Stan Van Gundy’s Identity Crisis In Detroit
By Simon Smith
The Road Ahead
From the outside looking in, it would appear Van Gundy is attempting to mold an Orlando 2.0. He has a dominant big man presence in the middle in Drummond. He has an exciting point guard running the show in Jackson and a group of versatile forwards who have the ability to score in a variety of ways.
In Van Gundy’s defense, some of the moves he has made have been quite shrewd. Jackson, Morris and Harris were all acquired without giving up a great deal to the other party. And while they’re all good players in their own right, the fit just doesn’t seem to be working.
Morris is hitting on just 32.6 percent from behind three, Harris is at 34.3 percent and Jackson is at 36.5 percent. Having acquired several key players via trade, it meant Van Gundy in his front office role had less cap room to work with unless further moves were made. The four-year, $42 million deal afforded to Leuer last summer resulted in the Pistons having the sixth highest payroll for the current season.
As we have seen this season, players were available this past summer who have made a significant difference on their new teams. The Rockets’ signing of Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson, combined with a new coach in Mike D’Antoni, have transformed the Rockets. Gordon and Anderson are shooting 40.9 and 40.1 percent from behind three respectively on a combined 16.1 attempts per game. The Pistons are averaging 22.8 attempts per game as a TEAM.
Mid-Range
The problem with this is the Pistons’ are taking a higher volume of shots from less efficient areas of the court. Here is an example of where they have focused their offense (and their league ranking):
- 5-9 Feet: 13.0 attempts per game (1st), 42.6 percent
- 10-14 Feet: 9.3 attempts per game (2nd), 44.9 percent
- 15-19 Feet: 13.8 attempts per game (5th), 43.1 percent
The high volume of shooting from these areas is indicative of the strengths of their leading scorers. Therefore, it’s not the fault of the players for this high volume. It’s Van Gundy and his recruitment of the wrong type of player to suit the modern-day NBA.
During his Orlando days, Van Gundy was regarded in the upper echelon of head coaches. But combining the demands of being an NBA head coach with front office duties can certainly reduce the impact he can provide on his players on a daily basis.
And not just that, but the decision making required to bring in the right type of player can also be compromised. The Rockets have one of the best in the business with their general manager Daryl Morey. And we have seen what he has accomplished in recent seasons.
Therefore, it’d best for all involved for Van Gundy to concentrate of what he does best – coaching. Leave it to the rest of the front office and the scouts to determine the players they’re going to target moving forward.
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And hopefully from there the Pistons can be more reflective of what a Van Gundy outfit looks like.