The Detroit Pistons will have several questions lingering over them this offseason, and the biggest might be what to do with Dwane Casey.
If you asked the fanbase, you’d get a mixed response, as some think Casey should be fired, while others think he’s done enough to finish his contract and try to see this rebuild through.
Casey has certainly had some success with young players, but the lack of progress this season, coupled with the terrible defense have some speculating that it might be time for a change.
One team that is no longer debating this issue is the Atlanta Hawks, who fired coach Nate McMillan according to ESPN among others. The Atlanta Hawks have been a disappointment after making the big trade for Dejounte Murray. The Hawks will start their search for a new coach immediately:
ESPN Sources: The Hawks are planning a wide-ranging search, but one candidate expected to be at the top of the list: Former Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder. Others expected to be considered include Bucks assistant Charles Lee, Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 21, 2023
Considering the talent they have, the Hawks should be one of the more desirable openings this offseason, so the question now is who is going to be next?
Detroit Pistons: Who will be the next NBA coach to get fired?
The Detroit Pistons have been nothing but supportive of Dwane Casey publicly and have given no indication that they plan to part ways at the end of the season.
But some sports books aren’t buying it, as Sportsbetting.ag has him as the second-most likely coach to be fired behind Stephen Silas of the Rockets, giving Casey +250 odds. Oddsshark has Casey at +300, also second, but behind Jamahl Mosley +275 with Steven Silas just behind.
This is pure speculation at this point, so the opinions of a few sports books don’t really matter.
But if Casey were to be fired or moved into a different job, the Detroit Pistons and Hawks will undoubtedly be after some of the same potential candidates.
We see some familiar names being bandied about, including Quin Snyder, who may want to return to coaching, and Kenny Atkinson, who seems to be mentioned every time there is an opening.
The Hawks clearly wanted to get a head start on their coaching search, but we’ll likely have to wait until the end of the season to find out if the Detroit Pistons will have one of their own.