Pistons Notes: Lineup, Jackson, Van Gundy

Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy indicated earlier this week that he might be ready to shake up his lineup, and after the club’s disappointing showing on Monday night against the Bulls, Van Gundy vowed that those changes would happen. While Van Gundy still hasn’t announced which players will be shuffled in and out of Detroit’s lineup, he explained that he wants the first unit to have more a “defensive disposition,” as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com details.

Still, even though changes are necessary in Detroit after three consecutive blowout losses, Van Gundy isn’t ready to deviate too significantly from the organizational blueprint, per Langlois.

“A week ago today we felt fine about ourselves. Not great. We knew we needed to get better, but we felt fine. That’s how quickly things change in this league,” Van Gundy said. “All of a sudden we went from a team that was pretty good – ‘Yeah, they’re adjusting to Reggie [Jackson], but they’re starting to come’ – to, ‘Wow, this team is so bad. What’s happened from last year to this year?’ Well, no, it’s what’s happened from last week to this week. We had an 0-3 week with three really bad games. So that’s got to change. And we know it’s got to change.”

Here’s more on the Pistons, as they try to get out of their slump:

• Jackson spent the first quarter on Monday passing up shots, which wasn’t part of Detroit’s game plan. Van Gundy wants his point guard attacking more and “playing to his instincts” going forward, writes Aaron McMann of MLive.com.
• Here’s Jackson on the changes he needs to make, via Rod Beard of The Detroit News: “I’m just going to be myself, honestly. We ended a seven-year [playoff] drought last year with me being myself. That was a little bit of success and we’d like to have more success, so I’m just going to be myself.”
• Asked about his team’s psyche, Van Gundy told reporters, including Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press, that he doesn’t have much interest in worrying about fragile egos. “My basic message today was, ‘Do your job,'” Van Gundy said on Tuesday. “I loved what [Gregg] Popovich said after their Chicago game. Does the plumber get a motivational speech in the morning? No. He goes and fixes your sink or toilet and, if he does it right, you pay him and he moves on to the next job, and he either does his job right or he doesn’t get paid.”
• In his latest mailbag at Pistons.com, Langlois fields questions on the relationship between Van Gundy, whether the Pistons’ struggles might lead to a trade, and more.