Leading up to the opening of an NBA season, NBA coaches will often talk with their counterparts, previous coaches, and even college coaches. Stan Van Gundy has been a part of two other teams prior to his time in Detroit and has a brother who was also a coach. So it should be no surprise that Van Gundy had Tom Thibodeau in Auburn Hills earlier this summer.
SVG had Tom Thibodeau in recently, hopes to get him back to observe. "Tom's gonna be a popular guy to have around": NBA teams, he says
— Keith Langlois (@Keith_Langlois) September 29, 2015
Mind you, Thibodeau is currently in Charlotte watching their practices and will also be traveling to the San Antonio Spurs. His visits are probably less likely in the nature of his career as they are just to get around the league again. However, there is always that possibility.
Van Gundy still has three years on his contract after this year, so it's doubtful Thibs would be his replacement. Being a defensive coach as Thibs is, it would not surprise me to learn that Van Gundy was picking his brain for more defensive ideas. He's getting ideas from anywhere he can.
More than two dozen coaches, most from area colleges, were practice observers. Van Gundy does it as a way of giving back to a profession that’s been good to him – but also to solicit new ideas.
"We try to get the word out to everybody that we’re open to people coming in," he said. "(Assistant general manager) Jeff Nix handed out cards to each of those guys today, basically asking for suggestions, drills, things like that. You love to get their ideas. There are some really, really smart guys. It’s good for us."
So DBB, care to speculate?
Now your thoughts.