Van Gundy believes the NBA needs to give more chances to Assistant Coaches
After speaking up about lead assistant Bob Beyer's readiness to take on a head coaching position, Stan Van Gundy has once again reiterated his stance on the NBA coaching carousel: give your assistants a chance. The Pistons' head coach tells MLive's David Mayo that with many teams looking to improve their coaching personnel, the answer they need might be right in front of them. However, with the likes of David Blatt, Mike D'Antoni and George Karl currently still on the market, it could make it hard for some NBA assistants to get the shot they deserve.
"There's never a shortage of really good candidates," Van Gundy said. "It's also why it's hard for a lot of these assistants to get their chance. (Detroit assistant) Bob Beyer's more than ready, (Charlotte assistant) Patrick Ewing's more than ready. That's just the guys I know. But it's hard for those guys to get an opportunity because there aren't enough jobs for guys who have a proven head-coaching record."
Many franchises have already started filling their coaching gaps, with big hitters Tom Thibodeau and Scott Brooks joining the Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards respectively, whilst newcomer (and current Atlanta Hawks assistant coach) Kenny Atkinson has been named the Brooklyn Nets' new head coach. Although it is hard to disagree with Van Gundy's stance on the subject (How is Bill Laimbeer not on the circuit?), it is understandable that many teams would rather bank on a known quantity than a relative unknown.
Should Beyer, Ewing, Laimbeer or any other number of NBA assistants be given a shot? Definitely. Will they? Only time will tell.
Orlando Magic initiated Tobias Harris trade talks, not Pistons
For weeks the Pistons' front office told the media they wouldn't look to make a trade, that they were happy with what they had, but that of course, if anyone presented them a nice offer they'd think about it.The Pistons ended up winning the trade deadline with a completely unexpected trade for swingman Tobias Harris and a later rescinded deal for Rockets' forward Donatas Motiejunas. Detroit's move looked great, with many taking the front office's initial "no-trade" stance as a tactic, but as the Detroit News' Rod Beard relays, the Pistons stuck to their guns until the Orlando Magic started calling to gauge the interest in Harris.
"His name wasn't even out there for us until two days before we did the deal," Van Gundy said. "We were really surprised."
The deadline surprise has been a great addition to the Pistons, helping the team make its' first playoff appearance since its' Allen Iverson days. Despite Detroit having to give up two integral parts of their team in Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova as part of the trade, they have come out on top and ready to compete. Although the team is currently losing the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, they have shown a lot of promise, with the core of Harris, Andre Drummond, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Reggie Jackson and Stanley Johnson not backing down against a much more experienced Cavaliers squad.
The future is bright in Detroit, thanks again Orlando!
NBA will allow ads on jerseys from 2017-18 season
It has been a long time coming but the NBA has announced that they will experiment with ads on jerseys over the course of three years, beginning with the 2017-18 season. As ESPN's Darren Rovell explains, prospective sponsors will be allowed to purchase a 2.5 x 2.5 inch patch of jersey space on the left shoulder strap, and Hoops Hype has already had a bit of fun visualizing what it would like. Here is what Commissioner Adam Silver had to say:
"It's my hope, independent of whatever additional revenues are generated through this patch program, that the greatest impact will be in this amplifying effect of companies choosing to associate directly with a team jersey, then going out and promoting that relationship to the largest market," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said.
"There's a reason this is a pilot program," Silver said. "We listen very closely to our fans."
The NBA's current plan is definitely better than what many (including myself) were expecting, with the fairly innocuous patches not taking too much away from the actual jersey itself, like the advertising in European basketball often does. Additionally, fans will be able to purchase jerseys without the ads on them, a move which should also help those not entirely keen on the idea.
Now that the word is out, who would you like to see sponsor the Pistons? General Motors? Ford? What about Fieger Law? Tell us in the comments below. One thing is for sure though, I already know who I'd like to grace the Pistons' game jerseys.
Tweet of the Week
#Pistons SVG: "LeBron is a good adjustment; it's really smart coaching to put LeBron on the floor."
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) April 21, 2016
(Insert flame emojis)