A person familiar with the negotiations said that the Detroit Pistons and former 76ers assistant John Kuester were nearing an agreement to make him their coach.

The person, who spoke last night on the condition of anonymity because the deal was not done, said the contract could be completed as soon as today.

Kuester spent the last two seasons as a Cleveland Cavaliers assistant and was on Larry Brown's championship-winning staff in Detroit in 2004.

He was also an NBA assistant with the Sixers, Orlando and New Jersey after coaching at George Washington University from 1985 to '90.

Kuester will become Detroit's fifth coach in nine seasons - following Michael Curry, Flip Saunders, Brown and Rick Carlisle.

Failed courtship. The Pistons spoke with Avery Johnson about replacing Curry, who was fired last week, but talks with the former Dallas Mavericks coach ended earlier yesterday.

Johnson, who was fired last year by the Mavericks with a lot of money left on his contract, can afford to wait to find the right fit to resume his coaching career. He plans to remain as an NBA analyst with ESPN.

The Pistons are expected to sign free agents Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to five-year contracts today.

Salary cap goes down. The NBA salary cap has been set for next season at $57.7 million, a decline from 2008-09.

The figure the league announced last night was about $1 million less than last season's cap of $58.68 million, even though league-wide revenue rose 2.5 percent. The number is expected to drop further after next season when the full effect of the economic difficulties hits.

The new salary cap went into effect at 12:01 a.m. today, ending the NBA's moratorium period and allowing free agents to sign with teams.

Bibby stays put. The Atlanta Hawks have reached an agreement to re-sign Mike Bibby, 31, to a three-year deal.

Bibby's agent, David Falk, said he had reached an "oral understanding" that will allow the Hawks to retain the point guard who has led the team to two straight playoff appearances.

Bibby, an 11-year veteran, was an unrestricted free agent. He made $14.9 million this season and averaged 14.9 points and 5.0 assists per game last season.

Mavs sign guard. Point guard Rodrigue Beaubois, who has played professionally in France, signed his rookie deal with the club.

As the 25th overall pick, he is slotted to earn almost $896,200 this season and $963,400 next season.

All signs now point to the Pistons settling on their third choice -- Cavaliers assistant John Kuester -- to replace Michael Curry, who was fired last week after one season.

Which left us to wonder what happened to Johnson.

In an interview on ESPN, Johnson spoke of extensive talks with the Pistons as recently as Sunday, but he declined to say how close the two sides were.

"At the end of the day, we just couldn't make it work, and both sides decided to just go in different directions," Johnson said. "It gave me the opportunity to stay at ESPN ... and it gave them an opportunity to continue to search for a new coach."

But a person with personal knowledge of the situation said that Johnson believed he was going to be the Pistons' next coach after meeting with Joe Dumars, the Pistons' president of basketball operations, in Houston.

In fact, the person said Dumars told Johnson he was his guy.

But with Johnson seeking a four-year deal worth between $4 million and $5 million a season, the two sides couldn't come to an agreement. And the money wasn't the only issue, as the length of the deal also was a bone of contention.

The source said the Pistons offered a two-year deal with an option for a third year -- what Kuester is expected to receive.

The Dallas Mavericks fired Johnson after the 2007-08 season and owe him $8 million over the next two seasons. It is believed that he would forfeit all or most of that money if he took another job. Under the circumstances, Johnson apparently felt it prudent to remain an analyst for ESPN.

It's telling that the length of Kuester's deal is similar to what Johnson was offered. Kuester, although a veteran of two decades on the NBA sidelines, will be a first-time NBA head coach. Johnson, on the other hand, compiled a winning percentage of .735 as coach of the Mavericks and was two victories from an NBA title in 2006.

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The Mavericks lost the last four games of the NBA Finals that year to the Miami Heat, and Johnson was fired in 2008. But you would think that Johnson's résumé would garner a bigger offer than that of a first-time NBA head coach.

But things are tight at the Palace, just like everywhere else, and the club still owes Curry $5 million over the next two seasons.

Johnson told the Free Press on Tuesday that he was happy his name was out there but said he was content remaining at ESPN for another season. He also said he would prefer to return to coaching in the Western Conference.

Asked on ESPN where he thought the Pistons rank in the Eastern Conference, Johnson said:

"Well, you have the big three (Orlando, Boston and Cleveland). Now you have that next tier of teams with the Atlanta Hawks, the Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons kind of in that mix."

That's a fair assessment, especially with Pistons free-agent power forward Antonio McDyess likely headed to the Spurs. But let's see what else happens before training camp opens in the fall.

The Mavericks lost the last four games of the NBA Finals that year to the Miami Heat, and Johnson was fired in 2008. But you would think that Johnson's résumé would garner a bigger offer than that of a first-time NBA head coach.

But things are tight at the Palace, just like everywhere else, and the club still owes Curry $5 million over the next two seasons.

Johnson told the Free Press on Tuesday that he was happy his name was out there but said he was content remaining at ESPN for another season. He also said he would prefer to return to coaching in the Western Conference.

Asked on ESPN where he thought the Pistons rank in the Eastern Conference, Johnson said:

"Well, you have the big three (Orlando, Boston and Cleveland). Now you have that next tier of teams with the Atlanta Hawks, the Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons kind of in that mix."

That's a fair assessment, especially with Pistons free-agent power forward Antonio McDyess likely headed to the Spurs. But let's see what else happens before training camp opens in the fall.