With the Detroit Pistons struggling to earn a playoff spot and producing just a sub-.500 record, team President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars elected to can head coach Maurice Cheeks today.
“This was a difficult decision for the organization to make but we needed to make a change,” said Dumars. “We have great respect for Maurice and appreciate his hard work.”
The Pistons entered this season with high hopes, adding athletic forward Josh Smith, lottery pick Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and talented point guard Brandon Jennings to an already formidable big-man tandem of Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe.
However, the Pistons have recorded merely a 21-29 record over Cheeks’ first 50 games, even though they play in the much weaker Eastern Conference.
“Our record does not reflect our talent and we simply need a change,” said Pistons owner Tom Gores. “We have not made the kind of progress that we should have over the first half of the season. This is a young team and we knew there would be growing pains, but we can be patient only as long as there is progress. The responsibility does not fall squarely on any one individual, but right now this change is a necessary step toward turning this thing around. I still have a lot of hope for this season and I expect our players to step up. I respect and appreciate Maurice Cheeks and thank him for his efforts; we just require a different approach.”
By Staff of The Daily Sports Herald and news services
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