Lawrence Frank doesn't want to return as Pistons coach unless team guarantees contract option

[Big Bid'Ness]

From:Yahoosports
 
 

With his brief tenure rapidly reaching a crossroads, Detroit Pistons coach Lawrence Frank informed owner Tom Gores that he shouldn't be retained for the third year of his contract unless the franchise is willing to guarantee the deal's fourth-year team option, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Within the organization, Frank has been insistent that the Pistons' full-blown rebuilding project and recent instabilities in the head coaching position make it largely unworkable for him to return as a lame-duck coach for the 2013-14 season.
Nevertheless, Frank has been passionate in his desire to stay the course through Detroit's long-term rebuilding process. After purchasing the Pistons in 2011, Frank was Gores' first significant hiring as owner.
 
The Pistons are expected to deliver Frank's fate in a Thursday meeting at the team's practice facility in Auburn Hills, Mich.
Frank is guaranteed $4 million for the 2013-14 season, and the team controls a $4 million option for the 2014-15 season.
Gores' public comments about Frank on Monday offered him negligible support, further inspiring speculation that the coach would be fired at season's end.
 
Frank would be the third straight Pistons coach to be let go without reaching the third year of his contract.
The Pistons had won four straight games until a season-ending loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. Detroit will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season, ending with a 29-53 record.
 
The Pistons have cleared salary-cap space for this summer, freeing $20 million to $25 million to sign or trade for players to complement their promising young frontline of forward Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond.
 
In the past two years, most of the Pistons' moves – including the buyout of Richard Hamilton's contract and the trade of Ben Gordon and a future first-round pick for Corey Maggette – have been to clear the way for an overhaul this summer.
 
After Frank's largely successful six-year-plus run with the Nets – in which he reached the playoffs three times, advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals and won the Atlantic Division twice – Frank was fired in 2009. He spent the next season as an assistant to Doc Rivers with the Boston Celtics before Detroit hired him prior to the NBA lockout in 2011.

 

[Teagz]

Yay

 

[jonathanlambert33]

This offseason is pretty important for the Pistons.  They need to hit on a coaching hire.

 

[Big Bid'Ness]

Peter Vecsey ‏@PeterVecsey1 9h
5-5 message I got from listening 2 Pistons owner Tom Gores other night: Joe Dumars & Lawrence Frank will soon be unemployed.

 

[Pugz]

oh.my.god.


YESYESYES!!!!

 

[Big Bid'Ness]

Well 1 of 2 is gone.

 

[Pugz]

"Detroit Pistons basketball slogan: When the going gets tough, we fire the coach,"Van Gundy said. "It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. You know what surprises me, Chris? These new owners in Detroit have to be exceedingly bright to have made as much money as they have. And to be duped again that your G.M. tells you that the roster is good and the coach is bad ... what was the problem with Michael Curry? What was JohnKuester? Now Lawrence. They run through coaches and they haven't even begun to address their problem. They have very little talent and very little basketball character. You combine that, you're going to be in a long rebuild.

"I'm just surprised that when everybody acknowledges it's a player's league everybody would agree with that then the most important player or person in any organization is the person that picks the players. But we don't, as organizations, examine them. We just take the easy way out time and time again. You lose, the G.M. convinces the owner'We got good players. It's the coach's fault.' We fire the coach; we bring a new coach in; we continuetolose. We fire that coach, saying that 'We have better players.' It just goes on and on. It's typical and I can't believe that the Detroit owners fell forit. I just can't believe it."

jvg on detroit/dumars

 

[Big Bid'Ness]

What wasn't the problem with Michael Curry lol.

 

[RipCity32]

I get his point but the 3 of them really were awful coaches lol.

 

[BwareDWare94]

They were but why isn't Dumars gone? Someone answer me that.

 

[Pugz]

dude gives the best blow jobs in the bizzzzzzzz

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Agree with JVG 100%.

 

[Big Bid'Ness]

In other Pistons news today, Tom Gores sold his mansion to Christina Aguliera.....................................................................................................

 

[Pugz]

nate mcmillan is the front runner for the hc job. i approve.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

I don't think any of those guys are truly horrible coaches, but they aren't elite coaches so they won't do nearly enough to make up for the lack of talent on the Pistons.  It's a players driven league.

 

[Pugz]

I don't think any of those guys are truly horrible coaches, but they aren't elite coaches so they won't do nearly enough to make up for the lack of talent on the Pistons.  It's a players driven league.

exactly. a better roster wouldve made them look better as coaches -- maybe not curry but still.

 

[RipCity32]

Curry and Kuester were BAD. Frank isn't a terrible coach though. Just wasn't right for the job IMO.

As for McMillan, I like him. Would certainly like the pickup, however I wish we would wait to see what happens with Lionel Hollins. I could seriously see him not getting another contract in Memphis if he loses this series.

 

[Pugz]

supposedly the team never bonded with frank. he asked their input and never changed his plans. never showed them respect.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

I think McMillan is a excellent coach.

 

[Big Bid'Ness]

supposedly the team never bonded with frank. he asked their input and never changed his plans. never showed them respect.

 
That happened with every coach past flip saunders, even him lol.