After Stan Van Gundy coached the Detroit Pistons to a successful start to the season – as they looked like they could compete with any team in the NBA for the first month of the season – the Pistons are now on the outside looking in at the playoff picture. While the injury to starting point guard Reggie Jackson can partly be blamed for the team’s struggles, the problems with the franchise go deeper than just the on-court production.
According to Mitch Lawrence of Sporting News, Stan Van Gundy is expected to lose his dual-role with the Pistons in the off-season, and could even lose his head coaching job if the team fails to make the playoffs for the third time in Van Gundy’s four years as head coach and President of Basketball Operations:
Stan Van Gundy is expected to at least lose his role as team president in Detroit, if not also his coaching duties, with Pistons exec Arn Tellem waiting in the wings to take over the basketball operations. Tellem, one of pro sports’ top agents for the better part of 25 years, has been Pistons VP and owner Tom Gores’ right-hand man since 2015.
Speculation is that Van Gundy will need to make the playoffs to keep his coaching job. He’s completing the fourth year of a five-year deal worth $35 million.
With only one playoff appearance with the Pistons – which culminated in a sweep at the hands of the eventual-champion Cleveland Cavaliers, along with questionable draft decisions – most recently selecting Duke guard Luke Kennard over Louisville guard-turned Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell, Stan Van Gundy could be on his last leg at a job he stated would most likely be his last in the NBA.
