Detroit Pistons: 12 coaching candidates if Dwane Casey is fired

Detroit Pistons: 12 coaching candidates if Dwane Casey is fired

Scott Brooks

Brooks may have the most connections to the Detroit Pistons and Troy Weaver, as he was the head coach at OKC when Weaver was there and is now an assistant under Chauncey Billups in Portland.

He’s got pedigree as a coach that took his team to the NBA Finals and won Coach of the Year. He has experience working with MVP-caliber players as well as young guys, so if the Pistons wanted to go with a known commodity, Brooks could be their guy.

Becky Hammon

Hammon, who is currently the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA, had a decorated career as a player before being the assistant head coach of the Spurs under Gregg Popovich.

Many thought she would be in line for the Spurs’ job if Pop ever retires, but she obviously jumped at an opportunity to take the reins of her own team with the Aces. There is no indication that she wants to leave that job, but her stated desire has always been to be the head coach of an NBA team, and she’d be the first woman to ever hold that title.

But Hammon would be far more than some gimmick hire, as she has a sharp basketball mind, has put in her time and has the respect of players. Here’s what Pau Gasol had to say about Hammon in a letter he wrote in the Players Tribune:

"“I’ve played with some of the best players of this generation … and I’ve played under two of the sharpest minds in the history of sports, in Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich. And I’m telling you: Becky Hammon can coach. I’m not saying she can coach pretty well. I’m not saying she can coach enough to get by. I’m not saying she can coach almost at the level of the NBA’s male coaches. I’m saying: Becky Hammon can coach NBA basketball. Period.”"

Coach Hammon is eventually going to get her shot, but we’ll have to wait and see if she is a candidate for the Detroit Pistons.