Van Gundy is gone
Pistons dump coach-president of basketball operations
After four seasons of mostly mediocre results, the Detroit Pistons are moving on without Stan Van Gundy.
“. . . over the past two seasons our team has not progressed, and we decided that a change is necessary to regain our momentum.” Pistons owner Tom Gores
He won’t return as president of basketball operations and he isn’t staying on as Detroit’s coach, either.
Van Gundy held both those roles for four years, and at times the Pistons seemed to be making progress. But they made the playoffs only once during his tenure, in 2016, and the team announced his departure Monday. Owner Tom Gores said it was a difficult decision.
“I am grateful to Stan for everything he’s done for the Pistons and for the city of Detroit,” Gores said. “He rebuilt the culture of our basketball team, re-instilled a winning attitude and work ethic, and took us to the playoffs two years ago. He went all-in from Day One to positively impact this franchise and this community.
“But over the past two seasons our team has not progressed, and we decided that a change is necessary to regain our momentum,” Gores said.
The Pistons went 39-43 this season, missing the playoffs for the third time in four years under Van Gundy. They’ve made the post-season just once in the past nine seasons, and even a blockbuster trade for Blake Griffin wasn’t enough to salvage 2017-18.
The Pistons went 152-176 over the past four seasons under Van Gundy, and his personnel decisions have come under more criticism than his coaching. Detroit hasn’t been able to make the most of its draft position, spending first-round picks on Stanley Johnson, Henry Ellenson and Luke Kennard. This past season, Kennard shot over 40 per cent from 3-point range, but he was taken one spot ahead of Donovan Mitchell in last year’s draft. Mitchell has blossomed into a Rookie of the Year candidate for Utah.
The trade for Griffin was a bold one for the Pistons and left them with limited flexibility. Not only did the team take on Griffin’s big contract, but Detroit also sent a protected first-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Clippers in the deal.
Gores indicated last month that changes would be coming, but it wasn’t clear if that might mean a front office shakeup or a coaching change. Now the Pistons are embarking on both. The team’s news release Monday didn’t shed much light on the decision-making process of these past few weeks. It did say that Van Gundy wanted to return; he didn’t return a message left seeking comment.
“Stan is a competitor and he wanted to finish the job,” Gores said. “He retooled a roster that we think can be very competitive in the East. I know he’s disappointed, and that he cares deeply about his players, his staff, this organization and this city. He’s also a professional who will make sure this is a seamless transition, and someone I hope will be a friend and adviser to me long after this transition is completed.”
When Van Gundy was hired, he talked about how there would be a good connection between the front office and the coaching staff - that much was obvious, since he was going to be part of both.
Setups like that aren’t unheard of in the NBA - Tom Thibodeau is Minnesota’s coach and president of basketball operations - but it’s not that easy to make it work.
Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer had the title of president of basketball operations, but he gave up that position last year. Now he’s no longer coaching the Hawks either .