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Van Gundy was on the Lowe Post Today, and had great insight into the team, the league, and other topics. This is a must listen.

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/grantland/player?id=13347080

This why Stan = God. He tells it like it is.

This was a great interview to listen to. I really appreciated a lot f the topics and stan's take on them but perhaps the most thought-provoking was 'overpaying' in free agency. Sometimes fans and media get too caught up in the perceived value of a contract and forget about the actual impact it will have on a team.

SVG really knows his stuff. I loved the way he critiqued how the media evaluates trades and picks. He made irrefutable arguments on the Aron Baynes signing and he even went in on the Rashard Lewis signing from back in his Orlando days. EXCELLENT podcast!

Interesting that SVG considering Johnson starting at the 2 if he plays well

princeofpalace wrote:Interesting that SVG considering Johnson starting at the 2 if he plays well

Well if Stanley can outplay KCP he earned every minute, we should be in a very good shape then. But i still think Johnson will play a lot more SF just because both KCP and Meeks should do just fine at SG and we got bigger question marks at SF, but in the case someone got hurt like Meeks last season SJ could be a very good option.

I guess there is not much difference about both SG/SF wing positions anymore but Johnson lacks elite height/length/wingspan for a prototypical SF. He got good measurements but not great ones.

Kwahi Leonard height: 6' 7, Wingspan 7 '3, Standing Reach 8' 10
Stanley Johnson height: 6' 6.5, Wingspan 6' 11, Standing Reach 8' 6

Maybe just maybe SJ might be better of at SG in the longterm but its too early of course and SVG will figure this out i suppose.


Great, great podcast btw. In Stan We Trust.

If stanley johnson is playing significantly better than KCP on both ends, I'm not going to get too worried about labels. KCP is a legit 2 way starter, so a step up from that as a rookie would be pretty impressive.

I think Stan put that out there to help motivate KCP to take it to the next level as Meeks doesn't appear to be challenging KCP for his spot in the starting lineup.

Joe Asberry wrote:

princeofpalace wrote:Interesting that SVG considering Johnson starting at the 2 if he plays well

Well if Stanley can outplay KCP he earned every minute, we should be in a very good shape then. But i still think Johnson will play a lot more SF just because both KCP and Meeks should do just fine at SG and we got bigger question marks at SF, but in the case someone got hurt like Meeks last season SJ could be a very good option.

I guess there is not much difference about both SG/SF wing positions anymore but Johnson lacks elite height/length/wingspan for a prototypical SF. He got good measurements but not great ones.

Kwahi Leonard height: 6' 7, Wingspan 7 '3, Standing Reach 8' 10
Stanley Johnson height: 6' 6.5, Wingspan 6' 11, Standing Reach 8' 6

Maybe just maybe SJ might be better of at SG in the longterm but its too early of course and SVG will figure this out i suppose.


Great, great podcast btw. In Stan We Trust.

I actually agree with this. SJ doesn't have prototypical height/length for a SF, which is why it makes sense that SVG sees him as a 3/2 and not a 3/4 like some posters on here have said.

Many ppl on this board jumped down my throat when I have said that Pistons aren't set at the 2 and it appears that SVG thinks the same. Neither KCP nor Meeks have shown themselves to be the answer at the 2 spot.

I want SJ to start at the 3 because Morris is garbo but if neither KCP nor Meeks elevate their game- I wouldn't be upset to see SJ supplant them at the 2 spot.

I just took SVG's comments about SJ being able to play the 2 as a tribute to his broad skill set and versatility. I don't know that it was meant as a warning to anyone on the team. They're all pros and know that it's all about performance. As SVG said in this interview, in the end it's all about winning. KCP I don't see as being in any great peril. A solid rotation 2 way player. Sure, there are things he needs to improve upon, but still likely our starting 2. That said, there were times last year we saw teams put super sized against him and he wasn't strong enough to contain them. It appears that SJ might be able to provide help in such situations. I'm sure KCP knows he needs to get stronger and is probably working on that.

This was a great listen. SVG clearly feels confident about the plan. I'm sure he wouldn't declare the team a finished product, but it appears better equipped to compete than at this time last year.

princeofpalace wrote:Interesting that SVG considering Johnson starting at the 2 if he plays well

SVG loves to foster competition, because it brings out the best in players.

However, I doubt this works in reality because it's much better to have 2 aggressive defenders at the two and three on the court at the exact same time . Plus if both Johnson and KCP play too, that puts Meeks out of the rotation.

Yea SVG is a basketball savant and a joy to listen to..
Lowe got annoying a couple times acting a bit snarky, but I really like his stuff for the most part..

SVG is the best interviewee of any current NBA coach. Very blunt and honest like Pop, but not annoyingly brief and sarcastic. If I was in the NBA he'd be right up at the top of the list of guys I'd want to be coached by, along with Brad Stevens, Steve Kerr and Frank Vogel.

detroitKG wrote:Yea SVG is a basketball savant and a joy to listen to..
Lowe got annoying a couple times acting a bit snarky, but I really like his stuff for the most part..

It felt like it got a little testy between the two, I'm not sure if that was just Stan riffing on media in general or actual about Lowe. Lowe did kind of prod Stan a bit about "overpaying" and not having Lowe's current obsession of a "playmaking 4".

I enjoyed it but I wish Lowe would have asked more about Drummond and Jennings instead of talking about Orlando half the podcast.

I didn't think SVG & Lowe got testy at all. They seem to have a great relationship and were about as open as you could hope for.

Stan's honesty regarding Monroe, his in depth analysis of the Baynes signing and the Lewis part of the podcast were the highlights for me.

We set out to get tougher, longer, faster and more versatile this off-season - we did that and while everyone is talking about our offensive potential SVG made the point about D.

Half of me doesn't want the season to begin - so much hope for the first time in a long time

Pharaoh wrote:Half of me doesn't want the season to begin - so much hope for the first time in a long time

Ouch, but yeah, I understand. My hopes always get a little too high this time of year, but I'm thinking there's some better reasons than Stuckey and Josh Smith this time.

tmorgan wrote:

Pharaoh wrote:Half of me doesn't want the season to begin - so much hope for the first time in a long time

Ouch, but yeah, I understand. My hopes always get a little too high this time of year, but I'm thinking there's some better reasons than Stuckey and Josh Smith this time.

Keep them high.

REASONS

1.)Fit. Every player fits a position, and doesn't clash with other players on the floor.

2.)Bench. Oh good grief is our bench deep as hell. The potential is off the charts. Jennings, meeks, johnson, tolliver, baynes. It's a mirror image of our starting group, so erratic play styles won't be a concern. A substitution is made, that sub plays like the guy he replaced. consistancy is key.

3.)System. We all know how good Stan's system is, with the right players. We all saw flashes of it last year when Monroe was out. He not only built a starting 5 that fits it perfectly, but he also built a damn bench that fits it perfectly. It's absurd.

4.)Jackson/Drummond combo. This duo is going to create nightmares for every team in the league next year. That's because not only is it insanely difficult to contain either player, the new additions give options to both as well. Morris, Pope and Ilyasova are going to feast on open jumpers, all season long, and it all starts with the Jackson/Drummond pick and roll.

5.)Growth. Pope, Drummond, and Jackson(perhaps even Morris)are set to step up. If they do, and become the players we see in them, sky's the limit.

6.)SVG. The coach gets lost behind SVG the president alot as his moves have utterly transformed this team. Now we have SVG the head coach unleashed, able to utilize his exacting pieces that have made him a winning (.610)coach.

7.)Another promising rookie at 7,8,9. If Stanimal plays anything like he did in summer league during his rookie season, our bench just went from insane, to ludicrous.

That's just some of the things I see, that give me hope. This team is now truly a team, and more importantly a SVG team. This team, is going to be good. Damn good.

God I hope you're right. Better than Toronto and Milwaukee?

Canadafan wrote:God I hope you're right. Better than Toronto and Milwaukee?

We have no chance to be better than the Bucks

They made the playoffs last year without Jabari and Monroe.

Toronto made the playoffs last year and only lost Amir (Biyombo should ease the blow of that loss) but also added Carroll who should bring some stability to their SF position.

We will need a team to break down with injuries or blow up with internal conflict for us to make the playoffs.

Cavs, Bulls, Heat, Wizards, Bucks, Raptors, Hawks are all going to make the playoffs

That leaves one spot open for us