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After an extremely chaotic season under John Kuester, the Detroit Pistons have created some stability during the NBA lockout by agreeing to a deal with new head coach Lawrence Frank.

Frank had a successful five-plus year stint as coach of the New Jersey Nets from 2004-2009, which included four straight playoff appearances. He is known for being a defensive-minded coach, an asset that will prove valuable for a Piston team that ranked 16th in that category last season. Frank will also need to instill a stronger interior presence for Detroit, after ranking dead last in rebounds the previous year.

The Pistons face some interesting decisions this offseason, namely whether to pick up leading scorer Rodney Stuckey's option and the possibility of trading longtime guard Richard Hamilton. The Pistons were extremely fortunate to have guard Brandon Knight fall to them at No. 8 overall in the draft, and he should play a pretty big role immediately.

Otherwise, the development of big man Greg Monroe will be crucial, as well as seeking better production from guard Ben Gordon and forward Charlie Villanueva, whose free agent signings look foolish to date.

After reaching the conference finals a remarkable six consecutive seasons, the Pistons have failed to make the playoffs in the past two years.