Detroit Pistons Rumors: Lionel Hollins Next in Line for Head Coach

By Connor Muldowney @Connormuldowney on February 9, 2014

Being a head coach in the NBA is not the easiest thing to do and it may come with the shortest leash in sports. On Sunday morning, the Detroit Pistons have announced the firing of head coach Maurice Cheeks. After just 50 games, the coach led the Pistons to just a 21-29 record even with a supremely talented roster. Former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins is the favorite to replace him.

It seemed to be in the works already as owner Tom Gores had previously stated that he was disappointed with the way the team was playing even though it had all the talent in the world. With a starting lineup that is full of potential all-stars and a solid bench, the Pistons struggled to find direction all season long and that has a lot to do with Cheeks.

With Josh Smith, Brandon Jennings, Greg Monroe, Andre Drummond and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Pistons had a solid lineup, but could never put it together because Cheeks lacked control and a strong head coaching voice — figuratively — which is something that has plagued the team since the firing of Flip Saunders.

Hollins has proven to be a solid head coach in the league, taking the Grizzlies out of the cellar and making them a conference finals-caliber squad.

According to ESPN.com‘s Marc Stein, sources have said that Hollins could be the next up for Detroit.

With a career .516 winning percentage with the team for the better part of seven seasons, the head coach can bring teams out of the darkness and into NBA prominence. In fact, he had a 153-87 record in his final three seasons with the Grizzlies before the front office decided not to renew his contract. He was the most successful coach in franchise history with the most wins and playoff appearances.

This would be a great move by Gores, Joe Dumars and the Pistons as a whole. He could bring this team to a top-five seed in the Eastern Conference.

Connor Muldowney is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also reach him at [email protected].