Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that Michael Curry will not return next season as the team’s head coach.
"This was a difficult decision to make," Dumars said. "I want to thank Michael for his hard work and dedication to the organization. However, at this time, I have decided to make a change."
More to come, obviously.
From MLive.com:
The news of Curry's dismissal was just reaching players Tuesday morning.
"I just found out about 10 minutes ago," Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey said in a phone interview.
"It's always sad to lose a coach," Stuckey said. "But like I always say, this is a business and in this business, you have to be prepared and ready for anything."
From Y!'s Adrian Woj:
No replacement has been hired, but a league source believes that one-time Detroit coach Doug Collins could be the favorite for the job.
Despite some public speculation, sources say former Pistons center Bill Laimbeer will not be a candidate to replace Curry.
Pistons president Joe Dumars had been considering a change for several weeks, sources say, and ultimately let go of Curry after concluding he couldn’t recover the locker room. Curry had a deteriorating relationship with All-Star Richard Hamilton, whom he benched at times in favor of Allen Iverson.
Names also being kicked around in the media: Avery Johnson and Cavs' assistant John Kuester, who's largely been credited with orchestrating Cleveland's offense. I haven't heard anyone mention Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau, the mastermind behind the Celtics' defense, but I have to imagine he appears somewhere on Detroit's list. Then again, Thibodeau was already passed over twice this summer after interviewing with Sacramento and Philadelphia, so perhaps there's a reason he's yet to get an opportunity.