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Boy, that escalated quickly. ... I mean, that really got out of hand fast.
No sooner did Stan Van Gundy go from all but locked up to coach the Golden State Warriors to rumors that he was a candidate for a coach/GM role in Detroit to he is definitely a candidate and this thing is happening.
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And now it is happened, as several media outlets are reporting that Stan Van Gundy signed a five-year $35 million contract last night, according to Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, who broke the news while giving an interview on 107.3 FM WBBL in Grand Rapids. It has since been confirmed by other media outlets.
The team will make a formal announcement of the hiring today and anticipates that a press conference will be held Thursday afternoon to announce the hiring and give Stan Van Gundy a chance to talk about where he wants to take the franchise going forward. He might also touch on how much he loves Detroit's ... passionate fans.
Little is known about the courtship process, but in his radio interview Ellis did reveal some facts he's been able to uncover. Ellis reported that the team started talking to Van Gundy about two weeks ago and things began to get serious about a week ago Friday.
Eventually, Ellis reported, Van Gundy flew out to Los Angeles to meet with Pistons owner Tom Gores and Platinum Equity executives. It was at this meeting that Van Gundy "blew the Pistons away" by unveiling a long, detailed, well-researched presentation that included a breakdown of every player on the Pistons roster. Van Gundy also reportedly had a detailed outline of what he planned to accomplish in his first months on the job, according to Ellis.
Ellis also attempted to downplay rumors that Van Gundy would bring in his old friend in Orlando, Otis Smith, as the general manager. Smith is certainly a candidate and considering his history with Van Gundy should be considered a very serious candidate, Ellis said, before emphasizing that Smith is just one of several people that will be considered for the GM role.
Detroit Bad Boys will bring you more Van Gundy coverage as things develop.