The Detroit Pistons are taking their time with their coaching search to make sure they get the right guy, but also to see how these playoffs pan out.
The biggest surprise of the playoffs so far was the early exit by the Milwaukee Bucks, who were soundly defeated by the Miami Heat in the first round.
The Bucks were missing Giannis Antetokounmpo for some of the games, but there are still rumblings around the team after they failed to make it past the first round after finishing with the best record in the league.
Mike Budenholzer earned himself some breathing room after winning a title, but there are some questions about his coaching job in the playoffs, specifically his inability to make adjustments, his use (or non-use really) of timeouts late in the game, the team’s late-game collapses and how he failed to use Jae Crowder, who the team gave up five second-round picks to acquire.
Yahoo Sports reported that Budenholzer’s job may not be as safe as it was, which is news that could affect the Detroit Pistons.
How the Bucks’ downfall could affect the Detroit Pistons
Charles Lee, who is the current associate head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, has been named as one of the frontrunners for the Pistons’ coaching position.
Here’s what Yahoo sports had to say about the process so far:
"“Lee is one of the three finalists for Detroit’s coaching vacancy. The Bucks assistant interviewed for a latest round of meetings with Pistons brass on Tuesday, sources told Yahoo Sports, before another leading candidate, Pelicans assistant coach Jarron Collins, interviewed once again with Detroit leadership on Wednesday. ”"
Lee is still only 38-years-old but he is very highly thought of in the Bucks’ organization, so if they do decide to part ways with Budenholzer, Lee could be a frontrunner for their opening as well.
Knowing that he has already interviewed twice with Detroit could force the Bucks to speed up the process and make a move for Lee if they think he is their guy. Of course, this all hinges on them firing Budenholzer, which seems unlikely at this point, especially with no clear championship-tested replacement waiting in the wings other than Nick Nurse.
If the Pistons think Lee is their guy, this could force their hand a bit and prompt them to speed up their process.
If Budenholzer were fired (again, a big if), would he then be a candidate for the Detroit Pistons? There could be a domino effect that changes the entire process for Detroit.
All of these things are unlikely, but if Budenholzer does leave Milwaukee, it will have an effect on the Pistons’ coaching search one way or another.