Pistons Notes: Bledsoe, Okafor, Van Gundy

Coach executive Stan Van Gundy is not a fan of the trade that brought Eric Bledsoe into the Pistons‘ division, telling the media today he “would have liked [Bledsoe] to stay in the West because he’s a really good player.”

“Bledsoe’s a hell of a player,” Van Gundy continued (via Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press).“Clearly [the Bucks] wanted another guy to push the ball and run pick-and-rolls, maybe take some pressure off Giannis having to handle the ball all the time.”

SVG adds that while getting Bledsoe helps Milwaukee, the team will feel the absence of Greg Monroe.

“Greg’s a loss,” Van Gundy said. “You don’t get somebody Bledsoe’s level of player without giving something up. I thought Greg last year off the bench as a scorer was huge, huge reason they ended up making the playoffs.”

Van Gundy coached Monroe for one season in Detroit before the big man departed as a free agent in the Summer of 2015.

Here’s more from Detroit:

• Could the Pistons be a fit for Jahlil Okafor? Ellis (separate piece) hears that the front office views the former No. 3 overall pick as a developmental project and they are unlikely to be in the market for that kind of player right now.
• Avery Bradley is exactly the kind of guard the Pistons have always needed, Sean Deveney of Sporting News contends. In the beginning of Van Gundy’s tenure, he targeted Danny Green in free agency, only to see the defensive-minded shooting guard return to the Spurs. With the addition of Bradley, the Pistons are able finally able to get the mix of top defense and spot-up shooting at the two.
• The Pistons started the season wielding one of the league’s deepest rotations, something that was designed through an offseason of adding depth. The plan is allowing the team to play at a high level despite being with Stanley Johnson and Jon Leuer because of various injuries, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes.“We said that going in. I think it’s a roster where everybody’s capable of playing and so now you get tested,” Van Gundy said. “With having two of your top seven guys out, you get tested on that a little bit so we’ll see how it goes.”