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Stan Van Gundy amongst elite NBA coaches

By David Hoffman

Mar 21, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; (Left to right) Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) forward Marcus Morris (13) head coach Stan Van Gundy forward Tobias Harris (34) and guard Reggie Jackson (1) stand during a timeout during the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons win 92-91. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; (Left to right) Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) forward Marcus Morris (13) head coach Stan Van Gundy forward Tobias Harris (34) and guard Reggie Jackson (1) stand during a timeout during the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons win 92-91. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dan Favale over at bleacherreport.com ranked Detroit Pistons’ head coach Stan Van Gundy as the seventh best coach in the league. What will it take for him to crack the top five next season?

From 2009 to 2014 the Detroit Pistons head coaching job featured a less than inspiring list of names. Five coaches in only seven years took the wheel and each seemingly fell asleep at it. Together, they managed just 179 wins while logging 297 losses. After letting Maurice Cheeks go at the end of the 2013-14 season, the team found itself at square one once again.

But after two seasons under the guidance of coach and president Stan Van Gundy, those tumultuous years are firmly in the rearview.

Van Gundy brought with him a coherent plan for the roster and hired Jeff Bower to help him execute it. Through numerous trades and free agent acquisitions (and the jettisoning of Josh Smith) the Pistons roster has taken shape and expectations are higher than they’ve been since George W. Bush was in office.

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The upgraded roster has translated to tangible on-court improvements as well. Each year under Van Gundy has seen the Piston’s win total, offensive rating and defensive rating improve. The franchise returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2009 last season showed about as much potential as a team could on the receiving end of a sweep.

As a result, he is starting to be recognized as one of the upper-echelon coaches in the NBA. In a ranking on Bleacher Report, Dan Favale listed the following reasons why he thinks Stan Van Gundy is the seventh best coach in the league today:

"The Pistons raised their win total by 15 between 2013-14 and 2015-16.They ended a six-year playoff drought.Andre Drummond became an All-Star.Reggie Jackson was acquired, developed an above-board three-point stroke and ranked eighth among all point guards in points added on the offensive end during the 2015-16 crusade, according to NBAMath.com.Kentavious Caldwell-Pope entered max-extension territory as a future All-Defensive Team fixture.Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris, two starters, were picked up for pennies on the dollar.Jon Leuer, Boban Marjanovic and Ish Smith all joined Detroit’s cause on reasonable contracts.“Form a f–king wall!” (NSFW language) became the best hypothetical tattoo idea of all time."

This ranking puts him as the number one coach in the Central Division and fourth overall in the eastern conference. Van Gundy’s case is a relatively unique one in acting as both the head coach and president, and his ability to do both jobs well so far certainly makes him deserving of this lofty ranking.

Notable coaches ranked behind the Piston’s coach include Erik Spoelstra, Terry Stotts, and Tyronn Lue.

Next: Predictions for the 2016-2017 season

This time next year the top five might be in reach if the Pistons make the jump some expect them to in the east. Coaches Steve Clifford and Mike Budenholzer –both ranked higher– man the helm of teams with unclear futures, paving Van Gundy’s way.  For that matter, if Van Gundy can somehow convince Andre Drummond to shoot his free throws underhanded, Gregg Popovich might just have to hand over the belt.

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