I have no idea if he will be good or not for this team, but either way it feels like they were just scrambling to hire someone before free agency started.
I'm of the same mindset that I was when Monty was hired, which is basically "let's see how this goes"
I've been pretty critical of the Hardaway move, and I don't love the Holland pick. But things like coaching hires are just too hard to evaluate until you see how the team plays with that coach imo
Casey stepped down by his own volition? He couldve returned had he wanted but he basically told the locker room he was done after the last game of the 2022-2023 season
If anything he's a dude you know what you're getting with. He seems to do well building a team up but that also requires an FO to help. Just wouldn't be shocked to see him be the thing holding the Pistons back if they turn it around
It's a 4 year deal, so basically a 3 year window to get the team into a competitive place before moving on and finding a coach who can get the Pistons to the next level. I don't hate him as a stop-gap hire, but I was hoping for an exciting move that wouldn't have me expecting a replacement in 2027 and this certainly is not that.
The pistons need a culture guy at the top so badly. Hopefully JB can bring that because I'm not sure Trajan (POBO) is bringing it. A lot of question marks after Ron Hollands presser.
Lol what are you talking about I haven't heard anyone say anything about Ron Holland's presser. I've really liked everything I've seen of how Trajan speaks and operates so far
It's my own observation because I actually watch the pressers. I don't need people to tell me how to feel. Watch Trajan's pressers and then watch Dan Campbell or Brad Holmes. There's a very stark difference. I hope to god it's just media training and personality in front of cameras but I'm extremely skeptical so far.
Trajan was here for a full month and admitted that he didn't look at the top draft prospects until 48 hours before the draft because he was too busy. WTF. You get hired in 1 month before the draft and have a top 5 pick in the draft. That is the most important decision in the shortest timeline you need to make at the beginning of your tenure and it got put on the backburner and rushed together.
I care more about the process the team used to get to the draft pick than the actual pick. The team has been so dysfunctional since Gores bought the team and Trajan was brought in to set the tone and clean things up and his approach to the draft certainly leaves me with more questions than answers.
Okay I rewatched. So yeah he said he wasn't as personally involved in draft stuff until the last 4-5 days but had entrusted that stuff to his team, and prior to that he had already been watching tape on Ron Holland while he was with the Pelicans just because he liked him. So it's not like he just pulled the pick out of his ass, there was a real process. I don't hate it at all
> Trajan was here for a full month and admitted that he didn't look at the top draft prospects until 48 hours before the draft because he was too busy. WTF.
Wait...seriously?? I know it was a bad draft and all but the new GM shouldn't be saying this or at least not in public. Trajan must have had the same public facing media training as Doc lmao
Okay so what he actually said is that he had left draft scouting to his team of people he trusted and then started working with them in the last 4-5 days leading up to the draft to come to a final decision. GMs and presidents delegate stuff all the time, this doesn't seem that crazy to me. He also had already been a big fan watching Ron Holland while he was with the Pelicans, so it's not like he'd never heard the dude's name until draft night.
Okay, that's a much more reasonable explanation and actually sounds pretty much like what you'd expect from a new but well-functioning front office given the transition circumstances - post I responded to made it sound like Trajan told the media he basically didn't gaf about the draft until the day before it took place lmao
I swear some Pistons fans are just constantly looking for any teeny tiny little reason to freak out and assume this new regime is just as bad as the old one and we're doomed to be the worst team in the league for the next century lol. I don't know if Trajan is gonna be the guy to dig us out or not but I feel like he's taking the right approach so far and we won't know shit until the roster for next year is actually set and they start playing some games
> Trajan was here for a full month and admitted that he didn't look at the top draft prospects until 48 hours before the draft because he was too busy
wtf? please tell me you're joking lol. Also, what's the deal with Ron Holland? Genuinely asking as i haven't been keeping up with him much
There's nothing wrong with Holland, he is just a very questionable choice for Detroit because they already have a bunch of young potential core guys that also can't shoot so their spacing is abysmal.
They were definitely working people out earlier than 48 hours prior to the draft. I watched that intro presser as well and don't remember that line, although I'm fully open to admitting I wasn't paying close enough attention.
Totally agree, also some coaches have specialized skill sets, maximize a mid level talent roster? Manage superstars? Get a team to buy in on defense for a year to win a title then lose the locker room? It's so hard to judge a talented HC. I mean Pop hasn't had a winning team in how long? 5 years? With no promises of a winning year this year.
And even skill sets need to be a good match for a roster, be it basketball or personal. A lot of us have met someone who just hit it off with us but not so well with others, or vice versa.
Spo also has a long history of getting the absolute best out of marginal role players. There's just too many players who have had career-best years under Spo who then revert back to the player they were before.
Getting the best out of marginal talents is a sign of a very good coach.
But he regularly has his teams in the mix and has a tangible talent difference he works to overcome. I’m the meantime Monty says shit like “it is what it is” in post game pressers and Dwane Casey looks for players that make their beds in the morning. I would just love a semblance of an actual org at this point
You're proving his point tho, Monty was considered a great coach when he completely turned around the bottom-feeder Suns and took them to the finals, and now he's one of the worst coaches of all-time after losing with worst roster in the league.
Monty only really proved he was a CP3 merchant, his win rate with and without the guys is astounding (iirc it’s like 60/38 on/off). Besides he was checked out with family issues and only did it for the cash
Same with Phil Jackson only winning chips with the literal GOAT and Kobe, or Pop only winning with Tim Duncan.
Obviously they're great coaches but people definitely overrate the impact a coach has because fans love coping that changing the dude on the sidelines will fix what's on the court.
He was an assistant at every other job that got promoted when the head coach got fired. This is his first time being hired directly in a head coach role.
You can do better...and worse...than JB Bickerstaff as a head coach.
From a player development and getting buy-in standpoint, he's better than Monty.
From a tactical standpoint, he's not great.
Honestly, at this point, he might be exactly what we need. We have a ton of raw players who need to develop. Tactics don't really matter for us at the moment.
He might be an upgrade, but it feels like aspiring for mediocrity, rather than giving it to somebody younger who has higher potential. E.g. like the Jazz did with Hardy and Snyder before that.
Everyone should be saying sorry to Pistons fans regardless, this team is trash in all facets and will be for quite some time unless a miracle occurs. lol
He’s proven multiple times that he’s a good coach for a young team, so I don’t get what people are on about with the whole “sorry Pistons” shit, as if they didn’t just have multiple horrible seasons back to back.
Guys, I’m getting this strange sense of deja vu…almost like I’ve experienced this very same conversation recently, like maybe a year ago or something.
Oh well, must be my imagination.
I would be disappointed if I was a Pistons fan. They just went through this with Monty and before him it was Casey. Stop being the rebound, go for a promising assistant.
Honestly, we need a guy to set the culture and tone for the whole organization. I was hoping Trajan was going to be that, but from what I've seen in pressers so far, I don't think he's the guy to do it. He may just not be good with media, because he's not very expressive. He's mentioned culture a couple of times but hasn't actually defined what the culture of the team will be.
We desperately need an identity for the organization and for everyone to be rowing in the same direction instead of the dysfunction between front office, coaches, players we've had. Everything this offseason has just screamed of more dysfunction to me...I don't think any of the moves we have done are bad, but the timing and order and comments made around the moves have more or less gave me the impression that we're scrambling and not operating from a position of strength.
What we really need is gores to sell the team. It’s REALLY difficult to win in sports with shitty ownership that either meddles or accepts losing to the point it becomes engrained in the franchise
LOL but being real a coach with a similar "Grit" philosophy would not work well with modern NBA players like it does with football players. Bad Boys and Ben Wallace era would have been perfect for it, but we are in the load management era now.
Monty made it clear that he didn’t want to coach though and the Pistons still offered him the Brinks truck. It was pretty obvious this past season that Monty still wasn’t interested in coaching… at least Bickerstaff will try
Exactly. The only reason Monty said yes is because our dumbass owner kept offering more and more guaranteed money. You’ll never convince me that Monty actually tried to be a good coach for us. I won’t go as far as to say he actively tried to get himself fired (though his lineups may be evidence for that) but he definitely didn’t care all that much and was probably stoked to be fired and get to walk with all that money.
Fuck Tom Gores. Fucking clown.
Choosing to start Hayes over Ivey and giving Isaiah Livers starting minutes were both fireable offenses. And those are just two instances of gross mismanagement. Anyone who doesn’t understand why Monty was fired simply didn’t pay attention last season, I feel for you guys.
Refusing to stagger Cade and Ivey. Running out 11 man rotations without 11 actual NBA players. Sticking Ausar in the corner to shoot 3s at 19% or something. It was endlessly awful.
No he was 100% trying to get fired. You don’t point out everything you’re wrong in pressers just to continue doing them unless you’re trying to get fired. He literally admitted he needed to shorten his rotation in a presser and then played 11 guys in the first quarter of the next game.
And that’s just one example. How else can you explain that behavior other than he was trying to get fired?
I think there’s a difference between…
>Alright, let’s do this crazy thing so they fire my ass.
And
>I don’t give a shit about this job but will perform it on its face. I will put in zero extra effort and collect my check. If they fire me, cool. If they don’t, then clearly I don’t need to exert myself here.
The presser stuff works for either but if you fall into the latter category (quiet quitting basically), you can view the pressers as him just saying whatever he needs in the moment to perform his media requirements because he doesn’t give a shit and is just going through the motions.
I could go either way on it.
Monty might have been a decent coach if he was fully engaged but he didn’t want to be in Detroit from the opening press conference. He made it known he wanted a year off, but Tom Gores gave him a Godfather offer, and about halfway through the 28-game losing streak he decided to try to get fired.
to be fair, Monty clearly didnt want to coach, where as JB definitely does.
The Cavs outgrew JB, but he should be good for the Pistons, and hopefully he grows himself after the experience with the Cavs.
Monty had bridges buried until injuries forced him to play bridges. CP was the coach of that team and rehabilitated montys reputation.
Hated the monty hire since day one, and I'm shocked Gores was willing to eat that money.
Bickerstaff I'm fine with, not a great hire, but not a bad one,
Great choice. Will be awesome at rebuilding a cratering culture. Also, it doesn't seem like the guy to loathe coaching in detroit like past candidates seemed.
I'd describe the culture as cratering. A lot of high ceiling young talent visibly frustrated, gm having to move players to get young guys like Ivey playing time, Stew is punching people, their gm situation was a disaster, Monty was a disaster.
Cade is in a delicate spot right now and it wouldn't be crazy if he wanted to bounce soon. They need some positive culture in the org badly.
Not only did Troy trade people to force Ivey into getting playing time, Tom Gores set up a meeting with Monty and basically forced him to play Ivey more over Killian Hayes. The cokehead prisoner exploiter knew it before the $78.5M coach.
I mean this seems like a good hire for Detroit. He helped bring Cleveland on the right track even before Donovan and is better when trying to rebuild a team rather than trying to get deep runs.
It cuts way deeper than that.
Cavs players were begging him to install some sort of offensive gameplan. "Coach, you have to help us score buckets."
Cavs roster has never been ideal and especially this year injuries ravaged us but it's been clear that JBB needed to go since last season, if not before.
He's a good culture builder, I guess. Gets his team to play hard under the curtains are pulled down and you realize that's kind of all he's got, there is no next step. Once he ran out of "effort" and "execute the gameplan better" there's not much left.
Fantastic human being, no ill will, he's just limited. Hope the best for him, I think he will do well for Detroit, just be prepared to be frustrated offensively.
Tbf those teams were not good. Also I don't see why you would use his coaching stints from 6-8 years ago when you can just look at his recent performance on the Cavs. I'd say he did pretty good, is he a championship coach? No. Is he someone who could maybe turn Detroit around to not be absolute fucking dog shit? I think so.
We're Borrego and Bickerstaff the only guys they interviewed. And then Borrego dropped out. They having trouble attracting candidates? I know Sean Sweeney's name popped up but I never saw if there was an actual interview.
If he has a desire to coach the team then he’ll be better than Monty immediately. Monty had one foot out the door before the ink even dried on his contract.
Well, for all we know, Bickerstaff never said "No I don't want to coach next year at all" at any point in this process so that's an improvement over Monty
Did you already forget what he did with our team immediately after Beilein resigned? Bickerstaff is the perfect coach to get a rebuilding team to the top of the hump (or at the very least near it), just not over it. Stop acting like he’s a bad coach.
I don’t know why people disregard the work he did in Cleveland early on, he righted that ship and got them back into playoff contention. Perfect coach for somebody like Detroit who needs a steady presence and new culture
That's a loaded question because that depends on a shit ton of factors outside the coach's control. East is still highly competitive, just a lot of injuries. Magic should only get better, maybe significantly so. Pacers should get better. Celtics. Milwaukee. New York is now loaded. Philly. Who knows with Miami. Any/all of these teams will be competing with Cavs for top 6 seeding and the Cavs could draw any of them in the first or second round. It wouldn't be lack of progress if we lose in the second round to a team like the Celtics or Philly or NYK.
I will say that one way JBB was able to rack up wins was to simply get his team playing hard in the dog days of the regular season, and didn't put emphasis on player development.
I would be thrilled if the Cavs took a step backwards in seeding and record if it meant we had a higher ceiling offensively come playoff time due to the development of an actual offensive system and development of guys like Mobley.
He knows how to work the NBA nepotism channels like no other, just like his dad did. There will be Bickerstaffs coaching 33-49 teams until the heat death of the universe
I feel like in all of the sports I follow, there are the same 6-7 coaches getting hired if another one is fired. Here and there is a younger coach from a different league until getting fired too, and then the circle continues.
Talent makes the coach, so most desirable coaches probably look at Pistons talent and are waiting for the roster to clean up a bit. It’s seems like a lopsided team
I guess the Pistons get him for cheap for the next couple of years. The rosters still a mess but might look better without a coach sleepwalking out there.
Imma be honest hiring a defensive coach when your young team clearly needs WAAAAAAY more structure on offense is kinda iffy. JB literally proved that his offensive philosophy is overly simple and rigid in the playoffs.
people need to remember that we are the pistons and we aren’t getting the next steve kerr, ty lue, joe mazzula, etc. if he can just get us on the right track that’s good enough
Us Cavs fans were understandably sick of him, but he’ll be great for this Detroit team I think. He certainly knows how to build culture, in spite of his inability to run an offense…
He is a good players coach that can establish a culture people want to be a part of. But once you get out of the building phase his shelf life is cooked.
Just got consistently out coached in the post season.
I think at worst he’s a guy that cares and stands behinds his players, which will help when he’s there for majority of his contract regardless of success so that don’t have to pay 3 coaches at once lol
it's funny seeing half of these comments saying he's a good coach for a rebuild and the other half saying sorry to pistons fans lol
I have no idea if he will be good or not for this team, but either way it feels like they were just scrambling to hire someone before free agency started.
I don’t hate the hire as it seems like a lot of people do, but I do think this had something to do with it
I'm of the same mindset that I was when Monty was hired, which is basically "let's see how this goes" I've been pretty critical of the Hardaway move, and I don't love the Holland pick. But things like coaching hires are just too hard to evaluate until you see how the team plays with that coach imo
I think it’s a harmless move. He won’t get the pistons out of the mud but won’t make it worse like I think Monty was
Getting the team "out of the mud" is the bare minimum. If he can't even do that, then it will have been a harmful move.
Should have brough Casey back
Shouldn't have fired him in the first place tbh. I never bought into the idea that he deserved all the blame that he was getting.
Casey stepped down by his own volition? He couldve returned had he wanted but he basically told the locker room he was done after the last game of the 2022-2023 season
If anything he's a dude you know what you're getting with. He seems to do well building a team up but that also requires an FO to help. Just wouldn't be shocked to see him be the thing holding the Pistons back if they turn it around
It's a 4 year deal, so basically a 3 year window to get the team into a competitive place before moving on and finding a coach who can get the Pistons to the next level. I don't hate him as a stop-gap hire, but I was hoping for an exciting move that wouldn't have me expecting a replacement in 2027 and this certainly is not that.
That last part was literally me last offseason with him. So I feel you there.
Another coach to potentially fall to the “Defense Against the Dark Arts” merry go round that is the Pistons coaching position
The pistons need a culture guy at the top so badly. Hopefully JB can bring that because I'm not sure Trajan (POBO) is bringing it. A lot of question marks after Ron Hollands presser.
Lol what are you talking about I haven't heard anyone say anything about Ron Holland's presser. I've really liked everything I've seen of how Trajan speaks and operates so far
It's my own observation because I actually watch the pressers. I don't need people to tell me how to feel. Watch Trajan's pressers and then watch Dan Campbell or Brad Holmes. There's a very stark difference. I hope to god it's just media training and personality in front of cameras but I'm extremely skeptical so far. Trajan was here for a full month and admitted that he didn't look at the top draft prospects until 48 hours before the draft because he was too busy. WTF. You get hired in 1 month before the draft and have a top 5 pick in the draft. That is the most important decision in the shortest timeline you need to make at the beginning of your tenure and it got put on the backburner and rushed together. I care more about the process the team used to get to the draft pick than the actual pick. The team has been so dysfunctional since Gores bought the team and Trajan was brought in to set the tone and clean things up and his approach to the draft certainly leaves me with more questions than answers.
Okay I rewatched. So yeah he said he wasn't as personally involved in draft stuff until the last 4-5 days but had entrusted that stuff to his team, and prior to that he had already been watching tape on Ron Holland while he was with the Pelicans just because he liked him. So it's not like he just pulled the pick out of his ass, there was a real process. I don't hate it at all
> Trajan was here for a full month and admitted that he didn't look at the top draft prospects until 48 hours before the draft because he was too busy. WTF. Wait...seriously?? I know it was a bad draft and all but the new GM shouldn't be saying this or at least not in public. Trajan must have had the same public facing media training as Doc lmao
Okay so what he actually said is that he had left draft scouting to his team of people he trusted and then started working with them in the last 4-5 days leading up to the draft to come to a final decision. GMs and presidents delegate stuff all the time, this doesn't seem that crazy to me. He also had already been a big fan watching Ron Holland while he was with the Pelicans, so it's not like he'd never heard the dude's name until draft night.
Okay, that's a much more reasonable explanation and actually sounds pretty much like what you'd expect from a new but well-functioning front office given the transition circumstances - post I responded to made it sound like Trajan told the media he basically didn't gaf about the draft until the day before it took place lmao
I swear some Pistons fans are just constantly looking for any teeny tiny little reason to freak out and assume this new regime is just as bad as the old one and we're doomed to be the worst team in the league for the next century lol. I don't know if Trajan is gonna be the guy to dig us out or not but I feel like he's taking the right approach so far and we won't know shit until the roster for next year is actually set and they start playing some games
> Trajan was here for a full month and admitted that he didn't look at the top draft prospects until 48 hours before the draft because he was too busy wtf? please tell me you're joking lol. Also, what's the deal with Ron Holland? Genuinely asking as i haven't been keeping up with him much
There's nothing wrong with Holland, he is just a very questionable choice for Detroit because they already have a bunch of young potential core guys that also can't shoot so their spacing is abysmal.
They were definitely working people out earlier than 48 hours prior to the draft. I watched that intro presser as well and don't remember that line, although I'm fully open to admitting I wasn't paying close enough attention.
But why would Adam Silver curse the Pistons Head Coach position?
Hot take: The overwhelming vast majority of NBA coaches are as good as their roster is.
Totally agree, also some coaches have specialized skill sets, maximize a mid level talent roster? Manage superstars? Get a team to buy in on defense for a year to win a title then lose the locker room? It's so hard to judge a talented HC. I mean Pop hasn't had a winning team in how long? 5 years? With no promises of a winning year this year.
And even skill sets need to be a good match for a roster, be it basketball or personal. A lot of us have met someone who just hit it off with us but not so well with others, or vice versa.
I'd argue that the cavs roster was a lot better than its coach
The entire bench and most of the starters forgot how to shoot after all star break. Not really on the coach
JB has no idea how to run offensive sets, it very much contributed to the shooting falling off.
Correct, Spo is widely believed to be the best coach in the NBA and hasn’t won a title since LeBron.
Spo also has a long history of getting the absolute best out of marginal role players. There's just too many players who have had career-best years under Spo who then revert back to the player they were before. Getting the best out of marginal talents is a sign of a very good coach.
Max Strus should be kissing Spo’s hairy beanbag for getting him paid.
But he regularly has his teams in the mix and has a tangible talent difference he works to overcome. I’m the meantime Monty says shit like “it is what it is” in post game pressers and Dwane Casey looks for players that make their beds in the morning. I would just love a semblance of an actual org at this point
You're proving his point tho, Monty was considered a great coach when he completely turned around the bottom-feeder Suns and took them to the finals, and now he's one of the worst coaches of all-time after losing with worst roster in the league.
Monty only really proved he was a CP3 merchant, his win rate with and without the guys is astounding (iirc it’s like 60/38 on/off). Besides he was checked out with family issues and only did it for the cash
Same with Phil Jackson only winning chips with the literal GOAT and Kobe, or Pop only winning with Tim Duncan. Obviously they're great coaches but people definitely overrate the impact a coach has because fans love coping that changing the dude on the sidelines will fix what's on the court.
Hey people were saying the same thing about Frank Vogel to the Lakers and he ended up being their best coach since Phil Jackson
I still stand behind him being a good coach for us before we got Don. Once Don was on the team JB lost his way.
i.e. once he had real expectations put on him he crumbled But yes, I agree with you.
Let’s see if he was worth a shit, this wouldn’t be his 4th coaching job in 8 years, he’d still be on his first or second team
He was an assistant at every other job that got promoted when the head coach got fired. This is his first time being hired directly in a head coach role.
And he lasted for 4+ years, which is probably above the median for length of coaching jobs, especially taking over a 19-46 team.
I forgot JB was assistant to JB
You can do better...and worse...than JB Bickerstaff as a head coach. From a player development and getting buy-in standpoint, he's better than Monty. From a tactical standpoint, he's not great.
Honestly, at this point, he might be exactly what we need. We have a ton of raw players who need to develop. Tactics don't really matter for us at the moment.
You could say the same thing about a lot of players people covet lol
If he was bad, he’d never have gotten those jobs
It’s all the bickering amongst the staff that people are weary of
He might be an upgrade, but it feels like aspiring for mediocrity, rather than giving it to somebody younger who has higher potential. E.g. like the Jazz did with Hardy and Snyder before that.
Truth is somewhere in between.
Everyone should be saying sorry to Pistons fans regardless, this team is trash in all facets and will be for quite some time unless a miracle occurs. lol
He will be good. You’ll want to get rid him in 4 years but he’s really good at getting the ball rolling.
He’s proven multiple times that he’s a good coach for a young team, so I don’t get what people are on about with the whole “sorry Pistons” shit, as if they didn’t just have multiple horrible seasons back to back.
Thats a long rebuild.
I don't even think anyone knows what a good coach is anymore. A guy who won Coach of the Year one year is garbage in a few years.
Guys, I’m getting this strange sense of deja vu…almost like I’ve experienced this very same conversation recently, like maybe a year ago or something. Oh well, must be my imagination.
Detroit basketball at its finest
I would be disappointed if I was a Pistons fan. They just went through this with Monty and before him it was Casey. Stop being the rebound, go for a promising assistant.
I refuse to let this team make me feel anything until I see some progress
Insert Spiderman meme
I’m proud of you. This is real personal growth and self preservation
How am I still disappointed in a 14 win team? I think they naturally hit 25 next season because it’s just not Monty at the helm but idk
I miss when the team was just regular bad
Yeah that's what I was saying 10 years ago. You should postpone feeling anything this year.
And yet the Tigers are still ass per usual
He could be a solid coach for a rebuild, but I insist they should have considered Dan Campbell
He should be the coach of Lions, Pistons and Tigers tbh.
Not the Red Wings tho?
I was going to mention them too but since i don't follow hockey i wasn't sure lol
I’d have to see him on skates first
He would pull the goalie randomly in the second period up 3, just because he can.
Dan Campbell would be fire
Many are saying this
Honestly, we need a guy to set the culture and tone for the whole organization. I was hoping Trajan was going to be that, but from what I've seen in pressers so far, I don't think he's the guy to do it. He may just not be good with media, because he's not very expressive. He's mentioned culture a couple of times but hasn't actually defined what the culture of the team will be. We desperately need an identity for the organization and for everyone to be rowing in the same direction instead of the dysfunction between front office, coaches, players we've had. Everything this offseason has just screamed of more dysfunction to me...I don't think any of the moves we have done are bad, but the timing and order and comments made around the moves have more or less gave me the impression that we're scrambling and not operating from a position of strength.
What we really need is gores to sell the team. It’s REALLY difficult to win in sports with shitty ownership that either meddles or accepts losing to the point it becomes engrained in the franchise
LOL but being real a coach with a similar "Grit" philosophy would not work well with modern NBA players like it does with football players. Bad Boys and Ben Wallace era would have been perfect for it, but we are in the load management era now.
Is there a Dan Campbell type coach in the NBA?
I actually think this is a good hire for Detroit, he's a great coach to have during a rebuild and can help build a culture
I don’t disagree, but it’s was the same comment when they hired Monty tbf…
Monty made it clear that he didn’t want to coach though and the Pistons still offered him the Brinks truck. It was pretty obvious this past season that Monty still wasn’t interested in coaching… at least Bickerstaff will try
Exactly. The only reason Monty said yes is because our dumbass owner kept offering more and more guaranteed money. You’ll never convince me that Monty actually tried to be a good coach for us. I won’t go as far as to say he actively tried to get himself fired (though his lineups may be evidence for that) but he definitely didn’t care all that much and was probably stoked to be fired and get to walk with all that money. Fuck Tom Gores. Fucking clown.
Choosing to start Hayes over Ivey and giving Isaiah Livers starting minutes were both fireable offenses. And those are just two instances of gross mismanagement. Anyone who doesn’t understand why Monty was fired simply didn’t pay attention last season, I feel for you guys.
Refusing to stagger Cade and Ivey. Running out 11 man rotations without 11 actual NBA players. Sticking Ausar in the corner to shoot 3s at 19% or something. It was endlessly awful.
No he was 100% trying to get fired. You don’t point out everything you’re wrong in pressers just to continue doing them unless you’re trying to get fired. He literally admitted he needed to shorten his rotation in a presser and then played 11 guys in the first quarter of the next game. And that’s just one example. How else can you explain that behavior other than he was trying to get fired?
I think there’s a difference between… >Alright, let’s do this crazy thing so they fire my ass. And >I don’t give a shit about this job but will perform it on its face. I will put in zero extra effort and collect my check. If they fire me, cool. If they don’t, then clearly I don’t need to exert myself here. The presser stuff works for either but if you fall into the latter category (quiet quitting basically), you can view the pressers as him just saying whatever he needs in the moment to perform his media requirements because he doesn’t give a shit and is just going through the motions. I could go either way on it.
Monty didn’t give a shit. JB will actually work.
Monty might have been a decent coach if he was fully engaged but he didn’t want to be in Detroit from the opening press conference. He made it known he wanted a year off, but Tom Gores gave him a Godfather offer, and about halfway through the 28-game losing streak he decided to try to get fired.
It was kinda clear Monty didn't wanna coach for detriot. I don't think J.B. is the kind of coach that lacks motivation.
Was it? I thought was a hilarious move since day 1
and Dwayne Casey and SVG. I'm tired of it
to be fair, Monty clearly didnt want to coach, where as JB definitely does. The Cavs outgrew JB, but he should be good for the Pistons, and hopefully he grows himself after the experience with the Cavs.
People saying that about Monty weren’t paying attention to what the biggest flaws with his Phoenix teams were
Monty had bridges buried until injuries forced him to play bridges. CP was the coach of that team and rehabilitated montys reputation. Hated the monty hire since day one, and I'm shocked Gores was willing to eat that money. Bickerstaff I'm fine with, not a great hire, but not a bad one,
What do we honestly know about culture building of a NBA franchise. Serious question
Are there any coaching jobs still open?
Nope that’s the last team, the Cavs hired Atkinson, Lakers hired Redick & Pistons hired Bickerstaff
>Lakers hired Redick Still funny
You mean assistant coach JJ Reddick, assistant of LeCoach
Great choice. Will be awesome at rebuilding a cratering culture. Also, it doesn't seem like the guy to loathe coaching in detroit like past candidates seemed.
Cratering?
I'd describe the culture as cratering. A lot of high ceiling young talent visibly frustrated, gm having to move players to get young guys like Ivey playing time, Stew is punching people, their gm situation was a disaster, Monty was a disaster. Cade is in a delicate spot right now and it wouldn't be crazy if he wanted to bounce soon. They need some positive culture in the org badly.
Not only did Troy trade people to force Ivey into getting playing time, Tom Gores set up a meeting with Monty and basically forced him to play Ivey more over Killian Hayes. The cokehead prisoner exploiter knew it before the $78.5M coach.
That’s not who I expected at all
I’m a cavs fan and saw this shit coming from a mile away. It’s a perfect fit, honestly.
I mean this seems like a good hire for Detroit. He helped bring Cleveland on the right track even before Donovan and is better when trying to rebuild a team rather than trying to get deep runs.
The Cavs were a second round team on paper and lost in the second round
It cuts way deeper than that. Cavs players were begging him to install some sort of offensive gameplan. "Coach, you have to help us score buckets." Cavs roster has never been ideal and especially this year injuries ravaged us but it's been clear that JBB needed to go since last season, if not before. He's a good culture builder, I guess. Gets his team to play hard under the curtains are pulled down and you realize that's kind of all he's got, there is no next step. Once he ran out of "effort" and "execute the gameplan better" there's not much left. Fantastic human being, no ill will, he's just limited. Hope the best for him, I think he will do well for Detroit, just be prepared to be frustrated offensively.
Seeing as Detroits biggest issue was Defense and Defensive effort, seems like he’s a great fit for them.
Probably very controversial for only one fanbase
Good rebuild coach. Good job Pistons.
You watched the 2016 season as a rockets fan and are willing to attach good to Bickerstaff coaching? Even our young guys looked lost that season.
8 years ago
Grizzlies fans were yall at?
Tbf those teams were not good. Also I don't see why you would use his coaching stints from 6-8 years ago when you can just look at his recent performance on the Cavs. I'd say he did pretty good, is he a championship coach? No. Is he someone who could maybe turn Detroit around to not be absolute fucking dog shit? I think so.
We're Borrego and Bickerstaff the only guys they interviewed. And then Borrego dropped out. They having trouble attracting candidates? I know Sean Sweeney's name popped up but I never saw if there was an actual interview.
They did interview Sweeney and a few other assistants
We interviewed both Sean Sweeney and Micah Nori
If he has a desire to coach the team then he’ll be better than Monty immediately. Monty had one foot out the door before the ink even dried on his contract.
Part of me thinks that this is a good signing. The other part of me can't help but feel like this is Monty all over again.
Well, for all we know, Bickerstaff never said "No I don't want to coach next year at all" at any point in this process so that's an improvement over Monty
As long he tries to actually coach should be an improvement.
Yeah, you're not gonna lose 28 games in a row. But you'll still probably get the 5th pick in the draft again...
Yeah but that's gonna happen no matter where we land
2 more years and it's officially a tradition
If he has a desire to coach here it’s instantly better than monty. Monty had zero desire to be in Detroit or rebuild the team
LETS GOOOOO WE KEPT NORI
And we kept Sweeney praise be
detroit try not to hire a recently fired head coach challenge
Only part about this I don't really like. Third time in a row we've hired someone that was just fired. Really hadn't worked out the last couple times.
I had 0 faith in Monty coaching the pistons so this a great pickup to me
Don’t hate this at all
Good. Everyone leave Sam Cassell where he is.
LMAO how did he get another coaching gig
NBA head coaching is the best job security ever. Even if you flame as a head coach, you’ll land somewhere as an assistant
Exactly. People clown on the Lakers for hiring a rookie head coach because they'd rather them hire a proven bad coach like this.
Did you already forget what he did with our team immediately after Beilein resigned? Bickerstaff is the perfect coach to get a rebuilding team to the top of the hump (or at the very least near it), just not over it. Stop acting like he’s a bad coach.
I don’t know why people disregard the work he did in Cleveland early on, he righted that ship and got them back into playoff contention. Perfect coach for somebody like Detroit who needs a steady presence and new culture
Do you think the Cavs will make it further next year than they did last year with him
That's a loaded question because that depends on a shit ton of factors outside the coach's control. East is still highly competitive, just a lot of injuries. Magic should only get better, maybe significantly so. Pacers should get better. Celtics. Milwaukee. New York is now loaded. Philly. Who knows with Miami. Any/all of these teams will be competing with Cavs for top 6 seeding and the Cavs could draw any of them in the first or second round. It wouldn't be lack of progress if we lose in the second round to a team like the Celtics or Philly or NYK. I will say that one way JBB was able to rack up wins was to simply get his team playing hard in the dog days of the regular season, and didn't put emphasis on player development. I would be thrilled if the Cavs took a step backwards in seeding and record if it meant we had a higher ceiling offensively come playoff time due to the development of an actual offensive system and development of guys like Mobley.
He knows how to work the NBA nepotism channels like no other, just like his dad did. There will be Bickerstaffs coaching 33-49 teams until the heat death of the universe
A lot of non Cavs fans are praising this hire lol Granted, JB isn't that bad, but when he's bad, it's unwatchable.
Reduce, reuse, and recycle, too! Still a good hire by Detroit, though.
Well at least he doesn't have to move far
Why the hell do teams keep taking these same coaches lol
These people learnt nothing.
Detroit, I am so so sorry. No fan base deserves such misery.
JB Bickerstaff becoming the new Nate McMillan.
What is dead may never die
Brutal, sorry pistons
JB is a good coach for a rebuilding team, he did a great job while the Cavs were rebuilding.
The idea of “rebuilding” and “contending” coaches is overstated.
People love to just repeat what other people say, I agree with you
His style might be a good fit for a young roster
Uhh...excuse me...Sam cassell wasn't available?? This is the most mid, C+ bullshit I've seen yet
One man’s trash another man’s treasure.
Nice. Now sign that 10 years guaranteed contact and get fired after 1 year.
Solid locker room culture coach.
Damn I was hoping they'd trade for Billups, we would have offered assistant Nate Bjorkgren for free.
I feel like in all of the sports I follow, there are the same 6-7 coaches getting hired if another one is fired. Here and there is a younger coach from a different league until getting fired too, and then the circle continues.
I actually forgot he was fired.
is he good or bad?
Probably should have just done this last year but it’s whatever
What does good coach for the rebuild mean? Is he a good developmental coach? Or is that just sugarcoating for a tank commander?
Talent makes the coach, so most desirable coaches probably look at Pistons talent and are waiting for the roster to clean up a bit. It’s seems like a lopsided team
I guess the Pistons get him for cheap for the next couple of years. The rosters still a mess but might look better without a coach sleepwalking out there.
Great hire, love to see it, so much better than that bum Micah Nori
Reddick should've taken the Pistons gig.
At this point you’ve gotta feel for Pistons fans. Haven’t had a proper squad in over 15 years and now ANOTHER awful coaching hire.
I am whelmed by this hire
Imma be honest hiring a defensive coach when your young team clearly needs WAAAAAAY more structure on offense is kinda iffy. JB literally proved that his offensive philosophy is overly simple and rigid in the playoffs.
Are you fucking kidding me
people need to remember that we are the pistons and we aren’t getting the next steve kerr, ty lue, joe mazzula, etc. if he can just get us on the right track that’s good enough
Us Cavs fans were understandably sick of him, but he’ll be great for this Detroit team I think. He certainly knows how to build culture, in spite of his inability to run an offense…
He is a good players coach that can establish a culture people want to be a part of. But once you get out of the building phase his shelf life is cooked. Just got consistently out coached in the post season.
yikes. how you hire someone worst than the guy you just fired?
If Lebron got Bronny, can JB get his nephew T.J. Bickerstaff who played for Boston College and James Madison???
lololololol not a good hire. the dude got fired , your team is at all time low and thats your solution....
Yeah, and Monty Williams came to Pistons after a trip to the finals
Still don’t understand why Cleveland thought the grass was greener. Good hire. Not everyone can be Phil Jackson.
Yeah it might work out but I was really looking forward to getting a coach that hadn’t already been on the coaching carousel, like Sweeney or Nori.
He's basically Monty before all the mileage/tragedy. This is a good hire for the Pistons, given what JBB was able to do with the Cavs.
J.B. Bickerstaff sounds like the name of one of those restaurants where the waiters wear striped polo shirt and 37 pieces of flair.
I think at worst he’s a guy that cares and stands behinds his players, which will help when he’s there for majority of his contract regardless of success so that don’t have to pay 3 coaches at once lol
I still don't get why they fired Monty
I’m glad the Lakers hired JJ and none of the other guys available. Rather have no track record than one that’s poor to middling lol