Me at the Detroit Free Press:
"Three years ago, Stan Van Gundy appeared to be in a no-win situation. He was coaching the Orlando Magic, and the team’s star player — Dwight Howard — wanted him fired.Coaches don’t prevail in those circumstances. They face the impossible situation of accomplishing nothing except receiving paychecks.Not Van Gundy, though. He met with the media and told them that Howard wanted him fired."
"As Van Gundy continued to talk, Howard walked up — unaware of the topic being discussed — and wrapped his arm around Van Gundy.“Are you guys done with me?” Van Gundy said after taking some surely satisfying sips from his can of Pepsi. “You can talk to him now.”Van Gundy slid away, leaving an unsuspecting Howard to face a series of difficult questions.Then and now, Van Gundy refuses to back himself into a corner. It’s a trait at the root of his very hiring with the Pistons and their trade Thursday for Ersan Ilyasova.The Magic fired Van Gundy the month after that news conference, and he didn’t coach for two seasons following. When the Pistons hired him as president and coach last year, it became apparent why he sat out.Van Gundy wanted control.He never wanted to repeat Orlando, stuck between management in which he lacked confidence and players who wanted him gone. The only way to guarantee the preferred situation was to become management himself, and Van Gundy held out until Pistons owner Tom Gores offered it.Ever since, Van Gundy has continued to remain a step ahead of any potential trap.Forward Josh Smith became a negative presence for the Pistons, in Van Gundy’s eyes. But it was impossible to trade Smith without attaching a sweetener (a no-go), and Smith had 2.5 years and about $36 million remaining on his contract.Stuck? Nope. Van Gundy took the unprecedented step of waiving a player with so much guaranteed salary remaining.Brandon Jennings ruptured his Achilles tendon, leaving Van Gundy without a healthy starting point guard but someone still occupying the salary slot of one.Stuck? Nope. Van Gundy traded for Reggie Jackson, and he’ll figure out what to do with Jennings later.Greg Monroe likely will walk away in free agency this summer, creating a hole at power forward. Van Gundy said he didn’t see Anthony Tolliver as a viable replacement. Drafting for a starter at a particular position at No. 8 is a fool’s bet. The best fit in free agency, Draymond Green, will be restricted — and the Golden State Warriors will match any offer he receives. The best unrestricted free agent power forwards, Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge, almost certainly aren’t coming to Detroit. The next-best unrestricted free agent, Paul Millsap, probably won’t leave the Atlanta Hawks. After that, it’s far drop — all the way to Smith. And the prospect of him returning to Detroit is laughable. From there, the field gets even thinner.Stuck? Nope. Van Gundy traded for Ilyasova."
"By giving up two players likely to be waived, Caron Butler and Shawne Williams, Van Gundy made a tremendous value acquisition.He didn’t increase interpersonal tension. He didn’t saddle with the Pistons with an expensive cap hit. He didn’t implicitly pledge to spend a high amount on a pending free agent.This time, Van Gundy used savvy talent evaluation, sound salary-cap management and a wise understanding of the free agent picture to avoid being backed into a corner.I hope Van Gundy is somewhere enjoying another satisfying Pepsi.He earned it."
