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Snippets from tomorrow's Vince Goodwill article - http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2014 ... ft-combine

The Pistons are still in the process of hiring a general manager, and Van Gundy said ownership “will be heavily involved in that.” The talk about former Magic GM Otis Smith has quieted, as many believe he’s content away from the game. One name to watch is Jeff Bower, former GM of the New Orleans Hornets, who’s currently a head coach at Marist.

DBB's profile of Jeff Bower as a GM Candidate - http://www.detroitbadboys.com/2014/4/11 ... head-coach

I'd be okay if Smith was hired, because I like rewarding loyalty and the GM role will seemingly be largely a caretaker one BUT I also like the idepaa of not bringing in a yesman either, and it does sound like Van Gundy realizes he needs somebody to reign him in and challenge him here as opposed to somebody who will just agree with him all the time and is looking to have more than a caretaker in the gig but give the guy typical GM responsibilities while using his President of BBall title to control the overall vision without micromanaging the GM spot.

Also worth noting is that ownership will have a say in the GM hire and will be very involved in interview process. I don't know if it means they bring their own names to the discussion or just will sit in and interview Van Gundy's short list.

He didn’t want to reveal the most pressing thing on his agenda, but getting assistant coaches in is seemingly top of mind.

“I don’t want to say anything now but we have a couple guys we’ll get in pretty quickly,” Van Gundy said. “Then a short list, five or six guys, that I like but need to talk to.”

He plans on taking a look at former players he had in Miami and Orlando, although he wouldn’t refer to anyone by name.

I assume he has his top assistant already all but chosen and will probably be announced by Monday. His mentioning about looking to former Magic and Heat players doesn't sound good for the potential of Sheed sticking on the staff in that former players would be the lower lever assistants where Sheed would be and he's looking to bring in his own guys familiar with his culture/systems.

Behind them, in the bleachers, sat other executives and scouts and coaches John Loyer and Scott Roth. Loyer was made interim coach when Maurice Cheeks was fired, and Roth was brought in by Loyer after the All-Star break.

I guess he needs to pretend he's still part of the org. And any info he can glean now from the combine could be used when he latches on elsewhere. Can't imagine he'd be kept on by Stan here, but by the same token he wasn't officially fired yet - though maybe Stan just wants to pick his brain first while he's under contract here or something.

Kilo wrote:Snippets from tomorrow's Vince Goodwill article -

Behind them, in the bleachers, sat other executives and scouts and coaches John Loyer and Scott Roth. Loyer was made interim coach when Maurice Cheeks was fired, and Roth was brought in by Loyer after the All-Star break.

I guess he needs to pretend he's still part of the org. And any info he can glean now from the combine could be used when he latches on elsewhere. Can't imagine he'd be kept on by Stan here, but by the same token he wasn't officially fired yet - though maybe Stan just wants to pick his brain first while he's under contract here or something.

Yeah, it's called professionalism and class (from both sides, SVG and Loyer) — you go to work and do your job until you're told you no longer have one, and in the end you reap what you sow. It makes Loyer look good to prospective new employers that he stayed and continued to do his job until he was relieved, and it makes SVG look good to prospective new hires that he didn't just summarily throw Loyer to the curb and instead treated him with respect. Even though both sides know he'll be moving on soon, they're both taking the high road and acting like adults. Kudos to all.

Bob Beyer is the first name to come out for assistants

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA 10m
Charlotte assistant Bob Beyer is a strong candidate to join Stan Van Gundy as top assistant coach in Detroit, league sources tell Yahoo.

^Supposedly it's a done deal, just waiting announcement. Unfortunately googling the guy for info all you get is his 2013 arrest for a bar fight and police obstruction. Sounds like a winner.

I mean it makes sense in that he was on the Van Gundy Orlando staff and Clifford and Ewing are not available from that staff As HC and associate HC in Charlotte), and Brendan Malone is 72 years old now but given Stan Van will have to split focus with front office issues I was hoping he'd bring in a top assistant with NBA HC experience. Also given his dual hats, he could have used an associate head coach title to poach a top assistant from another staff under the idea it was a promotion and not a horizontal move.

Kilo wrote:^Supposedly it's a done deal, just waiting announcement. Unfortunately googling the guy for info all you get is his 2013 arrest for a bar fight and police obstruction. Sounds like a winner.

I mean it makes sense in that he was on the Van Gundy Orlando staff and Clifford and Ewing are not available from that staff As HC and associate HC in Charlotte), and Brendan Malone is 72 years old now but given Stan Van will have to split focus with front office issues I was hoping he'd bring in a top assistant with NBA HC experience. Also given his dual hats, he could have used an associate head coach title to poach a top assistant from another staff under the idea it was a promotion and not a horizontal move.

I'm not concerned about assistants. I think this will be Stans show and he will just get the guys he trusts to work under him. Sometimes having too many egos on the sideline like a former HC can be problematic as much as helpful.

Assistant coaches are largely anonymous anyways, I've likely never heard of 95% of them. It's just that Beyer was 3rd/4th on the Van Gundy Orlando staff depth chart, and now is being hired as top assistant? And he had that run in with the law not a year ago that will be dredged up in the news with this hire. I assume this legal matter has been settled in the very least so there will be no "Detroit Piston Assistant Head Coach sentenced to x, y, z stemming from a bar brawl and police obstruction charge..." headlines.

Kilo wrote:Assistant coaches are largely anonymous anyways, I've likely never heard of 95% of them. It's just that Beyer was 3rd/4th on the Van Gundy Orlando staff depth chart, and now is being hired as top assistant? And he had that run in with the law not a year ago that will be dredged up in the news with this hire. I assume this legal matter has been settled in the very least so there will be no "Detroit Piston Assistant Head Coach sentenced to x, y, z stemming from a bar brawl and police obstruction charge..." headlines.

yeah, the arrest concerned me at first too, but after reading it said someone he was with got into a fight at a bar, and then he was just arguing with police trying to stick up for his friend, and then he got arrested too for interfering.

That happens to people all the time and doesn't mean they're a bad person or criminal or anything.

If he was the one who got into the fight, maybe there would be cause for concern that he has anger issues or could be a threat to the players or something, but being that he was basically just in the wrong place at the wrong time, I don't think its really a big deal. If it wasn't even a big deal for Charlotte when it happened, I don't see it being any problem of the Pistons a year later.

Kilo wrote:^Supposedly it's a done deal, just waiting announcement. Unfortunately googling the guy for info all you get is his 2013 arrest for a bar fight and police obstruction. Sounds like a winner.

I mean it makes sense in that he was on the Van Gundy Orlando staff and Clifford and Ewing are not available from that staff As HC and associate HC in Charlotte), and Brendan Malone is 72 years old now but given Stan Van will have to split focus with front office issues I was hoping he'd bring in a top assistant with NBA HC experience. Also given his dual hats, he could have used an associate head coach title to poach a top assistant from another staff under the idea it was a promotion and not a horizontal move.

The only person that fits your idea is his brother.

Thank God, Otis Smith is beyond terrible. That dude couldn't stop throwing up all over himself in Orlando.

Just say no to Otis, and sorry retreads like Colangelo.

Warspite wrote:

Kilo wrote:^Supposedly it's a done deal, just waiting announcement. Unfortunately googling the guy for info all you get is his 2013 arrest for a bar fight and police obstruction. Sounds like a winner.

I mean it makes sense in that he was on the Van Gundy Orlando staff and Clifford and Ewing are not available from that staff As HC and associate HC in Charlotte), and Brendan Malone is 72 years old now but given Stan Van will have to split focus with front office issues I was hoping he'd bring in a top assistant with NBA HC experience. Also given his dual hats, he could have used an associate head coach title to poach a top assistant from another staff under the idea it was a promotion and not a horizontal move.

The only person that fits your idea is his brother.

That would be amazing if we got both Van Gundy's. I'll take Jeff as lead assistant or GM.

Now that espn has Mark Jackson back, its opened up the possibility too.

Whos older of the van gundy brothers?

MotownMadness wrote:Whos older of the van gundy brothers?

Stan is 2 years older then Jeff

Jeff ain't coming here to be GM.

Not a fan of Smith at all. He couldn't even deal Howard. Just a not a good choice for the job. I want an aggressive young gm in here and not a retread.

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I don't know much about Beyer, but I like the fact that he was involved with the 2013 Golden State and 2014 Bobcats teams. Both teams made big jumps. He's also a guy that Van Gundy knows and has confidence in.

good to hear ownership group will help in the GM search, you have to get a guy Stan can trust of course but it doesn't have to be a guy like Otis Smith for sure.

Zach Lowe ‏@ZachLowe_NBA 6m

Had extended chat w/ SVG. He is only interested in GM candidates who have had a GM job full-time. Limits the available pool.

Vince Goodwill is still pushing former New Orleans Hornet GM and current Marist HC Bower as leading name. Personally I can't see Bower leaving Marist when he only took on that gig this time last year.

Also this means long incoming Grantland piece on Stan Van and Pistons

Great to hear we are going to get someone with experience instead of some no name assistant.

Will Sheed still be an assistant?

Uncle Mxy wrote:Will Sheed still be an assistant?

Not known yet. Detroit didn't ask to talk to Ewing, but did ask about Beyer and was given permission by Charlotte. Clifford and Ewing were the bigman coaches on SVG's last staff - clifford is 'Cats headcoach and Ewing is associate headcoach and tasked with Jefferson development so likely wouldn't be allowed to leave (or maybe not even want to) anyways.

So in the very least SVG will need to find a new big man coach for his staff but it's unknown if he's even considering Sheed.