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Stan Van Gundy Makes The Detroit Pistons A Playoff Contender

By Wes Goldberg

Oct 7, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy talks to his players in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Detroit won 111-109 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 7, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy talks to his players in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Detroit won 111-109 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Detroit Pistons weren’t very good last season but, with Stan Van Gundy now leading the charge, they could be a playoff team.

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Stan Van Gundy, one of the best coaches in the NBA, will team up with a potentially dominant big man in Andre Drummond. Sound familiar? Van Gundy was able to lead an Orlando Magic team featuring Dwight Howard and a variety of past-their-primers to the playoffs regularly. Those were Howard’s best seasons, and Van Gundy should have a similar impact in Detroit.

Alex Kennedy of BasketballInsiders.com thinks SVG could make the Pistons a playoff team as soon as this season.

"It’s very possible. Stan Van Gundy is a hell of a coach. I loved him when he was in Orlando and I got to cover him on a daily basis. He’s super smart and he gets a lot out of his players. I really think he’s going to help the Pistons immediately. Also, I think Andre Drummond will take a huge step forward this year and be even more dominant. In the final month of last season, Drummond averaged 18.4 points, 17.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting 64.2 percent from the field. He was a beast, and I think that was a sign of what’s to come. Throw in some growth from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (which I think we’ll see), Josh Smith potentially having a bounce-back year and being used correctly by SVG, Greg Monroe being motivated in a contract year and this Pistons team could be very good. I think they’ll definitely be in the mix for the eighth seed, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them sneak into the playoffs."

The Eastern Conference being so week certainly comes into play here. The Pistons would simply have no chance in the West. But if Drummond does take a leap–and I think he will–then the Pistons could be right there with the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks for the eighth seed.

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