Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores says he’s undecided about Stan Van Gundy’s future with the franchise.
Gores met with reporters during halftime of Monday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors, which the Pistons lost after building a 36-point lead. Gores said he will not make a decision on Van Gundy’s future after Wednesday night’s game in Chicago, but will decide the next steps after meeting with his coach next week.
Van Gundy will finish his fourth season as coach and president of basketball operations tomorrow, having failed to lead Detroit to the playoffs for the third time in that span.
Gores says changes need to be made, but insists no decisions will be made until he speaks with Van Gundy. The two are expected to meet next week.
“We got to make some changes,” Gores told reporters on Monday. “I’m just not sure what they are and he’s been working the whole season so I need to hear from Stan. I can tell you he’s an extremely dedicated man so I think he’s been good for our franchise.”
Injuries wreaked havoc with the Pistons’ season as point guard Reggie Jackson suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him for 37 games. Of late, star forward Blake Griffin has missed the last six games with an ankle bruise.
But to Gores, those injuries don’t make up for the Pistons’ shortcomings in 2017-18.
“Reggie got hurt and that’s difficult, but people get hurt,” Gores said. “Players get hurt during the season so we have to be prepared for that.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.