Stan Van Gundy talks return to 97.1 and state of the Pistons
By Andrew Hejka
Stan Van Gundy joined 97.1 The Ticket Wednesday afternoon to talk about the Detroit Pistons return to the station, along with the state of the franchise.
97.1 The Ticket is the new flagship station of the Detroit Pistons, after they spent a couple of years with Detroit Sports 105.1. Van Gundy touched on how the timing of this deal is perfect, considering it coincides with their move downtown.
In a statement from the Pistons, they said:
"Given the station’s position as the market leader in local sports radio, returning to 97.1 The Ticket is a natural fit for our organization and Pistons fans will enjoy high-quality game broadcasts and related team content throughout the NBA season and beyond."
Mark Champion and Rick Mahorn will keep their roles as play-by-play analyst and color commentator, respectively. 97.1 is now the flagship station for the Pistons, Detroit Tigers, and Detroit Red Wings.
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Van Gundy also stayed for a segment focused around the state of the franchise, featuring a couple of notable topics.
When asked about his franchise player, Andre Drummond, SVG stood up for him, reminding us that there are players in next month’s draft who are actually older than him. However, he also acknowledged that both of them need to be much better.
#Pistons SVG on Drummond: "I've got to do a better job coaching him to do a better job."
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) May 24, 2017
Specifically, Van Gundy pointed to Drummond’s free throw shooting, revealing that it affects his entire offensive game. Drummond lacks strength in the post and often takes rushed, fadeaway, hook shots because he doesn’t want opponents to foul. He followed that up with a potential solution.
#Pistons SVG on Drummond in the paint. "I really think the FT lead to even bigger problems. Where Andre can be.. pic.twitter.com/V7IXvxbJ4H
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) May 24, 2017
Finally, the conversation shifted into the state of the franchise. Host Mike Valenti turned up the heat on Van Gundy, who confirmed that nobody on the roster is untouchable this summer. He also dismissed the notion that the Philadelphia 76ers’ rebuild process has been a success, claiming that Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have not proven themselves enough. The quote below verifies that tanking is not going to be a part of Detroit’s future.
#Pistons SVG: Losing is an easy thing to do if that's what you're trying to do -- but that's not how you go about things.
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) May 24, 2017
Overall, Valenti challenged Van Gundy with his viewpoint of the franchise, but Van Gundy did not back down, recognizing the obvious issues and citing roster changes as not necessarily a necessity, but definitely a priority this offseason.
Next: Donovan Mitchell is a Perfect Fit at No. 12
We’ll see how many changes actually take place.