The arrival of Stan Van Gundy in Detroit was supposed to solve many of the Pistons' issues, giving the team a brilliant basketball mind to mold one of the most unusual rosters in the league. Instead, Van Gundy seems to be joining the rest of us in confusion, calling his team "messed up" after a 106-96 loss to the struggling Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
Stan Van Gundy says Pistons ‘have a messed up team’
The Pistons’ coach had some interesting comments after the team’s record dropped to 3-15 with a loss to the Lakers on Tuesday night.
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“I think we took a lot of tough shots with people open,” Van Gundy said to Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. “We have to show them those things. I have to do my job better. I’m not gonna say I have a selfish team or lazy team. We have a messed up team.”
The Pistons are currently near the bottom of the NBA standings with a 3-15 record, topping only the winless Philadelphia 76ers. Despite having talented players like Greg Monroe, Andre Drummond, Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings, the Pistons are pace to win 13 games this season.
That's understandably befuddled Van Gundy in his return to coaching after taking some time off to recharge. Many expected the former Orlando Magic coach to light a fire under the Pistons with a new system and track record of winning, but a loss at home to L.A. on Tuesday was the latest reminder of how poorly the team has looked.
Van Gundy said selfishness wasn't the problem, and maybe he's right, but a lack of ball movement does seem to be plaguing the team. Only four teams -- the Nuggets, Pelicans, Lakers and Magic -- make fewer passes per game than the Pistons, via NBA.com, and only three -- Kings, Magic, Raptors -- get fewer assist opportunities.
The Pistons aren’t a team full of high-quality shooters, an increasing rarity in today’s NBA, and they’re playing a stagnant brand of offense. Smith remains as inefficient as any shot-happy player in the league, Drummond hasn’t make much progress as a scorer and Monroe seems content to go through the motions before hitting restricted free agency.
To reiterate Van Gundy’s words, the Pistons are indeed a messed up team. It’s hard to say what moves the team makes from here given how early in the season it is, but Van Gundy isn’t just the coach -- he’s the team’s top basketball executive. So if SVG decides there’s a need to shake things up and move guys around from the broken roster he inherited, he can do it. The Pistons don’t seem to be panicking yet, but don’t be surprised if they’re active on the market in the coming months.
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