The Pistons gave Monty Williams the sweetest deal in the NBA by firing him

Monty Williams is getting PAID, folks.

This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.

Good Morning, folks! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with us today. I hope you’re having a fantastic Thursday so far. I’m sure it’s going much better than Drake’s Thursday is today.

Anyway, that’s not what we’re here to talk about. Let’s dive in on Monty Williams for a second.

Getting fired on your day off is always tough. If you’ve never felt that feeling, I do not recommend it. Generally speaking, at least, anyway. For Monty Williams, it probably wasn’t that bad.

The Pistons fired Williams on Wednesday after just one season with the team. On one hand, the timing was a bit surprising considering that he’d lasted this long after the regular season’s finish. On the other hand, the writing was on the wall.

The Pistons lost 28 games in a row last season. It got to a point where I’d openly wondered whether Detroit would win a game again by December. Of course, Detroit turned things around and started playing better basketball eventually. But still — the vibes were that bad.

Williams was the architect of that. And after the Pistons hired a new GM in Trajan Langdon, it was hard to imagine Williams being on that sideline again next season. Detroit just needed a change. Now, it’ll have one.

RELATED: Five head coaching candidates that might be a good fit to replace Williams

But here’s the thing: I’m sure Williams isn’t too upset today. As my colleague Charles Curtis writes, he’s still owed $65 million by the Pistons. In other words, he’s being paid $65 million NOT to coach the worst team in basketball next year. That’s about $5.6 million for every Pistons win.  Pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

Now, I’m sure as a competitor, Williams would still love to be out there on the sidelines. But as a normal human being, if you’re going to pay somebody $65 million not to work? You take that $65 million every time. Especially when the job sucks.

Losing is never great. But you take that cash and run, Monty. Don’t ever look back.

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Rest in peace, Willie Mays

There are few words that one can say to capture the true breadth of Willie Mays’ impact on the world — not just baseball.

Yes, most of us surely know him as one of the greatest — maybe the greatest? — center fielders of all time. You’d be hard-pressed to find a baseball fan who hasn’t fawned over one of his preposterous catches in the outfield. We all know what The Catch is.

But that catch — among the countless others — isn’t where his story begins. Neither are the 660 homers he hit or the gaudy .301 batting average they came with. Those statistical accomplishments are great, don’t get me wrong. But Willie Mays’ dominance comes secondary in his story.

What comes first is the path that he paved. Mays was among the early Black faces to play Major League Baseball and the first Black player to be named a captain on his team. He started in the Negro League at 16 years old playing for the Birmingham Black Barons before getting in with the Giants in 1951. The rest is history.

READ MORE: Negro League stats will change five records after finally being incorporated into MLB history

He meant so much to so many people. Though Mays may be gone, this doesn’t feel like a time for mourning. Instead, I’d rather celebrate. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said it here more eloquently than I ever could have:

“I am at a point in my life where I want to spend less time mourning the deaths of my friends and heroes and more time celebrating their lives,” Abdul Jabbar writes. “As one of the first Black professional baseball players, Willie Mays endured unimaginable hardships. Because of him, I was able to pursue my own sports career and live a better life. Every Black athlete owes him a debt of gratitude. We walk an easier path because he cleared it for us. Even in passing, Willie has left me with so many wonderful and joyous memories that I can’t help but smile and be grateful.”

He showed little Black kids everywhere that, yes, they belonged, just as anyone else did. And that’s more powerful than any home run off of a bat. Thank you for everything, Willie. You are appreciated.

READ MORE: Players poured in tributes for Willie Mays after learning of his death

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The Point God has returned

The Aces haven’t looked like the Aces all year. There are a few reasons why, but the big one is this: Chelsea Gray has been absent.

She’s been missing in action for Vegas since suffering a leg injury in last year’s WNBA Finals.

But have no fear, Aces fans. She’s back. Chelsea Gray finally returned to the court for the first time since last October and — whaddaya know — the Aces look fine again.

Gray received a standing ovation when she came off the bench.

Chelsea Gray gets a standing ovation as she checks in for her first game this year pic.twitter.com/0hA9EBOfx0

— espnW (@espnW) June 20, 2024

She finished with seven assists in 16 minutes and had the Aces’ offense clicking.

The Aces are still 7-6, but the real season begins for Vegas now. The squad is back at full strength for the first time in nearly nine months. This is the team we all expected to see.

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Quick hits: Donovan Clingan No. 1? … A bump in the road for Cameron Brink … and more

— Dawn Staley sent Cameron Brink a classy message after she tore her ACL. Cory Woodroof has more

— The Athletic’s latest NBA mock draft has Donovan Clingan going No. 1 overall to the Hawks. Charles Curtis has details for you.

— Charles also has more here on Aliyah Boston being an awesome teammate to Caitlin Clark

— Christian D’Andrea has the worst uniforms worn by every NFL team for you here.

— Grimace might legitimately be a member of the Mets at this point. Here’s Cory again with more.

— Here’s Andrew Joseph on why Caitlin Clark won’t be Cam Brink’s replacement in 3×3 Olympic basketball.

That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading. Let’s do this again tomorrow. Peace.

-Sykes