Pistons' John Kuester Ready to Lead

Friday, July 10, 2009
Pistons' John Kuester ready to lead
Terry Foster / The Detroit News


John Kuester is pictured in action while playing for the ABA's Kansas City Kings in 1978. He also played professionally for the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers.

Auburn Hills -- Cavaliers coach Mike Brown turned the keys over to his top assistant before summer league play last season.

Brown had faith in John Kuester and told him to run the Cavs offense any way he liked.

Kuester obliged, creating his own offense and doing things his way. It didn't work at first but, eventually, but by the time summer league ended, general manager Danny Ferry and Brown were pleased.

It was the second time Kuester was pushed into the forefront. In 2004, Pistons coach Larry Brown gave Kuester head-coaching responsibilities, and they went on to win the NBA title.

Kuester's leadership is what eventually caught Joe Dumars' eye. Dumars, the Pistons team president, officially introduced Kuester on Thursday as the Pistons sixth head coach in 10 seasons. Kuester replaces Michael Curry who was fired last week after one season.

"When he was here, he ran everything," Dumars said. "He ran the practices and shoot-arounds. When Larry needed something he turned to (Kuester). You tuck that away in the back of your mind. I noticed it. Players noticed it. And when you see Mike Brown basically do the same thing, then you take notes."

Easy going

Kuester was a scrappy, hard-nosed player at North Carolina and played in the 1977 NCAA Finals when the Tar Heels lost to Marquette. He also was voted MVP of the ACC tournament and voted UNC's best defensive player his final two seasons.

As a coach, he's considered a mild-mannered, easygoing guy people tend to like. He's polite, respectful and is a hard worker.

But Kuester also is known to get after officials.

"You never saw me play," said Kuester, was at UNC from 1973-77. "I think you are basically taken me as a nice person. But that's not necessarily what you are between the lines. My personality does change to a degree."

Kuester, 54, built his resume by not always going with the flow. He stood out as an assistant coach because head coaches tended to pour more work on him than others.

During timeouts, Mike Brown pushed Kuester to take command of the huddle. Kuester said he felt uncomfortable with the request but eventually became more comfortable.

"Mike Brown is very comfortable with who he is and what he does," Kuester said. "Brown has a great basketball mind and he allowed us to coach."

Kuester said he'll speak with Dumars next week to determine offensive and defensive philosophy and personnel moves. Kuester said assistants Darrell Walker and Pat Sullivan will remain on staff and the Pistons would hire at least one new assistant.

Kuester is big on transition offense and initiating action early in an offensive set. The Cavs averaged 96.4 points and shot .439 in 2007-08 and last season they averaged 100.3 points and shot .468. It's easy to create shots for LeBron James, but Kuester's offense also made it easier for others to score.

"Mike Brown and Danny Ferry witnessed what was going on (during summer camp), and they allowed me to do a little more from the offensive stand point. " Kuester said. "But truthfully defense is the number one thing in this league and that is what we are going to have to do here in Detroit."

Job security

Hawks coach Mike Woodson coached with Kuester in 2004 and described him as a studious guy who knows the league very well and is a good play-caller.

"He is not lacking in any of those things," Woodson said. "He is going to have to continue to grow in those areas, as far as knowing personnel, calls and defensive changes. That comes with it. But he's got a great mind and a great feel for the game. So I don't think he is going to have a problem at all."

Woodson warned the transition from an assistant to head coach isn't as easy as it might appear.

Dumars said there's less pressure for Kuester to win because the Pistons are in transition and designs for title contention are absent. Dumars and Kuester even joked about job security.

"You might be the most secure coach in the NBA," Dumars said.

"Bless you Joe," Kuester said.

Kuester won over Dumars, and now it appears as if he also wants to win over Richard Hamilton. He said his next move as coach is to attend Hamilton's wedding this weekend.

There were reports of a riff between Curry and Hamilton.

"Rip Hamilton is a special person to me," Kuester said. "The one thing I want him to understand is our relationship will be there for a long time. That is the way it will be for us for a long time."