The Detroit Pistons have opened the interview process in their search for a new coach and are scheduled to sit down Tuesday with Nate McMillan, according to NBA coaching sources.
The Pistons likewise were planning to interview Phoenix Suns interim coach Lindsey Hunter this week after Hunter -- who is widely expected to lose his post with the Suns after the dismissal of general manager Lance Blanks last week -- sought and received permission to interview for the Detroit opening.
McMillan was recently labeled as the favorite for the post by the New York Daily News after the Pistons fired Lawrence Frank.
Another candidate known to interest Detroit is Houston Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson, who is projected in coaching circles to be a candidate for the Milwaukee Bucks' job when the Rockets' playoff run is over.
The Blazers won 54 games under McMillan in 2008-09 but fired him with just more than a month to go in the lockout-shortened season of 2011-12 after three straight first-round exits.
Frank posted a 54-94 record in two seasons after replacing John Kuester.