Fans of the Detroit Pistons were curious about who would be held accountable after the worst season in franchise history.
The answer is no one, at least not yet, as the team hasn’t announced any firings, only that Tom Gores would hire a new President of Basketball Operations to oversee everything.
Troy Weaver will stay on as GM (for now), though that could change depending on who is hired, as the person will reportedly have the ability to hire and fire as they see fit.
James Edwards III of The Athletic (Subscription) came up with his own list of possible candidates that includes Jon Horst, John Hammond, Neil Olshey (please no), Bryson Graham and the Pistons’ own Dwane Casey. Personally, I would not consider Olshey after the way his time ended in Portland, nor Dwane Casey, as enough is enough already. Horst and Hammond are interesting and have had recent success and Graham is an up-and-comer from the Pelicans who would be an intriguing choice.
But I have a list of my own, starting with the least experienced and moving towards more proven candidates.
5 President of Basketball Operations candidates for the Detroit Pistons
Tommy Balcetis
I’m a big fan of going after people who have had success in successful organizations and Balcetis certainly qualifies. He’s currently the assistant GM for the Denver Nuggets.
Balcetis, a Harvard graduate, has been instrumental in the team-building philosophy in Denver and involved in everything from the draft to managing the salary cap.
Balcetis worked his way up from the analytics department and is now “heavily involved in strategy and analysis,” according to reports. He’s under 40 years old, so this would be a bold hire, but one that could be a long-term solution if it works out.
Gores has often gone the other direction, hiring proven veterans with long reputations in the NBA. Balcetis would represent a turn from that strategy, and he could be a fresh voice to add to guys like Troy Weaver and Monty Williams.
Tayshaun Prince
This is a name that would get the attention of fans, as Prince is one of the most popular players from the Goin’ to Work era teams. He’s currently the VP of Basketball Affairs for the Memphis Grizzlies, a team that has been consistently good up until this season, when injuries ravaged their roster.
According to reports, "Prince will, among other responsibilities, facilitate alignment between the front office, coaching staff and locker room and participate in the evaluation of professional, college and G League personnel.”
This sounds similar to the job the Detroit Pistons are trying to fill. Prince would certainly be a surprise choice, but his familiarity and success with Detroit may balance some of the concerns about his lack of experience.
Trajan Langdon
Langdon is also a young up-and-coming executive but has more experience than either Balcetis or Prince. Langdon is currently the GM of the New Orleans Pelicans and has his fingerprints all over their roster.
Like Prince, Langdon was a successful role player in the NBA, and those guys tend to make the best talent evaluators and coaches, as they had to rely on smarts as well as athletic ability to be successful players. Langdon started as a scout for the Spurs and eventually landed the assistant GM job with the Nets before being upgraded to his current position in New Orleans.
Langdon has found some gems in the draft, including Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III and Jose Alvarado, guys who ended up outperforming their draft position by a wide margin. He helped build the Pelicans in the post Anthony Davis era and is known as a solid evaluator of talent.
Langdon would be another choice who can grow with the organization and be there long term.
Peter Dinwiddie
Another analytics guru like Balcetis, Peter Dinwiddie is currently the VP of Basketball Operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, so this would be a natural progression for him. Prior to that, Dinwiddie had a similar job with the Indiana Pacers.
Dinwiddie was part of the Paul George trade that helped rebuild the Indiana Pacers, which is useful experience for a Pistons’ team that may have to pull off a big trade to change their roster.
He was also part of the Ben Simmons trade, and many recent Philly moves that have brought in complementary players to put around Joel Embiid.
These first four candidates are all young and none of them have served as a POBO before, so this would be a leap of faith for Gores, who has leaned towards more experience in the past, though did make a similar hire when he brought on Troy Weaver.
So, if Gores wanted to go for a more experienced hand, there is another candidate out there who would be the biggest possible splash.
Bob Myers
Myers won executive of the year multiple times for the Golden State Warriors while also winning four titles, the type of pedigree Gores would love to bring to Detroit.
Myers is currently an ESPN analyst and a consultant for the Washington NFL team. He also has connections to Arn Tellem, as he worked as an agent for Tellem for 14 years, amassing an impressive rolodex of clients and connections along the way.
Myers is credited with building the blueprint for the Warriors’ dynasty by hiring Steve Kerr and extending Klay Thompson instead of trading him. He brought in Kevin Durant and won four championships total with a Warriors team that has been the envy of the NBA for years.
Myers would likely have to be lured to the Pistons with a massive contract and complete control over all basketball decisions, something Gores may not want to do after getting burned by Monty Williams.