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Lawrence Frank showed some fire Tuesday as he defended his profession. "I will admit it, it (ticks) me off sometimes," Frank said of the criticism his colleagues have been receiving this season. Byron Scott, whose Cavaliers host the Pistons tonight, is under intense pressure. John Beilein is being scrutinized for decisions he made in Michigan's 82-76 loss to Louisville in the NCAA championship. Detroit News

Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Byron Scott, Coaching, Lawrence Frank 

With the media speculating on Pistons coach Lawrence Frank’s future with the organization, one player offered some support this morning. Greg Monroe, nearing the end of his third season, said after this morning’s shoot-around that Frank has “done a good job” and deserves to return. “Yeah, I think he’s done a good job here,” Monroe said before tonight’s game against the Cavs. “There are a lot guys that have been in and out and new players here. I think once he gets a group of guys, a core that you know will be here, I think it’ll be easier for him.” Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Greg Monroe, Coaching, Lawrence Frank 

Frank said he always reads out-of-town media reports on the next five opponents and considers reading local media reports regularly "part of understanding the climate of your team." "I don't ever really get upset at any of the stuff unless I think it's a low blow and that person is unfair," Frank said. "But when you lose, it comes with the territory. We all know it. This isn't my first rodeo, I've been through this drill. "The people who decide your fate, you just hope that they're well-informed and see the whole picture. Everyone shares the responsibility when those banners are hung. Certainly, everyone shares responsibility (in bad times). And we know, as a coach, many times when you don't win, you get fired. That's life." Booth Newspapers

Detroit Pistons, Coaching, Lawrence Frank 

The most recent chatter came in a speculative column by ESPN's Marc Stein, who wrote that Frank leads the cast of coaches most likely to be fired at season's end. "When you have a record like we have, it comes with the territory," Frank said before tonight's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. "That's the nature of this business. It's results-oriented." Booth Newspapers

Detroit Pistons, Coaching, Lawrence Frank 

Frank said he has not asked about his future job status with his superiors. He has one more guaranteed year on his original four-year contract in 2013-14, with a team option the following year. "No, I haven't asked because I understand," he said. "I've been in this for a little bit. You just do the best you can and focus on what you can control and that's about it." Booth Newspapers

Detroit Pistons, Coaching, Lawrence Frank 

Even with so many teams being discussed here, no team in coaching circles is rated as more likely to make a change than the Pistons, whose 4-18 record since the All-Star break and increasingly frequent struggles to keep games competitive have clearly put Lawrence Frank's job in jeopardy despite the one season, followed by a team option, left on his contract. League coaching sources consistently submit Frank's name as poised for dismissal when the regular seasons ends, with the Pistons said to be increasingly concerned by some of the body language and lukewarm responsiveness from Frank's players that's often evident to scouts sitting courtside. ESPN.com

Detroit Pistons, Coaching, Lawrence Frank 

Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said he is “very happy” as the coach of the Pistons in response to a Yahoo! Sports report that he might be a candidate for the Rutgers coaching job. “I'm the coach of the Pistons,” Frank said before the Pistons faced the Celtics tonight. "I haven't heard from anyone." “Like I told you, I'm very happy as the coach of the Pistons. I haven't been contacted by anyone and there's nothing more to say.” Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Coaching, Lawrence Frank 

Another strong candidate for the Rutgers job could be Detroit Pistons coach Lawrence Frank, sources told Yahoo! Sports. Pernetti expressed interest with Frank before the hiring of Rice four years ago, but he decided to stay on the NBA track. Frank had significant success as the coach of the New Jersey Nets for six-plus seasons, reaching the Eastern Conference semifinals three times. He also has a collegiate background as an assistant with Marquette and Tennessee. Yahoo! Sports

Detroit Pistons, Coaching, Lawrence Frank, NCAA 

The numbers are pretty depressing: A post-All-Star-break record of 3-16, 44 days since the Pistons' last home victory Feb. 13, an average margin of defeat of 26.3 points in their last efforts at the Palace and 24-49 record that puts the franchise on pace for its worst record in years. After the team's 99-82 thumping by the Toronto Raptors on Friday, coach Lawrence Frank was asked whether the team has quit on him. "We haven't quit and I think that would be totally unfair and not right," Frank said. "Because if you quit, (we'd) quit right from the beginning of the game." Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Lawrence Frank 

Frank has a three-year deal with an option for a fourth, but it's beginning to look dicey as to whether he will make his third season. A decision will come from owner Tom Gores at the end of the season. "I think at the end of the year we can assess everything, " Frank said. "I think right now, everyone associated with the Pistons can't be very proud of what we're doing. I know this, there are a lot of people who want to get this right and we will get it right." Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Coaching, Lawrence Frank, Tom Gores 

His team was at work roughly 12 hours later reviewing the film of horrors -- despite two off days before Friday's home game against Toronto. "Think about it, normally this time of year whether you're going to the playoffs or not, normally this is a day off when you have two days," Frank said. "But being embarrassed like we were, you want to watch it, address it and move on and have a great practice tomorrow." Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, Lawrence Frank 

The game got worse -- the Timberwolves pushed the lead to 28 in the fourth quarter -- but that moment brought the fans' disdain to a crescendo. Head coach Lawrence Frank said it was deserved. "The fans that are coming out, these guys are loyal fans," Frank said. "We have 24 wins. And we only have a couple of, a handful of home games left. So these guys that are coming, these are loyalists. And we deserve to be booed. It comes with the territory. We have to give them a better product and we didn't do it tonight." Booth Newspapers

Detroit Pistons, Lawrence Frank 

One coach who may be out the door this summer is Lawrence Frank if the Pistons’ new owners decide to make major changes. The club is running in quicksand, playing a combination of prospects and players who won’t be there at the end of their contracts. It’s not making for a successful mix, and it could also mean the end of Joe Dumars’s tenure as president of basketball operations. Boston Globe

Detroit Pistons, Coaching, Joe Dumars, Lawrence Frank 

'This is our fifth game like this since the break," said Pistons coach Lawrence Frank, who returned to the team after a six-game absence due to his wife's illness. "As a group we stunk. This is disheartening to watch." Detroit News

Detroit Pistons, Lawrence Frank 

"Look, we're paid to play," Frank said. "On the road trip, (for us to) give up 112 points per game and for teams to shoot 55%, for us to take only two charges and not be able to do anything in the paint -- those are the type of things that are disappointing to you. I said it to these guys that from a big-picture standpoint, the thing that I think we have to restore is pride in being a Piston. "As we struggle post-All-Star break, that's one of the things that stands out. When you have time to reflect, we have to every single day figure out a way to restore the pride and being a part of this team. We're a whole lot more capable than the way we're playing." Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Lawrence Frank 

Frank wasn't there for the March 10 game at Staples Center when the Clippers center put Knight on a poster as he was away tending to his ill wife. But when asked casually before Monday night's game about the uproar on social media and ESPN, Frank was critical. "They're called 'game-quitters,' they're in the gam,e but they're really not in the game, so they bail out just because they don't want to be dunked on. USA Today Sports

Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Lawrence Frank, Brandon Knight 

"I mean, to me, I don't know what the culture, whether it's an AAU environment — I hate to blame that — or what the situation is, but when I read that and saw that stuff how it was such a ... it just goes to show you we're celebrating the wrong (stuff). We really are." Frank added: "If Brandon could have fouled the guy (and stopped the basket), DeAndre Jordan, the way he shoots free throws, it would've been a total non-issue. But at least Brandon has the courage to put himself out there to make a play. And the fact that people laugh about it and joke about it, I don't know USA Today Sports

Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Lawrence Frank, DeAndre Jordan, Brandon Knight 

After missing six games to deal with his wife's illness, coach Lawrence Frank has returned to the Detroit Pistons. He conducted this morning's shootaround, in preparation for tonight's game against the Brooklyn Nets. Afterward, an obviously emotional Frank said: "I always talk about 'you have your family, your faith, and you have basketball.' This is doing what we do, and we all love it, so it's great to around here. It keeps your mind focused on the task at hand. There's a great sense of responsibility to those guys. "There's always a part of you, when you are not here, that you are letting a group down, letting an organization down. It's good to be back here." Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Coaching, Lawrence Frank 

Detroit Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank probably won't be back for any of the four-game western trip that begins tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers, assistant coach Brian Hill said. Hill is acting as head coach in Frank's absence. Booth Newspapers

Detroit Pistons, Coaching, Lawrence Frank, Brian Hill 

I've said since the beginning of this season that no one will get fired this year. Obviously, if you're the owner, you have to evaluate everything that has transpired -- and that means since you bought the team, not going back to time immemorial and paying for the sins of others -- including whether you're satisfied with player acquisition, development and on-court cohesiveness, and whether each individual assessed has been given adequate tools to succeed. And finally, you factor in the one element that only one person in charge of hiring/firing knows: Do you still believe in your original decision to hire the individual or have you come to believe you be better off without him or her? Booth Newspapers

Detroit Pistons, Coaching, Joe Dumars, Lawrence Frank