Monty Williams: “This is the toughest challenge of my coaching career”

“ Life can be fun. » It is with these words that Monty Williams described his personal situation. Two and a half years ago, he took the Suns to the Finals and, twelve months later, he was voted Coach of the Year with Phoenix. Except that water has flowed under the bridges and, today, here he is at the head of the worst team in the league, “well on track” to sign the worst season in history…

Patience is the mother of all virtues

On a series of 24 consecutive defeats, two units from the record all-time on a campaign, the Pistons have hit rock bottom and they're still digging. However, their coach is staying the course and he particularly appreciates all the support that he and his franchise continue to receive, despite this very delicate period.

“ It's hard to put it into words » he nevertheless concedes, in an interview for Andscape. “ But we are not finished. I know it seems hard and bad right now, because it is. But this situation will turn around, so I just have to have faith and trust. It's the hardest challenge of my coaching career, but I also felt it in Phoenix and the situation was reversed. »

Optimistic in all circumstances

“ Annoyed » by the results of Detroitbecause it is ” his job to find » solutions, Monty Williams therefore wants to be optimistic, because he also knows that he is not the one to be pitied the most and that there are always worse things than his situation.

Especially since his life experience helps him to remain permanently positive, he who has clearly not been spoiled at this level, between the death of his wife Ingrid in a car accident in 2016 or the cancer of his new wife Lisa detected this year. Cancer which initially pushed him to move away from the courts, before the illness progressed favorably and led him to arrive in Michigan.

“ Sometimes it's good to only have one choice, and in this case, your choice is to fight » Assumes the Pistons coach, in reference to the difficulties of his players. “ I didn't come here thinking it was going to be easy. We also didn't think we would have so many injuries to key players, but that's one of the things that happens during a season. [Jalen Duren] was absent part of the season, Cade [Cunningham] was the most consistent of all, Bojan [Bogdanovic] just started playing. And we're in a tough Eastern Conference, our schedule is crazy, we've played all the biggest teams so far. But there's not much we can do, we just have to keep going. »

Money to forget defeats?

Not resentful towards the Suns, who fired him last May, after the elimination in the playoffs against the Nuggets, Monty Williams moved on and, in Detroit, where he is very appreciated by his players, he became durable once the highest-paid coach in the league, before being overtaken by Gregg Popovich.

Enough to allow him to “accept” the poor results of his new team more easily?

“ This is going to sound like a cliché, but yes, money is great. VSIt would be stupid to say it wasn't important [dans ma réflexion]when someone is so generous to you » recognizes Monty Williams, regarding his emoluments. “ But my wish and my will is to see this team transform into something really, really great. It's important to me. There were other opportunities already ready for me, but the doors closed due to my wife's situation and it happened on its own, I couldn't find myself in those situations at that time. When it was possible, [les Pistons] were the only option left and I don't take it lightly. The money could also have been present in other teams, but this opportunity was the only one available to me when I could coach. »