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Detroit Pistons need to move on from Stan Van Gundy

By Travis Gibbs

Stan Van Gundy of the Detroit Pistons reacts during the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on February 11, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Stan Van Gundy of the Detroit Pistons reacts during the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on February 11, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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The Detroit Pistons are trending downward. Stan Van Gundy’s team looks like they’re giving up. Will they fire him before the end of the season?

Stan Van Gundy’s Detroit Pistons are 1-6 since the All-Star break. They are 2-11 over their last 13 games. This team is starting to implode. Players looked sluggish and played without any urgency in another beat down at Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland.

This is with Blake Griffin in their lineup. This is the team that Van Gundy put together since coming to Detroit. The only player remaining on the roster before Van Gundy became the head coach is Andre Drummond.

The Pistons are on their way to a third losing season in four years under Van Gundy. They have just one playoff appearance (where they were swept) in that time.

I know. All of it is very sobering. But there’s much more.

Only three of Van Gundy’s draft picks remain on the current roster. None of them have average ten points per game to this point in their respective NBA careers.

Van Gundy has passed up on the likes of Donovan Mitchell, Kyle Kuzma, and Devin Booker.

He has handcuffed this organization with giant contracts.

Drummond is set to make more than $81 million over the next three seasons. Though he was an All-Star this season, there’s no room for a modern-day center in the NBA to making that kind of money without the ability to shoot from the perimeter. He struggles defending the players who can do this as well.

Reggie Jackson will be making more than $35 million over the next two years. He’s played in just 85 games over the past two seasons. It’s unknown whether or not we will see him before the end of this season.

Jon Leur is set to make more than $19 million over the next two years as well.

They won’t be able to go out and sign anyone else to a long-term deal that could potentially help this team. They also won’t be able to build through the draft.

The Griffin trade included the Pistons giving away their first-round pick in this year’s draft.

All of this makes me nauseous.

The Pistons have 18 games left this season. They’re 29-35 and more than four games behind the Miami Heat for the final playoff spot. More than half of their games are on the road.

This team isn’t making the playoffs. What’s the point of letting Stan Van Gundy finish this season as the head coach? The players clearly don’t want him there. Firing Van Gundy might even spark this team.

The Pistons are playing the Toronto Raptors tonight at Little Caesars arena on national television. This is the same team that beat them by 29 points a little over a week ago.

Next: Detroit Lions seven-round mock draft

When they get embarrassed on ESPN, will firing Stan Van Gundy before the end of the season be appropriate? How much further should the Detroit Pistons let this go?

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