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Yahoo Sports reports that the Pistons are 'nearing' (whatever that means) a deal with Stan Van Gundy to become coach and head of their basketball operations, and that the Warriors (the other major suitor for SVG) believe he's "leaning" towards taking that offer:
Golden State officials met with Van Gundy on Monday in Florida and left convinced he was leaning strongly toward the offer of total control in Detroit. Golden State isn't willing to make an allowance for Van Gundy to have final say on player personnel. The Warriors would make him one of the higher paid coaches in the NBA, but Detroit owner Tom Gores is willing to do "whatever it takes," one source said, to recruit Van Gundy.
Golden State had been willing to pay Van Gundy in the five-year, $25 million to $30 million range to coach, but officials ultimately don't believe money is the motivating factor for Van Gundy in his decision. The allure of personnel control and an ability to build his own organizational culture and roster has pulled him toward Detroit.
Nevertheless, Van Gundy hasn't fully ruled out coaching the Warriors, sources told Yahoo Sports.
It's an interesting debate. Same money, but control is different in each situation. The Warriors present a better team to start with, with young talent, veterans, and a team more primed for a title. But SVG would have to tailor his approach to those players, and there's a good chance they're going to resist after having had so much success and a personal relationship with Mark Jackson.
The Pistons let him essentially build from the ground up. Owner Tom Gores is likely going to have demands (he's rumored to be high on Josh Smith), but the rest is for SVG to guide. And he gets a young super-stud in Andre Drummond down low... and he's had success with those situations before.
This has developed all in the past 24 hours, but that only shows you how serious the Pistons are.
