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It’s time for Stan Van Gundy to focus on coaching

By Matthew Way

Oct 13, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy coaches against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Pistons defeated the Hawks 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 13, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy coaches against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Pistons defeated the Hawks 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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With little cap space and a critical offseason upcoming for the Detroit Pistons, it’s time for Stan Van Gundy to take a step back from his role in the front office.

When Stan Van Gundy was weighing offers in the summer of 2014, the Detroit Pistons job stood out because owner Tom Gores offered him the opportunity to become both the head coach and president of basketball operations.  Van Gundy accepted that offer, and has done a solid job balancing both roles.

Three years later, the Pistons face another critical offseason.  This time around, they have a head coach and a full front office but the team is without a clear direction.

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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was perhaps the team’s best and important player in 2016-17 and is facing a big pay day in restricted free agency.  The development of Andre Drummond stalled, to a degree, last season.  Reggie Jackson‘s health is up in the air.  There’s a log jam at forward and there’s no clear backup shooting guard.  Oh, and the team has little to no cap space for the foreseeable future.

The Pistons’ path moving forward is as cloudy as a rainy day in Detroit.  And, at the moment, Stan Van Gundy is charged with figuring out the best path forward, both on and off the court.  It’s time for that to change.

A week ago, the possibility of Sam Hinkie taking over as General Manager was discussed on 97.1 The Ticket.  Understandably, the mentioning of Hinkie’s name sparked controversy among Pistons fans.  Some want a rebuild, some are afraid of one after the recent past.  Regardless of whether it’s Sam Hinkie, Jeff Bower taking on a bigger front office role, or someone completely out of left field, the Pistons need someone who can focus more of their attention on the day-to-day operations of the front office.

The reality is that Stan Van Gundy has more than enough to worry about in his role as head coach.  Stanley Johnson still has a lot of developing too.  Andre Drummond still hasn’t figured out how to protect the rim.  Rotations are far from clear at this point.  Those are the details that Van Gundy should be worrying about.

Van Gundy simply does not have the time to focus on the details on the court as well as the intricacies of the NBA salary cap.  The Pistons are going to have to make many tough decisions in the next couple of years.  The front office is going to have to have a strong feel for the trade market, free agent market, and general opinion of their players.

Next: Andre Drummond's season in review and grade

Stan Van Gundy’s focus should be on what is going on with his players’ development.  And the best way to do that is to have someone take his role in the front office and make the tough personnel decisions that face the Detroit Pistons in the near future.

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