Pistons Notes: Dumars, Coach, Sampson

Last night, we learned that Stan Van Gundy isn't interested in becoming the next coach of the 76ers, Cavaliers, or Pistons, the three teams with coaching vacancies.  Detroit let Lawrence Frank go at the end of the season, bringing an end to his tenure which saw the club go 54-94 across two seasons.  Here's a look at the latest out of The Palace as they get set for what should be a very interesting offseason..

  • Joe Dumars will be in charge of finding the next coach of the team, but he won't rush his search, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.  There's no hurry for Dumars as potential candidates – such as Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson– are in the playoffs.
  • The foundation is set for Dumars to improve the fortunes of the Pistons, writes Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News.  The Pistons have flexibility, young players and play in a fairly desirable market, which can't be said for other clubs in similar positions.  One league executive told Goodwill that Dumars is still heavily respected by players and agents around the league and that he represents "organizational strength" despite the Pistons not being a big-market team.
  • Without mentioning him by name, former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy blasted Dumars for making Frank the scapegoat for the club's problems, writes Brendan Savage of MLive.com.
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