Detroit Pistons: 4 early coaching candidates if Dwane Casey is fired
*Since the writing of this, Quin Snyder was hired by the Atlanta Hawks.* The Detroit Pistons are in the midst of another disappointing season and may look to make some big changes to the roster and coaching staff when it is mercifully over.
Dwane Casey has taken the brunt of the criticism for the Pistons’ performance this season, which is unfair considering the context, as he was not given a winning roster and the team has endured myriad injuries, including losing Cade Cunningham for the season.
But even with all of the youth and injuries, the Pistons have been underwhelming at times, especially defensively, and they may need a new voice in the huddle as they try to pivot towards being a competitive team next season.
Dwane Casey should be commended for some of the work he’s done with the young players, and for being a respected leader who has never lost the ear of his team, nor allowed it to devolve into non-stop drama like we’ve seen with other young teams.
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But this is a results-oriented business and he is just 116-234 as the head coach of the Pistons, though you could argue that they were really only trying to win in one of his seasons. Moving on wouldn’t really be an indictment of Casey per se, as sometimes teams just need a new vision to take the next step.
A recent fan poll indicated that the fanbase is ready for a change, and we may get it at the end of the season.
If so, the Detroit Pistons will have a number of options from an in-house candidate, to two known commodities and even one wildcard from the college ranks.
Detroit Pistons: The in-house coaching candidate
Jerome Allen
If the Detroit Pistons wanted to keep some amount of continuity on the bench, they could turn to assistant coach Jerome Allen, who has been with the team and coach Casey for two seasons.
Prior to joining the Pistons, he was an assistant coach under Brad Stevens in Boston, who gave Allen high praise for his work with the Celtics.
His only head coaching experience was at Penn, where he eventually had to resign after a bribery scandal.
It has long been thought that Allen was being groomed for the job after coach Casey is fired, retires or heads to some kind of job in the front office. Allen is well liked by the players, and you see him constantly coaching up the young guys on the bench. He’s also been around some great basketball minds, and was partially responsible for helping to build the Celtics’ defense, which has long been among the best in the NBA.
He wouldn’t be the flashiest name, but Allen will definitely get an interview when and if Casey leaves.