Stan Van Gundy, per usual, is wasting no time fighting back attackers in the press. At the same time he is beefing up the coaching staff. The Coach/President of the Detroit Pistons levied a quick, decisive response to negative comments about the organization and hired a new assistant coach this week.
Coach Van Gundy responded to comments made by Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert this week. Gilbert, who is a Detroit native, bemoaned the fact that the Pistons play in Auburn Hills, saying that Detroit doesn't really have a team since the Coliseum isn't downtown (via ESPN):
"'If you're gonna convince someone like that [Pistons owner Tom Gores], and I've said it to him, long term for business reasons, that's not a viable place that you're gonna have a long-term successful, profitable venture,' Gilbert said. 'People want entertainment, a whole night of it, a whole experience.'"
"'Dan Gilbert has some selfish interests for saying what he said,' Van Gundy said on 105.1 FM in Detroit. 'I think we know what those are. Finally I think he has enough to worry about with his own team than worrying about us.'"
Boom! That's laying the hammer down big time- in a very respectful, well thought out and diplomatic way.
Internally Van Gundy has begun shaking the shack a little, starting by adding Brendan Malone as assistant coach (via Detroit Bad Boys):
"Malone has a storied coaching history including spending seven years in Detroit, winning two championships alongside Chuck Daly in 1989 and 1990.
"Malone spent another five years with Van Gundy in Orlando. He most recently served as an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings where his son Michael Malone is the head coach."
What do you think? Is Stan Van Gundy the Bono of NBA head coaches? Can someone even decipher the meaning behind that question?
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