Pistons to name Curry as new coach

Jun 9, 2008 - 8:31 PM AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) -- The Detroit Pistons will name Michael Curry as their new head coach during a news conference scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

Curry, who spent this past season as an assistant with the Pistons, will replace Flip Saunders, who was fired six days ago.

Terms of Curry's contract were not available, but the Detroit News reported that he received a three-year deal with a fourth-year team option.

Curry, 39, will inherit a Pistons team that has lost in the Eastern Conference finals each of the last three years under Saunders.

Saunders posted a 176-70 regular-season record in his three seasons with Detroit, compiling the best regular-season winning percentage (.715) in franchise history.

But Saunders' first postseason with Detroit ended in disappointment, as the Pistons lost to the eventual champion Miami Heat in the conference finals.

After going 53-29 in 2006-07, Detroit was upset in the Eastern Conference finals by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who rallied from a 2-0 series deficit.

The Pistons were one of the NBA's top teams again this season, going 59-23 en route to the No. 2 seed in the East.

But after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Pistons again were ousted in the conference finals - this time by the top-seeded Boston Celtics.