This could turn around this dysfunctional franchise…if done right. The Detroit Pistons have finally made a competent coaching hire as they brought in former Suns coach Monty Williams to a 6-year, $78M deal that should really help this franchise so long as Williams is given enough time.
The Pistons really need this coaching hire to work or else they’re doomed for another 10 years of misery and mediocrity.
In the most stunning coaching hire of the offseason to date, the Detroit Pistons hired former Phoenix Suns coach and a 1X Coach of the Year Mony Williams to a record-breaking 6-year, $78M contract that’ll see him put solely in charge of rebuilding this franchise and roster back into a mold of the glory days of the 1990’s and early 2000’s. But, even though I really like Mony Williams as a coach, I don’t think he’s going to see out this contract.
As I said, Monty Williams is one of the best coaches in the league, and probably one of the few coaches who can even take on this Pistons job without failing instantly.
If you don’t believe me that Monty Williams can turn the ship around on this Pistons franchise, he took a Suns team that hadn’t had a 50+ winning season in 10 years and hadn’t had a 40+ winning season in 7 years, and turned them into Pacific Division winners (2020/21, 2021/22), 60+ win team (2021/22), and NBA Finalists (2021) after just a single season in charge.
Guys like DeAndre Ayton and Devin Booker were turned into supermax, All-Star, and even All-NBA level players, while Chris Paul, who looked like his career was winding down, was given an extra boost of career vitality under Williams as his time on the Suns was the only time in Paul’s long, Hall of Fame-worthy career he reached an NBA Finals.
Plus, the Suns had Robert Sarver as the owner for the vast majority of Williams’ time in charge, so that’s just an extra level of difficult Williams had placed on him when he took over in 2019. Monty Williams knows how to get the best out of underperforming, undeveloped (DeAndre Ayton, Devin Booker players along with superstars (Chris Paul, Kevin Durant), so I have no doubt in his competency or ability.
What I am really concerned about is how long the Pistons ownership and management hierarchy will give him to turn the franchise around.
Sure, they paid for 6 years with Williams, but the world of sports tells us one should never believe their contract time is infallible or that they’ll be given a proper chance to make their mark on a team. Just take, oh, I don’t know…the Detroit Pistons for example.
Ever since Chauncey Billips, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace brought Motown’s 3rd and final championship (as of now) home, the Detroit Pistons have gone through coaches like they’re mechanical ponies at a carousel. They’re about to go on their 10th coach in 20 years (0.5 coaches per year…which is bad), they’ve only had two coaches (Larry Brown and Flip Saunders) with winning records in that span, the past 8 coaches all have losing records, three coaches have winning percentages of less than .400, and they haven’t won a playoff game since 2008.
Yes, one may say that the Pistons are learning the errors of their ways and have given tenure to the last two head coaches (Stan Van Gundy: 2014-2018; Dwane Casey: 2018-2023), but these two guys really should have been moved on long before they reached their eventually firing as both finished with less than 160 wins in 320+ games coached (aka: 50% win rate), neither had a winning record (Van Gundy: .463%; Casey: .316%), neither won a playoff game (Van Gundy: 0-4; Casey: 0-4).
Oh, and both lost at least 175 games, which is the most in Pistons recent history since Hall of Famer Chuck Daley’s 271 losses in his 10 years behind the bench of the Pistons. But, unlike Van Gundy and Casey, Daly happened to win 467 games, have a .633 winning percentage, win 70 postseason games, have a .628 postseason winning percentage, and won two championships for Detroit (1990, 1991).
A bit of a difference.
Back to the roster itself, there’s some real talent here with Jaden Ivy and Killian Hayes having averaged over 10 PPG last season and still being under 22 years old, Bojan Bogdanovic still averaging over 20 PPG, Cade Cunningham may be salvageable at PG after his shin injury, and James Wiseman being a project at the center position.
And, with the Pistons holding the 5th overall pick and probably looking at taking Villanova’s PF Cam Whitmore, there’s a solid core Monty Williams can cultivate and turn into a playoff contender again.
I’m just not sure the Pistons will be willing to give him the time necessary to grow it.
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