Kevin O'Neill, the defensive guru of the Detroit Pistons, is likely to become the next head coach of the Raptors.

Team and league sources said last night they expect O'Neill to be offered the job in the next couple of days with the official announcement early next week.

O'Neill, who has spent two seasons with the Pistons after one with the New York Knicks, is poised to beat out Seattle's Dwane Casey and Milwaukee's Sam Mitchell in the final process to replace the fired Lenny Wilkens.

Raptor general manager Glen Grunwald met with team president Richard Peddie and others yesterday, according to team sources, after they and owner Larry Tanenbaum met the candidates this week.

While it is possible that ownership and upper management would reject O'Neill as the fifth coach in the franchise's eight-year history, he was telling people close to him that he had the job last night, according to a league source.