Diverses » on Jefferson was a major factor as they double-teamed the big

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Joe Dumars tried to push the Detroit Pistons back toward the playoffs with a couple of big moves last off-season. That didnt work, and now the Pistons will be hiring someone else to replace him. Detroit has decided not to renew Dumars contract as president of basketball operations, a person familiar with the situation said Sunday. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not made any announcement on Dumars future, says Dumars will remain with the Pistons as an adviser. Dumars was named the 2003 executive of the year, and the Pistons won the title the following season, adding the 2004 crown to the two they won when Dumars was a player. But Detroit hasnt made the playoffs since 2009, and the retooled Pistons flopped badly this season. Detroit has one of the games top young big men in Andre Drummond, but hes one of the franchises few bright spots at the moment. Owner Tom Gores must now hire a new general manager, and in the meantime, ownership executives Phil Norment and Bob Wentworth are expected to supervise preparations for the draft and free agency. Detroit signed Josh Smith and traded for Brandon Jennings last off-season in what seemed like a return to relevance, but the new-look roster lacked cohesion at times. Coach Maurice Cheeks was fired in February, and the Pistons are 29-52 with one game remaining. "I think overall we have a quality team as is," forward Kyle Singler said. "I dont know necessarily the formula to win, but we just werent able to get into a groove earlier on in the year to gain confidence and know that were a playoff team." Dumars began running the Pistons in 2000, and he made one shrewd move after another at first, acquiring Ben Wallace for Grant Hill in a sign-and-trade and sending Jerry Stackhouse to Washington for Richard Hamilton. He brought Rasheed Wallace to Detroit in another trade and signed Chauncey Billups as a free agent. Even a draft day blunder in 2003 — picking Darko Milicic over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade with the No. 2 pick — seemed like an aberration when the Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals the following year. That title, however, is well in the past. The Pistons have played in front of sparse crowds in recent years, struggling to stay relevant in Detroit while the Tigers have drawn fans in droves to their downtown ballpark. In 2008, Dumars traded Billups in a deal that brought Allen Iverson to the Pistons. That move didnt work out, and neither did the decision to sign Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to big contracts during the 2009 off-season. Dumars and the Pistons also struggled to find the right coach. When Cheeks was hired before this season, he became Detroits ninth coach since 1999-2000. Immediately before Cheeks, Lawrence Frank and John Kuester lasted two seasons each, with little success. When Gores took over as owner after the 2010-11 season, the Pistons were undeniably in a rebuilding mode. Last off-season, Dumars had another chance to show he could guide the franchise back to contention. Instead, the Pistons have been one of the leagues most disappointing teams in 2013-14. Although Dumars is staying with the organization in some capacity, his departure as team president and general manager marks the end of an era. Drafted by the Pistons in 1985, Dumars spent his entire 14-year playing career with the franchise, winning NBA titles in 1989 and 1990. He was Detroits vice-president of player personnel during the 1999-2000 season before being promoted to president of basketball operations. AP Sports Writer Larry Lage contributed. 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Durant remained sizzling with 33 points, Serge Ibaka added 22 and the Thunder roared back from an abysmal start -- they trailed 22-4 early -- to embarrass the Miami Heat 112-95 on Wednesday night, erasing that big deficit out of the gate by outscoring the two-time defending champions by 43 points over a 33-minute span. New York Islanders Jerseys .com) - World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and four-time Australian Open titlist Roger Federer were among Mondays fourth-round winners at Melbourne Park. PHOENIX -- The sore left elbow Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic is dealing with might sting less than the All-Star snub he got earlier this week. Dragic isnt letting either affect his play. He scored 25 points and the Suns made almost 57 per cent of their shots through three quarters Saturday night in a 105-95 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. "I was kind of sad, mad, just full of emotions when I found out (about not being named an All-Star reserve), but thats the way it is," Dragic said. "It doesnt matter. I just want to play hard and be with my teammates and make the playoffs." Marcus Morris added 15 points for the Suns, who have won five straight games and seven of their last eight. Its the second time the Suns have won five in a row, matching their longest winning streak of the season. Phoenix held Charlotte to 14 second-quarter points, the lowest total in that quarter for an opponent this season. The Bobcats had played the night before in Los Angeles. "You cant have many nights like that. We just didnt try," Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said. "We had no effort to start the game. If you are not ready to play or defend then you have no chance. The guys who came off the bench were worse than the starters." The Suns limited Al Jefferson, Charlottes leading scorer, to just 10 points after hed logged three straight 30-point games. He was 4 of 15 from the field and didnt play in the fourth quarter. "Guys were just fighting and made it tough on him," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said of Jefferson, whom he coached as an assistant with the Utah Jazz. "Hell shake his head and say Why do you keep trapping me all the time? Thats the kind of player he is, where we have to do that to him all the time." Markieff Morris threw down a dunk with 3.4 seconds left in the third quarter to give the Suns a 90-63 lead. He finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. The Bobcats cut the Suns lead to 99-86 with just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter but coouldnt sustain the run.dddddddddddd Reserve Anthony Tolliver led Charlotte with 14 points and Jannero Pargo added 12 points and six assists. Ish Smiths floater with 7:05 left in the first half gave the Suns a 47-35 lead, and his driving right-hand layup made it 50-36 with 5:59 left. Marcus Morris hit a 3 off a feed from Dragic to make it 55-41, and Dragic scored the final four points of the half as the Suns closed it out on a 9-0 run. Dragic hit 10 of 14 shots in 27 minutes of action and has 20 or more points in four straight games. "Im more relaxed," Dragic said. "I know how the opponent is going to guard me. . It feels like Im playing basketball with my friends back home, no pressure and I just go there and do my job, I get great support from my teammates and its just fun." The Bobcats failed to score for the final five-plus minutes of the first half. The Suns defence on Jefferson was a major factor as they double-teamed the big man at times or sent a player over to stab at the ball as soon as he caught it. "We didnt have the energy that we needed, we werent making shots, no excuses," Jefferson said. The Bobcats had won their last two games, the first stops of a four-game western road swing. NOTES: The Bobcats were without guard Kemba Walker, whose 18.7 points and five assists per game were missed. Walker has been out with a sprained left ankle for two weeks and is expected to return soon. ... Saturday was Fan Appreciation Night at the US Airways Center. About half the crowd received "Go Suns" foam fingers. ... Injured Suns guard Eric Bledsoe has been out since Jan. 2, but he is the featured player on bobblehead dolls that will be given to fans at the next Suns home game, Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls. ... The balls used for Saturdays game were among the first ones to bear the signature of new NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. ... The two teams wore warm-up shirts bearing the Twitter hashtag ".NBABHM" in honour of Black History Month. ' ' '