Van Gundy said that he was willing to be flexible on a potential role change within the organizationNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
With yesterday's dismissal of Pistons coach & President of Basketball Operations Stan Van Gundy, the team's "preferred scenario is to hire a basketball operations leader and let that person assist with hiring the coach, but the Pistons aren’t married to that," according to Vince Ellis of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. Pistons Vice Chair Arn Tellem and BOG rep Robert Wentworth "will be instrumental in the searches." A source said that Pistons GM Jeff Bower, under contract until June 30, will "run the front office in the interim, leading the franchise during the combine" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 5/8). In Detroit, Rod Beard writes there "wasn’t enough common ground" between Pistons Owner Tom Gores and Van Gundy to "move forward." Van Gundy said that he was "willing to be flexible on a potential role change, but there was more complexity that clouded the negotiation." Gores said that the two sides "could not come to a compromise on a path forward" (DETROIT NEWS, 5/8). THE ATHLETIC's Edwards wrote Van Gundy’s tenure should be an "exhibit when studying the challenge of rebuilding a small- to medium-market franchise while trying to become competitive in the process." It is a "tough task" (THEATHLETIC.com, 5/7).
WHAT'S NEXT? ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski noted most of Pistons' front-office contracts "expire this summer." Sources said that one candidate expected to be "strongly considered for a role in a revamped Pistons front office" is NBA TV analyst Brent Barry. Sources said that Barry "isn't expected to be a candidate to oversee the Pistons' basketball operations but rather play a complementary role in learning the front-office business." Gores and Tellem are "expected to try to hire an experienced league executive to oversee the front office." Sources said that Tellem also will "not become the president of basketball operations or general manager, but he could have an expanded role beyond the business side" (ESPN.com, 5/7).
A LITTLE BEHIND: In Michigan, Ansar Khan noted the Pistons are "late to [the] search party." The season ended April 11 and a "couple of coaching vacancies have been filled." However, there still are "plenty of coaching candidates available, some with extensive NBA experience." The Pistons are "competing with four other teams" seeking coaches -- the Hawks, Hornets, Bucks and Magic (MLIVE.com, 5/7). Khan writes whichever coach takes charge "will have his hands full." The Pistons have "little roster flexibility due to lack of salary cap space and likely won't have its first-round pick." It is "not an attractive gig for someone who has experience, options and doesn't have ties to the franchise" (MLIVE.com, 5/8). THE ATHLETIC's James Edwards III lists some "potential coaching and front-office prospects."
LOOKING TO THE TOP: In Detroit, Jeff Seidel writes the Pistons are a "headless organization, stuck in uncertainty." Gores is "making the Lions look like a well-oiled machine" and "taking the heat off" Red Wings GM Ken Holland. Gores is "insanely good at one thing -- making money." Seidel: "As an NBA owner? Not so much" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 5/8). YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel wrote under the header, "How Do You Know Pistons Ownership Is Bad? The Timing Of When It Parted Ways With Stan Van Gundy." If Gores "wanted to fire him, though, what the heck was there to debate that would require five weeks of contemplation and discussion?" Why wait around while other teams "moved aggressively and snapped up the best coaches and general managers on the market?" Instead, like just about "everything else Gores has done since buying the franchise" in '11, this "looked like an afterthought, something that finally reached the top of the to-do list of the billionaire venture capitalist who hails from Flint, Michigan, but lives in Los Angeles and is rarely seen in these parts" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/7). In Detroit, John Niyo writes Gores and his management team are "once again asking Pistons fans -- what’s left of them, anyway -- to brace for more change and the kind of uncertainty they were told was history back" in '14 (DETROIT NEWS, 5/8).
HARD TO MULTITASK: The AP's Noah Trister wrote setups with one person serving as coach and head of basketball operations "aren't unheard of in the NBA," but it is "not that easy to make it work" (AP, 5/7). SI.com's Jeremy Woo wrote there is a "pattern around the league that would tell you it doesn’t work." Scouting staffs will "spend the entire year evaluating prospects, but those decisions then fall on someone who’s had little to no time to watch college games and understand the scope" (SI.com, 5/7). THE RINGER's Shaker Samman wrote under the header, "Stan Van Gundy's Exit Signals The End Of The Coach/GM." Last season, five teams -- the Hawks, Clippers, Pistons, T'Wolves and Spurs -- had "head coaches who also served as the lead decision-makers in basketball ops." The coaches of two more teams -- the Mavericks and Bucks -- may "not have had the title but held outsized influence in personnel decisions." After yesterday, only "four of those teams have retained their coach, and the Clippers stripped Doc Rivers of his front-office role last summer." Those who remain "bring a mixed bag" (THERINGER.com, 5/7).
NOT A SURPRISE: NBA TV's Tas Melas said, "You're not going to see teams hire a guy that is going to take on both rolls of the GM and the head coach. For the foreseeable future, it just doesn't really work out in the NBA" ("The Starters," NBA TV, 5/7). CBSSPORTS.com's Brad Botkin wrote the "simple truth is that it's really hard to work both sides of this coach/GM coin." A head of basketball operations "needs to think big-picture, while a coach will always have at least some instinct to prioritize the short term" (CBSSPORTS.com, 5/7). ESPN’s Jalen Rose: “I'm not surprised the dual responsibility coach didn't work. Any time you are the GM, usually your job is to forecast your roster now and project for the future. When you are the coach, your job is to win today's practice, win the first quarter, try to build on the success that we have with the guys that are in the locker room. That dual responsibility really hasn't worked for a lot of people (“Get Up!,” ESPN, 5/8).
