CHARLOTTE - If you're short on time, don't ask Steve Clifford how his five years as an assistant to Stan Van Gundy helped prepare him to become an NBA head coach. You'll get a much more concise answer if you ask Clifford to name the areas in which Van Gundy didn't help mold the career assistant into the guy who took the woebegone Charlotte franchise to the playoffs as a rookie last season.
He's an elite coach, Clifford said before his mentors Pistons thumped the rebranded Hornets by 20 points on Wednesday. And to be an elite coach in this league, you know, he's good at everything. He's a leader, he's super organized, he knows how to utilize his staff, he's a communicator, he's knowledgeable, he's a teacher and he has a work ethic and a passion to push himself that very few people have.
Sure, but can he handle being both a coach and the president of basketball operations, Steve?
"Yeah, because he's also one of the smartest human beings youll ever spend time with."
Van Gundy's relationship with Clifford predates their five years together in Orlando, but that's when it blossomed into something that now includes each calling the other one of his very best friends.
"Van Gundy said he watched about 65 Bobcats games last season and you're pulling for him every minute and it's the same when I watch the Heat with Erik (Spoelstra, with whom Van Gundy served as an assistant under Pat Riley and later had Spoelstra on his staff). It's a different thing, but it's part of the business and after you do it a couple of times, you sort of get used to it. It doesn't mean you ever enjoy it, but you get used to it."
Van Gundy experienced the ultimate in conflicted feelings when he coached against his brother, Jeff. And Jeff is how Clifford came to coach under Stan, Clifford serving under Jeff Van Gundy in both New York and Houston. Stan knew Clifford's dad, a Vermont high school coach, from his first stint in coaching as an assistant at the University of Vermont and has known Steve since he first got into coaching 30 years ago.
"He's a great coach and became one of my closest friends," he said. "I really enjoyed his success last year. He's a great coach and a fabulous human being, a good friend."
Because they know each other so well, Clifford doesn't have to struggle to envision what Van Gundy's Pistons teams will look like.
"His teams are going to work and he's going to look for balanced play," he said. "They're going to defend and they'll be good on offense. That's a problem well, a problem for us. And with their size, they're a terrific rebounding team."
Clifford also is confident Van Gundy is the best move the Pistons could have made to ensure Andre Drummond's full potential is realized.
"He knows how to build a defense around a dominant inside basket protector," he said. "He can best utilize Drummond's greatness in there. Really, there's not too many guys in this league like that guy."