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Sports

Pistons sack head coach Williams after woeful NBA season

Agence France-Presse
Pistons sack head coach Williams after woeful NBA season
Head coach Monty Williams of the Detroit Pistons reacts during the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on April 09, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images / AFP

LOS ANGELES – The Detroit Pistons fired head coach Monty Williams on Wednesday (Thursday Manila time) after a losing NBA season that featured a 28-game losing streak and just 14 victories.

"Decisions like these are difficult to make, and I want to thank Monty for his hard work and dedication," Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement.

"Coaching has many dynamic challenges that emerge during a season and Monty always handled those with grace. However, after reviewing our performance carefully and assessing our current position as an organization, we will chart a new course moving forward."

The Pistons' 28-game mid-season skid was the longest single-season losing streak in NBA history.

They finished in last place in the Eastern Conference with a league-worst 14-68 record.

Williams, a former coach of the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns, departs a year after inking a six-year contract worth a reported $78.5 million — the largest coaching deal in NBA history.

ESPN reported the Pistons would "absorb" the $65 million remaining on his contract.

Gores had brought Williams, the 2022 NBA Coach of the Year in Phoenix, to Detroit hoping he could revive a young roster sparked by Croatian forward Bojan Bogdanovic.

But in his first term the Pistons were even worse than their 17-65 record in 2022-23, after which Dwane Casey stepped down as coach.

"We are unwavering in our commitment to bring a championship-caliber team to Detroit," Gores said, promising the team would be "diligent and swift" in their search for a new coach.

The Pistons have the fifth overall pick in next week's NBA draft.

vuukle comment

DETROIT

MONTY WILLIAMS

NBA

PISTONS

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