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Can the Detroit Pistons and Stan Van Gundy end the tailspin?

By Ash Thompson

AUBURN HILLS, MI - FEBRUARY 10: Head coach Stan Van Gundy of the Detroit Pistons reacts from the bench while playing the San Antonio Spurs at the Palace of Auburn Hills on February 10, 2017 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. San Antonio won the game 103-92. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
AUBURN HILLS, MI - FEBRUARY 10: Head coach Stan Van Gundy of the Detroit Pistons reacts from the bench while playing the San Antonio Spurs at the Palace of Auburn Hills on February 10, 2017 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. San Antonio won the game 103-92. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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The Detroit Pistons are definitely in the midst of a rough patch. Can returning players and greater familiarity net better results and save Stan Van Gundy’s job?

Keith Langlois of NBA.com thinks the Detroit Pistons need to add more shooters. He also believes that getting Reggie Jackson back is going to go a long way toward giving Blake Griffin some help. Langlois also thinks that the dozen games that Griffin has actually played for the Pistons are too small a sample size to be drawing any conclusions. He also corrects a few other misconceptions about what some fans are complaining about regarding coach Stan Van Gundy’s performance.

Ansar Khan of mlive.com has concluded that the Pistons are not utilizing Blake Griffin properly on offense. Griffin’s career shooting percentage is just over 51% and in Griffin’s 12 games with the Pistons, he has shot 40% or less from the field seven times. In his final 12 games with the Clippers, Griffin shot 40% or less only three times. Something is definitely not working. He does not look like the same player.

Rod Beard of the Detroit News paints a dire picture of the Pistons fading playoff hopes. They have struggled mightily recently. The team is 1-3 since the all-star break after going 1-3 going into the all-star break. It is not difficult at this point to find reasons for a pessimistic outlook. The Heat have done everything they could to fall out of the playoffs. The Pistons have, unfortunately, been unable to capitalize. They are currently two games back in the playoff hunt.

Mitch Lawrence of the sporting news reports that Van Gundy is likely to lose at least his role as team president, if not his coaching duties at the conclusion of the season. The Pistons have an in-house replacement. Arn Tellem joined the organization in 2015. After a quarter-century career as an agent and three seasons with the team, Tellem is likely to succeed Van Gundy in the role.

Next: Three takeaways from the Pistons win over the Bucks

Our own Jack Ozark took a long hard look at the Pistons and their embattled head coach earlier this week. Is Stan Van Gundy out of touch with today’s game? Is the team terrible, or is he a bad coach? Are both of those things true? When will owner Tom Gores move on?

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