Instant Reaction: the Monty Williams Hire

To quote the paragon of American media sensibilities Ron Burgundy

“Boy that escalated quickly…I mean that really got out of hand fast”

The rumblings were definitely present online. As Milwaukee and Philadelphia filled their vacancies. As you connected the historical dots with the Oklahoma City front office and Pistons GM Troy Weaver. You knew there was possibility that Monty Williams could be the Pistons next head coach. But for six years at 78.5 million dollars. The richest coaching contract in NBA history.

That is a LOT of money for a guy with winning percentage just over fifty in his nine years as a head coach. Someone who has only been in the playoffs five times. Someone who you could argue underachieved in last two years with a talented roster in Phoenix. I’m setting you up to say…..

I absolutely LOVE the whole package. Both the hire and the contract. At this point in what seems like a hamster wheel rebuilding process. It was the Pistons best and perhaps only option. It illuminates three points that I hope are harbingers of a Motor City renaissance.

Tom Gores’ Drive

No one is going to shed a tear for a billionaire. However, owning a professional sports team is in some ways a “no win” situation (not economically) We have a good idea of what it takes to be a good player or even coach. What does a “good”owner look like?

In many ways Pistons owner Tom Gores is a blank slate. While he is a native of Michigan. Both his business and seemingly his personal life are based in Los Angeles. I don’t have some type of tally sheet. But I think it is safe to say he does not have a frequent physical presence with the team. From the Stan Van Gundy to Arn Tellem hires. He seemingly has no problem ceding personnel decision to powerful basketball minds.

Which begs the question. How bad does he really want to bring a winner to Detroit? Is this franchise part of his competitive personal desire. Or is it just another asset in a private equity portfolio? The answer is now clearly the latter.

No other way to say it. Spending nearly 80 million dollars on a head coach is simply not a wise financial decision. It is not something someone solely focused on the bottom line would do. However it is something someone who is desperate to change the losing culture of their franchise would do. That means something. For that I applaud him

The Detroit Dilemma

Unfortunately the 21st century has presented an inconvenient truth to this proud city. Whether we like it or not. Detroit has fallen into the category of less than desirable sports markets. It hasn’t always been this way. Barry Sanders, Joe Dumars, and Bill Laimbeer among many others. Stayed in the region to raise their families after their playing careers ended.

However from the weather to the economic climate. It is not an area professional athletes are clamoring to live in. One person seemingly cracked the code of this dilemma. How did Mike Ilitch do this with both the Tigers and Red Wings? By opening up the wallet. From Pudge Rodriguez and Miguel Cabrera on the diamond. To Brett Hull and Dominik Hasek on the ice. Ilitch was obsessed with winning and didn’t flinch at the cost.

With a salary cap and a draconian luxury tax. You just can’t do that in the NBA. That being said. The Pistons do have cap room this offseason. Would signing James Harden change the franchise? Would absorbing Jordan Poole’s contract in a trade do enough to change the culture? The answer is an unequivocal— no. While I blame injuries. The Blake Griffin experiment just didn’t work. The superstar model left the Pistons with a bloated cap and little recourse to improve. That’s the double edged sword of a capped and taxed sport.

Coaching and front office salaries are not subject to these limits. If you are going to follow the Ilitch template that leaves only one option. You open the wallet to get the best coach on the market. We can debate whether or not that was Monty Williams. Returning to our dilemma though. Nick Nurse wasn’t leaving Toronto for Detroit. Ty Lue wasn’t going to force his way from the Clippers to work back in the midwest. I don’t like it. But it just wasn’t going to happen.

If the price to get a big name coach to come to Detroit is steep. You pay it. It sends a strong message. While it shows both the league and fans you are serious about winning. The most important message it sends is to neither of these constituencies. The 80 million dollars screams loudest in the place it will matter most. The Piston’s locker room.

Coach Empowerment

In the coming months a lot of ink will be spilled about Heat culture. How Pat Riley empowered Eric Spoelstra as head coach. As Victor Wembanyama leads a Spurs revival. You will hear a lot about the genius of Gregg Popovich. I for one don’t buy it. The superpower of the leagues best head coaches is exactly that— power.

The NBA is a players league. The adage hold true. “Money is power and power is money.” In this era of escalating salaries. Coaches will never make more money than the players. Despite that fact. The Pistons just sent a strong message to their young and at this point low paid (in NBA terms) core.

If Cade Cunningham doesn’t want to put the work in to expand beyond a perimeter playmaker. If Jalen Duren doesn’t want to put the work in to become a bigger threat away from the basket. Guess who is not going to take fall?

It’s not the coach a year or two into a mega contract. Players can look the down the bench and ask James Wiseman what it’s like to get benched by an empowered head coach. They can ask Marvin Bagely III how it feels to be labeled a bust.

Despite the poor record. The Pistons are not devoid of talent. No other way to look at it. Now with one fell swoop. Hopefully they have set in place a culture to successfully incubate it.

A Glaring Omission

Up until this point. I have largely left one person out of this discourse. Let me make this clear. Monty Williams is a good basketball coach. The Pelicans/Hornets saga was a relocated discombobulated mess of a franchise. They still made the playoffs twice. He succeeded with a Suns franchise that was in permanent lottery status. Yes that turnaround was engineered with a lot of talent. However, this was also done without the most stable or functional ownership situation.

He knows the Great Lakes region having played at Notre Dame. He has perspective seemingly uncommon in the modern coaching profession. His personal story is moving. Overcoming a heart condition to become a first round pick. The grace showed after his wife’s tragic passing was inspirational. His understated manner makes Tony Dungy the closest coaching comp.

Consequently he has earned the respect of many superstars and the league in general. He has vast international experience coaching with various United States national teams. Honestly the only thing missing is a championship.

In short this is a home run hire. A big name coach with a big time contract. Making him properly empowered to develop an exciting young core. From a fan’s perspective. I don’t see the downside. Motor City Monty has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? Welcome to Detroit. Let’s punch the clock and go to work.