The Detroit Pistons are close to finalizing a five-year deal for J.B. Bickerstaff to serve as the team’s next head coach. The hiring comes just one week after new president Trajan Langdon fired Monty Williams after one disastrous season that saw the Pistons with a franchise-low 14 wins. The news was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Bickerstaff is coming off two consecutive playoff appearances with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but that is also the franchise that decided that despite successful seasons, they wanted to move on and find a new voice on the sidelines.
This will be the fourth consecutive head coaching hire in Detroit of a man with experience coming off of multiple winning seasons and playoff appearances. Things didn’t exactly work out for Stan Van Gundy, Dwane Casey, and Monty Williams in Detroit.
Let’s hope the fourth time’s the charm.
Bickerstaff was reportedly at the top of Langdon’s candidate list throughout the process, according to The Athletic. Langdon wanted “someone with experience, leadership skills, and the ability to mold young players into a cohesive team,” per The Athletic.
The Athletic’s James Edwards III also notes the deal is four guaranteed years with a team option on a fifth season and that Sean Sweeney was the runner-up for the position and made a strong impression on the front office.
Bickerstaff has coached all or parts of seven seasons in the NBA, one as an interim head coach with Houston, 1.8 as an interim and full head coach with Memphis, and four and some change as an interim and then full head coach in Cleveland.
This is the first time in his career Bickerstaff is joining an organization as head coach from the beginning.