Community Shootaround: Detroit Pistons

It’s no secret that things have gone south for the Pistons, and that concerning trend continued Monday night. Having just recently fallen below .500 on the heels of a rough week, the team has acknowledged that things needs to change. In fact, head coach Stan Van Gundy couldn’t have been more clear that something needs to give.

In a post-game scrum after Monday’s blowout loss at the hands of the Bulls, Van Gundy told reporters that he “guarantees he won’t be trotting out the same starting five” the next time out.

This isn’t the first time the Detroit bench boss has been critical of the team in the media, and the players themselves even held a private meeting to try to inspire some sort of positive development. As Dana Garauder wrote in an article last night, the Pistons have multiple options to try and help turn things around.

Should the team consider moving Reggie Jackson to the bench and starting Ish Smith in his place? It’s worth noting that Pistons.com editor Keith Langlois says Jon Leuer, not Smith, is the most likely player to join the starting lineup, though there’s nothing stopping Van Gundy from making more than one change to try to light a fire under his faltering club.

After making the playoffs in 2015/16, the Pistons were regarded as one of the up-and-coming contenders of the Eastern Conference. Fast forward to today and a much-needed players-only meeting has resulted in the team’s staring point guard refusing to put up a field goal attempt in the first quarter, an approach Van Gundy said wasn’t part of the game plan. That’s not a good sign.

“Team meeting my ass,” Van Gundy would go on to add Monday night. “I have nothing to say. [The game] was a disgusting performance. Unprofessional, humiliating, embarrassing.”

Do you think Van Gundy is in the right here? How would you handle the team’s downward spiral?

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