Maurice Cheeks will be offered an opportunity to lead the Detroit Pistons out of a half-decade's malaise.

The Pistons have settled on Cheeks as their top choice to become the franchise's 33rd head coach, according to sources, after he interviewed extensively with both owner Tom Gores and president of basketball operations Joe Dumars.

Cheeks, currently an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and formerly a head coach of two franchises, was one of two finalists for the job, along with Nate McMillan.

Yahoo! Sports first reported that the Pistons had settled upon Cheeks and intend to engage contract negotiations immediately.

Assuming the two sides reach terms, Cheeks will take over for Lawrence Frank, who was dismissed April 18 after two losing seasons.

Cheeks played 15 years in the NBA and won a 1983 championship as a guard for the Philadelphia 76ers, one of two teams he served as head coach.

Cheeks was 284-286 in parts of eight seasons as head coach of the Portland Trailblazers and Philadelphia 76ers.

Cheeks, 56, played collegiately at West Texas State University, then a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, now known as West Texas A&M.

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