Are The Pistons Tuning Out Stan Van Gundy?

Aaron McMann of MLive.com discussed Stan Van Gundy‘s role with the Pistons in a recent column, questioning whether the veteran coach has lost the clubhouse. Per McMann, Van Gundy opted against addressing the team following Friday’s blowout loss to the Magic. What’s more, when Van Gundy was asked whether his players had ‘given up’, Stan replied “I don’t know, you’d have to ask them.”

McMann continued, noting “Players have appeared unresponsive to Van Gundy of late, from Stanley Johnson walking away from his coach during a game last week against Phoenix to visible sparring with players.”

While the Pistons have dropped seven of their last 10, they remain in contention for the eighth seed, trailing Miami by 1.5 games. Van Gundy, who is also the president of basketball operations in Detroit, took accountability for the team’s struggles in a recent presser.

“I think it’s pretty clear from these six games that I’m not finding the answers and not doing a very good job, so it starts with me. I’m the person in charge,” Van Gundy told Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “I selected everybody in that locker room. I’m the one who wanted them in there. I decide who plays. I put lineups out there. I decide on defensive coverages. I call plays. So it’s all on me.”

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