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Stan Van Gundy ranked middle of pack in ESPN front office rankings

By Brady Fredricksen

Mar 21, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy smiles before the game against the Chicago Bulls at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy smiles before the game against the Chicago Bulls at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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ESPN ranked Stan Van Gundy No. 17 in its 2015 front office coaching rankings on Thursday.

My first reaction here was, “Wow, SVG got no love here.”

I didn’t understand how Brad Stevens — as good as he has been in Boston — was ranked No. 9. If Boston were in the West, and nowhere near the postseason, I don’t think Stevens is anywhere near that high.

But the more I looked at it, the more I realized that it was an appropriate ranking this season. Has Van Gundy really been better than mediocre this season? While the Pistons have had multiple personnel upheavals, they’ve never really been able to dig out of the horrendous grave they dug in October and November.

I mean, who on that list do you think has done a worse job than Van Gundy? I think the chances of Van Gundy having the Pistons competing in the East are greater than Jason Kidd and Milwaukee or Jeff Hornacek and Phoenix out west, but predicting the future is silly.

If we’re ranking coaches today in 2015, Van Gundy may be appropriately rated.

He’s due credit for righting the ship (at times) throughout what seems to have been four different seasons. The Josh Smith Era was a debacle, but Van Gundy appeared the right the ship after releasing him in December.

The Brandon Jennings Era was definitively the most fun part of this season. Had the Pistons kept up that pace — and had Jennings not ruptured his Achilles — Van Gundy is probably ranked in the top 10 and a distant Coach of the Year candidate.

The rest of the season has been a mixed bag. D.J. Augustin was fun for a period, and the Pistons were breathing with him, but the first 10 games of Reggie Jackson were horrendous. But, as if this season could go any differently, the recent uptick with Jackson has made this team entertaining and fun, again.

In many ways, I think Van Gundy has done a good job with this team despite the wins coming in streaks and not consistently. They’ve got a direction, they’ve got a style and it feels like something is actually being built rather than assets being stockpiled.

Which brings me to Van Gundy (and GM Jeff Bower) being ranked No. 19 in the ranking of front office executive duos. The Pistons have been active since Van Gundy took over, and it seems he hasn’t made any massive mistakes yet in his tenure.

You could point to not meeting monetarily with Greg Monroe or Jodie Meeks struggles as being his biggest misses, but that’s not like, ya know, signing Josh Smith or Charlie Villanueva. Van Gundy ranks second in the league among coaches with front office responsibilities, too.

Gregg Popovich is deservedly No. 1, while Doc Rivers and Flip Saunders rank 23rd and 24th, respectively.

So, what do you think? Is Van Gundy’s No. 17 coaching rank and No. 19 front office rank accurate or is it too high or too low?

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