Article Summary:

John Beilein struggled to fit in as an NBA coach, but the Pistons believe they have found a role that suits him: Player development specialist.

The Pistons are hiring former Cavaliers and Michigan coach John Beilein as their director of player development, league sources say. At age 67, Beilein struggled to adapt to the NBA coaching reality – the lack of practices, the relentless losing with a young team, and the fact that good NBA players have more organizational power than the coach – he couldn’t treat NBA players the way he did his college players. Beilein struggled as a head coach to relate to veterans or build relationships with his players, then he reportedly said they were “No longer playing like thugs” during a film session.

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