Dwane Casey has the Detroit Pistons off to their best start in 10 years. With a roster very similar to what Stan Van Gundy had last season, Edward Zilincik breaks down what’s different between the two coaches.
Following the conclusion of another disappointing season for the Detroit Pistons (which saw them finish 39-43 and miss out on the playoffs for the second-consecutive year) owner Tom Gores’ fired Stan Van Gundy after his fourth season on the job.
Almost immediately, fans and media began to speculate who would replace Van Gundy, because the prospect of him being fired wasn’t expected.
Gores took a full 26 days after the Pistons concluded their season to fire the Pistons’ head coach President of Basketball Operations.
The two of them had a series of meetings a few weeks after the season completed, which reportedly centered on whether or not Van Gundy would give up his role as president or fire General Manager Jeff Bower.
In the view of many, the delay made it appear as if firing Van Gundy wasn’t originally part of Gores’ plan, or that he wouldn’t end up being fired. Whether or not the move was originally part of Gores’ thinking, it was a necessary move for the job Van Gundy did as coach and president.