Former Suns HC on Hot Seat?
PHOENIX -- Former Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams is currently enduring some tough sledding in his new role with the Detroit Pistons.
Not even a full season into what's an obvious rebuild with Detroit, there's already some questions about the team's future with him leading the charge.
Bleacher Report recently highlighted five coaches who should be on the hot seat as the 2023-24 season draws to a close, and Williams landed on the list:
"The Detroit Pistons have $78.5 million reasons not to move on from Monty Williams. But other than the record six-year contract he signed last offseason, there's little reason for them to retain Williams," wrote Grant Hughes.
"Detroit set an NBA record by losing 28 straight games earlier this year, Williams' rotations and starting lineup decisions have drawn questions and scorn from Pistons fans, and it's difficult to identify any young players who've made major strides during his brief tenure. If a coach struggles to handle the relatively basic issue of who should play with whom and also doesn't seem to have a knack for helping youth improve, it's hard to defend his performance.
"Williams' time with the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns earned him respect around the league, but it's telling that Phoenix let him go after a successful stretch that included a 2021 Finals appearance, a 64-win campaign in 2021-22, and a second-round exit in 2022-23. If stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker had wanted Williams to stay, it stands to reason that he'd still be in Phoenix.
"Williams wasn't exactly set up to succeed in Detroit. General manager Troy Weaver is under even more scrutiny than the coach he hired because the odd mix of veterans and young players he put together never clicked. Even if the real architect of the Pistons' rickety operation is team governor Tom Gores, blame is going to fall on management and coaching because, well...you can't fire team governors.
"Williams is probably safest among all of the coaches we'll feature here, but his job security has nothing to do with performance and everything to do with ownership's likely unwillingness to pay someone tens of millions of dollars not to be its head coach for the next half-decade."
The Pistons were fully aware of what the team's state was when they brought Williams on. It's not at all a surprise to see Detroit's lack of success, nor to see them at the bottom of the league.
Williams wasn't expected to see the Pistons competitive this season, though Detroit's front office saw what he did in places such as OKC and Phoenix in terms of building a team/culture/identity and clearly wanted that in the Motor City.
Things take time.
Also, for what it's worth, Williams was fired simply because his time ran its course in Phoenix. His dismissal is nowhere close indicative of his abilities as a coach - sometimes change is needed for both parties and that was the case.
Hopefully the Pistons continue to trust the process.
