Brandon Jennings was caught completely off guard when Maurice Cheeks got canned, and now Jennings says the firing wasn’t justified (nor did it push the Pistons to improve under interim head coach John Loyer). Per the Detroit Free Press:

He grew close to Cheeks and is still grasping why Cheeks was fired — especially since the Pistons had won four of six and two straight before Cheeks was let go after 50 games.

“You give a coach a half a season with new faces and new chemistry — that’s not enough time, I don’t think,” Jennings said Thursday after a long practice at the Toyota Center. “I felt like he was placed in a losing situation.

“We were winning, and now we’re playing like the old Pistons in the beginning.”

He was quick to say: “I don’t have a problem with John. It’s just with the whole thing of changing coaches was probably one of the more difficult things for me. John was our assistant, so I know a lot about John, but it’s more as a personal problem for me with Mo leaving.”

In fairness to the decision, team effort appeared to be a frequent problem under Cheeks. And the talented roster has underachieved all season.