Is Stan Van Gundy The Man To Fix The Detroit Pistons?
By Adam McGee
Defense First
The Pistons have a group of players with the capability to be great defensively, but to date they haven’t even been close to putting that all together. If Van Gundy was to take the hot seat in Detroit, embedding a defensive philosophy could well be his first order of business. To do this, he would likely need to make some shrewd acquisitions, as well as developing the potential that is already on the roster.
In Atlanta, Josh Smith was an outstanding defender, and he could do with his energy being refocused that way. There’s no reason why Drummond and Greg Monroe can’t become elite defenders as they appear to have all the requisite physical tools. Rookie Kentavious Caldwell-Pope looks like a potentially great “3-and-D” option, while even Brandon Jennings with his quick hands and foot speed could be transformed into a good defender.
If SVG does indeed take over running the show in Detroit, watch out for their improvements defensively.