RealGM

Hey all,

Big Andrew Yang fan here, and Stan Van Gundy was a guest on Andrew's podcast today. There were some tidbits that I thought you guys might find interesting regarding his time in Detroit. Thought I'd share!

1 hour 15...anyone wanna summarise it

Sent from my SM-G781B using RealGM mobile app

Really only one thing of interest:

He believes drafting is what got him fired. He admitted to missing on Booker, Lavert and Mitchell.

flow wrote:Really only one thing of interest:

He believes drafting is what got him fired. He admitted to missing on Booker, Lavert and Mitchell.

I’ve always maintained that drafting was his worst drawback.

His free agency deals and trades would be forgivable- and the Blake trade likely wouldn’t have happened- had we drafted well.

27 minute mark is when SVG starts talking about his draft regrets...

If only SVG had drafted obvious picks like Winslow, Mitchell or Booker the team wouldnt have been so bad.

SVG would have failed to pick Hayes and Bey, which were obvious picks.

During the draft in the low teens I was excited about getting Nesmith because he was still on the board. He went to BOS but a lot of people on drat day were hoping to get him it closer to DET pick. SVG doesnt pick Nesmith even if he is there.

A group of realgm posters would make better choices tham GMs, regularly.

I have not yet achieved the level of boredom in my life required for me to want to listen to that.

Manocad wrote:I have not yet achieved the level of boredom in my life required for me to want to listen to that.

Same lol

Sent from my SM-G781B using RealGM mobile app

Fact that he passed on Booker for SJ then the next year passed on Mitchell for Kennard doomed us.

IF we take Booker doesn't he help Reggie and Dre by spacing the floor? Isn't that why we drafted the shooter the next time?

Not taking mini Wade once he blew it with SJ just compounded the problem.

Blows my mind that a guy who can speak so intelligently about the game missed the obvious choice in so many Drafts

Sent from my SM-G781B using RealGM mobile app

SVG kept drafting position of need instead of BPA which screwed us over n over had Mitchell been 6'5 or something I see us drafting him but being undersize probably made stanbower choose kennard instead smh.

Very interesting. I guess he was just as clueless on drafting as he looked. I always said he had absolutely no consistent draft philosophy. He really didn't.

Although Stan thinks the draft was his only issue with the Pistons it seemed clear to me his last season that players were tuning him out. He felt his coaching was good, so I guess he'll use the same style with the Pelicans. I give him three years tops.

440BB wrote:Although Stan thinks the draft was his only issue with the Pistons it seemed clear to me his last season that players were tuning him out. He felt his coaching was good, so I guess he'll use the same style with the Pelicans. I give him three years tops.

Different personnel in NO though.

He didn't have guys like Zion & Ingram here.

I can see a lot of the same plays we ran for Dre & Blake being run for Zion though (so many different high post variations) but incorporating a guy like BI into that offense will be difficult.

Bledsoe = Reggie

At least he's got JJ back with him. That'll help cause Redick is a big stan for Stan

Sent from my SM-G781B using RealGM mobile app

SVG was a bad drafter, but I don't think there is a philosophy that gets both the Booker and Mitchell picks right. They are very different type of players, so if you are looking for a particular mold of guy to fit on your team, you are going to miss on one of them.

Pharaoh wrote:

440BB wrote:Although Stan thinks the draft was his only issue with the Pistons it seemed clear to me his last season that players were tuning him out. He felt his coaching was good, so I guess he'll use the same style with the Pelicans. I give him three years tops.

Different personnel in NO though.

He didn't have guys like Zion & Ingram here.

I can see a lot of the same plays we ran for Dre & Blake being run for Zion though (so many different high post variations) but incorporating a guy like BI into that offense will be difficult.

Bledsoe = Reggie

At least he's got JJ back with him. That'll help cause Redick is a big stan for Stan

Sent from my SM-G781B using RealGM mobile app

Like you say he has way more talent and better roster in NO then we ever had. It took two seasons just to get a decent team together because before he came we had the worse fitting roster in the league with little talent as well.

I think he will do great there, it shouldn't be hard to incorporate a 6'10 guy with playmaking that is a three level scorer as well. He had Tobias looking really great here.

Billl wrote:SVG was a bad drafter, but I don't think there is a philosophy that gets both the Booker and Mitchell picks right. They are very different type of players, so if you are looking for a particular mold of guy to fit on your team, you are going to miss on one of them.

I don’t think anyone is suggesting he should have “landed” with every pick. Nobody gets the best player at their spot every single time. The fact is he didn’t land on any.

We as an organization have not.

Drafting has been our biggest failing- and is the main reason we’re stuck where we are. People talk about trade and free agency- and those are bad- but it’s drafting that has killed us. We’ve drafted one all star who became an all star with us in the last 24 years (25 years ago being when we drafted Grant Hill). That obviously can’t all be placed at SVG’s feet, but he absolutely continued the tradition.

There’s a long list of guys, during and prior to SVG’s tenure, that we have missed out on in that time. No, we wouldn’t have gotten all of them. But successful teams get some of them. We’ve failed to add value to our team via the draft.

Billl wrote:SVG was a bad drafter, but I don't think there is a philosophy that gets both the Booker and Mitchell picks right. They are very different type of players, so if you are looking for a particular mold of guy to fit on your team, you are going to miss on one of them.

I agree.
A philosophy or consistent strategy of skilled 2-way players with plus athleticism gets you
Spencer Dinwiddie
Stanley Johnson
Caris Levert
Donovan Mitchell

The worst guy on that list is Stanley Johnson (we won't discuss killing his confidence by changing his jumpshot, and killing his fight by benching him against Lebron) but you can still use SJ as an elite defensive backup 3/4 with his 7 foot wingspan.

I'm not as concerned about missing on Devin Booker. Its better to have a consistent philosophy. Guess when Phoenix started winning? When they started surrounding him with long 2-way players.

Say you miss on Caris Levert because of his injury history. Maybe he's not "Pistons Tough" enough for you.

You still have Spencer as a backup pg.
You have Donovan Mitchell as starting sg and eventually running the team when you get rid of Reggie Jackson.
You still have Stanley for defense.

Consistency in draft philosophy is never a bad thing. It gives you an identity.

SVG's "just add shooting" philosophy, and "I missed on Devin Booker so I really need to just draft shooters from now on" is what destroyed the Pistons to the point where Troy Weaver literally just had to GUT THE TEAM.

God Bless SVG but I'm so glad we have a realGM in Troy Weaver. He has a plan and a strategy and he has an idea of what Pistons basketball is. I actually think the future is bright.

F SVG! That trade for broken down Blake killed this franchise

SVG should get credit for hitting on Dinwiddie I guess. But then did a poor job of developing him and traded him for peanuts.

SVG would probably still be here if he drafted Booker or Mitchell... Hit on either of those two guys and you have a perennial all-star. I always liked SVG and really it was his drafting that hurt this team most. I think overall very few guys can really play the coach and GM role well as you can't give all your effort to both you've got to split and its hard to be great at either of those if you aren't giving it 100%