Pistons owner Tom Gores and coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy will meet this evening to begin discussions on the franchise’s future, including Van Gundy’s job status, Vince Ellis of Detroit Free Press tweets.
This will be the first of what will likely be several meetings between Gores and Van Gundy, Ellis adds.
The Pistons have failed to qualify for the playoffs in three of the four seasons with Van Gundy running the show. Gores could opt to stick with the status quo regarding Van Gundy’s coaching and front office duties, bring in another executive to run the show while retaining Van Gundy as head coach, or let Van Gundy go and seek a new direction.
The mid-season acquisition of Blake Griffin from the Clippers could work in Van Gundy’s favor, as the Pistons didn’t have the services of point guard Reggie Jackson at the time. The Pistons are hoping that the trio of Griffin, Jackson and the NBA’s top rebounder, Andre Drummond, can lead them back to prominence. They only played four games together after Jackson returned from a high ankle sprain, as Griffin missed the last eight games with a bone bruise on his ankle.
Gores told reporters during the team’s final home game that he would meet with Van Gundy after the season to determine what changes, if any, would be made. Van Gundy has one season remaining on his five-year, $35MM contract.
The Pistons finished 39-43 this season, ninth-best in the Eastern Conference.
What’s the point in firing him now? It’ll be a dumpster fire with or without him next year.
So the Suns can hire him !!
At the very least the Pistons should remove Van Gundy’s front office duties. That clearly hasn’t worked. Van Gundy has accomplished nothing in his 4 years. The Pistons would be perfectly justified in firing him.