The Detroit Pistons could announce the hiring of Maurice Cheeks as head coach by the end of the weekend, according to Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. The two sides have been in serious negotiations for the past few days.
Cheeks, currently an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder, spent time as a head coach earlier in his career with the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers. Though his career coaching record of 284-286 underwhelms, "he’s highly regarded around the league, especially in Oklahoma City," Goodwill writes.
Because the Pistons still owe $4 million in guaranteed salary to former coach Lawrence Frank for next season, it's unclear what kind of contract ownership is willing to give Cheeks, but he presumably welcomes a return to head coaching after helping develop the likes of Russell Westbrook and Reggie Jackson in OKC.
Another former Blazers coach, Nate McMillan, also interviewed with Detroit a number of times recently. However, it appears Cheeks has been chosen as Frank's replacement.
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