They really weren't very good with Cheeks either so I can't agree that the Pistons would be competitive if he was still coaching. I don't like tanking either but it's pretty clear with this team's inability to put 4 quarters together it's probably the best option at this point, we really can't afford to miss the playoffs and lose our 1st round pick. Cheeks was a horrible coach, they play pretty much the same type of ball with Loyer as they did with Cheeks, undisciplined, poor defensive rotations, alot of isolation ball etc. We really need to cut ties with Dumars and get someone with a good basketball mind here with a structure and to put together a balanced roster. Dumars truly believes you can just plug and play talent regardless of how it fits. As far as coaching goes, I would really like to see what Bill Laimbeer could do coaching this team, he is a strong personality and I think he could get more out of the Pistons than Cheeks could.

From what I've read, it sounds like Joe had no hand in the Cheeks firing. It was all on Gores.

It is possible, although I have no evidence for this, that the locker room situation was bordering on another rebellion against an inept coach. Letting Cheeks go ensures that the players are more likely to keep their displeasure out of the media since an interim coach is only interim, and the players all know he's gone after this season anyway (unless he performs a miracle). It hopefully diffuses any resentment between the players and coaches, thus the interim coach could have a better chance of getting the team together and performing if indeed Cheeks had completely lost the locker room.

Joe D knew this roster was not an ideal fit together... I think he saw the opportunity to add talent and did it, since he was given a win now mandate and there really wasn't a very good FA player interested in Detroit who fit the team needs (SF with perimeter shooting and defense, pure pg with perimeter shooting and defense). So Joe tried to address the pg need imperfectly (he knew as well as everybody else Jennings was not a good defensive player, but probably hoped he would improve a bit here), and hoping to address 3&D by drafting KCP... and then there is the Smith signing.

My guess is that Joe D planned on this team being just good enough to make the playoffs and maybe save his job, giving him another year to move either Smith or Monroe for the kind of player we need (either a solid veteran or a 1st round pick). He couldn't fix the team in just one offseason (yes this is at least half his fault depending on how much flexibility you think he was given by the previous ownership to save cap space when AI left and/or add long term contracts while the team was in the process of being sold), so he obviously thought the best thing going forward was to add talent to the roster any way he could and hope for the right match in a trade.

It backfired badly... the team has not meshed AT ALL and no one was willing to give a good enough return at the trade deadline. Too many teams tanking and wanting draft picks (which we don't have to offer) instead of players that would improve their team now, no competing teams willing to give up a good enough player (that actually fit our current needs, remember: Joe has to win this year!) in return for Smith or Monroe. Monroe and Smith both having poor years by their standards (this was predictable, but I don't think any of us thought it would be as bad as it actually has been for both of them).

The biggest mistake, with the possible exception of giving away a pick in this year's draft just to unload bad contract, we can almost certainly hang on Joe is the choice of coaches. This has been a problem with Joe for a while, too... when was his last good coaching hire? Maybe a better coach could have made the current roster work well enough to get into the playoffs, but then again maybe not. Perhaps this is another reason we couldn't get a better coach to come here when the whole league knows Joe D is gone if he doesn't win now (which this roster wasn't a sure bet to do as constructed), and a new GM would probably want his own coach.

I could be wrong about any or all of that... bottom line, though, is that we do have some very talented players going forward, and we should be able to make a trade this offseason to get a mid first rounder back and/or get a good player that fits our needs in return. We also have a chance to get a good coach in here. For all Joe's mistakes, this team is not in a terrible position going forward, and those who hate him can take solace in the knowledge that he almost certainly will not be the one making those moves this summer.