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NBA Notebook: Pistons sign deal, name Kuester coach
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Published: July 10, 2009
■ Pistons: Detroit named Cleveland assistant John Kuester as its head coach yesterday.
Kuester was on Larry Brown's NBA championship-winning staff in Detroit five years ago.
Joe Dumars, the Pistons' president for basketball operations, fired rookie coach Michael Curry on June 30. Curry led Detroit to a 39-43 regular-season record and a first-round playoff loss to Cleveland.
Kuester is the team's sixth head coach in the past 10 years. He has worked in the NBA since 1990, including 13 years as an assistant. After his earlier stint in Detroit, he spent the last two years in Cleveland.
Before that, Kuester replaced Rick Pitino at Boston University in 1983 and later spent five seasons coaching George Washington.
■ Clippers: Blake Griffin, the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, signed yesterday.
The team said that Griffin's deal was official, and terms were not announced.
Griffin averaged 22.7 points and 14.4 rebounds last season at Oklahoma before leaving two years early to enter the draft.
Griffin is playing on the Clippers' NBA Summer League entry in Las Vegas next week.
■ Cavaliers: Cleveland and Anderson Varejao have agreed on a six-year contract that could be worth as much as $50 million.
Agent Dan Fegan told The Plain Dealer late Wednesday that the team and Varejao have agreed on a new contract. The team wouldn't confirm the report yesterday.
General Manager Danny Ferry had earlier stated his intent to re-sign Varejao after he did not exercise his option on a $6.2 million contract for next season, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Known for his hustle, Varejao posted career-highs with 42 starts, 8.6 points per game and a field-goal percentage of .536 last season.
■ Knicks: New York signed guard Toney Douglas, the second of two players they picked up in the first round of the draft.
Douglas was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 29 pick and the Knicks acquired his rights for a future second-round pick and cash. New York still has to sign Jordan Hill, the No. 8 pick.
The Knicks said yesterday they expect Douglas, who averaged 21.5 points last season for Florida State, to play for their summer-league team in Las Vegas. Douglas was the ACC defensive player of the year.
■ Celtics: Rasheed Wallace said he is a Boston Celtic because he feels the team gives him the best chance to win another championship.
Wallace, a four-time All-Star who became a free agent after last season with the Detroit Pistons, took a reported three-year contract with the Celtics. Wallace won a title with Detroit in 2004.
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