John Loyer spoke to the media Monday after being named the Pistons' interim head coach. The video above is courtesy of MLive.com, and Loyer's comments are transcribed below:
"I've been actually through this situation before, seen it done properly, seen it done not very good. And I told our guys it's got to be a gradual process. Playing hard supercedes anything we could possibly change so we got to start there. But there's things we've got to tweak on both sides of the ball, and we'll gradually do that."
"I've never really sat down and formulated a plan for my coaching career. I enjoy coaching, whether it's [as] a head coach or an assistant coach. I do enjoy our guys, I've enjoyed them the last three years, having coached the majority of them.
"I'm ready for the challenge. I'm excited about it. Like I told the guys today, this is where I want to be."
More video from Dave Pemberton:
You follow him, right? If not, go do that: @drpemberton.
VIDEO: #Pistons interim head coach John Loyer says team has to be a dominant rebounding team and improve shooting http://t.co/NgdvmVGTs4
— Dave Pemberton (@drpemberton) February 10, 2014
"We should be a dominant rebounding team. We're playing guys with size, we have very good athleticism. We need to dominate the boards. You look at our wins, we're pretty dominant. You look at games when it's either even or we're not ahead, we're struggling. So we've got to dominate the glass.
"I think we've got very good length, so we should be a much better shot-blocking team, should be a very good team at protecting the rim, [that's] something we can imrpove on.
"We have not shot the ball well. When you're 30th in three-point shooting and 30th in free-throw percentage, those two stats you've got to improve on. And that will be a challenge for us every day."
On being prepared for the job:
VIDEO: #Pistons coach John Loyer says he's prepared to be head coach http://t.co/BwNqXTmP5h
— Dave Pemberton (@drpemberton) February 10, 2014
"Sure, when you slide one seat down, you're making all the substitutions, you're diagramming the ATOs (after-timeout plays), you're doing things, but I felt as an assistnt coach, the guys that I've worked for always tried to help me prepare for this day. I've done it a few times -- in more of a pinch-hitting role -- so I'm prepared for it."
On whether the Pistons can win:
VIDEO: #Pistons coach John Loyer believes the current team can win http://t.co/LsuGuGoLLP
— Dave Pemberton (@drpemberton) February 10, 2014
"I think this group can win. This is who we have. As a coach, that's not even in our day-to-day framework or thought process. We coach the team they give us. We think it's a good group. I think it's a group that can be very successful."
On the players figuring out a coach:
VIDEO: #Pistons interim coach John Loyer says players figure out if a coach can coach http://t.co/8tmGFHKOzj
— Dave Pemberton (@drpemberton) February 10, 2014
"There's always going to be a change.
"I think people under-sell players. Players figure things out. They know, whether you're a head coach or an assistant coach, one, whether you know your stuff. Two, whether you're in it for the right things. Three, can make them better? And four, are you a good leader?
"And as a head coach or an assistant coach, guys figure that out. I'll take my chances with what they've figured out over the last few years."