Last week the Detroit Pistons fired Michael Curry as coach after he was on the bench for just one season. Now, a source close to negotiations has linked the Cleveland Cavaliers' assistant coach John Kuester as the team's next head coach. Once finalized, Kuester would be Detroit's fifth coach in just nine seasons.

Kuester has close ties to Detroit General Manager Joe Dumars after Kuester worked as an assistant coach under Larry Brown. Dumars was initially interested in TNT analyst Doug Collins, who eventually removed himself from consideration, and then shifted his focus to former Dallas Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson. Talks with Johnson fell through on Tuesday, so Dumars next choice was Kuester.