If John Beilein is offered and accepts the head-coaching position with the Detroit Pistons, three things will occur in succession. First, it will be deemed a “shocker.” Then, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel will be roundly blasted for not throwing an obscene contract at him to keep the winningest coach in program history in Ann Arbor. Then, Beilein’s personality and methods will be dissected and analyzed through the lens of the NBA.



But optics don’t always fit reality. Beilein’s contract has very little to do with this. He is, in many ways, a natural fit for the position, as well as a natural target for the Pistons.



Let’s start with how it got to this. Since coaching Michigan to a second national title game appearance two months ago, Beilein had an otherwise standard offseason. Some recruiting. Lots of travel. A bit of time for vacation.



That changed roughly two weeks ago when Pistons brass contacted Beilein to...