Stan Van Gundy
It’s simple. Detroit has Stan Van Gundy, and the other 29 teams do not. Therefore, Detroit has an advantage.
Stan Van Gundy is one of the best. There’s a reason Detroit and Golden State, before Steve Kerr, were competing for the man. He is very smart, coaches well, and is an established winner. Yes, he could never win a championship with the Orlando Magic, though he led Orlando to five straight playoff appearances.
Additionally, Stan Van Gundy did not have the team in Orlando he possesses now. SVG was instead stuck with Dwight Howard. And as fans are aware of, Howard is not the most pleasant player for either players or coaches to form a rapport with.
Rather than coaching a Howard in Detroit, Van Gundy is coaching an Andre Drummond: a goofball, 22-year-old who possesses greater skills, work ethic, and respect than Howard ever portrayed.
According to CBS, Detroit has the ninth best starting five and the 13th best bench unit in the league. Possessing such a team with the identity they’ve formed and the chemistry they’ve established, Van Gundy is in a mouth-watering position. He has built the talented team, and now it’s his turn to coach it.
Fortunately, as Piston fans are aware of, trusting Van Gundy leads to results. He’s never let down before, and he is not going to now.
Next: The Tobias Harris Affect