By Jordan Long
The Detroit Pistons are now looking for a head coach. They have decided to part ways with Stan Van Gundy. Van Gundy had been with the Pistons the last 4 years. According to ESPN, Pistons owner Tom Gore said, “This was a very difficult decision and we did not come to it lightly. I am grateful to Stan for everything he’s done for the Pistons and for the City of Detroit. 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.”
The Pistons hired Van Gundy for the 2014-2015 season. Van Gundy coached the Orlando Magic prior to taking the job with the Pistons. He coached Orlando for 5 years and they never missed the playoffs. Van Gundy even coached them to the NBA Finals in 2009.
Detroit was hoping he would do the same for them. Unfortunately it didn’t work out. The Pistons made the postseason once in 2016 where they lost in the 1st round to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Van Gundy had a subpar record of 152-176 with Detroit.
Van Gundy can coach a basketball team. There will be a franchise out there that will take a chance because he has experience. Van Gundy won’t be a coach that will turn a team into a winner.
For the Pistons, they start their coaching search. They should look for a coach who has NBA coaching knowledge. There are plenty of them out there. The candidate who makes the most sense is Mark Jackson. He coached the Golden State Warriors from 2011 to 2014. His record was 121 and 109 with two playoff appearances. He will be able to help this team make the playoffs and maybe win the NBA Championship. Hopefully for the Pistons, they take their time and hire the right man for the job who could be Mark Jackson.
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