home to start grooming a new generation of leaders.

DETROIT -- Even by the Detroit Pistons recent standards, this was an abrupt change. Detroit fired coach Maurice Cheeks on Sunday after less than a year as coach, with the Pistons languishing well below .500 despite off-season moves aimed at putting the struggling franchise back in contention. Detroit is 21-29, and although the Pistons still have a decent chance to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, their new roster has performed erratically. "This was a difficult decision for the organization to make but we needed to make a change," team president Joe Dumars said in a statement. "We have great respect for Maurice and appreciate his hard work." A person with knowledge of Detroits plans said assistant John Loyer will take over as interim coach. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced an interim coach yet. The Pistons havent made the playoffs since being swept in the first round in 2009 -- in Michael Currys only season as their coach. Since then, Detroit has gone through two seasons under John Kuester and two under Lawrence Frank. After neither of them could make any real progress, Cheeks was brought in as Detroits ninth coach since the 1999-2000 season. In addition to hiring Cheeks last off-season, Detroit signed forward Josh Smith and traded for point guard Brandon Jennings, trying to bolster a roster that already included young big men Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe. But the mix has been uninspiring for the most part. The Pistons have had problems defensively and have struggled to close out games in the fourth quarter. The poor attendance thats become commonplace at The Palace hasnt really improved -- and Detroits 11-15 home record hasnt helped. "Our record does not reflect our talent and we simply need a change," Pistons owner Tom Gores said Sunday. "We have not made the kind of progress that we should have over the first half of the season. This is a young team and we knew there would be growing pains, but we can be patient only as long as there is progress." Detroit is only a half-game out of the final playoff spot in the East, but thats largely because so many teams in the conference are having similar problems. The Pistons are only three games better than they were after 50 games last season. Cheeks became the first coach to leave or be fired after 50 games or fewer with an NBA team since Bob Weiss, who coached only 30 games for Seattle in 2005-06, according to STATS. That does not include interim coaches. "The responsibility does not fall squarely on any one individual, but right now this change is a necessary step toward turning this thing around," Gores said. "I still have a lot of hope for this season and I expect our players to step up. I respect and appreciate Maurice Cheeks and thank him for his efforts; we just require a different approach." The Pistons have won four of six, including back-to-back blowouts at home against Brooklyn and Denver on Friday and Saturday. They host San Antonio on Monday night, and the team has not made any announcement about who will coach that game. Cheeks previously coached Portland and Philadelphia, a team he won an NBA title with as a point guard. The Pistons gave him his third shot to be an NBA head coach in June. Gores was in attendance at a recent game and said he thought the team was better than its record. "Im not satisfied. Our job is to make sure that our players are at their maximum," Gores said after that Feb. 1 game against Philadelphia. "Im not satisfied with the job Im doing. Im not satisfied with the job anyone is doing." At that point, speculation centred around the upcoming trade deadline and the possibility that Detroit might shake up its roster again. Now, the Pistons are hoping another coaching change can improve the franchises outlook. Detroit made the conference finals six straight years from 2003-08, but the teams fall was swift after that, and rebuilding has been difficult. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Pistons championship in 2004 -- and the atmosphere at The Palace could hardly be more different. "Were focused on how to make our players the best," Gores said earlier this month. "I dont think weve done our best job of making sure they are at their best. They are working at 100 per cent, but these are young men who need a lot of preparation." The Pistons became the third major pro team in Detroit to make a coaching or managerial change in the past six months. Jim Leyland of the Tigers stepped down and was replaced by Brad Ausmus after last season, and the Lions fired Jim Schwartz in late December, eventually replacing him with Jim Caldwell. So Ausmus, who has yet to manage a game, is now the second-longest tenured manager or coach of the citys four major pro teams. Yahoo Sports first reported Cheeks firing. Zapatillas Balenciaga Baratas . -- LaMarcus Aldridge returned to the Trail Blazers lineup, happy to know that things didnt go awry without him. Balenciaga Baratas Chinas . Cilic cruised to victory, beating the seventh-seeded Seppi 6-1, 6-3 in just 72 minutes. He faced only one break point, winning 24 out of 29 points played on the first serve. http://www.balenciagabaratas.es/ . "I dont know where we would be without him," McClendon said. "Hes done a tremendous job for us and (Wednesday) was no different." Logan Morrison drove in two runs in Seattles big sixth inning, Young pitched seven strong innings and the Mariners beat the Houston Astros 5-2 to complete a three-game sweep. Balenciaga Baratas Chinas Online . She was a pioneer. She did things on skis that made the birds take notice. Comprar Balenciaga Baratas . Numbers Game looks into the Wild getting Matt Moulson from Buffalo. The Wild Get: LW Matt Moulson and LW Cody McCormick.The Canadian womens hockey team opens defence of the Four Nations Cup on Tuesday in Kamloops, B.C. The annual international womens hockey tournament also features the United States, Finland and Sweden. You can catch Canadas 2014 Four Nations Cup opening match against Sweden, Tuesday at 10pm et/7pm pt on TSN1, TSN4 and TSN5. Canadas first opponent is Sweden. The top two teams in the preliminary round meet in Saturdays final at the Interior Savings Centre. Here are five things to know about the Four Nations Cup: — When Canada and the U.S. square off in the preliminary round Wednesday, it will be their first meeting since the dramatic Olympic gold-medal game in Sochi, Russia. Trailing 2-0, the Canadians scored twice in the last four minutes and again in overtime to rescue the gold medal. The Americans hit the post on what could have been an empty-net winner with just over a minute to go. Canada has 10 players at the Four Nations from its Olympic roster, while the Americans are taking a dozen Sochi veterans to Kamloops. — Canada lost a premier player just a week out from the Four Nations. Marie-Philip Poulin of Beauceville, Que., who scored the equalizer with 55 seconds left and the overtime winner in the Sochi gold-medal game, wont play in Kamloops because of an undisclosed injury. The Boston University captain was hurt in a Terriers game againstt Maine.dddddddddddd Brianne Jenner of Oakville, Ont., who scored the first goal of the comeback in Sochi, replaced Poulin on the host teams roster. — Caroline Ouellette, Hayley Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford were among the warhorses Hockey Canada left at home to start grooming a new generation of leaders. Haley Irwin of Thunder Bay, Ont., will be Canadas captain in Kamloops. Rebecca Johnston of Sudbury, Ont., Lauriane Rougeau of Beaconsfield, Que., and Torontos Natalie Spooner will be assistant captains. — Jamie Lee Rattray leads 10 players in their debut with the national team. The Ottawa forward capped her final season at Clarkson by winning the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top player in NCAA Division 1 womens hockey. She now plays in the Canadian Womens Hockey League for Brampton. Forward Jillian Saulnier of Halifax was a finalist for the Kazmaier award and is in her senior year with Cornell. — Finland finished out of the medals in Sochi, but took their greatest strides yet in closing the gap on Canada and the U.S. For the first time, they engaged the North Americans at both ends of the ice instead of relying on defence and a lucky goal. The Finns fell 3-1 to the U.S. and 3-0 to Canada in Sochi. A quarter-final loss to Sweden kept them from a semifinal rematch with the U.S., but Finland has what it takes to challenge for world gold. ' ' '