With the NBA regular season having just wrapped up, some of the league’s franchises, much like NFL teams, have wasted no time in firing coaches.As of Friday, the Detroit Pistons had parted ways with Lawrence Frank while the Cleveland Cavaliers let Byron Scott go. Doug Collins of the Philadelphia 76ers resigned from his head coaching position.
Frank was fired by the Pistons after two seasons on the job. His team finished the season with a mark of 29-53 and out of the playoffs.
President Joe Dumars thanked Frank for his dedication and hard work for the franchise, but it was time for the club to make a change behind the bench. He added that it wasn’t an easy decision to come to and the franchise wishes the former coach the best of luck in the future.
Frank joined Detroit just prior to the shortened season last year and went 54-94 with the team. The Pistons have had three lottery draft picks in the past three years, but they haven’t improved on the court. The team has a lot of salary cap room and this off-season will be an important one for them, especially after trading away veterans Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon this season.
Owner Tom Gores said he expected his team to have a better season than they did. The team won an NBA championship back in 2004, but has declined quite sharply since then. Frank was the fourth coach for the team since winning the championship with the others being Flip Saunders, Michael Curry and John Kuester.
The 42-year-old Frank has been a head coach in the NBA for nine years, as he enjoyed a seven-year stint with the New Jersey Nets that started in 2003.
The 52-year-old Scott joined the Cavaliers in the summer of 2010 and was the club’s 18th head coach. Of course, when he joined the team, LeBron James was still a member of it. James jumped shipped a week later, though, and headed south while Scott remained at the helm for three seasons.
He led the team to a record of 24-58 this season and 21-45 in the 2011-12 season. His overall record with Cleveland was 64-166. His career mark stands at 416-531, including stints in New Orleans and New Jersey. Scott had one year to go on his contract.
Over in Philadelphia, the 61-year-old Collins stepped down as the head coach, but will remain with the team in the role of a consultant. He said he’d like to spend more time with his family after being heavily involved in the sport for the past 40 years. He said he came to the decision at Christmas time while watching the joy of his grandchildren’s faces as they opened their presents.
Philadelphia owner Josh Harris was adamant that Collins wasn’t coerced into leaving his position. He said Collins decided to leave as head coach and he respects his decision.
The 76ers missed the playoffs by four games this season and they finished in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. Collins will reportedly help out the team by becoming Harris’ adviser.
The coaching job is now open and assistant coach Michael Curry has been mentioned as a possible replacement. Curry has held a head coaching position in the past and Collins heartily endorsed him for the role.
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