The roster looks much different than it did when Stan Van Gundy took over four years ago. But, those changes haven’t been enough for Van Gundy to be allowed to stay with the team.
Source: Stan Van Gundy and the Pistons have parted ways.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 7, 2018
Van Gundy signed a five year contract with the team before the 2014-15 season, but is being let go with a year remaining on the pact. Not many NBA teams allow one person to be in charge of both coaching and personnel decisions, but Detroit allowed Van Gundy to do so during his tenure with the team.
His biggest move while at the helm in Detroit came on January 28, 2018 when he traded Avery Bradley, Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, plus a first and second round draft pick to the Los Angeles Clippers for Blake Griffin. Although Griffin provided an initial spark for the team, it wasn’t enough to catapult Detroit into the playoffs.
Injuries and a tendency to overpay in free agency were some of the more notable reasons that the Pistons find themselves in the position that they are in. Point guard Reggie Jackson has seen a fair share of missed time with injuries over the past couple seasons, and the big-money players on the team haven’t been able to lead the team to much overall success.
The top five contracts that the Pistons are paying as of now for the 2018-19 season don’t leave much wiggle room, either. Griffin ($31,873,932), Andre Drummond ($25,434,263), Jackson ($17,043,478), Jon Leuer ($10,002,681), and Langston Galloway ($7,000,000) are scheduled to combine for a total of $91,354,354 just next season alone.
Also, despite their 12th worst record last season, one would like to think that the team will have at least a decent draft position. But, as a result of the Griffin trade, the team will forfeit their first round selection to the Clippers unless they land in the top four. Detroit stands a 2.5% chance of earning the top pick.
Despite the fact that the team’s current standing is not great, it’s at least better than it was when Van Gundy took over. But now, it will fall on somebody else’s shoulders to get the team over the hump. Who is that person? We don’t know yet, but the path to that decision will probably be quite interesting for fans.
