- The Pistons would like to bring back Stan Van Gundy, but with an adjusted role. After missing the playoffs for the past several seasons, it may be time for both sides to part amicably, Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News opines.
- There were 12 teams that had the chance to draft Donovan Mitchell before he fell to the Jazz and had a historically great rookie season. Looking back, the Pistons not selecting Mitchell is right up there with the Darko Milicic blunder from 2003, Shawn Windsor of the Detroit Free Press writes.
Pistons owner Tom Gores would like to bring back Stan Van Gundy as the team’s head coach for the 2018/19 season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. However, Wojnarowski reports that Gores would like to make structural changes to the front office, and Van Gundy is “resisting” those adjustments for the time being.
As Wojnarowski notes, Van Gundy isn’t just the Pistons’ head coach — he also holds the title of president of basketball operations, giving him full authority over player personnel and staffing decisions.
In recent years, we’ve seen multiple coaches with those dual titles have their responsibilities dialed back, including Doc Rivers with the Clippers and Mike Budenholzer with the Hawks last offseason. However, Van Gundy doesn’t appear to be entirely on board with that idea.
It’s not clear what sort of specific structural changes Gores would like to make, but he and Van Gundy have been discussing a way to move forward together for the last couple weeks, Wojnarowski writes. Some of those conversations have centered on the future role of GM Jeff Bower, who is scheduled to meet separately with Gores this week, sources tell Woj.
While Van Gundy has one year left on his contract with the Pistons, several of his assistants – along with Bower – are currently in the final year of their deals, so the team will have plenty of decisions to make on who will and won’t be back.
After posting a disappointing 37-45 record in 2016/17, the Pistons only improved marginally in 2017/18, finishing at 39-43 and missing the postseason for a second consecutive year. At season’s end, Van Gundy and some Pistons players expressed confidence that the club is capable of taking a step forward next year if it can get healthy seasons from Reggie Jackson, Blake Griffin, and Andre Drummond, and it appears Gores would like to see Van Gundy return to coach that core. However, it remains unclear whether the two sides will come to an agreement on possible changes to the front office.
Former Pistons star and current ABC analyst Chauncey Billups doesn’t want to be associated with rumors involving Detroit’s front office while the current management team remains in place, writes Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press.
The first report came in March from Marc Stein of The New York Times, who tweeted that Billups might be brought in to run the organization along with former agent Arn Tellem. Billups denied the rumor at the time, and owner Tom Gores responded with the word “False.”
Billups repeated his stance Saturday at an autograph session in the Detroit area.
“I think that was in bad taste,” he said. “Everybody knows that I have the desire to run a team at some point, but I would never discuss or talk about a job that’s not open. That’s not my character. That’s not how I am, so I was a little angry about the report that came out. The timing of it was bad. It was false.”
Rumors of a shakeup are gaining steam again after this week’s meeting between Gores and coach/executive Stan Van Gundy. No results have been leaked from that session, but there is speculation that Van Gundy may be asked to relinquish his coaching or front office role.
Billups remains a natural choice to run the Pistons given his track record as a player there and his expressed desire to be an NBA executive. He turned down a similar offer from the Cavaliers last summer.
“It’s easy to link Chauncey Billups with Detroit,” he said. “I’m always going to be a lifetime Piston and people know my desire, but it’s also not fair to a guy like Stan who is the president and the coach and he’s current. It’s not fair for him to hear things like that and I don’t want to be the bull’s-eye on that because all that stuff is false.”
For all the coaching news that has been made since the season ended, things have remained quiet in Detroit, notes Ansar Khan of MLive. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy was scheduled to meet with owner Tom Gores this week in Los Angeles after missing the playoffs for the third time in his four years on the Pistons’ bench, but no update has come from those talks. Gores said he plans to evaluate Van Gundy’s coaching and front office roles separately, and there is speculation he could be asked to relinquish one or the other.
The delay may be a positive sign for Van Gunday, Khan wrote earlier this week, as teams tend to act quickly when making a coaching change to give themselves a shot at the best candidates on the market. Van Gundy, who has a 152-176 record in Detroit, has one season remaining on a five-year, $35MM contract.
There’s more tonight out of Detroit:
- The Pistons like free agents James Ennis and Anthony Tolliver enough to try to bring both of them back next season, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com in a mailbag column. Ennis was a part-time starter after being acquired from the Grizzlies at the trade deadline and averaged 7.5 points in 27 games with Detroit. Tolliver, a veteran defensive specialist who signed with the Pistons last summer, can be had at or near the veteran’s minimum, Langlois adds, and Detroit’s front office will probably have time to evaluate its other moves before deciding whether to offer him a contract.
- It’s still too early to gauge whether the Pistons gave up too much to acquire Blake Griffin, Langlois contends in the same piece. The price tag was Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic and a pair of draft picks. The Pistons were willing to accept Griffin’s injury risk on top of a massive, newly signed contract, but Langlois states the gamble will be worth it if he can stay relatively healthy.
- Don’t be surprised if the Pistons target a point guard in this year’s draft, Langlois adds. Ish Smith will be a free agent next summer and Reggie Jackson is under contract for two more seasons, so that could quickly become a position of need. However, because its first-round pick went to the Clippers in the Griffin trade, Detroit’s only selection is at No. 42.
- Both Luke Kennard and Henry Ellenson are entering a crucial offseason as they hope to be a part of the Pistons‘ long-term future, Ansar Khan of Mlive.com writes. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy previously said that the team hasn’t decided if the pair of former first-rounders will play in the summer league.
- It’s crucial that point guard Reggie Jackson stay healthy next season for the Pistons to get into the playoffs, according to Rod Beard of the Detroit News. Jackson battled a knee injury throughout the 2016/17 season after missing the first month, then suffered a severe ankle sprain this season that kept him out for nearly three months. “It’s about getting healthy once again in the offseason and getting back to training,” Jackson told Beard. “I just want to be healthy again.”
Pistons owner Tom Gores and coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy will meet this evening to begin discussions on the franchise’s future, including Van Gundy’s job status, Vince Ellis of Detroit Free Press tweets.
This will be the first of what will likely be several meetings between Gores and Van Gundy, Ellis adds.
The Pistons have failed to qualify for the playoffs in three of the four seasons with Van Gundy running the show. Gores could opt to stick with the status quo regarding Van Gundy’s coaching and front office duties, bring in another executive to run the show while retaining Van Gundy as head coach, or let Van Gundy go and seek a new direction.
The mid-season acquisition of Blake Griffin from the Clippers could work in Van Gundy’s favor, as the Pistons didn’t have the services of point guard Reggie Jackson at the time. The Pistons are hoping that the trio of Griffin, Jackson and the NBA’s top rebounder, Andre Drummond, can lead them back to prominence. They only played four games together after Jackson returned from a high ankle sprain, as Griffin missed the last eight games with a bone bruise on his ankle.
Gores told reporters during the team’s final home game that he would meet with Van Gundy after the season to determine what changes, if any, would be made. Van Gundy has one season remaining on his five-year, $35MM contract.
The Pistons finished 39-43 this season, ninth-best in the Eastern Conference.
- The Pistons don’t have financial flexibility heading into the offseason but head coach Stan Van Gundy doesn’t view that as an impediment to improving the roster. Van Gundy tells Keith Langlois of the team’s official site that there are benefits to returning so many key rotation players and that they’ll always have options in terms of trades when the time comes.
Pistons head coach/president Stan Van Gundy and owner Tom Gores will meet next week to discuss Van Gundy’s future with the organization, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Van Gundy has one year left on his contract.
Van Gundy, 58, has been at the helm as head coach and president since 2014 when he replaced interim coach John Loyer. As the head coach, Van Gundy has led Detroit to a 152-176 record in four seasons. The Pistons have made the postseason just once in four years under Van Gundy, losing in the first round in 2016 after a 44-38 regular season.
Gores spoke to reporters earlier this month and said he would meet with Van Gundy before making a concrete decision on his future.
“We’re not winning. It’s just that simple,” Gores said. “Whatever mistakes we’ve made or why we haven’t won, we have to evaluate that. I see value in the front office and the coach being connected.”
Despite the midseason acquisition of Blake Griffin and another strong season from Andre Drummond, the Pistons struggled this season, finishing 39-43, four games back of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
After a period of virtually unprecedented stability in the NBA’s head coaching ranks, the coaching carousel started spinning again during the 2017/18 league year. Three teams made in-season coaching changes, installing interim replacements, and six more clubs have parted ways with their head coaches since the regular season ended.
In the space below, we’ll provide daily updates on the head coaching searches for each club that has yet to give anyone the permanent title. Some of these searches could extend well into the spring, so be sure to check back each day for the latest updates.
Updated 6-12-18 (10:32am CT)
Active Searches:
None
Completed Searches:
Atlanta Hawks
- Out: Mike Budenholzer (story)
- In: Lloyd Pierce (story)
- After initially giving Budenholzer permission to interview with other teams seeking a new head coach, the Hawks and Budenholzer reached an agreement to mutually part ways, leaving Atlanta on the lookout for a new coach of its own. After three meetings with him, the Hawks made Pierce their man.
- Interviewed: Nate Tibbetts (story), Stephen Silas (story), Jay Larranaga (story), Jarron Collins (story), Darvin Ham (story), David Fizdale (hired by Knicks)
Charlotte Hornets
- Out: Steve Clifford (story)
- In: James Borrego (story)
- In addition to firing Clifford, the Hornets made a change in their front office this offseason, hiring Mitch Kupchak as their new president of basketball operations and general manager. Kupchak led the search for a new head coach, and Borrego was the team’s choice.
- Interviewed: Jay Larranaga (story; second interview), Jerry Stackhouse (story), Ettore Messina (story), David Fizdale (story), Ime Udoka (story), David Vanterpool (story), Jim Boylen (story), Nick Nurse (story)
Detroit Pistons
- Out: Stan Van Gundy (story)
- In: Dwane Casey (story)
- The Pistons were said to like Ime Udoka, John Beilein, and Kenny Smith, but Casey always appeared to be the frontrunner. The team finalized a deal with him before hiring a new general manager.
- Interviewed or will interview: Kenny Smith (story), Juwan Howard (story), Ime Udoka (story), John Beilein (story), Jason Kidd (story), Nick Nurse (story)
- Rumored target before he was hired by another team: Mike Budenholzer (story)
Memphis Grizzlies
- Out: David Fizdale (in-season change)
- In: J.B. Bickerstaff (story)
- J.B. Bickerstaff, who finished the 2017/18 season as the Grizzlies’ interim head coach, was elevated to the permanent role after Robert Pera retained control of the franchise. Bickerstaff and the Grizzlies agreed to a new three-year contract that includes a team option in year three.
Milwaukee Bucks
- Out: Jason Kidd (in-season change); Joe Prunty (interim coach)
- In: Mike Budenholzer (story)
- Even before he parted ways with the Hawks, Budenholzer was rumored to have interest in the Bucks’ head coaching job. The Bucks considered other candidates – including finalist Ettore Messina – and Budenholzer received interest from other teams, but the two sides ultimately came together, agreeing to a four-year deal.
- Interviewed: Joe Prunty (story), Ettore Messina (story), Steve Clifford (story), Monty Williams (story), David Blatt (story), Becky Hammon (story), Jay Larranaga (story)
- Informal conversation: Jim Cleamons (story)
- Had planned to interview: James Borrego (story)
New York Knicks
- Out: Jeff Hornacek (story)
- In: David Fizdale (story)
- The Knicks cast a wide net as they searched for a new head coach, meeting with current and former head coaches, assistants, and even a TV analyst with no previous coaching experience. In total, they interviewed 11 candidates, ultimately landing on Fizdale, who agreed to a four-year contract with the club.
- Interviewed: Jerry Stackhouse (story), Mark Jackson (story), Mike Woodson (story), Kenny Smith (story), Mike Budenholzer (story), David Blatt (story; second meeting), James Borrego (story), Jay Larranaga (story), Juwan Howard (story), Mike Brown (story)
Orlando Magic
- Out: Frank Vogel (story)
- In: Steve Clifford (story)
- The Magic said after firing Vogel that they planned to take their time with their search, and they made good on that promise, taking nearly seven weeks to pick a replacement. Ultimately, it was Clifford, a former Orlando assistant on Stan Van Gundy‘s staff, who emerged as the choice, reaching a four-year deal to join the Magic.
- Interviewed: David Vanterpool (story), Ime Udoka (story), Kelvin Sampson (story), David Fizdale (story; hired by Knicks)
Phoenix Suns
- Out: Earl Watson (in-season change); Jay Triano (interim coach)
- In: Igor Kokoskov (story)
- The Suns talked about conducting a “wide-ranging” head coaching search, and they delivered on that promise, talking to at least at least 10 candidates. Ultimately, they decided on Jazz assistant Igor Kokoskov, who becomes the first European-born NBA head coach.
- Interviewed: David Fizdale (story), Frank Vogel (story), Steve Clifford (story), Vinny Del Negro (story), James Borrego (story), Nick Nurse (story), Chris Finch (story), Jason Kidd (story), Mike Budenholzer (interviewed; withdrew from consideration)
Toronto Raptors
- Out: Dwane Casey (story)
- In: Nick Nurse (story)
- Setting a franchise record for wins in a season (59) and winning the Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year award didn’t save Casey’s job, with the Raptors dismissing him in what Masai Ujiri called “a very difficult but necessary step.” Nurse, a top assistant who was credited for revamping Toronto’s offense last season, received a promotion to the top job.
- Interviewed: Rex Kalamian (story), Jerry Stackhouse (story), Ettore Messina (story), Ime Udoka (story), Sarunas Jasikevicius (story), Mike Budenholzer (story; hired by Bucks)