Former University of Michigan and Cleveland Cavaliers head coach John Beilein will join the Detroit Pistons as a senior adviser focused on player development, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times. An official announcement is expected this week, Stein reports.
Beilein has been a frequent presence at Little Caesars Arena this season and apparently wasn’t ready to step away from the game after not even lasting a full season into a five-year deal to be the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
His coaching career saw him rise from high school to community college to slowly advancing through the ranks to one of the most storied programs in college basketball at the University of Michigan.
He won two Big 10 Championships and made two national championship games. Beilein was a hot coach for open NBA jobs, including in Detroit when the organization was looking to move on from Stan Van Gundy.
Eventually, Beilein signed a big-money deal to rebuild the Cavs with his reputation for a modern NBA-style offense and his player development track record.
His time in Cleveland was almost instantly disastrous beginning with training camp. It seems Beilein was more old-school than originally imagined, didn’t know how to communicate with NBA players and was “stunned by the culture of the modern NBA player” which … yikes. And double yikes was the infamous moment he called his players “thugs.” He said he meant to say “slugs.” Cut to, Beilein is fired and he leaves $12 million on the table to leave a toxic situation which he seemingly had a large role in creating.
As far as what he will do in Detroit, the fact that he is a senior adviser and does not seem to work directly under Director of Player Development Tim Grgurich and his stable of player development coaches. Then again, Grgurich is already 78 years old and so perhaps Beilein is looked on as an eventual replacement for the celebrated Grgurich.
For now, it seems Beilein will be a trusted voice in the room but not have much authority. And perhaps he stays connected to the game in Detroit until he’s ready to retire, perhaps even leading the player development program, or he is biding time until a coaching opportunity in college comes along again.
He was celebrated in college for his ability to communicate to and teach young, impressionable players the game of basketball. In the pros, the pressures and scrutiny of the top job was perhaps too stressful and Belein too reluctant to adjust his style to his new audience.
In a lower-stress setting, in a role that is all about teaching the game perhaps he will finally find the perfect fit for him in the pro game.
What are your thoughts, Pistons fans?