The Detroit Pistons had to persuade Monty Williams to take their money and their job a year ago, and then Williams had to convince the Pistons he wanted to stay after a disastrous first season.
Team owner Tom Gores made the call himself to fire Williams, league sources told Yahoo Sports, and now newly minted but not yet introduced Pistons president Trajan Langdon will set out to hire a head coach following a coaching cycle that has already gone through twists and turns.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers still have vacancies, and the Pistons are the third — with this next hire being the sixth head coach under Gores since he bought the team at the end of the 2010-11 season.