NBA Fans Defend Monty Williams After Pistons Rumored to Fire HC After 1 Losing Season

Not everyone agrees with the Detroit Pistons’ decision to fire Monty Williams after one season as head coach, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

NBA fans on Wednesday responded to the decision to send Williams out of Detroit after the Pistons finished the 2023-24 season with a NBA-worst 14-68 record.

The Pistons signed Williams to a record six-year, $78.5 million deal last May.

It will now be up to president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon to find a new head coach. Langdon also parted ways with general manager Troy Weaver after his position with the Pistons was announced on June 1.

The Pistons hired Williams two years after he was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year for leading the Phoenix Suns to a franchise-record 64 wins during the 2020-21 season.

Detroit leadership was previously confident in Williams as the franchise’s next long-term head coach that they included team options to extend his record-setting contract through eight seasons.

But Wojnarowski reported that the decision to dismiss Williams was made by Pistons owner Tom Gores, not Langdon:

Williams inherited a team that had gone 17-65 the season prior. The Pistons were in the early stages of a rebuild when the former Suns coach arrived in Detroit.

Some fans pointed out that the Pistons’ roster was severely limited by injuries to key players including Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson.

Other fans expressed concern that Williams’ firing would send the Pistons back to Stage 1 of the rebuild:

More fans questioned the timing of the decision, which took place one week before the 2024 NBA Draft.

Williams, whom Wojnarowski reported had $65 million-plus remaining on his deal with the Pistons, is still owed money from his previous buyout by the Suns.

After previously planning to sit out the 2023-24 season due to his wife’s cancer diagnosis, per Wojnarowski, Williams may decide to take time away from the NBA. Alternatively, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers still have head coaching vacancies and could potentially consider him as a candidate if he is looking for another job.