing them to be aggressive when free agency gets underway this evening.