The Detroit Pistons lost to the Brooklyn Nets last night, their 11th straight defeat as they close out what has been another disappointing season.
But the real news was after the game when head coach Dwane Casey was asked about his future and dropped a big hint that there might not be one with Detroit.
Casey met with owner Tom Gores after the game to discuss his future, but after posting what could be the worst record in franchise history, the writing may be on the wall for the veteran coach.
The Pistons’ job will be a coveted one, as they already have the core trio of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren to build around, another high draft pick coming and tons of cap space to make moves.
Now would be a great time for a new coach to jump in and try to change the culture of losing that has hung over the team. Dwane Casey certainly doesn’t deserve all of the blame for that, but if he really is fired, there will be plenty of worthy candidates lined up for the job.
Detroit Pistons: 12 coaching candidates if Dwane Casey is fired
Jerome Allen
If the Detroit Pistons wanted to go with an in-house option then Jerome Allen will get some consideration, as he is currently one of Casey’s assistants and reportedly well liked by the young team.
This would probably be the least satisfying choice for fans who want to see a clean break from Dwane Casey, even though there is no guarantee that Allen would be anything like him as a head coach.
Kenny Atkinson
Another boring choice, as Atkinson has been through the coaching carousel before and comes up every time there is an opening. He’s an assistant under Steve Kerr in Golden State, so he has been in a winning culture, and also has some head coaching experience as the former head coach of the Nets.
Atkinson did have success developing young players and winning with a young team with the Nets, so I expect that experience will get him consideration.