The host Detroit Pistons are standing behind head coach John Kuester despite a season of conflict and turmoil, the team said in an official statement yesterday.

With the Pistons (22-39) five-and-a-half games out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and some of the team's disgruntled players having seemingly turned on their second-year coach, there was speculation Kuester could soon be fired.

However, president of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars seemed to diffuse that notion with yesterday's statement.

"First of all, John Kuester has my full support as we try to make a push towards the postseason over these last 21 games," Dumars said in a release on the Pistons' website (nba.com/pistons).

"We've had a long and proud history of being a first class organization that handles its business the right way. We expect everyone that represents the Detroit Pistons to do so in a first class manner."

That was hardly the case last Friday, when several Detroit players missed the team shoot around prior to a game against Philadelphia in what was believed to be a protest against the coach.

Kuester, who has had public differences with Detroit's Richard Hamilton and benched the 12th-year guard for much of the season, responded to the incident by playing only the six players who attended the morning session.