Mo Cheeks and the sorry state of the Pistons

The Detroit Pistons recently hired Maurice Cheeks as their head coach. This is good for Mo, cuz he'll get several million bucks of owner Tom Gores' guaranteed money for a multi-year contract. But let's get real. Cheeks himself will likely be gone in a couple years, because even if he's the best coach in the world -- which he's obviously not -- there's no way he'll take a rag-tag team with minimal talent, and likely little chance to get nearly enough of it any time soon, to be seriously competitive in the NBA in the next couple years. There's at least a dozen teams that are currently far superior to the Pistons in the NBA, and many of them show potential to get even better.

For that matter, comparing the Pistons to what's currently going on between San Antonio and Miami in the NBA Finals is like comparing a ninth grade track star to Usain Bolt. Maybe, just maybe, someday that kid will be good enough to compete at a world-class level -- but it isn't going to be for at least a few years, if ever. The clock in pro sports management definitely runs fast.

And while on that note -- yours truly wonders just how much longer Pistons GM Joe Dumars will be tolerated by the new owner. The Pistons seem light years away from being an elite team and, one way or the other, Dumars is responsible for what they are. Joe D has drafted the players, dabbled in free agency, and negotiated the contracts (see salary cap). The responsibility for their current plight falls entirely on him.

Taking into account the established elite -- and given so many teams that are up and coming, while the Pistons look to be bottom feeders for at least several more years -- yours truly just doesn't see any way new owner Tom Gores can avoid brooming him for much longer. Joe Dumars was indeed a great player in his day, and he made some brilliant moves when he first became GM, the Darko fiasco aside. But when it comes to the "what have you done for me lately" question -- Joe D has been stinking it up for the last few years. Nice guy or not, it is what it is. If Gores is serious about wanting a winner -- then Joe's gotta go. He's not going to get them there again.