Pistons hire Curry as coach

Pistons hire Curry as coach

By KRISTA JAHNKE • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • June 9, 2008

The Pistons got the man they wanted.

The team will introduce Michael Curry its head coach at noon tomorrow at the Palace, Pistons president Joe Dumars announced today.

The move comes one week after Dumars fired Flip Saunders. Curry will sign a three-year deal worth with a fourth season a team option. The deal is reportedly worth $2.5 million a year. This will be the first head coaching job for 39-year-old Curry.

Saunders spent three seasons on the bench in Detroit. Although he was the winningest regular-season coach in Pistons’ history, he failed to take the team to the NBA Finals and three straight losses in the Eastern Conference finals, including this year’s loss to the Boston Celtics, signaled to Dumars that a change of voice was needed.

He didn’t look far to find that voice. Curry is a former Piston and spent last season — his first coaching experience — as an assistant under Saunders.

He was brought in to be groomed as a future head coach, and once the Pistons let Saunders go, he immediately became their leading candidate.

The Pistons also had planned to interview former assistant coach Terry Porter, who was named the new head coach of the Phoenix Suns on Monday. It’s unclear whether they extended an interview request to former Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson.

Curry played 11 years in the NBA as an undersized, undrafted forward. He was a role player who made his mark with basketball smarts, defense and leadership.

When asked about his lack of coaching experience, Curry recently said he spent his career as a “player-coach.”

This season as an assistant, Curry helped implement an intensified pregame workout routine that was among the most organized in the league. While other teams would have one or two of their reserves out shooting around casually, all of the Pistons’ bench players would be on the floor warming up together.

Curry also quickly gained respect in the locker room. He was known during the playoffs to leave complex riddles on the locker room dry erase board — a series of stats from a past game or series that emphasized some point.

Hiring Curry is only the first step in Dumars’ plan to bring a new-look team back for next season. Last week, he made it clear step two is to trade away part of the core that has won so much, including the 2004 NBA title.

Dumars said he didn’t expect any moves before the June 26 draft, as teams generally wait until then to begin serious discussions.

Before coming to the Pistons’ bench, Curry worked as the NBA Development League’s vice president of player development. He also served as president of the NBA Players Association and has a master’s degree in sports management from Virginia Commonwealth.

He played for the Pistons over two different stints, from 1995-97 and 1999-2003. He went undrafted after playing college ball at Georgia Southern and then bounced around Europe, playing in Germany, Belgium and France. He also spent time playing in the United States Basketball League and the CBA.

His other NBA homes included the Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Washington Bullets, Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks.

Curry is married and has three children. His oldest son, Deon, is a wide receiver on Michigan State’s football team. He did not return a call seeking comment.

I like Curry!


He might be just what the Pistons need

Friday, June 13, 2008
Pistons to hire Nets' assistant coach
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- Pistons coach Michael Curry is about to add another important piece to his coaching staff.

The Pistons on Friday confirmed media reports that New Jersey assistant coach Pat Sullivan was leaving the Nets to join Curry's staff.

Sullivan, who had been with the Nets for three seasons, was the Pistons' video coordinator during the championship 2004 season and then an assistant on Larry Brown's staff in 2004-2005.

He was Rasheed Wallace's roommate and helped North Carolina win the national championship in 1993.