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Stan Van Gundy Talks Comparison To Ron Jeremy, The 'Van Gundy Rule'

By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak

CBS DETROIT - If you think new Detroit Pistons head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy looks like porn legend Ron Jeremy, you are not alone. He told Stoney and Bill of 97.1 The Ticket that he has heard the comparison before.

"I never heard that until I got in the NBA," Van Gundy said. "I had no idea who the heck he was. I had to look that up when I was getting all that. All I know is that anybody who is said to look like me should be insulted."

"Finding Bliss" - 2009 Slamdance Premiere
PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 18: Actor Ron Jeremy attends the premiere of 'Finding Bliss' held at the Treasure Mountain Inn during the 2009 Slamdance Film Festival on January 18, 2009 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Part of Van Gundy's appearance used to include his trademark mock turtlenecks, which he would wear to games until the NBA instituted what the coach said has come to be known as the "Van Gundy rule" that coaches must wear collared shirts. While Van Gundy will not be rocking the mock turtlenecks on the sideline anymore, he said the shirts could still show up at community events.

"I dress for comfort a lot more than for style," he said.

On a basketball note, Van Gundy addressed the issue of Josh Smith, the expensive forward the Pistons acquired before last season who shot too often and made too few of those shots in his first year in Detroit. Van Gundy disputed the notion Smith needs to change his game but effectively said he needs to be used differently.

"It's not changing his game," Van Gundy said. "Josh has had a game for a long time in this league that works ... I think it's two things. I think it's us putting him in spots that play to his strengths - don't maybe give him the opportunity to play to his weaknesses ... and then it's him making better decisions.

"He's signed his big contract, he's made his money, those guys, generally, as I have found, start to take winning more seriously," Van Gundy said. "I think you'll see a different Josh Smith on the floor this year."

 

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